58 FISHES OF NEW ZEALAND. 



92. RETROPINNA RICHARDSONI. Gill. CM. 



Smelt. 



Argentina ret7'opimui, Rich., p. 121, pi. 52, (Young.) B. richurdsoni, 

 Giinth, VI., p. 171. Hetropinna osmeroides, Hect., Trans. N.Z. 

 Inst., III., 134. 



B. 6 ; D. 11 - 12 ; A. 17 - 20 ; P. 11 ; V. G ; L. Lat., 60 - 73. 



Length fovir and a half tianes that of the head, or five and one-third 

 times the height of the body ; snout longer than the diameter of the eye 

 in the adult, but shorter in immature specimens ; mouth moderate, 

 maxillary extending to behind the centre of the eye ; posterior end 

 enlarged and curved downwards ; lower jaw longer ; venti-als situated 

 rather before the middle of the body. 



Above pale grey, below white ; a silvery band along the sides. 

 Common in rivers and lakes. In the Waikato they go down to the 

 sea to spa^vn in April, and the young fish return in October, when, 

 together with the young of Galaxias atlenuatus, they are called White- 

 bait. After comparing a large series of specimens of this fish from 

 various parts of the country, I find that the form described by Di'. 

 Hector as IL osmeroides is connected by so many intermediate links with 

 R. richardsoni, that I have no doubt but that they are the same species. 

 In the figure of i?. osmeroides in the "Transactions of the New Zealand 

 Institute," Yol. III., p. 134, the maxillary bone is not correctly cb-awn. 

 The figiu-e also in Yol. II., p. 84, of Argentina retrojnnna is the adult of 

 Retrojnnna richardsoni. 



GALAXID^. 



Body naked ; belly rounded ; no adipose fin ; dorsal situated far hack, 

 opposite to the anal. 



Galaxias. 

 A series of conical teeth in the jaws, on each palatine bone, and on 

 each side of the tongue ; those on the tougvie hook-like. 



Fi'esh waters of Aiistralia, and the southei-n parts of South America. 



93. GALAXIAS ALEPIDOTUS. Forst, CM. 



G. alepidotus, Rich., p. 77, Giinth., YL, 208. 



B. 10; D. 13; A. 11-15; P. 11 ; Y. 7. 



Length equal to four times that of the head, which is equal to the height 

 of the body ; diameter of the eye one-fifth of the length of the head, 



