THEEE NEW QUEENSLAND FISHES.— OGILBY. 301 



THREE NEW QUEENSLAND FISHES. 



By J. Douglas Ogilby. 



FIERASFERID.E. 



FIERASFER HOULTI sp. nov. 



(Plate XIX, Fig. 1.) 



Hump-backed Messmate. 



• Type locality. — Off Double Island Point, South Queensland. 



Body deep, the dorsal contour strongly gibbous, much more so than 

 that of the ventral, which is but little rounded, its greatest depth, which is 

 well behind the small pectoral, 8-5 to 9-75 in the total length and about 1-22 

 in the length of the head, which is depressed, snake-like, and of sinister 

 appearance, two and one-sixth times longer than wide, about equal to its distance 

 from the origin of the dorsal, and 7-5 to 7-75 in the total length. Snout 

 broad and obtuse, its length 4-25 to 4-75 in that of the head. Nostrils con- 

 tiguous and valvular, the anterior much nearer to the tip of the snout than 

 to the eye, the diameter of which is 4-5 to 5 in the length of the head. 

 Interorbital space a little less than the snout. Upper jaw the longer, the cleft 

 of the mouth extending backwards to beyond the eye, its length 2-2 in that of 

 the head. 



Teeth on the jaws small and conical, without canines either anteriorly 

 or on the sides of the mandibles. Vomer with four strong, close-set, caninoid 

 teeth, situated the one behind the other, the third from the front the largest. 



Dorsal fin low, its distance from the tip of the snout 3-84 in the total 

 length ; caudal very small ; anal much higher and more distinctly rayed than 

 the dorsal ; pectoral small but well developed, 3-5 in the length of the head. 



Gill-openings well developed ; united gill- membranes leaving fully half 

 the isthmus uncovered. Vent situated rather in advance of the middle of the 

 pectoral-base. 



Grayish- brown, dotted with darker, the dots even encroaching upon the 

 basal half of the pectoral. 



The specimens here described, two in number and presumably an adult 

 male and female, measuring respectively 283 and 236 mm., were trawled by 

 Captain Hoult of the State Trawler Bar-ea-Mul, in 36 fathoms off Double 



