EDIBLE EISHES OF NEW SOrTH WALES. 55 



dorsal spine, and reaches to the origin of the anal ; its spine is subequal in 

 length to the longest dorsal spine, and I'oO in the outer ray, which is from 

 1"50 — 1"60 in the head : the six lower pectoral rays are simple, the upper 

 simple ray is the longest in the fin, and about one tenth shorter than the 

 head ; the posterior margin of the fin is rounded : the caudal is truncated, 

 the least height of its pedicle one third of the height of the body. 



Colors. — OliTe green or yellowish-brown, blotched and marbled with rich 

 dark reddish-brown ; young and halfgrown examples with bright red spots 

 of moderate size : spinous dorsal dark brown, immaculate ; other fins 

 spotted and sjieckled with reddish-brown. 



The Kelpfish or Marbled Morwong is a true rock fish, and is only caught 

 by hook and line or by meshing nets set close in along the rocks. They 

 are said to breed in holes among seaweeds, to which they attach their spawn. 

 Owing to the difficulties attending their capture they are not sought by the 

 professional fishermen, and appear, therefore, but rarely in the market ; 

 they are, nevertheless, excellent table fish. Their food consists of small 

 fishes, crustaceans, molluscs, and all such lower forms of life as live among 

 seaweed. 



South of Port Jackson the Kelpfish is common along the Xcw South 

 "Wales coast, but to the northward we are unable to trace its presence beyond 

 Port Stephens, whence we have seen one example. Of its occurrence in the 

 Victorian waters, there cannot be the slightest doubt, though Lucas only 

 gives it on the authority of Castelnau, whose description evidently refers to 

 a species of Haplodactylus, as the tricuspid teeth, dilferently shaped 

 dorsal fin, consumption of seaweeds, &c., abundantly prove. It occurs in 

 Tasmania ; " caught ocasionally at the mouth of the Derwent " (Johnston). 

 G. marvioratus was originally described by Gilnther from western and north- 

 eastern Australia, the types having been obtained from Swan River and 

 Darnley Island. A single example from Lord Howe Island is in the 

 Australian Museum. 



The Kelpfish attains a length of fourteen inches. 



Genus II.— CHILODACTYLUS. 



Chilodactijlus, Cuvier, Eegne Anim.; Cuv. & Val. Hist. Nat. Poiss. v. p. 356, 

 1S30. 



Branchiostegals six (or five ?) : pseudobranchise present. Body oblong or 

 oblong-ovate, more or less compressed. Opercular bones entire. Teeth in 

 the jaws in villiform bands, with or without an outer enlarged series : vomer 

 and palate edentulous. One dorsal fin with numerous spines : anal of 

 moderate length or rather short : one simple pectoral ray more or less 

 produced beyond the rest of the fin. Scales of moderate size, eyelid ; 

 cheeks scaly. Airbladder large, and frequently multilobate. Pyloric 

 appendages few. 



Geograpliical distribution. — Tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian 

 and Pacific Oceans. 



CHILODACTYLUS CARPONEMUS. 



Sparus ccirponemus, Parkinson. 



Chilodactylus carponemics, Cuv. & Tal. v. p. 362, pi. cxxviii. ; Eichards. Proc. 



Zool. Soc. 1850, p. 01, and Ann. ^^at. Hist. (2) 1851, vii. p. 277 ; Gnth. 



Catal. Fish. ii. p. 78 ; Macleay, Catal. Austr. Fish. i. p. 122 ; McCoy, 



Prodr. Zool. Yict. dec. xviii. pis. 173, 174. 

 Chilodaetylus monconj, Ems. and Ogl. Proc. Linn. Soc. X. S. "Wales (2) i. 



p. 879. 



