154 "endeavour" scientific besults. 



According to the definitions of the genera Parapercis and 

 Neopercis, the former has the palatine hones smooth, while they 

 bear teeth in the latter. These characters, however, are not 

 constant, since I find small but distinct teeth in several Queens- 

 land examples of P. cylindrica which is the type of Parapercis. 

 Further, in two specimens of P. ramsayi, on which Neopercis 

 is based, palatine teeth ai-e present in one and absent in the 

 other, as is proved by dissecting out the bone from the flesh. 



Another character, the form of the spinous dorsal, has also 

 been used to differentiate the two genera, but this is likewise 

 invalid. The median spines should be longer than the others in 

 Parapercis, while they increase in length backwards in Neopprri*. 

 In P. allporti, however, which has no palatine teeth, the posterior 

 spines ai'e not shorter than the preceding ones. 



Chilias, Ogilby, was formed for JPercis stricticeps, de Vis, but 

 as I have already shown, 1 some of the characters on which it 

 was founded are not present in that species. 



Nevertheless, though the characters attributed to these several 

 genera have proved either incorrect or inconstant, yet others 

 may be found which subdivide the large, natural genus Parapercis 

 into several smaller groups. In the following key, therefore, I 

 have maintained Parapercis, Neopercis, and Chilias as subgenera, 

 the characters here given being constant in the large series of 

 specimens examined. 



Key to the Australian species of Parapercis. 



a. Last dorsal spine shorter than the preceding ones. 



b. Lateral line following the curve of the back ; cheek 

 scales large sub. gen. Parapercis. 



c. Cross-bands very distinct ; longitudinal stripe, if 

 present, indistinct cylindrica. 



cc. Cross-bands less distinct; a well marked, wavy 

 longitudinal stripe haackei. 



bh. Lateral line extending along middle of sides posteriorly ; 

 cheek scales minute sub. gen. ChiLTAS. 



il. No blue lines crossing upper surface of head ; outer 

 caudal rays not filiform. 



c. Lower jaw much longer than the upper . . . stricticeps. 



ee. Jaws Bubequal... poly ophthalmus 2 and xant hozona 3 



1 McCulloch— Eec. Austr. Mus., ix., pt. 3, 1913, p. 386. 

 ■1 McCulloch— Rec. Austr. Mus., ix.. pt. 3, 1918, p. 38fi. as P. hexoph- 

 thalma (nee. Cuv. A- Val.) 



3 Weber— Zool. Forschr. Austr., v., 1895, p. 2fi?. 



