from Victoria, South Australia. 115 



the caudal). Teeth minute, villiform; the bands on the palate 

 are half as broad as those in the upper jaw ; the vomerine band 

 short, crescent-shaped, separate from the palatine bands. Maxil- 

 lary broad, triangular. The prseopercular limb is naked, finely 

 serrated behind, and with coarse spinous teeth below, directed 

 forwards ; no large spine at the angle. Operculum terminating 

 in a larger spine, with several smaller ones above ; praeorbital, 

 sub-, and interoperculum finely serrated. 



The dorsal fins are continuous at the base ; the spines are 

 strong; the fourth is the longest, its length being contained 

 twice and a third in that of the head. Caudal fin slightly 

 emarginate. The third anal spine is rather longer than the 

 second, and as long as the sixth dorsal spine. 



Uniform greenish-olive above, silvery on the sides and on the 

 belly. 



"Perch" of the colonists. 



Melambaphes. 



Similar in general habit to Glyphidodon. Body covered with 

 small ciliated scales ; cheeks, opercles, and the soft parts of the 

 vertical fins with very small scales. Of all the bones of the head, 

 only the prseoperculum is slightly crenulated. Each jaw with a 

 series of trenchant tricuspid teeth, and with a broad band of vil- 

 liform teeth behind ; no teeth on the palate. Fourteen or thirteen 

 spines in the dorsal fin, and three in the anal fin. 



Having only one stuffed specimen for examination, we are unable 

 to say whether this fish belongs to the Acanthopterygians proper 

 or to the Pharyngognaths. If to the former, it is to be referred 

 to the group Cantharina, and to the Pomacentridce if it should 

 prove to have the lower pharyngeals united. In either case it 

 appears to be the type of a distinct genus, which we have so 

 characterized that it may be readily distinguished from all the 

 other Sparoid and Labroid genera. 



Melambaphes nigroris. 



Glyphlsodon nigroris, Cuv. & Val. v. p. 485. 



D. fi. A. T 3 T . L. lat. 100. 



We have but little doubt that the " Black Perch " of the 

 colonists is the Glyphisodon nigroris of Cuvier and Valenciennes, 

 although their description is extremely short, giving as the for- 

 mula of the fins, D. y|. A. T 3 ^. 



Glyphidodon Victoria. 

 D. |f. A. T \. L. lat. 30. L. transv. 4/10. 

 The height of the body is somewhat less than one-half of the 



