Aethue. — On New Zealand Fishes. 165 



The extraordinary protractile mouth and small teeth of this fish are sug- 

 gestive of the habit of passing through shoals of minute fish-food with the 

 mouth drawn out so as to catch large quantities. 



Professor Parker has a mounted specimen in the Otago Museum. 



References. — Giinther's Study of Fishes, p. 451 ; Cat. N.Z. Fishes, pp. 

 19 and 112 ; Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. vii., p. 247, and vol. ix. p. 465. 



Family Teacinidje. 

 Leptoscopins angusticeps, Hutton, var ? Or, 

 Leptoscopus canis, n. s. PI. xiv., fig. 4. 

 D. 32 ; P. 21 ; V. 6 ; A. 39 ; C. 14 ; Br. 6. 



A specimen of this fish caught off Purakanui was sent me by Mr. A. K. 

 Smith, of Prince's Street, Dunedin, as a new fish, on May 6th, 1884. Closely 

 allied species are common enough in our fish shops. It bears a close 

 resemblance to L. angusticeps, but differs in having a more pointed snout ; 

 the teeth are cardiform and in two rows in the jaws, the intermaxillary 

 besides having two groups of canine-like teeth or fangs. Eyes nearly 

 vertical. The first four anterior dorsal rays are only half as long as the 

 other rays. The caudal fin has five more rays ; and it differs from L. 

 robsonii chiefly in the interorbital space being broad and in the length being 

 eight times the height of body. 



In form the trunk is long and cylindrical ; head one-fourth of length 

 without the caudal, depth of body one-eighth ; one continuous dorsal fin 

 from nearly opposite middle of pectoral to near the caudal, in length exactly 

 one-half total length. Pectoral large broad and ovate ; ventral jugular sup- 

 ported on six rays ; anal continuous from nearly a third of pectoral from 

 origin to opposite posterior end of dorsal, and it is five-ninths total length 

 of fish. All the fins are soft-rayed excepting one or two spines at origin of 

 each. The gill-covers, the sub-operculum in particular, are soft. Eyes 

 small and on. top of head, nearly vertical ; interorbital space flat and broad, 

 outline depressed. Cleft of mouth vertical, lower longer than upper jaw 

 and projecting. Intermaxillary extends round whole of upper side of 

 mouth, the central plate or process flat, pointed, half-inch long and fitting 

 space between the nasal bones. Maxillary is half length of intermaxillary, 

 superior and with a triangular or curved free end pointing downwards. 

 Both bones are connected by a thin transparent diaphragm and form a very 

 protractile upper jaw. Teeth cardiform on mandible and maxillary, small 

 and sharp, with two groups of long canines on the intermaxillary, a few teeth 

 on palatines, none on vomer or tongue and no oral filament, no humeral 

 spine. In colour olive-green on back and head with numerous small dark 

 spots particularly on anterior part of back, belly white. The sides are 

 further marked by light transverse bands which seem to be coincident with 



