EDIBLE FISHES OF QUEENSLAND.— OGILBY. 167 



Bleeker records this fish from no less than 25 localities, namely — Ceram, 

 Amboina, Batchian, Obi-Major, Timor, Flores, Celebes (3), Sangir, Bali, Bawean. 

 Biliton, Thousand Islands, Java (3), Banca (3), Bintang, Singapore, Nias, and 

 Sumatra (2), 



Glinther^^' states that having examined the type (a dry skin) of Cantor's 

 Pentapodus nnhilus^^ he considers it to be "possibly identical with Lethrinns 

 nelmlosus." Besides the marked difference in coloration there are also structural 

 differences which throw doubt upon the accuracy of Giinther's identification. 

 For instance Cantor's description of the lateral teeth of Penfapodus is "velvety, 

 disposed in narrow bands," which could not possibly apply to a Lethrinus; 

 again the third anal spine is said by Cantor to be equal to the second, whereas 

 in L. nehidosus it is conspicuously longer. For these reasons I have omitted 

 Pentapodus nuhilus from the synonymy of this species. 



Dimensions: — Attains a length of 30 in. and over. Large examples are 

 occasionally taken on the Snapper Banks off Moreton Bay, but are so highly 

 prized by their captors that we have never succeeded in securing one. 



Illustration: — Our illustration is taken from a 223 millim. example, 

 captured in Moreton Bay, and purchased by the writer from a Brisbane hawker. 



Part VIII.— SPARID^ (No. 1). 

 Family SPARID^. 



Sparo'ides part. Cuvier & Valenciennes, vi, 1830, p. 1. 



Sparidce part. Gtmther, Brit. Mus. Catal. Fish., i, 1859, p. 412 ; Jordan & Evemaann, Fish. 



North & Mid. Amer., pt. ii, 1898, p. 1343. 

 Sparini part. Bleeker, Atlas Ichth., viii, pt. 2, 1877, p. 104. 

 Sparidce Regan, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (8) xii, July 1913, p. 124. 



" THE SEA BREAMS." 



Body compressed, covered with moderate or rather small, adherent, 

 cycloid or feebly ciliated scales. Lateral line complete, not extending on the 

 caudal fin, the tubes simple and straight, not reaching the border of the scale. 

 Head partially scaly, with moderate pointed snout. Mouth terminal and 

 moderately protractile, with rather small, horizontal cleft. Dentition variable, 

 the teeth strong; roof of mouth usually, tongue always, toothless. Opercles 

 unarmed. One dorsal fin, Avitli 10 to 13, rarely 14 {Box hoops) or 15 {B. h. 

 caraihica) strong heteracanthous depressible spines ; soft portion of fin naked. 

 Caudal fin usually more or less emarginate, with 17 principal rays, 15 of which 

 are branched. Anal fin rather short, with 3 strong spines, similar to the soft 

 dorsal. Pectorals long and pointed. Ventral thoracic, approximate, pointed, 

 with i 5 rays, inserted behind or below the pectoral-base ; accessory scale present. 

 Gill-openings large; gill-membranes separate, free from the isthmus; branchi- 

 ostegals six ; pseudobranchire well developed ; gills four, a slit behind the fourth ; 



1" Fisch. d. Sudsee, p. 62, footnote**. 

 11 Catal. Malay. Fish., p. 49. 



