47 



NOTES ON THE IDENTITY OF CERTAIN 



TASMANIAN FISHES. 



By W. Satille-Kbnt, F.L.S., F.Z.S. 



The opportunity recently afforded me of inspecting the 

 collection of fish contained in the Australian Museum, 

 Sydney, has enabled me to establish the identity of two 

 species inhabiting Tasmanian waters, concerning which 

 there has hitherto been some amount of uncertainty. The 

 first of those is the large species of Parrot Fish, abundant on 

 many parts of the Tasmanian coast, and familiarly known to 

 the fishermen by the title of the " Bluehead." I have hitherto 

 experienced considerable difiiculty in my endeavours to 

 identify this fish with either of the several varieties of Parrot 

 Fishes, genus Labrichthys, included in Mr. Johnston's 

 catalogue of Tasmanian fishes, and had anticipated it might 

 possibly prove identical with Cossyphus Gouldii, the so-called 

 "Blue Groper" of the Sydney fishermen, referred to in the 

 same catalogue as a common Tasmanian form. On submitting 

 a coloured drawing of the Tasmanian "Bluehead" to Mr. 

 Douglas Ogilby, of Sydney, he at once, however, recognised it 

 as being identical with a species that he has quite recently 

 described, Proc. Linn. Soc, N.S.W., under the title of 

 LabridJiys cerulieiis. A reference to the type specimen 

 contained in the Australian Museum has satisfied me as to 

 the correctness of this identification. 



The second species to which I have to draw attention is the 

 fish commonly known as the " Magpie Perch." It is not 

 unfrequently exposed for sale in the Hobart Fish Market, 

 and has been referred with some doubt by Mr. Johnston to 

 the Chilodactylus Gibbosus of Richardson. On visiting the 

 Manly Aquarium at Sydney, I observed some fish placarded 

 with this name in one of the tanks that were entirely distinct 

 from the Tasmanian variety. With the assistance of Mr. 

 Ogilby, I subsequently referred to the original figures and 

 description of Richardson's species, and thereby ascertained 

 that the " Magpie Perch" of Tasmania is perfectly distinct 

 from CMlodactyhis Gibbosus, and apparently represents an 

 hitherto undescribed species. For the purposes of comparison 

 I made a hastily- coloured sketch of the New South Wales 

 species, and which I now submit in company with one of the 



