Hector. — On Motella novse zealandise. 107 



palate ; snout a quarter tlie length of the head ; upper jaw without a notch ; 

 cutaneous fold half as long as the snout ; eyes divided by a narrow ridge ; 

 gUl openings as in E. monopus ; scales small, cycloid ; lateral line straight. 

 Dorsal and anal rays not branched ; dorsal commences at the end of the 

 cutaneous fold, and terminates at a distance from the caudal, which is 

 contained two and a half times in the least depth of the tail ; middle ray less 

 than half the length of the head ; caudal slightly rounded ; left pectoral nearly 

 three fifths the length of the head, right much shorter; one ventral, con- 

 tinuous with the anal ; vent on the blind side. 



Left side brownish, blotched with black ; right side yellowish white. 



This specimen agrees very well with Dr. Giinther's description of 

 JR. tapirina, except that the eyes are on the left instead of the right side, 

 which may be an accidental variety. The fish described by me under this 

 name in the Trans. jS".Z. Inst. (V., p. 268, 83b) evidently belongs to another 

 species, and it can be distinguished from the present one by its small cutaneous 

 fold, the broad interorbital space, its large and deeply sunken scales, and by 

 its general form. It may be called Rhomhosolea retiaria. 



G. grandis, Haast. Trans. N.Z. Inst., Y., p. 278. 

 I have examined a type specimen of this fish, sent by Dr. Haast to the 

 Colonial Museum, and find that it agrees in every particular with G, brevi- 

 pinnis, Giinther. It is probable that the large " trovit " mentioned by 

 Dr. Hector (Cat. N.Z. Fishes, p. 124) must be also i-eferred to this species, 

 which is common in the rivers and lakes of the South Island, and not to 

 Prototroctes oxyrhynchus^ for the latter fish is found only in rapidly-running 

 streams. 



Art. XXII. — Notice of Motella novse zealandise, n.s. 

 By James Hector, M.D., F.R.S. 



PI. XVIII. , 76 b. 



[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, \Qth January, 1874.] 

 P. 17 ; D. 60—58 ; A. 44 ; Y. f. 

 Body compressed; snout broad, depressed, equal in length to interorbital 

 distance, with three barbels, two above and one beneath from lower jaw. 

 Gape one third the length of head. Length five times that of the head, and 

 six and a half times the height. First dorsal of minute cirri of equal length; 

 commences at occiput. Second doi'sal commences at one third the length from 

 the snout. Post-anal portion of body one fourth longer than pre-anal. Height 

 of dorsal uniform. Teeth in a band on both jaws, with the outer series 



