AUSTKALIAX GOiUlDiE McCULLOCU AX U OLIILBY. 203 



According to Dussumier, the natives of Surat consume large quantities 

 of these fishes in a salted or dried state, mixing them with boiled rice. 



Locs. — Deception Bay and Burnett River Heads ; coll. Dr. T. L. 

 Bancroft. Other specimens are. in the Queensland Museum from the 

 estuaries of the Brisbane River, Pioneer River, Barron River, and the 

 Ross River at Townsville. The co-types of Guhlosoinu ijuttidatum, 

 Macleay, were secured at Port Darwin, which is also the locality of 

 Apocryptes uiarropldhaliii as, Castelnau. Waite recorded the species from 

 Broome and the Leunard River, North- Western Australia. 



Distrlhutiuii:. — From the West Coast of India to the Malay Peninsula 

 and the China Sea ; New Guinea, North and North-Easteru Australia. 



Subfamily Goiuinae. 



The subfamilies Gobiinge and Eleotrinse have been regarded as well 

 defined families by some autlioi's, they being separated on the structure of 

 their ventral fins. In the Gobiinte, the ventrals are juxtaposed and usually 

 united into a complete disc, which is generally supplemented by an anterior 

 membrane connecting the spines; further, the fifth rays are generally as 

 long as the fourth. In the Eleotrinse the ventrals are separate ; there is 

 no anterior membrane, and the fifth ray is shorter than the fourth. Were 

 these characters constant, the subdivision of the two groups would present 

 no difficulties, but in some species the ventral structures are more or less 

 intermediate between the two types. 



The highly specialised Callogohins sclateri, which has hitherto been 

 regarded as an Eleoirid, is very similar in all its major characters to the 

 other species of the genns, but has eleotrid ventrals as defined above 

 though there is a membrane connecting the bases of the inner rays ; in C. 

 hasseUil the fourth ray is distinctly longer than the fifth, but the ventrals 

 are otherwise of gobioid form. In Zouogohius the ventrals are completely 

 united, but the fifth ray is shorter than the fourth ; in the typical form 

 Z. seDiidoliatus, there is no trace of an anterior membrane between the 

 spines, but this structure ia well developed in Z. muddfasclatus. The 

 ventrals of Quisqiidius eugeaius are similar to those of Z. semldoUat ((■•<, but 

 it has been regarded as an Eleotrid by Jordan and his colleagues though 

 Weber associaties it with the Gobies. 



These intermediate forms are few in number, however, and the 

 greater mass of species of both groups are readily separable into one or 

 the other section. Under these circumstances, it seems unnecessary to 

 maintain separate families for the Eleotrids and Gobies, though they can 

 be conveniently classified as subfamilies, distinguished by the complete or 

 partial junction (Gobiinse), or the complete separation of their ventral 

 fins (Eleotrinse). 



Provisional key to the Austi'alian genera and species known to the 

 authors. 



a. Soft dorsal and anal long, partly united with the caudal ; D. vi/38-48. Body 

 anguilliform, naked. Eyes minute, teeth long and curved. 



6. Head with prominent raised papillose ridges heme, spp. 



