74 LORD HOWE ISLAND. 



TETRODONTIDiE.* 



TETEODO^'', Linnceus. 



Teteodon hispidus, Linn. 



Mr. Saunders obtained a single young example from a pool on the reef. 



Teteodon valezs'tini, BJk., sp. 

 Collected with the preceding. 



Tetrodok callisternus, sp. nov. 



Plate III, f. 5. 

 D. 11. A. 10. P. 16. C. 9. 



The length of the head is two-sevenths of the total length. The eyes are 

 situated in the posterior half of the head, and their diameter is from three- 

 fifths to one-half of the length of the snout; the nasal organs are incon- 

 spicuous ; the dorsal profile is compressed into a distinct keel, which in the 

 larger example has its origin in a bony knob. Fins. — The distance between 

 the tip of the snout and the origin of the dorsal fin is four-sevenths of the 

 total length, while that between the last ray and the root of the caudal fin 

 equals the snout, and also the height of the pedicle immediately behind the 

 anal fin, which is situated entirely behind the dorsal : the pectoral fins are 

 short : the caudal, which is slightly concave posteriorly, is three-fourths of the 

 length of the head. Cheeks, upper part of the head, and a strip along the 

 dorsal and abdominal profiles, reaching nearly as far back as the vertical 

 from the origin of the dorsal, armed with a few scattered strong three-rooted 

 spines ; the rest of the body and tail smooth. Color's. — The upper part of 

 the body from the angle of the jaws passing obliquely upwards to a short 

 distance beneath the eye, and thence following the curve of the back and on 

 to the tip of the two upper caudal rays dark brown ; the head with four blue 

 black-edged lines running obliquely upwards from the snout through the 

 eye, behind which they bend more abruptly upwards to meet the correspond- 

 ing lines of the opposite side on the occiput ; the anterior part of the snout 

 and the interorbital space are ornamented with narrow black transverse lines 

 joined on the rest of the snout by similar longitudinal lines ; from the 

 mandibular region touching the base of the pectoral fin and ending on the 

 two lower caudal raj's there is a narrow dark-brown band, parallel to the 

 lower edge of the dorsal zone, and between these a pale yellowish band, the 

 lower parts of the head and body being also of this color ; these bands 

 are much more pronounced in the smaller (four inches) than in the larger 

 (seven inches) specimen ; the sides of the head are ornamented with numerous 

 blue black-edged bands and oblong spots, posteriorly almost rectangular to 

 tlie ocular bands, but becoming much more horizontal on the chin, down the 

 middle of which is a short longitudinal band ; the entire body and tail is 

 thickly crowded with oblong or round blue dark-edged spots, which are 

 minute on the upper surface, and gradually increase in size until on the under 

 parts thev are as large or larger than the pupil ; the throat is transversely 

 banded. The dorsal and anal fins are pale yellow with the base dark brown, 

 and the former has two or three irregular pale-blue bands on the inner 

 half ; the caudal has eight or nine interrupted brown transverse bands. 



Two examples were obtained by our collectors on the reef, but they are 

 said to be rare. Register numbers, I. 1,485 and I. 1,965. 



DIODON, Linnaeus. 

 DiODOX HYSTRix, Linn. 



Mr. Saunders brought back a half-grown specimen which he found dead 

 on the beach. 



J. DOUGLAS OaiLBT. 



* See rote on p. 55. 



