DR. RICHARDSON'S DESCRIPTION OF AUSTRALIAN FISH. 149 



Tlie whole upright limb of the preoperculum down to the slightly rounded elbow, is 

 regularly toothed so as to appear pectinated. These teeth are concealed by membrane 

 in the recent fish. The horizontal limb which meets the other at a right angle is 

 entire. The operculum is cut nearly even with a projecting point terminating its upper 

 margin, this point being a little lengthened out by membrane and cartilage. The 

 suboperculum ends in a strap-shaped flexible cartilaginous tip, which is streaked and 

 fissile in the streaks, forming at its extremity about fourteen fringe-like teeth. In the 

 recent fish this process is slightly visible through the integuments, and runs beyond 

 the bony operculum, forming the tip of the gill-cover. The operculum is thickly 

 covered with four rows of tiled scales, larger than those on the cheek or behind the 

 eye. Suborbitars, jaws, limbs of preoperculum, suboperculum and interoperculum 

 naked. The gill- membranes uniting under the posterior margin of the orbit are 

 overlapped by the somewhat free edges of the interopercula. Scales widely oblong, the 

 sides parallel, the base with a slightly projecting lobe, and about eleven fan-formed 

 streaks. The uncovered part of the scale is thin, the edge membranous and rounded. 

 The lateral line is curved anteriorly as in semifasciatus, and after passing the tip of the 

 pectorals runs straight to the caudal, at an equal distance from the back and belly. 

 Each scale is furnished with a simple tubular elevation. The teeth, which are incor- 

 porated with the Intermaxillaries and lower jaw as in Scarus, are lanceolate, slightly 

 sweUing, smooth, and in many rows. The cutting margin on each side of each jaw 

 shows from eight to twelve unequally distant little blunt points, the one on each side 

 of the symphysis being larger than the rest. Both jaws are furnished with an even 

 edged velum. The pharyngeal bones, formed as in semifasciatus, have a dental surface 

 similarly constructed with that on the anterior surface of the jaws. Branchial rakers 

 short, rounded and bristly. 



Radii.— Br. 5 - 5 ; D. IGjlS or 17|12 ; A. 2|12 or 3|11 ; P. 14 ; V. 1|4 ; C. 12|. 



The first branchial rib is much broader than the others, which are very slender. The 

 dorsal in all our specimens has twenty-nine rays, though there is a sUght variation in 

 the proportion of the spinous ones. The last six articulated rays are deeply cleft, the 

 more anterior ones scarcely show divisions at the tips under the lens. The height of 

 the fin increases slightly posteriorly, the two last rays being a little shorter, so as to 

 round off the fin a little. The spinous rays are very fine and flexible. The anal has a 

 similar form. The greatest height of either is equal to that of the body. The pectorals 

 and ventrals correspond with the description of semifasciatus, and the latter are con- 

 nected by a scaly triangular process as in that species. The caudal is rounded — not 

 square as in semifasciatus. 



The colours of the specimens have completely faded in the spirits. Mr. Lempriere 

 says, that in a recent state they were beautifully striped with red and blue on the sides 

 of the head. There are still traces of three fine (blue ?) lines running over the subor- 

 bitars from the snout to past the eye, and three shorter (red ?) ones from the angle of 



VOL. III. PART II. X 



