FIHIIKS — WAITK. 79 



botwccii (lie lii'sl (loi's;il spine ;uiil llir lal('i';il liiii', ami llil'cc 

 Ix'twivii the line and tlu' middles dorsal spines ; tlie l((ust lieiglit 

 of tlie caudal pedicel measures une-third t\n\ length of the liead. 



Co/ourn generally red, but turning brown in spirits, (!acli scale 

 of the upper portion with a dark mark in the centre ; these form 

 longitudinal lines ; along the middle line of the body is a broad 

 ill-detined yellow band ; cliecks yellow, with a pink band below 

 the eyes ; fins yellow ; a black blotch situated on the 1 -6 dorsal 

 rays may be present or absent ; irides crimson, with an orange 

 ring. 



Total length of largest example, caudal included, 223 nnn. 



The position and affinities of this new species may be best 

 ascertained by comparing it with the synopsis of species as 

 published by Boulenger.* 



The circumstance of the head being completely scaly places it 

 in division ii., and the nature of the lateral line limits it to sub- 

 section B, while the number of scales between the dorsal spines 

 and the lateral line suggests that it is one of two species, namely, 

 A. hypselosonia and A. pleuvotcenia, the former recorded from 

 Lord Howe Island and the latter from the north-east coast of 

 Australia. 



The variation in the dorsal rays (16-17) of A. 'pidcltellus is a 

 little striking, the two examples possessing the black blotches have 

 seventeen rays, the other two but sixteen ; both agree, however, 

 in possessing eight anal rays ; those of the two species above 

 mentioned have seven only. In all cases I count the last divided 

 ray as a single one ; otherwise the number would be nine. On 

 account of its peculiarities A. phurotcenia may be dismissed from 

 consideration. I was at first inclined to write down the "Thetis" 

 examples as A. hypsefoso'tna. They are, however, distinct from 

 the specimen of that species identified by Ogilby with A. cichlops,\ 

 and possess features irreconcilable with the descriptions. 



In addition to the increased number of i-ays in the anal it 

 differs from its nearest ally in the length of the maxillary, the 

 sub-equal character of the preopercular serrations, the longer 

 pectoral and shorter anal, the extra number of scales between the 

 dorsal spines and the lateral line. Also, apparently, by the 

 character of the teeth, the colouration, and, as far as known, by 

 attaining much larger dimensions. 



It is also to be remarked that the pectoral has but sixteen rays, 

 a character common to all four specimens ; while the pectoral 

 formula for the genus is seventeen-eighteen. 



* Boulenger— Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., (2nd ed.), i., pp. 321-2. 

 t Ogilby— Proc. Zool. Soc, 1889, p. 151. 



