196 -Dr. A. Giinther on a new Generic Type of Fishes. 
~African genus Heterotis, These materials alone appeared al- 
most sufficient to assign to the new fish its systematic posi- 
tion in the neighbourhood of Chirocentrus or Heterotis, when, 
to my great satisfaction, a second specimen was found in the 
collection of the British Museum. It had been sent by the 
unfortunate Mr. Gilbert as a specimen collected by Leichardt ; 
and it may have been obtained at the same place and time as 
that in the Sydney Museum ; it is also stuffed, but considerably 
larger, having a length of 28 inches. 
Sir Daniel Cooper informs me that it is probably the same 
fish which has been caught by Mr. E. F. Hill in a creek at a 
station called Princhester, 90 miles from Rockhampton : if this 
be really the case, he hopes to obtain specimens in spirit from 
this place, by which we may be enabled to settle some interesting 
points regarding its anatomy, especially the question whether, 
like Heterotis, it is provided with a superbranchial organ. 
I proceed to give the description *. 
SCLEROPAGES, 
Body oblong, compressed, covered with large scales; belly 
longitudinally keeled ; head compressed, infraorbital bones much 
enlarged, covering the cheek entirely; cleft of the mouth very 
wide, with the lower jaw prominent; coarse cardiform teeth in 
both jaws and on the palate. Dorsal fin of moderate length, 
opposite the hind part of the anal, which is elongate ; pectorals 
well developed ; ventrals small. 
Scleropages Leichardti. Plate VII. 
D, 20; A.3i.. P.9. V.5. L.lat.35. liitransysas 
The height of the body is rather more than the length of the 
head, which is contained thrice and three-quarters in the total 
(without caudal) ; the upper profile, from the dorsal fin to the 
snout, is nearly straight, whilst the lower is curved upwards from 
the subthoracic region. The cleft of the mouth is oblique, very 
wide, extending to behind the eye ; the mandible is strong, long, 
nearly two-thirds of the length of the head ; it projects beyond 
the upper jaw, and is furnished with a pair of very small barbels 
near the symphysis; the intermaxillary is short, and situated at 
the extremity of the upper jaw, whilst the maxillary forms the 
side. Both jaws are armed with a series of small, closely-set, 
conical teeth, equal in size: a band of coarse cardiform teeth 
runs round the palate; but whether these teeth really belong to 
* Whilst this paper was passing through the press, I have found that 
the genus Scleropages is closely allied to, or identical with, Osteoglossum. 
Cf. O. formosum, Schleg., from Borneo. 
