24 STUDIES IN THE ICHTHYOLOGY OF QUEENSLAND 



the base of the dorsal jSn, another behind the head, and the 

 pectoral and pelvic areas ; thoracic region entirely covered with 

 scales, which are rather smaller than those of the body. Mouth 

 with rather large, oblique cleft ; lower jaw a little the longer; 

 premaxillaries protractile, produced in a skinny lobe, which 

 conceals the lower border of the maxillaries, the upper and 

 hinder borders of which are exposed. Jaws with interrupted 

 bands of minute, conical teeth ; similar teeth on the vomer ; 

 palatine bones edentulous. Nostrils large, patent, well separated, 

 feebly tubular, without tentacles. Eye very large, anterior, 

 sublateral ; interorbital region without tentacles. Crauial ridges 

 feeble, smooth ; coracoid process and suprascapular bone without 

 spines. Preorbital with two spines, which are concealed in life 

 beneath a thick loose skin ; the anterior of moderate length, strong, 

 directed downwards and backwards ; the posterior longer, strong, 

 acute, and thorn-like, not reaching to the end of the maxillary, 

 and but moderately erectile, having a wide membranous attach- 

 ment to the suborbital stay. Preopercle with three to five points, 

 the upper of which is produced to form a stout sharp spine, the 

 others being reduced to blunt tubercles ; interopercles in contact ; 

 subopercle with a spinate point ; opercle with a large triangular 

 lobe, and two smooth, feeble, divergent ridges, which do not 

 end in spines ; the surface smooth. Gills four ; no cleft behind 

 the fourth ; six branchiostegals ; gill-rakers short and stout, 

 with densely spinulose tips. Upper pharyngeal bones oval and 

 remote; lower subpyriform and contiguous; both armed with 

 short, stout, crowded, conical teeth. Soft dorsal and anal fins 

 without basal scaly sheath ; last ray in each divided to the base. 

 Dorsal fin originating above anterior border of eye, evenly 

 rounded in front, slightly emarginate behind, with xiii 7 rays, 

 the spines flexible but acute ; spinous portion of fin more than 

 thrice as long as the soft portion ; interspinous membrane 

 moderately cleft throughout ; last ray partially attached to the 

 peduncle. Anal fin with iii 5 rays ; spines moderate, the third 

 much longer than the second ; last ray almost wholly attached 

 to the peduncle. Caudal fin large, slightly rounded. Pectoral 

 fins large, cuneate, symmetrical, undivided ; each with 14 rays, 

 the middle the longest ; some of the lower rays simple. Ventral 

 fins small, approximate, inserted behind the base of the pectorals, 

 each with i 4 rays ; the spine moderately strong and elongate ; 

 first soft ray longest, last widely attached to the wall of the 

 abdomen. Air-bladder large, strong, and simple. Intestines 



