THE EIBBON FISH 



(A Regalecus in Queensland Waters). 



By C. W. De VIS, M.A. 



(Past President.) 



[Read before the Royal Society of Queensland, January 8th, 1893.] 



No apology for recording the appearance on our coast of one 

 of these curious and interesting fishes, with its message from the 

 deep-sea realm, is likely to be needed by the professed ichthyo- 

 logist or by those who take an unmethodical though very real 

 interest in fish, more especially as it is the first instance of the 

 kind of which we have information. So unexpected an occurrence 

 on the shores of Queensland tends to show that there may be 

 more species of Ribbon fish in existence than we at present know 

 of 



In fish lore the Ribbon fishes form a family known as the 

 TrachypteridcB, having in common a peculiar form, immensely 

 long drawn out, narrow and thin, and, what is of still greater 

 interest, an organization fitted to endure the pressure exerted upon 

 their bodies at great depths below the surface. Some writers 

 distinguish from the rest of these fishes, under the name of Oar- 

 fish, a group, Reijalecus, having the elongation of the body 

 carried to an excessive degree and accompanied by a short com- 

 pressed head, a large eye, a small feebly armed mouth, a dorsal 

 fin continued from head to tail and raised at its fore end into a 

 high crest, and by a pair of long filamentary ventral fins ending 

 in small discs. It does not, however, seem necessary to multiply 

 popular names in this case, as the term ribbon fish applies 



