Fishes from the New-Zealand Seas. 79 



fourth lowest ray longest. Ventrals sliglitly in advance of 

 pectorals and reaching to the vent, which is behind the middle. 

 Snout rounded, its length being one half the diameter of the 

 orbit. Cleft of mouth very oblique. Maxillaries expanded 

 behind, and twice the diameter of the orbit in length. Teeth 

 in fine villiform bands. Interorbital space equal to the orbit, 

 prismatic, with a lozenge-shaped space on each side separated 

 by a double elevated ridge that terminates in two spines over 

 the nostrils in front, and diverges behind to bound an occipital 

 space. The upper part of the head is formed of a delicate 

 framework and membranes enclosing large cavities. The in- 

 fraorbital area is crossed by seven rays, and the operculum by 

 two vertical ridges with five ti-ansverse bars, the lowest being 

 prolonged over the suboperculum and angle on the gill-opening 

 as a roughly serrated spine. Between the occiput and com- 

 mencement of the dorsal is a rough elevated ridge. The 

 posterior dorsal rays rest in a groove. The caudal is deeply 

 forked, each lobe of ten soft rays with seven sharp spines above 

 and six below. The dorsal and anal fins end at the same 

 vertical line ; and the interspace to the caudal is equal to half 

 the length of the body. The greatest height is vertical to the 

 commencement of the dorsal. The seiTated ventral keel con- 

 sists of ten scales. 



Colour silvery white, except the tips of the dorsal fin and 

 caudal lobes, which are darkened by crowded black spots ; 

 the neck, back, and base of caudal have also a dark shade 

 from the presence of minute spots. The scales above the 

 lateral line are rough and adherent, but below are soft and 

 deciduous. 



Total length 2' 7 inches, height "85. 



Dredged by the 'Challenger' Expedition in 400 fathoms off 

 Ca))e Farewell. 



This fish approaches T. elongatus, Giinth., of which a single 

 specimen was obtained at the Great Barrier Island ; but 

 from its having evidently intermediate characters between 

 that species and T. australis, I have distinguished it under 

 the above name. 



Platystethus abbreviatus, sp. n. 



B. 5. P. 16. V. 1 I 6. D. 7 I 26. A. 2 | 26. L. lat. 80. 



L. trans V. go- Caudal 3 | 14 | 3. 



Body compressed ; general form rhomboidal, the greatest 

 length being vertical to the second dorsal spine, which is over 

 the anal spine. Length equal to once and two thirds the 



