EDIBLE FISHES OF QVEENSLAND.—OGILBY. 141 



tips free. Caudal broadly rounded, with 18 rays. No pectorals. Ventrals 

 asymmetrical, the right the larger, inserted on the abdominal ridge, but not 

 connected with the anal. Gill-opening narrow; gill-membranes broadly united 

 below the throat; branchiostegals 6; gill-rakers rudimentary. Vent situated on 

 the left side behind the left ventral. ( TrapSo?, a leopard ; Achirus, an allied 

 genus.) 



In some specimens there is a simple papilla situated on the abdominal 

 ridge in front of the anal and on a level with the vent; in others there is a 

 broad cutaneous flap embracing not only the vent but the origin of the anal 

 fin. That this is a sexual character there can be no doubt, but as none of my 

 specimens are in spawn I cannot determine to which sex each belongs. 



Small thick soles, inhabiting the litoral waters of the Indian and Western 

 Pacific Oceans. About 4 species. 



The characters which are supposed to separate the five genera of soles, in 

 which the pectoral fins are wholly wanting, are slight and unconvincing. 

 Pardachirus, however, is said to differ from all the others in the presence of a 

 series of conspicuous open pores situated along both sides of the bases of the 

 vertical fins. With these is correlated an accessory lateral line on the blind 

 side anteriorly. But this latter character it only possesses in common with 

 Liachirus, which is in fact nothing more nor less than a poreless Pardachirus. 

 Again, Giinther's statement regarding his own genus Pardachirus, "scales not 

 ciliated, or only a few with inconspicuous cilia," cannot be maintained. Not 

 only are the scales of the Port Jackson species, hitherto known as P. pavoninus, 

 conspicuously ctenoid everywhere on both sides, but the same has been noticed 

 by Day of the Indian P. niacidatus Schneider, and by Kendall and Goldsborough 

 of a supposed specimen of P. pavoninus from Tonga. The positions of the four 

 Bleekerian species of Achirus, namely, A. melanospilos, A. poropterus, A. 

 thepassii, and A. hartzfeldii, are most confusing. Jordan and Richardson refer 

 the two latter to the genus Amate Jordan and Starks. Granted that the long- 

 snouted A. hartzfeldii may with propriety be placed in the same section as Amatc 

 japonica, the like cannot be said for the short-snouted A. thepassii. This species,. 

 v/ith A. poropterus, oscillates between Aseraggodes and Pardachirus, having the 

 single lateral line of the former and the basiradial pores of the latter. If, 

 therefore, both these genera are valid, a new name will be required for Bleeker's 

 species. Similarly the smooth-scaled A. melanospilos, being practically a 

 TAachirus with a single lateral line, should command yet another new generic 

 name. Enough has been said to show that the status of the four genera 

 Aseraggodes, Pardachirus, Liachirus, and Amate is very doubtful. 



Key to the Species of Pardachirus. 



a^. Scalep everywhere cycloid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . marmoratus. 



a^. Scale of head and sometimes of anterior trunk ctenoid, ocelli of colored side each with a 

 dark central spot ; back without black blotches . . . . . . . . pavoninus. 



a*. Scale everywhere ctenoid ; ocelli of colored side usually without central spot ; back with 

 three ferie- of black blotches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hedleyi. 



Day places in this genus, which he calls Achirus, the fish described by 

 Schripirier as PlcMronectes maculatus, and informs us that he had the privilege 

 of examining the type, which is unique. His description of it as congeneric with 

 P. pavoninns is, however, far from convincing. The hooked snout and the com- 

 plete lepidosis of the vertical fins are not pardachirine characters, while the' 

 evidence as to the presence of radial pores is decidedly weak. 



