NO. 1853. FOUR NEW PHILIPPINE FISHES— RADCLIFFE. 249 



AMIA FASCIATA (White). 

 Plates 21 and 22. 



Mullus fasdatus White, Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales, 1790, p. 268, 



fig. 1; Port Jackson. 

 Apogon fasdatus Gunther, Catalogue of Fishes, vol. 1, p. 241, 1859 (part) — 



Macleay, Descriptive Catalogue of Australian Fishes, vol. 1, 1881, pp. 



43-44. — Tenison-Woods, Fish and Fisheries of Xew SoJth Wales, p. 14, 



1882.— Stead, Fishes of Australia, 1906, pp. 96, 107. 



Following is White's original description of this species:^ 



Mullus fasciatus. Mullus subflavescens fasciis longitudinalis fuscis. Pale yellow 

 Mullet with longitudinal brown bands. Length about five inches; scales large. 



William Macleay ^ wrongly places Amia fasciata of Bleeker in the 

 synonymy of this species and gives the following description of 

 specimens from type locality: 



D. 7. 1/8. A. 2/8. L. lat. 28. 



Height nearly half of the length without tail; space between the eyes much smaller 

 than the diameter of the orbit and much channelled; tail slightly emarginate. Colour 

 brownish-red with five longitudinal black bands on each side, the first close to the 

 back, the second from above the eye to the upper margin of the tail, the third along 

 the middle of the side and extending nearly to the extremity of the tail, the fourth 

 from below the eye to the inferior margin of the tail, the fifth along the belly and 

 more or less indistinct; there is also a black bar at the base of the soft dorsal and anal 

 fins. 



Port Jackson and Northern Coast. Length five inches. 



This is the most common Port Jackson species and is without doubt the true A. 

 fasdatus, WTaite, but I doubt its identity with A. aroubiensis, Hombr. and Jacquin., 

 A. endekataenia, Bleek., and even with the A. fasdatus, Giinth., Joum. Mus. Godeff., 

 Fish. Sudsee, Heft I., tab. 20 a. b. 



Stead ' says of the soldier fish : 



It is a pretty little species with large eyes and rough scales and is very prettily 

 striped along the body — whence its name of "soldier." It is common on the New 

 South Wales Coast — particularly at Port Jackson — and probably occurs on portions 

 of the Victorian and Queensland coasts; though it has not so far been recorded from 

 these places. The original specimens were taken from Port Jackson, and are de- 

 scribed in A\Tiite's "Voyage to New South Wales" before referred to. 



Description of a gravid female in the United States National 

 Museum, 10.2 cm. in length, from Port Jackson, New South Wales, 

 fromlVIr.D.G. Stead: 



Dorsal vii-i,9; anal ii,8; scales 3 + 6 — 25. 



General form subovate, compressed; head long, 2.58; body deep, 

 dorsal and ventral surfaces symmetrical, depth 2.53; caudal peduncle 

 relatively short, depth, 2.52, length 1.50; eye small, 3.50; snout, 3.50, 

 long, pointed, as long as eye; mouth of moderate size, oblique, 

 lower jaw slightly projecting; maxillary 1.97, not reaching vertical 

 from posterior border of pupil; interorbital 4.20, broad, flattened, 



'Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales, 1790, p. 268, fig. 1. 



» Descriptive Catalogue of Australian Fishes, vol. 1, 1881, pp. 43-44. 



» Fishes of Australia, 1906. p. 107. 



