SOME NEW OB LITTLE-KNOWN AUSTRALIAN FISHES.— OGILBY. 127 



Family BLENNIID.E. 



BLENNIUS INTERMEDIUS sp. nov. 

 Type locality: — Darnley Island. 



Body moderately robust, its width 1-5 in its depth, which is 4-15 in its 

 length and 1-3 in the length of the head; vent one sixth nearer to root of caudal 

 than to extremity of snout ; depth of caudal peduncle 3-25 in length of head. 

 Head with its anterior profile linear and strongly declivous, its width 1-67, its 

 depth 1-33 in its length, which is 3-15 in that of the body. Snout rounded, its 

 length one third of that of the head; eye not encroaching on the dorsal profile, 

 its diameter 1-14 in the length of the snout and 3-45 in that of the head; 

 supraorbital ridges prominent ; interorbital region narrow and concave, its 

 width 3-2 in the eye-diameter. Nasal cirrus small and bifid ; orbital cirrus short 

 and ramose, about half an eye-diameter long ; a low nuchal crest. Upper jaw 

 slightly projecting ; maxillary extending to below the anterior border of the 

 pupil. 



Both jaws with strong curved canines. 



Lateral line distinct to about the tip of the pectoral ; a few scattered pores 

 at irregular intervals along the middle of the tail. 



Dorsal fin with xii 16 rays, originating above the opercle, its border 

 moderately cleft, the membrane of the last spine reaching about half way up the 

 first ray; spinous portion of the fin somewhat lower than the soft, which is 

 highest in its third quarter, about half the length of the head ; membrane of last 

 ray not connected with the caudal. Caudal fin rounded, with 12 principal rays, 

 7 of which are divided, its length 4-75 in that of the body. Anal with ii 18 to 

 20 rays, originating below the dorsal notch, the middle rays the longest, 2-85 

 in the length of the head ; last ray with a moderate membrane. Pectoral obtusely 

 cuneate, with 15 rays, the lower middle rays the longest, 1-33 in the length of 

 the head ; lower rays somewhat thickened. Ventral with 2 soft rays, the inner 

 the longer, rather more than the head behind the eye. 



Pale greenish yellow, with 12 black spots arranged in pairs below and 

 upon the base of the dorsal fin; sides with numerous black spots irregularly 

 distributed, but giving a general impression, in conjunction with the dorsal 

 series, of vertical rows of paired spots ; a few smaller spots on the sides of the 

 abdomen and an obscure series of five along the base of the anal. Head with a 

 few spots on the opercles and branchiostegals, and a pair of angular bars across 

 the lower surface ; orbital cirrus black, tipped with white. A black spot between 

 the two anterior dorsal spines and an obscure median series on the spinous 

 portion; other fins immaculate. 



Etymology : — intermedins, "that is between"; Darnley Island, whence 

 it comes, being roughly intermediate between Port Arthur, Tasmania and 

 Misaki, Japan, the type localities respectively of B. tasmanius and B. yatebei. 



