Sir J. Richardson on Australian Fish. 287 



CossYPHUs vuLPiNus, Ricliardsoii. 



Radii.— ^x. A; D. 12|11; A. 3|12; C. 14|; P. 16 ; V. 1|5, spec. 



The height of the body is one-fourth of the total length of the fish, 

 caudal included, and is about equal to the length of the head. 



The profile rises in a slightly concave hue from the acute snout to 

 opposite the back part of the orbit at an angle of 30°. From thence 

 to the beginning of the dorsal, which stands as far back as the axil of 

 the ventrals, the line is almost horizontal, and judging from the dried 

 specimen the dorsal ridge there is acute. When the jaws are pro- 

 tracted the face has a hollow profile, and the strong series of teeth 

 give it a sinister look. There are two pairs of canines at the extre- 

 mities of the upper and under jaws, the upper ones being inclined 

 forwards, and also a canine at the corner of the mouth, which is bent 

 outwards. The smaller teeth are rather widely set, and there are six 

 of them on each maxillary and fourteen on each limb of the lower 

 jaw ; and of the latter the middle ones are somewhat longer than those 

 towards each end of the jaw. Within the front teeth on both jaws 

 there is a flat naked surface of bone fitted for grinding or crushing, 

 and more interiorlj'^ a few minute granular teeth scarcely protruding 

 from the bone. The cleft of the mouth extends backwards to the 

 front of the preorbitar bone, and is equal to the distance between the 

 corner of the mouth and the eye. 



The preorbitar is covered with smooth skin, presenting an even 

 surface in the recent fish, but in the skeleton it presents three deep 

 notches anteriorly, separated by linear processes. The rest of the 

 suborbitar chain is narrow. The upper limb of the preoperculum is 

 finely serrated, the serratures disappearing on the rounded angle. 

 The disk of that bone, the other opercular pieces, the cheeks, 

 temjiles and suprascapulars are scaly, but there are no scales on the 

 limbs of the lower jaw, in which respect the species differs from the 

 Cossyphus maldat of the ' Histoire des Poissons,' to which it has 

 some resemblance in general form. There are six rows of scales on 

 the cheek and as many on the interoperculum ; the scales on the disk 

 of the preoperculum are smaller than these, and those covering the 

 operculum and suboperculum are considerably larger. The naked 

 part of the scales exhibits little pits rather than granulations. There 

 are thirty scales on the lateral line, each carrying a simple tube with 

 its point turned upwards. The tube is more branched in C. maldat. 

 There is no sudden bend in the lateral line, but it descends gradually 

 under the soft dorsal rays to the middle height of the tail, on which 

 there are eight rows of scales. 



The anal and dorsal fins move in scaly sheaths, which are broadest 

 on the soft rays. The spinous rays are strong, tapering, and acute. 

 The first dorsal spine stands over the axil of the ventrals ; and the 

 ventral spine, which is as tall as the last and longest dorsal one, stands 

 beneath the base of the lowest pectoral ray. The soft parts of the anal 

 and dorsal are somewhat peaked, and rise above the spines. These two 

 fins end exactly opposite to each other, and leave a considerable space 

 of naked tail behind them. The angles of the caudal project a little 

 beyond the straight intermediate border. The colours of the speci- 

 men have faded. Length 1 6 inches. 



