56 Records of the S.A. Museum 



Head about 5 in the length to the hyijural joint: deptlT 1 ■(>. eve 5 '2 in the 

 head: snout 22 in the eye. greater than the interor1)ital width, which is half as 

 wide as the eye: pectoral 3x1, inner \-entral ra\' 1 ■". last dorsal spine .V'*^ in the 

 head. 



Elongate, compressed. Head moderately flat above, snout obtuse: lower jaw 

 slightly longer than the upper: anterior nostril in a tube behind the lip: rows of 

 pores surround the eye, nuchal and occipital regions, the margin of the preoper- 

 culum. mandible and snout ; maxillary reaching to Ijehind the pupil : blunt teeth 

 in several rows in front of the premaxillaries, becoming uniserial laterally: 

 mandibular teeth larger, and extending farther back than those of the upper 

 jaw: a large rounded patch of tuljcrcular teeth on the vomer: palate edentulous. 



Body covered with small, loosely imbedded scales, commencing on the nape, 

 and covering the thorax and Ijase of the i)ectoral : lateral line represented by a 

 short canal anteriorly, which is little longer than the eye: head naked. 



Fins. Dorsal beginning above the ~C\"^X 



end of the operculum: the spines in- 

 crease in length backwards, and the last 



ray is connected with the caudal by .•.■v.v.v^ \ V- 



menibrane: origin of anal nearer the 

 snout than the hypural joint by a space 

 equal to the length of the head : anal 



rays increasing in length backward, the 



, , ,. 1 -^1 ii 11 I 1 Fig- 28. Head of O. siilcatiis. 



last connected with the caudal : ventrals 



inserted below the middle of the operculum, the inner ray the longer: pectorals 

 almost twice as long as the eye. connected with the opercular lobe by membrane : 

 caudal obtusely pointed. 



Colour. Light brown in alcohol, the head variegated with darker markings: 

 l)ack with about ten greyish blotches: vertical fins variegated with darker 

 markings. 



Described from two specimens 89 and 117 mm. long. The figure represents 

 the head of the larger example. 



Identification. The larger of these specimens is part of the old collection of 

 the Australian Museum, and bears a jiarchment label, "NcoiiiincUiis siilcatns 

 Cast., Adelaide." The handwriting is clearly identical with that accompanying 

 other specimens which are known to ha\e Ijeen received in exchange from 

 Castelnau, and was probably written by himself. This specimen differs from his 

 description of A', siilciitii.'; in hax'ing fewer spines and rays in the dorsal and anal 

 fins : in having the anal formed principally of rays in,stead of spines ; also in some 

 jiroiiortional details. lUit the description is clearly inaccurate in parts, since the 

 ventrals are stated to be 3-rayed in one part of his generic definition and 2-rayed 



