156 DR. RICHARDSON'S DESCRIPTION OF AUSTRALIAN FISH. 



In. Lin. 



Length of pectorals 2 



Length of first ray of ventrals 17 



Length of first dorsal 10 



Height of first dorsal 2 4 



Length of naked space between dorsals 9^ 



Height of second dorsal 5| 



Height of anal I -i 



Sole A liturata (Nob.), Dotted Sole. 



S. corpore lituris exiguis geminatis, sparse sed regulariter variegato ; pinna ventrali 



dextrd cum anali conjunctd ; pinna cauda solutd. 

 This Sole belongs to that group of species which has the caudal distinct from the 

 other vertica fins, while the ventral of the right or coloured side is united to the anal. 

 The specimen described below formed part of Mr. Lempriere's collection, but his list 

 contains no information of its habits. 



Form. — Profile including the dorsal and anal fins, but excluding the tail, a regular 

 oval ; the head and body when denuded of the vertical fins have an ovate outline. The 

 strap-shaped tail and its fin form exactly one-fourth of the total length, which is twice 

 the greatest breadth of the fish. 



The mouth is turned to the left side, and is almost concealed on the right side by the 

 tapering tip of the upper rim of the body, which laps over the point of the chin. On 

 the left side the orifice of the mouth curves downwards, both jaws being armed on that 

 side only with very short, erect, villiform teeth. Eyes oval, less than the short dia- 

 meter of the orbit apart, twice their own length from the gill-opening, and a length and 

 a half from the anterior margin of the head. The nostrils on the coloured side are 

 situated immediately before the eyes, and on the left side over the anterior third of the 

 dental plate of the jaws. The edge of the gill-cover is the arc of a circle whose centre 

 is close behind the lower eye. There are no prominent ridges or lines on the head, the 

 edge of the preoperculum only being very slightly free. 



The tips of the vertical fins overlap before the mouth : the tail is distinct from the 

 dorsal and anal, and the end of the caudal is rounded. The left ventral is much smaller 

 than the right one which is united to the anal, and its rays nearly equal the longest ones 

 of the latter. 



Radii.— D. 81 ; A. 56 ; P. 9 — 9; V. 10-6; C. 18; including three on each side, 

 which are shorter than the others. 



Scales. — The fish is scaly throughout except the jaws, a small space round the 

 nostrils, the gill-membranes and the Umb of the left or under preoperculum. The pec- 

 toral and ventral fins are scaleless, and so are the membranes of the others, but the rays 

 of the vertical fins are covered with soft scales on the upper side, and except some of 

 the anterior rays of the dorsal and anal, on the under side also. The scales of the body 



