142 Mr. 0. T. Regan on the 



scarcely exposed, without spine ; villit'orm teeth in jaws and 

 on vomer and palatines. Eyes close together; suborbitals 

 well ossified. Gill-membranes not united, free from isthmus; 

 7 branchiostegals; 4 gills; pseudobranchiae. Head-skeleton 

 and pectoral arch much as in Hemerocoetes. Vertebrae 53 

 (23 4-30); only the last 4 prascaudals with parapophyses ; 

 ribs and epipleurals sessile, inserted together. 

 Trichonotus and Taniulabrus. 



Fam. 10. Creediidae. 



Body elongate, scaly ; lateral line running very low. 

 Vertical fins without spines ; dorsal, of 12 or 13 rays, placed 

 above and much shorter than the anal, which has 26 or 27; 

 caudal with 10 principal rays, 8 brauched ; pelvics jugular, 

 narrowly separated, each of a spine and 4 soft rays. Snout 

 conical ; eyes close together ; suborbitals well ossified ; 

 mouth protractile, terminal, with the lower jaw the shorter; 

 small pointed teeth in the lower jaw ; upper jaw and palate 

 toothless. Gill-membranes not united, free from isthmus ; 

 7 branchiostegals ; 4 gills; pseudobranchiae. Hypercoracoid 

 with a small foramen near its lower margin. 



This family is related to the preceding; it includes but a 

 single species. This remarkable little fish, Creedia clathri- 

 squamis, Ogilby, 1898, from the coasts of New South Wales 

 and Victoria, is represented in the British Museum by a 

 specimen of 70 mm. from Port Phillip, Victoria. This 

 agrees with the type and differs from the example figured by 

 Waite (Mem. Austral. Mus. iv, 1, 1899, p. 63) in that the 

 praemaxillaries form a fleshy projection in front of the 

 mouth ; the absence of this projection in Waite's example 

 is probably due to an accident, or possibly to a congenital 

 malformation ; it is unlikely that it is a sexual character. 



Fam. 11. Lininichthyidae. 



Body elongate, scaly ; lateral line complete, running low 

 posteriorly. Vertical fins without spines ; dorsal, of 19 to 

 26 rays, placed above the anal, which has 27 to 29 ; caudal 

 with 12 principal rays ; pelvics jugular, close together, each 

 of a spine and 5 branched rays. Snout conical ; eyes close 

 together ; mouth protractile, terminal, with the lower jaw 

 the shorter ; villiform teeth in jaws and on palatines. Gill- 

 openings wide, the membranes free from isthmus; 7 

 branchiostegals. 



