Prof. F. M'Coy on the Australian Species 0/ Arripis. 187 



Fig. 4. Conosmilia anomala : a, nat. size ; b, columella, magn. 4 diams. ; 

 c, costse, magnified 4 diams.; d, transverse section, magn. 4 diams. 

 (one system is closed below by endotlieca) ; e, septum with endo- 

 theca, magn. 4 diams. 



Fig. 5. Conosmilia striata : a, nat. size ; b, costae, magn. 6 diams. ; c, trans- 

 verse section, magn. 6 diams. 



Fig. 6. Antillia lens : a, nat. size, view from above and side ; b, base, 

 nat. size ; c, side view (part of), magn. 4 diams. ; d, base (part 

 of), magn. 4 diams. ; e, septum, magn. 4 diams. 



XXIV. — Notes on the Australian Species o/Arripis. By Frede- 

 rick M'CoY, Professor of Natural Science in the University 

 of Melbourne, and Director of the National Museum at Mel- 

 bourne. 



I FIND that nearly all the scales of the Victorian fishes of the 

 genus Arripis have a more or less distinct fan-like structure of 

 the base, from the supposed absence of which the genus was 

 originally named. 



Having dissected a great number, I am sure there must be 

 some mistake (probably a clerical error) in Dr. Giinther's state- 

 ment that the pyloric appendages are from seventeen to fifty in 

 number, as I find them always about one hundred and sixty. 



The Australian species to be found in ])ooks are Centropristes 

 Georgianus (Cuv.), C. salar (Richardson), C. Tasmanicus 

 (Homb.), C. truttaceus (Cuv.), Perca trutta (Cuv.), and probably 

 Perca marginata (Cuv.). I have perfectly satisfied myself, from 

 a laborious examination of a great number of fresh specimens, 

 at dififerent seasons and of all ages, that the whole of these six 

 supposed species should be reduced to one, and that the more 

 important characters relied upon by Cuvier, Richardson, and 

 Giinther are the peculiarities only of difierent ages of the fish. 



The adult form is the Centropristes [Arripis) Georgianus (Cuv.) 

 and the C. Tasmanicus (Homb.). It reaches nearly 2 feet in 

 length ; and, although abundant in the market, it is eaten with 

 great hesitation, owing to the many cases (sometimes fatal) 

 reported of poisonous effects produced on certain persons eating 

 it, although others at the same table suffered comparatively 

 little. It is the fish improperly called " Salmon^' by the colo- 

 nists. It is of a nearly uniform pale olive-colour. Probably 

 from having counted the fin-rays of so large a number of speci- 

 mens, I am able to announce an extraordinary variation in this 

 character: thus the pectorals vary from 14 to 16, the soft anals 

 from 9 to 11, soft dorsals from 16 to 19. 



The young, up to about 10 or 11 inches in length, are com- 

 monly supposed by the colonists to be a different fish, which 

 they call " Salmon-trout " in the markets ; and they are the 



