Waite and Hale — Lophobkanchiate Fishes 295 



characters, a lack which others have attempted to supply. Jordan and Snyder (-), 

 who perpetuate the spelling of the word as Corythroichthys ("Kopp^pos-tx^i's") 

 place in that genus those forms which, in contradistinction to Syngnathiks arc 

 rather robust and have the opercle crossed by a horizontal ridge. Duncker (■ ) 

 separates the genera on characters of the egg-pouch and ascribes Corythroichthys 

 to himself. Jordan (^) points out that the genus is synonymous with Hippkhthys 

 Bleak O, of which Giinther ('') wrote, in effect, "The generic name Hippichthys 

 is proved to be useless." 



-Vuthors recognizing the validity of the genus Corythuichlhys would, of iIk' 

 four following species, place .V. poccilolaciuiis. S. phillipi and .S". vercoi therein, 

 and Jb'. curtirostris in Sxiigmithus if determined by the presence or absence of an 

 opercular ridge. 



We find that an opercular ridge is developed in the young of Histioyamphcliis 

 lostratiis and Stiyniatopora aryiis. but is not to lie found in the adults, a fact that 

 greatly minimizes the value of a character largely used in the classification of the 

 Lophobranchiates. j\t best it can scarcely be employed fur divisions higher than 

 species. 



GuiUher (') records ' many specimens" of Syiigiuitliiis pclcigiciis, ticjni South 

 Australia, presented to the British Museum by Sir G. Grey. Among the exten- 

 sive series of Syngnathoids preserved in this Museum, there is none that we can 

 associate with this species, and the examples so identified by Zietz prove to be 

 of Stigmatopora nigra. S. pelagicus is not by us included in the fauna of this 

 State. It may also be noted that specimens therewith identified from New 

 Zealand have been referred to another species ('^j. 

 a. Opercular ridge present. 



b. Snout more than half the head. . . . . . . . poecilolaemus 



bb. Snout half the head .. .. .. .. .. phillipi 



bbb. Snout less than half the head.. .. .. .. vercoi 



aa. No opercular ridge, snout short . . . . . . . . curtirostris 



SYNGNATHUS POECILOLAEMUS Peters. 



Syngnathus poecilolaemus Peters, Monatsb. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1869, p. 458; 



(2^) Jordan & Snyder, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mu.s., xxiv. 1901, p. 7. 

 (J) Duncker, Fauna Siidwest Aiist., ii. 1909, p. lil . 



(4) Jordan. Genera of Fishes, ii. 1919, p. 25.1 



(5) Bleeker, Verb. Bat. Genootsch.. xxii, 184>J, p. 15. 



(6) (;untlier, Cat. Eish. Brit. Mus., viii. 1870, p. 173, 



(7) Giinther, loc cit . p. 166. 



(8) Waite, Rec. Cant. Mus., i, 1912, p. 318. 



