EDIBLE FISHES OF QUEENSLAND.— OGILB¥. 3 



BASS. 



Australian Bass; Perch; Estuary Perch; Fresh-water Perch. 



Type localities: — Victoria (L. colonorum). 



Neighborhood of Sydney {D. novemaculeatiis) . 

 Port Jackson (D. reinhardtii) . 

 Gippsland Lakes {L. similis). 

 Melbourne Market (L. antarcticus) . 

 Melbourne Market {L. victories). 

 Richmond River, N.S.W. {L. ciirtus). 

 Waterhole at Parramatta, N.S.W. {L. ramsayi). 

 Rivers of New South Wales (P. fluviatilis). 



Dorsal contour of body rather more arched than that of the ventral, its width 

 -at the shoulder 1-9 to 2-5 in its depth immediately in front of the ventral fins, 

 which is 24 to 3 in its length and equal to or a little more than the length of the 

 head. Caudal peduncle stout, its depth 1-37 to 1-6 in its length behind the soft 

 dorsal and 2-4 to 2-67 in the length of the head. Head from two fifths to four 

 jfifths deeper than wide, the upper profile varying from linear in fluviatile 

 examples to emarginate in those which remain permanently in estuarine waters, 

 the difference being solely caused by the shape of the snout, the contour of which 

 is more or less rounded in the latter form, thus making with the oceipito- 

 nasal convexity an intervening fictitious emargination ; depth of head 1-38 to 

 1-5 in its length, which is 2-55 to 3-25 in that of the body. Snout pointed, 

 its length 3-75 to 4-17 in that of the head. Diameter of eye from one 

 fourth more to one fifth less than the length of the snout and 3-33 to 4-75 in that 

 of the head ; preorbital narrow ; interorbital region wide and moderately convex, 

 its width equal to one half less than the eye-diameter. Maxillary extending to 

 below or a little beyond the middle of the eye, its length 2-33 to 2-7 in that of the 

 head, the width of its truncate distal extremity 1-33 to 3 in the eye-diameter. 

 Preorbital and suborbital finely and evenly serrated, the edge of the former 

 undulous or emarginate ; hinder limb of preopercle linear and subvertical, armed 

 with fine serr^ which gradually decrease in size from below and are absent or 

 vestigial on the upper part of the limb ; angle and lower limb with a series of 

 strong, more or less curved spines, which are sometimes broken up distally into 

 two or more points and, on the latter may be arranged in groups, each individual 

 spine having a more or less antrorse direction ; lower opercular spine two thirds 

 .':o three fifths of the eye-diameter. 



Premaxillary bands of teeth broader than those of the mandible, each 

 separated by a symphysial hiatus, and each diminishing to a blunt point behind ; 

 vomerine teeth in an arcuate band, of equal width throughout, as also is the 

 palatine band. 



Scales of body more strongly ctenoid in the fluviatile than in the estuarine 

 form, arranged in 48 to 55 series above the lateral line, in 7 to 9/1/16 to 19 

 between the fifth dorsal spine and the vent. Scales of nape, a strip along the base 

 of the spinous dorsal, throat, and head cycloid. Opercles, postorbital, and 



