AUSTRALIAN GOBIID^ McCULLOCH AND OGILBY. 259 



Head uaked, with preopercular, nnclial, occipital aud rostral pores. 

 Eye large, lateral, its margin close to tlie upper profile of the head. 

 Interocular space rather flat, its width equal to the diameter of the eye. 

 Snout shorter than the eye ; nostrils without tubes, on its supei'olateral 

 angle, the posterior near the orbital margin. Mouth protractile, the cleft 

 very oblique ; maxillary pointed posteriorly, and reaching to below the 

 anterior orbital margin. Mandible projecting well beyond the upper jaw ; 

 chin without barbies. Teeth in the upper jaw in two series ; the outer 

 consists of large, spaced, fang-like canines, the inner of a narrow band of 

 minute teeth. Lower jaw with an inner row of three or four canines on 

 each side, and a group of strong teeth on both sides of the symphysis ; 

 between these are some smaller teeth, aud a row of small teeth is present 

 on the posterior portion of each side. Palate toothless. Tongue long, 

 styliform, and partly free. Gill-openings wide, the membranes separated 

 on the isthmus by a space which is less than half as wide as the eye. 

 Shoulder-girdle smooth. PseudobranchiEe present. Gill-rakers on the 

 first arch long, slender, close-set and numerous. 



Body covered with minute cycloid scales, which are irregularly 

 arranged, and separate anteriorly but close together posteriorly; they 

 extend forward to above the end of the operculum, and onto the pectoral 

 base and the thorax, leaving the nape naked ; posteriorly they cover the 

 caudal base. A minute genital papilla. 



First dorsal originating a little in advance of the middle of the 

 pectorals ; the spines increase in length to the fifth, which is as long as 

 the head without the operculum, the last spine widely separated from 

 the fifth. Second dorsal elevated, the rays weakly divided ; they increase 

 in height to about the eighth, which is four-fifths the length of the head, 

 and thence decreaae backwards. Anal commencing well behind the second , 

 dorsal, but coterminal with it ; the two fins are of similar form. Caudal 

 emarginate, the upper and lower rays produced. Ventrals juxtaposed 

 basally but separate, with a flexible slender spine and four articulated 

 rays the inner of which is the longer and filiform. Pectorals rounded, the 

 median rays longest and reaching to about the vertical of the fifth dorsal 

 spine. 



Goloar-marking. — The only marking remaining is a small, oblique, 

 brown bar on the base of the pectoral fin, the rest of the body and fins 

 being pellucid. 



Described and figured from the holotype of Eleotris elomjata, 93 mm. 

 long, which is in a pool' state of preservation. It is clearly the example 

 originally described by Macleay, not only because it is so labelled, but it 

 is the onl}^ specimen in his collection having any resemblance to his 

 description and figure ; the colour-marking of tlie pectoral fin also agrees 

 with the latter. It pi'oves his description to be incorrect in the number 

 of dorsal and anal rays, and in the form of the caudal fin, while his figure 

 is inaccurate in most details. 



Synonymy. — Eleotris elongatu is evidently synonymous with Ptereleotris 

 microlepis. Macleay's specimen agrees with Bleeker's description of that 

 species in most details, differing only in having somewhat higher doi-sal 



