BY J. DOUGLAS OGILBY. 97 
MONACANTHID. 
PSEUDOMONACANTHUS MELANOIDES sp. nov. 
Sombre Leather-jacket. 
D. 34; A. 29. Skin velvety, without distinct scales. 
Depth of body 3, length of head (to upper angle of the gill- 
opening) § of the length of the body. Snout with the upper 
profile concave, its length 3? in that of the body and more 
than thrice the diameter of the eye, which is } of the length 
of the head, 2 of the interorbital width, and is situated 
midway between the base of the dorsal spine and the upper 
angle of the gill-opening, and also between the tip of the 
snout and the first dorsal ray. Gill-opening below the 
posterior half of the eye, extending obliquely backward 
from in front of the upper angle of the pectoral, its length 
rather less than the diameter of the eye and equal to its 
distance from the eye. Dorsal spine originating above 
the middle of the eye, its height equaling the length of the 
snout, and rather less than its distance from the soft dorsal, 
which originates somewhat nearer to the tip of the snout 
than to that of the caudal fin: soft dorsal low and rounded, 
lower than the anal, the highest rays of which are {3, of the 
length of the head; the anal originates well behind but is 
conterminous with the soft dorsal. Caudal rounded, 54 in 
the length of the body ; caudal peduncle strongly compressed, 
its least depth 4 of the length of the snout. Pectoral short, 
with 12 rays, rather more than $ the snout. Black, with 
a broad silvery band across the chin, midway between the 
tip of the mandible and the pectoral fin: soft dorsal, anal, 
and pectoral fins hyaline ; caudal blackish (melas— 
from pédAas, gen. pedavos, black—an allied species ; 
etdos, resemblance). 
Type in the collection of the Amateur Fishermen’s 
Association of Queensland. 
Total length 71 millimeters. 
Coast of Southern Queensland. 
Described from a specimen obtained at Cape Moreton, 
in May 1907, by Mr. James Palmer of Bulwer, to whom 
the Association is indebted for it. 
G—Royrat Soe, 
