SCALES OF SOME AUSTRALIAN FISHES.— COCKEEELL. 37 



Potamalosa novae-hollandiae Valenciennes. New South Wales. Scales 

 about 8-9 mm. broad and 6^-7 long; basal margin gently convex, not lobed; 

 circuli very fine, covering not much more than half of scale, curving upward 

 at sides, reaching the margin very obliquely; apical field without distinct 

 sculpture, the margin not dentate; a strong entire transverse radius crosses 

 near the middle of the scale ; basally and sublaterally are many (16 or more) 

 more or less incomplete radii, directed toward the nucleus. In young scales 

 the circuli appear more transverse. 



Hyperlophus sprattellides Ogilby. Queensland. Scales less than 5 mm. 

 broad, broader than long or about as broad as long; basal margin usually 

 extended in middle ; circuli transverse, covering little more than half of scale ; 

 a transverse radius (usually more or less arched upward) crosses the middle 

 of the scale; and there are from none to four incomplete basal radii; apical 

 field delicately radiate and conspicuously dentate. 



ENGRAULIDID^E. 



Engraulis antipodum Gunther. Queensland. Scales about 3^ mm. 

 broad and nearly or quite as long ; basal margin more or less convex in middle 

 and concave sublaterally; apical field thin and without circuli, the margin 

 not at all dentate ; region about and just above middle of scale with very fine 

 transverse circuli, like those of the clupeids; region below the middle with 

 fine but much more widely spaced circuli, which curve upwards at the sides, 

 as in non-clupeid fishes, the two systems of circuli meeting at the sides, but 

 abruptly discontinuous ; radii very irregular, largely bent or zigzag, apical as 

 well as lateral and basal, but few, mostly pointing to the middle of the scale, 

 the apical ones sometimes meeting and forming a broad V. 



CHIROCENTRIELE. 



Chirocentrus dorab Forskal. Queensland. The scales sent show fine 

 transverse circuli, and no radii whatever. The apical field is without sculp- 

 ture, and its margin entire. The area covered with circuli extends in the 

 middle as a rounded lobe into the apical field. All this is very different from 

 <J. dorab from the Philippine Is., which has well-developed radii, as well as 

 different circuli. It would seem probable that the fishes belong to different 

 species. In neither case did I see the fish itself. 



Dr. Max Ellis has in preparation a paper on Clupeoid scales, which will 

 include a discussion of various Australian species, and will go into a number 

 of matters not touched upon here, where I give only what is necessary to 



