24 ATHERINID^ : SILVERSIDES 



12. Rhombosoma lorentzii (Weber), 1908. 



Rhombatractus lorentzii Weber, Nova Guinea, 5, 236, pi. 11, fig. 2, 1908; 9, 564, 

 1913. 

 Rhombosoma lorentzii Regan, Trans. Zool. Soc. London, 20, 284 1914 

 Type-locality. — Tawarin River, northern New Guinea. 

 Range. — Fresh waters of northern New Guinea. 



In respect to the length of the anal fin, this species is the most 

 aberrant of the Melanot^niin^. 



VIII. MELANOT^NIA Gill, 1862. 



Melanot^nia Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 280, 1862; Ogilby, Proc. Linn. 

 Soc. N. S. Wales, 21, 130, 1896; Weber, Nova Guinea, 5, 238. 1908; Regan, 

 Trans. Zool. Soc. London, 20, 270, 1914 

 Orthotypc. — Atherina nigrans Richardson. 

 Strabo Kner and Steindachner, Sitsb. Akad. Wiss. Wien, 44, 372. 1866. 



Orthotype. — Strabo nigrofasciatus Kner and Steindachner. 

 Nematocentris Peters, Monatsb. Akad. IViss. Berlin, 516, 1866 (1867). 



Haplotype. — Nematocentris splendida Peters. 

 Zantecla Castelnau, Proc. Zool. Soc. Victoria, 2, 88, 1873. 



Orthotype. — Zantecla pusilla Castelnau. 

 Aida Castelnau, Researches Fishes Australia, 10, 1875; Ogilby, Proc. Linn. Soc. 

 N. S. Wales, 21, 128, 1896. 

 Orthotype. — Aida inornata Castelnau. 

 Neoatherina Castelnau, Researches Fishes Australia, 31, 1875; Macleay, Proc. 

 Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, 6, 46. 1881 (1882) ; Ogilby, ibid.. 21, 121, 1896. 

 Orthotype. — Neoatherina australis Castelnau. 

 Aristeus Castelnau, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, 3, 141, 1878 (1879). 



Orthotype. — Aristeus fitzroyensis Castelnau. 

 Rhombatractus Gill, Anier. Nat., 709, 1894; Ogilby, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, 

 21, 124, 1896 (substitute for Aristeus preoccupied). 

 Orthotype. — Aristeus fitzroyensis Castelnau. 

 Range. — Warmer parts of Australia, New Guinea, and the neighboring islands ; in 

 fresh and brackish water, and (in the opinion of Mr. Regan) probably also 

 in the sea. 



According to Mr. Regan, the many nominal Australian species of 

 the Melanot.eniin^, for which eight generic names have been proposed, 

 are all reducible to one, Melanot.enia nigrans (Richardson). Re- 

 garding this situation Mr. Allan R. McCuUoch remarks (in lit.) : "Sur- 

 prising as Regan's treatment of our Melanot^niin^ was, it harmonized 

 with my own ideas on the subject very well. Our climatic conditions 

 and intercalating river systems are peculiarly uniform, and we are find- 

 ing that the fishes inhabiting them may extend over a very wide portion 

 of the continent, varying greatly, but not so that they can be conveniently 

 subdivided into geographical species or even subspecies." 



Not having sufficient material with which to determine whether anv 



