SCALES OF SOME AUSTBALIAN FISHES.— COCEEBELL. 39 



POLYNEMID^. 



Polydactylies multiradiatus Giinther. Queensland; Thursday Island. 

 Scales quadrate, about 3 mm. broad and long, the practically straight sides gently 

 converging toward the apical region ; basal radii 4 to 6, irregularly placed, the 

 midmost one ending in a deep notch or sinus in the basal margin; nucleus far 

 above the middle ; ctenoid area very well developed, forming sharp teeth on the 

 margin, and about six rows of hexagonal elements below this. Compared with 

 the scales of P. octonemus, these are much smaller, but entirely of the same type, 

 with the same characteristic basal notch. On minute comparison, one rather 

 important difference is noted : the subapical elements of the ctenoid area are 

 shorter, especially several rows from the margin, in P. multiradiatus than in 

 P. octonemus. 



MULLIDJE. 



Upeneus malabaricus Cuv. & Val. Darnley Island. Scales very large, 

 more or less semicircular, about 15 mm. broad and 11 to 12 long ; circuli exces- 

 sively fine and dense ; basal radii 5 or 6 ; basal margin scalloped ; nucleus far 

 above middle ; ctenoid area very well developed ; many of the marginal teeth 

 bifid. 



This nearly agrees in structure with the scales of TJ. dentatus, but the 

 bifid apical teeth are distinctive ; and whereas in TJ. dentatus there are very fine 

 circuli running transversely just below the abruptly limited ctenoid area, in 

 TJ. malabaricus this region is occupied by a minutely tubercular or subreticulate 

 pattern. The fine lines below the ctenoid area in TJ. dentatus, though referred 

 to as circuli, and certainly part of that system, are much denser and finer than 

 the true or typical circuli. which they meet at right angles laterally, while below 

 they are broken up into minute vermiform lines, which partly anastomose with 

 the circuli, but mainly occupy the spaces between them. The minute pattern 

 occupying the same region in TJ. malabaricus is also derived from the circuli, but 

 it is very different in appearance. 



In Pseudupeneus multifasciatus from Honolulu (Jordan and Evermann; 

 U.S. Nat. Mus.), the scales are entirely of the same general type, with excessively 

 fine circuli, and five or six basal radii. The area below the ctenoid patch has 

 five transverse lines (as in TJ. dentatus) on the middle third only, the lateral 

 thirds having fine circuli running vertically (at right angles to the transverse 

 lines) up to the ctenoid patch. In addition, this region, as well as the lowermost 

 part of the ctenoid patch, shows rather large round pustuliform markings. This 

 last feature is apparently indicated by hyaline spots in TJ. malabaricus. 



CAEANGIDJE. 



Caranx speciosus Forskal. Queensland. Scales circular or more or less 

 oblong, 2 to rather over 3 mm. diameter ; margin simple ; no radii ; normal circuli 



