4 EDIBLE FISKES OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 



from a single spcciiuen taken iu a freshwater pool near Parramatta, the 

 type of which is also missing. AVe have, therefore, in the restricted genus 

 Percalafes no less tlian five supposititious species, excluding the original 

 P. colonorum, all described from a similar and somewhat limited area on 

 what appears to be insufficient grounds ; that none of the later writers ou 

 Australian fishes (Johnston, Catalogue of Tasmaniau Fishes, 1882 ; McCoy, 

 loc. cit. 1S7S. and Lucas, Census of Victorian Fishes, 1889), except the author 

 (Catalogue of New South Wales Fishes, 1885), venture an opinionon their 

 specific "identity or otherwise, is, it must be conceded, a most unsatisfactory 

 state of affairs.'and merits, therefore, a more extended inquiry than is usually 

 necessary iu such cases. 



Iu L. similis the characters relied on for its separation from the type 

 species are absurdly inadequate ; these arc the shorter snout, which is 

 "sensibly less than the diameter of the eye" ; with the majority of fishes the 

 compara'tiA-e size of the eye to the head and to the snout varies with the age of 

 the individual, the young fish having that organ much larger proportionately 

 than the adult ; as I have shown above the great variation existing between 

 the comparative measurements of the eye and the snout in twenty five 

 specimens of indubitable P. colonorum ranging from Adelaide to the Eich- 

 mond River, it is manifest that the stress laid upon this character is altogether 

 misleading, and must be regarded as valueless ; the coarser denticulations of 

 the preopercle are also a sign of immaturity, and as such unreliable ; in the 

 large series which has passed through our hands specimens have in rare 

 instances occurred in which the teeth of the lower preopercular limb were 

 directed absolutely downwards ; neither this character nor that of the 

 omission of one of the dorsal rays can, therefore, be taken as a valid reason 

 for separating L. similis from Griinther's well known species. 



It is unnecessary to go at any length into the question of the validity of 

 L. aniarclicus, since, with two exceptions,a comparison of Castelnau's descrip- 

 tion with that given above will show that no characters are given, which 

 are not equally common to P. colonorum. These are the increased number 

 of branchiostegal rays which is stated to be seven in this species as against 

 six which the examination of numerous specimens has shown to be the 

 normal number in P. colonorum as here and elsewhere stated, and also 

 recorded by Professor McCoy. I do not, however, attach any importance 

 to this seeming discrepancy, since it is probable that that number is merely 

 copied from the generic description of Lafes given by Giiuther (Catalogue 

 of Fishes, i. p. G7) and which is correct of that genus as restricted to the 

 two species L. iiiJoficus and L. calcarifer ; it may be further pointed out 

 that in few, if any, of his other descriptions of new genera or species does 

 C'astelnau take any notice of this important point : the second exception, 

 namely the coloration, is not of sufficient importance to justify the retention 

 of L. aniarlicus as a distinct form, and this name also must, therefore, sink 

 into a synonym of the typical species ; further ou (p. 5) the author will have 

 occasion to refer to a form which, by a casual observer, would at once be set 

 down as distinct, but which, scientifically examined, is easily seen to be no 

 more than a local variety of the common Austi'alian Perch due to the 

 greatly changed conditions under v/hich it exists ; this form may possibly be 

 the L. anfarcficus of Castelnau, though, if so, it is difficult to say why he 

 should especially designate it the " Sea Perch." 



Of L. victorice it is needless to say more than that no rational person is 

 likely to believe that the substitution of a four pointed for a single pointed 

 spine on the opercle is by itself sufficient to constitute a species. 



