210 WAITE 
sheath is lower on the left side by an eye diameter, thus exposing 
a longer ray: the anal is similar to the dorsal and is coterminal 
with it, close to the outer caudal rays: the right ventral is very 
long, commencing at the tip of the proventral and connected with 
the anal; the base of the last ray of the left ventral is opposite 
to the vent: the pectorals are short and subacute. the right one is 
slightly the longer, measuring 2.1 in the length of the head: 
the caudal is of moderate length, acutely rounded; the peduncle 
is not an eye diameter in length, and its depth is 4.3 in that of 
the body. 
Scales.—Strongly ctenoid on the right, smooth on the left 
side. The head is wholly scaly, with the exception of the snout 
on the right side; lateral line slightly arched over the pectoral 
and the circumorbital area, thence straight to the base of the 
caudal rays. No scales on the fin rays, the caudal excepted, in 
which the basal half of the rays are scaly. 
Colours——General colour above warm brown, reddish towards 
the margins of the body, irregularly blotched with dark brown. 
Under side colourless or more or less blotched. 
Length—482 mm. 
This species was trawled only at Station 80, in Porangahau 
Bay, northward of Cape Turnagain, in 16-17 fathoms, but 
Mr. Niven kindly gave me examples taken by his trawlers in 
Hawke Bay. 
The principal differences between this species and A. rostratus, 
with which it has been associated, appear to be the scaleless 
dorsal and anal fins, the smooth character of the scales on the 
left side, and the wide interorbital space. 
In his generic diagnosis Giinther states that the ‘‘dorsal and 
anal rays are branched and scaly.’’ In erroneously assigning 
Rhombosolea bassensis Castelnau to the genus Peltorhamphus, 
25 overlooked the fact that Ogilby?® had previously examined 
Castelnau’s type, and had determined it as Ammotretis 
rostratus var. adspersus Kner. In my description of the 
specimen I stated that the head, body and fins were wholly 
clothed with small ctenoid scales, and the scales on the fins are 
represented in the figure. I further stated that the ctenoid 
scales were almost equally developed on both sides, and, as 
Giinther does not differentiate between the two, ctenoid scales 
were presumably present on both sides of the type specimen. 
Kner27 also found ctenoid scales on the left side. 
(25) Waite, Rec. Aust. Mus., vi., 1906, p. 198, pl. xxxiv. 
(26) Ogilby, Cat. Fish. N.S. Wales, 1886, p. 49. 
(27) Kner, Voy. Novara Fische, 1867, p. 287. 
