106 
NATURE 
| Fune 9, 1870 
THE NEW AUSTRALIAN MUD-FISH 
| his well-known essay upon the arrangement of the 
extinct fishes of the Devonian epoch, published in 
the Memoirs of the Geological Survey* Professor Hux- 
ley, after showing that the Polypterus of the African 
rivers is probably the descendant of the Crossopterygian 
Ganoids with rhomboidal scales, continues as follows :— 
“Tt is singular that while the line of the rhombiferous | A 
| resemblance to Lefidosiren, will be at once seen by the 
Crossopterygide has so distinct a modern representative, 
the cycliferous Crossopterygide seem to have died and 
left no issue at the end of the Tertiary epoch. But, 
without wishing to lay too much stress upon the fact, 
I may draw attention to the many and singular rela- 
tions which obtain between that wonderful and apparently | 
isolated fish, Zefidosiven, sole member of its order, and 
the cycloid glyptodipterine, ctenodipterine, phanero- 
pleurine, and ccelacanth Crossopterygide.  Lepidosiren 
is in fact the only existing fish whose pectoral and ven- 
tral members have a structure analogous to that of the 
acutely lobate paired fins of Holoptychius, of Dipterus, 
or of Phaneropleuron, though the fin-rays and surface- 
scales are still less developed in the modern than in 
the ancient fish. The endoskeleton of Lefzdosiren, 
again, is as nearly as possible in the same condition as 
that of Phaneropleuron, and is more nearly similar to the 
skeleton of the Ccelacanths than that of any other recent 
thus to connect what, in the opinion of some naturalists, 
are two very widely separated forms of the order Pisces. 
Since the announcement of this discovery appeared, a 
paper has been read before the Zoological Society of 
London, containing a preliminary account of this won- 
derful fish, by Mr. Gerard Krefft, the curator and secretary 
of the Australian Museum, Sydney. Mr. Krefft proposes 
to call it Ceratedus forsterd, “after the Hon. William 
Forster, M.C.A., its discoverer.” 
The general form of Ceratodus forstert, and its striking 
accompanying figure, which has been reduced from one 
of the photographs forwarded to England by Mr. Krefft. 
The length of the specimen described (which, at the time 
the paper was written, was the only individual yet 
obtained) was about three feet ; it has a broad flat head, 
small eyes, and four limbs in the shape of flappers. The 
body is stated to be covered with large cyeloid scales, ten 
rows on each side. A large gill-opening in front of the 
pectoral limb contains well developed branchiz, but their 
accurate examination was not possible, on account of the 
bad condition of the specimen. A rather large pair of 
nostrils, situated just below the upper lip, communicates 
by a short tube with the roof of the mouth. 
The skeleton of this fish is partly ossified and partly 
cartilaginous, the vertebrz being pure cartilage, and the 
ribs hollow tubes, filled with cartilaginous. substance. 
The palate and upper part of the skull are bony, and the 
CERATODUS FORSTERI, THE NEW AUSTRALIAN MUD-FISH 
fish ; while perhaps it is not stretching the search for 
analogies too far to discover in the stiff-walled lungs of | 
Lepidosiren, a structure more nearly representing the ossi- 
fied air bladder of the Ccelacanths than any with which we 
are at present acquainted, among recent or fossil fishes. 
Furthermore, Lepzdosiven is the only fish whose teeth are 
comparable in form and arrangement to those of 
Dipterus.. Though Lepidosiven may not be included 
among the Crossopterygide, nor even in the order of the 
Ganoids, the relations just pointed out are not the less 
distinct ; and perhaps they gain in interest when we 
reflect that while PodyPterus, the modern representative 
of the rhombifercus Crossopterygide, is that fish which 
has the most completely lung-like of all air-bladders ; 
Lepidosiren, which has been just shown to be, if not the 
modern representative of the cycliferous Crossopterygidz 
yet their ‘next of kin,’ is the only fish which is provided 
with true lungs. These are unquestionable facts. I leave 
their bearing upon the great problems of zoological theory 
to be developed by every one for himself.” 
In this remarkable passage, written some ten years ago, 
we may almost say that Prof. Huxley prophesied the 
discovery, announced in these columns some weeks since, 
of the new Australian Mud-Fish, which appears to unite 
the dentition and other peculiarities of some of the extinct 
Crossopterygians withthe external form of Lefédoszren,and 
* Decade x., 1861. 
t+ See Naturr, No. 28, Vol. it. p, 38. 
) 
| 
4 
_ head is covered by two large scales. 
The tongue is very 
small, and is attached to what appears to be a large hyoid 
bone, ossified externally. The rays which support the 
dorsal and caudal fin consist of hollow tubes filled by 
cartilage. Inthe upper jaw are two large teeth, which 
Mr. Krefft terms incisors, and which are obviously the 
representatives of the peculiar teeth in the corre- 
sponding position in Lepzdosiven.* Behind these are 
dental plates, divided on each side into six tooth-like 
projections. The lower jawis provided with similar dental 
plates, but has no teeth in front ; the rami are joined only 
by atough skin. 
Such is an abstract of Mr. Krefft’s preliminary notice 
of this strange animal, which is certainly one of the most 
remarkable zoological novelties that Australia (that land 
of wonders) has yet produced. It is singular, indeed, that 
a creature like this, which appears to have been long well 
known to the squatters of Queensland, should have hither- 
to altogether escaped the observation of naturalists. It is 
said to have flesh of the colour of salmon, and to be 
excellent eating, so that the settlers have named it the 
“Burnett,” or “ Dawson salmon,” from the two Queens- 
land rivers in which it is principally found. The native 
name is given by Mr. Krefft as Aaramoonda or Bara- 
moondi, The fishis stated to attain sometimes a length of 
six feet and upwards. 
* See Dr. Cobbold’s discussion of these teeth, in his article on the cranium 
of Lepidosiren : Proc, Z.S., 1862, p, 120. 
