X 5q,i(q4.,0 



CATALOGUE 



OF THE 



FISHES OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 



By EDGAR R. WAITE, F.L.S., Director South Australian Museum. 



Plate i and Text fig. 1—332. 



The primary object of the catalogue is to record the present state of our 

 systematic knowledge of the fishes found in the seas and fresh waters of South 

 Australia. In doing this, however, it is recognized that the list is a mere 

 foundation, known to be incomplete, but supplied as a basis upon which to build. 

 Examination of much material and consequent revision of the catalogue, as it 

 now stands, will be necessary, but were publication to be withheld until this is 

 accomplished, the list could not be issued for many years to come. The want of a 

 key to the literature of our fishes is a deterrent to would-be students, who might 

 otherwise feel inclined to take u]) the study : to such the list will be useful 

 and an incentive. The angler desires to know more than the fisherman's names 

 of his spoils ; to him the illustrations, and through them references to literature, 

 will be appreciated and may lead to a wider view of the subject. The interest 

 evinced in this catalogue by officers in the Department of Fisheries indicates that 

 the production will lie Avelcomed l)y professional fishermen, and though a more 

 popular publication would naturally be preferred 1iy the public generally, it is 

 hoped that the illustrations and accompanying remarks will be appreciated by 

 those to whom the siilnect of fish is one of utilitarian, rather than of strictlv 

 scientific import. 



As indicated by the title, the list is confined to an enumeration of the fishes 

 known from the State of South Australia, as politically defined : it therefore 

 includes species recorded from the Great .Vustralian Bight. The western border 

 of the State is the 129th meridian of East longitude, but as it would scarcely be 

 practicable to extend this limit to the ocean, the fishes recorded from the whole 

 of the Bight (the littoral of Western Australia excepted) have been included. 



Hemmed in as South Australia is, and possessing only a southern seaboard, 

 the marine fauna is conspicuous by the absence of tropical forms, which to a 

 greater or lesser extent occur on the shores of other continental States. Some of 

 the species included in the catalogue are certainly nominal only, but, on the 

 other hand, many remain to be defined, and it is hoped that the publication of 

 the list, imperfect though it is, may be the means of stimulating interest and thus 



