EDIBLE FISHES OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 141 



of the eyes. Jaws equal. Cleft of mouth small and but little oblique, the 

 maxilla reaching to beneath the posterior nostril, or between it and the front 

 margin of the orbit. Opercular bones with a broad sliinny flap. Both 

 jaws with a pair of canine teeth in front, those of the mandible fitting in 

 between the maxillary teeth when the mouth is closed, and with from eight 

 to twelve lateral teeth on each ramus of the upper jaw, and eight to ten on 

 each of the lower jaw, these teeth successively decreasing in size from the 

 front : one or two posterior canines. The dorsal fin commences a little in 

 front of the margin of the bony opercle ; its spines are rather weak but 

 acute, and gradually increase in height to the last, which is from 3'33-3"75 

 in the length of the head, and 1 "33-1 '50 in that of the first ray ; the last 

 ray is the longest : the anal commences beneath the first or second dorsal 

 ray; its third spine is the longest, equal in length to the last or penultimate 

 dorsal spine : ventral pointed, reaching to, or not quite so far as, the vent, 

 the second ray the longest ; its length from ]'60-2"00 in that of the head : 

 hinder margin of the pectorals pointed above and rounded below, the 

 intervening space concave ; the second ray the longest, reaching as far as 

 the tenth or eleventh lateral line scale, and from 1'25-1'40 in the length of 

 the head: caudal slightly rounded, with the upper rays produced; the 

 least height of the pedicle 2"40-2'66 in the height of the body. Posterior 

 half of the bony opercle scaly ; a single series of seven to nine small scales 

 on the cheeks, and a single isolated scale on the temporal region ; a moderate 

 scaly sheath at the base of the dorsal fin, none on the anal ; skin of tho 

 head pierced by large open pores in close proximity. Lateral lino abruptly 

 curved downwards beneath and behind the last dorsal ray ; each tube with 

 from five to seven branches before and two or three behind the curve. 



Colors. — Head purple, darkest above ; body purplish-green, gradually 

 assuming a yellowish tint posteriorly ; a broad crimson band generally 

 present between the rayed dor.-^al and the anal ; free portion of the tail dull 

 yellow or pale olive green : spinous portion of the dorsal yellow, either 

 blotched with red or with the base and two anterior rays purple ; rayed 

 dorsal and anal crimson with a narrow purple marginal band ; the anai 

 sometimes yellow, with a crimson blotch on the three last rays, and olive 

 green spots inside the marginal line ; outer rays of the ventrals black ; 

 pectorals yellow with a purplish blotch posteriorly, broad above and 

 gradually nari"owing below, and the upper ray dark ; caudal orange. 



In habits, food, &c., the Crimson-banded Parrotfi.sh agrees in all respects 

 ■with the preceding species, but we are unable to record the breeding season, 

 no example with developed ova having as yet fallen into our hands. 



Its range, so far as is known, is similarly re.^tricted, examples having so 

 far been known from Port Jackson, Broken Bay, and the outer reefs in 

 the neighborhood only, in all of which it is common. It grows to a 

 larger size than PseudoJahrus (/ymno(/enis, twelve inches being a not 

 uncommon length for the species to attain, while the largest hitherto 

 examined measured a trifle over fifteen inches. Possibly for this reason 

 it is held in somewhat higher estimation for the table than the other 

 Parrotfishes. 



Genus V.— CORIS. 

 Goris, Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss. ii. p. 96, 1800. 

 OpTithalmolepis, Bleeker, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1861, p. 413. 



Branchiostegals six : pseudobranchije present. Body oblong and compressed. 

 Canine teeth anteriorly in the jaws : lateral teeth in two or more series, those 

 of the outer row being much the larger : posterior canines present or absent. 



