EDIBLE FISHES OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 67 



CENTEOPOGON EOBUSTIJS. 



Centropoijon rohustus, Grnth. Catal. Fisli. ii. p. 128, 1860, and Ann. ]S"at. 



Hist. (3) 1867, XX. p. 60; Krefft, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 182; 



Macleay, Catal. Austr. Fish. i. p. 130, and Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, 



viii. p. 203 ; Woods, FisLer. N. S. Wales, p. 48. 

 Centropor/on troschelii, Steindaclin, SB. Ak. Wien, 1866, liii. p. 440. 



Bullrout. 



B. vi. D. 15/9-10. A. 3/5. Y. 1/5. P. 12. C. 14. L. lat. 83-88. L. tr. 21/50-58. 

 Coec. pyl. 4. Yert. 8/14. 



Length of head 3 -00-3 -25, of caudal fin 4-50-5-00, height of body 3-33- 

 3'66 in the total length. Width of head at the base of the upper preopercular 

 spines 2'20 in its length. Diameter of eye 4'10-4"25 in the length of the 

 head, and a little shorter than that of the snout: interorbital space concave, 

 its width at the anterior supraorbital spine 1'60-175 in the diameter of the 

 eye. Nostrils separate, the anterior small and oval, pierced in the summit 

 of a lower rounded prominence ; the posterior circular and much larger, 

 surrounded by a low rim. Upper surface of the head flat. Lower 

 jaw very slightly the longer. Clefb of mouth wide and oblique, the 

 maxilla reaching to beneath the middle of the eye or a little further. 

 Preorbital with two strong spines, the anterior short and triangular, 

 the posterior long, thorn-shaped, and very acute, directed backwards 

 and downwards, erectile at will, and from l'50-2'00 in the diameter 

 of the eye : a small sharp turbinal spine : one anterior and two posterior 

 supraorbital spines, more acute and prominent in small examples : inter- 

 orbital space with a ridge on each side and a lower median ridge, the latter 

 bifurcating posteriorly, and forming with the lateral ridges parallel arcuate 

 ridges on the vertex: a pair of spines on each occipital ridge: a temporal 

 ridge bearing three strong spines, the last of which marks the origin of the 

 lateral line : suborbital ridges with a single spine iuferiorly above the pre- 

 orbital spine, aiid broken up posteriorly into numerous low ramose ridges : 

 preopercle with five strong spines, the upper the longest: interopercle with 

 a low ridge terminating in a hidden spinate point at its upper margin: opercle 

 with two prominent spines, the margin between them, moderately indented, 

 and the space between and above them earinated : a strong spine on the 

 posttemporal and another, pointing upwards and backwards, on the clavicular 

 bone, which is closely striated. Villiform teeth on the jaws, vomer, and 

 palatines ; on the latter in a narrov,^ band ; vomerine band subcrescentic. 

 The dorsal commences above the middle of the opercle, its origin being mid- 

 way between the tip of the snout and the tenth spine ; the spines are acute 

 and moderately strong, the fourth normally the longest, but scarcely differing 

 in height from the third and fifth, 2-25-2'33 in the length of the head ; 

 bevond these the spines grow gradually shorter, the last not being perceptibly 

 longer than its predecessor, and but very little less than the second ; the 

 first spine is the shortest, 2"40 in the height of the fourth; the rays are 

 equal in height to the spines, and their outside contour forms a high and 

 regular arch ; the last ray is the shortest, and is attached by membrane to 

 the caudal pedicle by two-thirds of its length ; the basal length of the rayed 

 portion is from 3'20-3'33 in that of the spinous : the anal commences beneath 

 the thirteenth or fourteenth dorsal spine, and ends in front of the termina- 

 tion of the dorsal ; the third spine is a little longer than the second, equal 

 to the eighth dorsal spine, and 2'50r2'75 in the length of the head ; the rays 



