EXPLANATION OF CATALOGUE. 



The arrangement of the Catalogue is that followed by Dr. Gunther in 

 the " Zoological Record," and the characters of the orders, families, and 

 genera are taken, with slight modifications, from his invaluable Catalogue 

 of Fishes,* the fountain head of systematic Ichthyology. The characters 

 of the species, however, are original in all those cases in which I have 

 been able personally to examine specimens, and which amount to 95 

 species out of the 141 mentioned in the Catalogue. Of the remaining 

 46 species I have seen evidence in the Colonial Museum and elsewhere 

 of 16 more, leaving 30 species of which I know nothing whatever. 

 These will be all found mentioned in the text. The geographical 

 distribution, beyond New Zealand, of the genera and species has also been 

 almost entirely taken from Dr. Gunther's work, but I have been able to 

 add a few other localities from later publications. 



CM. after the name of a species means that it is represented in the 

 Colonial Museum, either by complete specimens, or else by fragments, or 

 by drawings. When either of the latter is the case it is mentioned in 

 the text. 



The first line of the description is the formula for the fin rays. In it 

 B, means branchiostegals, D. dorsal fin, A. anal fin, P. pectoi'al fins, Y, 

 ventral fins, and C. caiidal fin. When one number is placed above 

 another, with a horizontal line between them, the upper figure is the 

 number of spines, the lower the number of soft rays in the fin. When 

 two numbers are divided by a perpendicular line it means that the fin is 

 divided at the point ; the left hand fig\ire then means the number of rays 

 or spines in the division next to the head, the right hand figure those in 

 the division next to the tail. In those fishes that have small finlets on 

 the tail, as the Barracoota, their number is indicated by Roman numerals. 



L. lat. is the number of pierced scales that form the lateral line, from 

 the humeral arch to the end of the tail. 



L. trans, is the number of series of scales between the doi"sal fin and 

 the abdomen ; the oblique line dividing them shows the position of the 

 lateral line. 



The height of the body is always its greatest depth. 



The length of the head is from the end^f the snout to the posterior 

 margin of the bony operculum. 



* Catalogue of the Fishes in the British Museum, by Albert Giinthcr, F. K.S. , 

 etc., 8 vols., 8vo. Printed by order of the Trustees, 1859 1870. 

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