EDJBLE FISHES OF QrEFA'SLAND—OGIIJlY. 75 



SCIiENA AUSTRALIS tUinther. 

 (Plate XXII.) 

 Conina diistnilis Giintlier, Zool. Challenger, i, 1880, Shore Fish., p. 33. 

 Corviiia ((Uiiiui ilo Vis, Proe. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, ix, 1884, p. 538. 



LESSER JEWPISH. 

 The "Pcrcli" of the Brisbane fishermen; Little Jew-Pei"ch. 

 Ti/pr localities: — Mary River at Tiaro {C. aiistralis). 

 Brisbane River {€. canina). 



Body elliptical and compressed, somewhat robust, the dorsal contour rather 

 more arched than the ventral, which is nearly linear from the isthmus to the anal 

 fin, its width 1-62 to 1-77 in its dejith. which is 3-25 to 3-5 in its length and equal 

 to or a little less than the length of the head. Abdomen shoi-t. its length from 

 ventral-base to vent one third of that of the body and a little less than the space 

 between the vent and the root of the caudal. Caudal peduncle one third longer 

 than deep, its least depth 3-22 to 3-43 in the length of the head. Head about one 

 third deeper than wide, its fronto-oceipital profile feebly concave, that of the 

 uape as feebly convex, its width 1-7 to 1-88 in its length, which is 3-17 to 3-33 in 

 that of the body. Snout pointed, its profile linear and moderately acclivous, 

 forming with the frontal region a slight protuberance in front of the ujiper 

 border of the eye, its length 3 to 3-25 in that of the head. Diameter of eye about 

 two fifths less than the length of the snout and -t to 4-67 in that of the head. 

 Preorbital deep, its least width 1-33 to 1-5.") in the eye-diameter. Tnterorbital 

 region wide and convex, its width about one fifth more than the eye-diameter and 

 3-6 to 3-86 in the length of the head. Nostrils approximate, the posterior much 

 the larger and situated directly in front of the middle of the eye. Upper jaw 

 slightly projecting; cleft of mouth oblique, but not quite rising to the level of the 

 eye; maxillary extending to below the middle of the eye, its length 2-33 to 2-44 in 

 that of the head, the width of its obliquely truncate distal extremity five ninths of 

 the eye-diameter. Preopercle armed with well-developed but slender spines; 

 opercle with two slioi't blunt points; posttemporal bordered with membranous 

 crenula^. 



Premaxillaries with a triserial band of minute teeth, and an outer row of 

 about thirteen mueli larger subulate teeth, which decrease in size from the front ; 

 mandible with an outer row of small curved teeth and an inner row of about ten 

 enlarged teeth, which are longest mesially and gradually decrease thence to the 

 front and rear, but are nowhere so long or strong as the anterior premaxillary 

 teeth ; roof of mouth and tongue smooth. 



Scales of body moderate and finely ctenoid, in 54 to 56 series above the 

 lateral line, in 9/1/16 to 18 below the spinous dorsal ; scales of head cycloid ; only 

 the tip of the snout and the chin naked ; on the body they are arranged in regular 

 oblique rows both above and below the lateral line, except on the breast and 



