26 Abstracts: 



applied by Castelnau. Mr. A. R. McOuIlocli, wliose name 1 associate with the 

 species, informs me that he has received a large number of specimens, which enable 

 him to pronounce H. forndli as the yonnt; of .1/. hiJiiosa. notwithstanding the 

 differences exhibited by the type specimen. 



Ct'pold aofro sp. nov. 



D., 74; A., 69; V., i, 5; P., 20; C, 6+4. 



Length of head, 98; height of body, 12 6 in the length; diameter of eye, 3'0 ; 

 interorbital width, 6'0 ; and length of snout, 51 in the head. 



The preopercle is unarmed, and the maxilla extends to below the middle of the 

 eye. The lower jaw protrudes and fits into a notch in the upper one, the anterior 

 teeth remaining without when the mouth is closed ; the teeth in the jaws are in 

 single series, but there is a patch in front of the lower jaw, the anterior teeth of 

 which are strongly curved ; there are no teeth on the vomer, palatines, or tongue. 

 The dorsal fin arises above the edge of the opeicle. the anal less than the length 

 of the head behind it. 



The scales are extremely small ; no colour remains after the partial digestion of 

 the fish, but there is a conspicuous black spot on the membrane between the maxilla 

 and premaxilla ; no mark traceable on the dorsal fin. 



The largest specimen was taken from the stomach of a Znis : smaller ones were 

 obtained from I'agrosomus ; all being taken in the Bay of Plenty. 



The genus is new to the waters of the Dominion, and the species is typically a 

 C'epola as restricted by Bleeker. The Australian (^. au.-<traU.-< Ogilby differs -in 

 having a much smaller number of rays in the dorsal and anal, and also by the 

 absence of the black spot noticed in other species. C. aolea may prove to be not 

 distinct from C. riihcxcvn.s, but. pending absolute comparison, may receive a distinc- 

 tive name. 



Ps(:udi}Jnhnix pittensis sp. nov. 



D., ix, 11 ; A., iii, 10; V., i, 5 ; P., 13; C, U + 11 ; L. lat., 25; L. tr., 4 + 9. 



Length of head, 2'7 ; height of body, 2 6 ; length of caudal, 34 in the total ; 

 diameter of eye, 7"0, interorbital space 4 ; and length of snout, 2'9 in the head. 



Four .series of scales on the cheek, no sheath at bases of vertical fins. Caudal 

 subtruncate the depth of the peduncle, 1'9 in the length of the head. 



General colour purplish, darker above, yellow beneath. Six dark bands on the 

 body; they do not reach the lower edge; the first is close behind the head, the 

 last on the caudal peduncle ; these bands extend on to the membranes of the dorsal 

 fin. The pectoral has a purple bar acro.ss its base, and the distal two-thirds of the 

 ventrals are black. Length. 271 mm. 



Caught with hand-lino oft' Pitt Island, one of the Chatham Croup. 



Pterygofrii/fti Waite. 



In diagnosing Otiiliiiin\ a new genus of gurnards, Drs. Jordan and Starks con- 

 trast it with Chelid(iiii(lif/ii/s, but do not mention I'tcryyofrii/Ia, which leads me 

 to infer that they have overlooked the latter genus, of which Otohimc appears to be 

 a synonym. 



* I'fi'ri/i/ofrii/la has thus thi'ee species — namely, /'. pol ii'im niata llichardson, 

 /'. lu'iii'isfictd Jordan and Starks, and the following : — 



Pit'ij/(p>f liijhi andi rfoni sp. nov. 



D., vii, 12: A., i, 11 ; V., i. .'> ; P.. 11 + H; C.. 11 + S; L. lat. 65. Vert. 

 10 -f 16 = 26. 



Length of head, 2'9 ; height of body, 3'8 ; length of caudal, 48 in the total: 

 diameter of eye 3'2, interorbital space 3"0 ; and length of snout. 21 in the head. 



Form and coloration much as in Ptcrj/gofrif/Iti Jicmixt'n-ta, but maxilla does not 

 extend beyond the anterior margin of the orbit. One large plate in front of the 

 dorsal fin and five pairs of smaller ones bordering the spines. The rays are rela- 

 tively higher and both pectoral and ventral are longer, while the chiropods (free 

 pectoral rays) are shorter than in that species. The black spot on the dorsal fin ot 

 P. hemifftirta is replaced with small scattered spots like those on the body : the 

 rays bear three rows of spots, and the ventrals and chiropods are also spotted. The 

 pectoral of /'. lie iiii<f iota has two rows of iiiil]<-wliitc spots, w licreas in P. muh rtoiu 

 there are seven black bars. 



Length 294mm. Bay of Plenty; tiawled by Mr. Thomas .\udertou. of the 

 Portobello Fish-hatcherv. Port Chalmers. 



