Dr. A. Giinther on a new Specieg of Callionymus. 197 



the palatine bones cannot be ascertained, on account of the dry 

 state of the specimen. The snout is short, not much longer 

 than the eye, the diameter of which is one-sixth or one-seventh of 

 the length of the head. The eye is situated immediately below 

 the upper profile of the head ; the nostrils are close together, mid- 

 way between the eye and the extremity of the upper jaw. Inter- 

 orbital space flat, its width bein» contained thrice and three-quar- 

 ters in the length of the head. Cheek very flat and broad, entirely 

 covered by the two posterior infraorbital bones, which extend 

 downwards and backwards to the limb of the prseoperculum ; 

 they are finely striated, like the operculum. Operculum more 

 than twice as high as long, with the posterior margin rounded 

 and continued into a broad membranous strip. Sub- and 

 inter-operculum very small. The course of the muciferous 

 channels through the bones of the head is indicated by a num- 

 ber of oblong cavities closed by membrane. 



The dorsal fin is placed above the hind part of the anal, ter- 

 minating at no great distance from the caudal ; its anterior rays 

 are short, and increase in length to the twelfth, behind which 

 the rays again become shorter. Caudal fin rounded ; anal of 

 the same height as the dorsal, the rays about the twenty-fourth 

 being the longest. The first pectoral ray is exceedingly strong, 

 compressed, and nearly as long as the head ; however, it does 

 not extend to the very short ventral fin, the base of which cor- 

 responds to the eleventh scale of the lateral line. 



The scales are very large, higher than long, with the exposed 

 surface minutely granulated, and with a network of fine channels 

 over the inner surface, the meshes being concentrically arranged 

 round a larger mesh in the middle. Each scale of the lateral 

 line is pierced by a single large elliptical hole. 



The entire body is finely dotted with brown ; vertical fins and 

 opercular membrane with small whitish spots. 



XXII. — Description of a new Species of Callionymus from 

 Australia. By Dr. Albert GCnther. 



CaUiont/mus Papilio. 



This species belongs to the group with the gill-opening reduced 

 to a small foramen on the upper side of the neck, and with the 

 lateral line single. 



D. 4|7. A. 6. C. 11. 



Prseopercular spine considerably shorter than the head, bifid 

 at its extremity, both points being directed upwards. The rays 

 of the vertical fins long, those of the second dorsal longer than 

 those of the first, and nearly equal in length to the middle caudal 



