EDIBLE PISHES OE XET7 SOUTH WALES. 17 



Family III-GSYSTID^. 



Brancbiostegals five, six, or seven : pseudobrancliiae present. Body 

 oblong or elevated. Eyes lateral. Opercles indistinctly serrated, or spini- 

 ferous, or entire. ]\Iouth in front of the snout, with lateral cleft which is 

 more or less oblique. Teeth in the jaws villiform or cardiform, without 

 canines : vomerine, palatine, or lingual teeth present or absent. Dorsal fin 

 generally continuous (separated in Huro and Percilici) : ventrals thoracic. 

 Scales minutely ciliated or eyelid, of moderate size, rarely small. Lateral, 

 line continuous. Airbladder present, simple. Pyloric appendages in small 

 moderate, or large numbers. 



Geographical distribution. — Fresh waters and seas of tropical and temperate 

 regions. 



Genus I.— OLIGORUS. 



Gri/sfes, part. Cuv. & Yal. Hist. Nat. Poiss. iii. p. 58, 1829. 

 Oligorus, Gnth. Catal. Fish. i. p. 251, 1859. 



Brancbiostegals seven : pseudobranchia? little developed. Body oblong and 

 posteriorly compressed. Opercle with two weak points : preopercle 

 smooth, or obtusely denticulated : preorbital, posttemporal, and clavicle 

 entire. Villiform teeth on the jaws, vomer, and palatines : tongue smooth. 

 One dorsal fin with ten to twelve, normally eleven, spines : the anal with 

 three. Scales small and eyelid : the entire head scaly : vertical fins with a 

 deep scaly basal sheath. Airbladder large. Pyloric appendages in small 

 numbers. 



Geographical distribution. — Bivers of Australia. 



OLIGOEUS MACQUABIEXSIS. 



Gri/sfes macquariensis, Cuv. & Yal. Hist. Nat. Poiss. iii. p. 58, 1829 ; 



Eichards. Yoy. Erebus & Terror, Eish. p. 118, pi. liii. ff. 8, 9. 

 Grystes brisbanU, Less. Yoy. Coquille, Zool. ii. p. 227. 

 Gri/sfes peelii, Mitch. Exped. Austr. p. 39, pi. v. f. 1, 1838. 

 Oligorus macquariensis, Gnth. Catal. Eish. i. p. 251, and Study of Fish. p. 392, 



f. 164 ; Casteln. Proc. Zool. Soc. Yict. i. p. 54 ; Macleay, Catal. Austr. 



Fish. i. p. 52, and Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. AVales, viii. p. 200 ; Woods, 



Fisher. N. S. Wales, p. 102, pi. xli. ; McCoy, Prodr. Zool. Yict. dec. 



ix. pis. 85, 86. 

 Oligorus miichelli, Casteln. Proc. Zool. Soc. Yict. ii. p. 150; Macleay, Catal. 



Austr. Fish. i. p. 53 ; Woods, Fisher. X. S. Wales, p. 103. 

 Oligorus gihbiceps, Macleay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. AYales, x. p. 265 



Murray Cod. 

 Plate YIII. 



B. vii. D. 10-1216-14. A. 3/11-L3. Y. 1/5. P. 19-20. C. 17. L. 

 lat. 75-80. L. tr. 25/45-47. Ca?c. pyl. 4. 

 Length of head 3-33-3-60, of caudal fin 6-00-700, height of body 

 3"75— 4*40 in the total length. Eye small, its diameter from 4'33 in immature 

 to 7"00 in adult examples in the length of the head, and 1'33-1'75 in that 

 of the snout, which is rather depressed, broad, and very obtusely rounded : 

 interorbital space slightly convex, its breadth 1'20-1'40 in the diameter of 

 the eye. Nostrils separated by a considerable interval, the anterior provided 

 with a triangular flap, the posterior oval and patent. L'pper profile of head 

 concave. Jaws subequal. Cleft of mouth deep and oblique ; the maxilla 



B 



