FISHES. — MCCULLOCH, 165 



thickened. Ventrals inserted nearer the vent than the tip of 

 the lower jaw ; the rays are simple and inci'ease a little in 

 length backwards. Caudal slightly rounded, the two outer rays 

 simple, the others bifurcate. 



Colour. — Upper surface lavender, the tail and edges of the 

 disk shading to gray. Pectoral with a broad violet band 

 crossing the distal half, and there is a similar subniarginal band 

 on the dorsal tin. 



Described from a single example, 106 mm. long, which is the 

 type of Ogilby's description. This latter is very brief and not 

 quite accurate, his proportional measurements in particular 

 being very confusing. 



//. brevicauda differs from //. stellata, Vahl 1 , R. coccinea, 

 Alcock -, //. nigra, Alcock 3 , //. hancocki, Regan 4 , and 

 //. indica, Annandale & Jenkins 5 , in having the lower surface 

 practically smooth instead of being distinctly granular or spiny. 

 It is very closely allied to, and possibly identical with H. fumosa, 

 Alcock 6 , which is the oidy other species of the genus. From 

 this it appears to differ only in having the cephalic disk not 

 quite so wide, and in having the upper surface covered with 

 distinct spines instead of mere spicules. It also lacks the 

 numerous, tine, jet-black rilainents on the disk described by 

 Alcock. All these characters are probably subject to variation, 

 but it is convenient to regard the two as distinct species until 

 specimens of each can be compared. 



Loc. — Thirty six miles N. 12°B of Cape Moreton, Queensland, 

 73 fathoms; 3rd September, 1910. 



1 Jordan 4 Sindo— Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus.. xxiv., 1902, p. 380. 



2 Alcock— Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (6), iv., 1889, p. 382, and Illustr. Zool. 



Iirvestig., Fishes, 1898, pi. xix., fig. 1. 



3 Alcock— Loc. ait., viii., 1891, p. 24, and Loc. cit., pi. xix., fig. 2. 



4 Regan — Trans. Linn. Soc. (2), xii., 1908, p. 251, pi. xxxi., fig. 6. 



5 Annandale & Jeukins — Mem. Ind. Mus., iii., 1910, p. 19, pi. ii., fig. 1. 



ti Alcock — Jouiu. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, lxiii., 1894, p. 119, and Illustr. 

 Zool. Investig., Fishes, 1895, pi. xiv., fig. 2. 



