90 MEMOIRS OF TEE QUEENSLAND MUSEUM. 



which it elsewhere resembles in contour; width of body 4-35 (adult) in its depth r 

 which is 1-15 to 1-6 in its length and 2-5 to 1-85 times the length of the head; 

 abdominal region longer, 1-75 to 1-55 in the length of the anal; caudal peduncle 

 much deeper than wide in the young, a little wider than deep in the adult, its 

 width 4-15 to 2-15 in the eye-diameter. Head rather large and deep, its length 

 2-85 to 3 in that of the body, its width 3 to 2-6 in its depth, which is from one 

 third to one eighth more than its length; cranio-nuchal keel cultriform in the 

 young, becoming blunter with age. Snout short and rounded; eye large, its 

 diameter 2-4 to 3-2 in the length of the head and from three eighths more to a little 

 less than that of the snout ; interorbital region elevated, its width 1-33 to 1-1 in 

 the eye-diameter. Lower jaw moderately declivous; maxillary extending to or 

 slightly beyond the vertical from the anterior border of the pupil, its length 

 2-3 to 2-65 in that of the head, the width of its distal extremity 1-55 to 1-75 in its 

 distance from the eye and 3-33 to 2-9 in the eye-diameter. Preopercular border 

 entire. 



Jaws with broad bands of villiform teeth, intermixed with which anteriorly 

 are some rather larger teeth ; a triangular patch of villiform teeth on the head of 

 the vomer ; similar teeth in bands on the palatines and tongue. 5 



Lateral line strongly curved to below the 10th dorsal ray, the length of 

 the curved section 1-1 to 1-25 in that of the straight, which is armed posteriorly 

 with from 10 to 15 feeble scutes. 



Dorsal fin with vi to 0, i 19 rays ; procumbent spine small and concealed ; 

 spinous dorsal consisting of six low unconnected spines in the young; with 

 advancing age, these gradually disappear from the front until all have been 

 absorbed in the muscular tissue. Soft dorsal originating midway between the 

 tip of the snout and the root of the caudal ; anterior 6 rays exceedingly produced 

 but not graded from the front, the last pair occasionally being the longest, 

 extending at all ages far beyond the tip of the caudal ; behind the filiform rays 

 the others are equal length to the last, which is slightly produced. Caudal 

 fin widely forked, the lobes equal, 3-1 to 4 in the body-length. Anal with ii to r 

 i 16 rays, originating below the 9th dorsal ray, similar to but shorter than the 

 soft dorsal, with 4 or 5 filamentous rays, which are graded from the front, the 

 1st as long as or even longer than the longest dorsal. Pectoral with 19 rays, its 

 length 2-5 to 2-7 in that of the body ; 5th ray longest, extending to above the 13th 

 anal ray. Ventral inserted in advance of the pectoral, the 4 outer rays gradedly 

 filiform in the young, reaching to the last third of the anal or not quite so far, 

 its length three eighths to one fourth more than that of the pectoral and a half 

 of the body-length; these filaments rapidly decrease with age and in a 10-in. 

 example the fin is normal, 2-15 in the length of the pectoral and 5-4 in that of 

 the body, the 2nd ray longest, reaching midway to the 6th anal ray. 



6 The teeth are as well developed in a 10-in. as in a 4-in. specimen. 



