150 HORN EXPEDITION — SUMMARY. 



spuciet) cxtunils from the Victorian coaat (Mclljoui-iif) through South Australia aud 

 into till! CV'ntrf. 



Out of the six species three are characteristic of the Lower Steppes — Chiro- 

 leptcs p/a/yiep/ia/us, C. brevipalinaii/s, Hcleioporiis pictiis — antl wm-e not met with 

 amongst the ranges of the Higher Steppes. Tliey seem to prefer the hard, s;indy 

 and loam plains where the water-holes are periodically dried up and where it is 

 absolutely es.sential for them to burrow, their power of storing water in their 

 ljc)dies Ijeing of considerable service to tiiem Limnodynasfes ornatiis follows the 

 sandy ri\'er Ix-ds where it can burrow down to moisture tln'oughout the Lower and 

 the Higher Steppes as well. Ilvla gilleni i.s restricted to the north and is of very 

 rare occurrence and probably an innnigrant from the north, while the home of the 

 little Hyla rubella is undoubtedly amongst the watei'-pools in the ranges, whence 

 in ilood time it is periodically waslied down to supply the wati'r-holes on the Lower 

 Steppes, the wells .sunk at intervals along tlie overland tiack enaljling it to survive 

 where otherwise it would perish. 



Pisces. — Pisces are represented in the cc>llection by eight species belonging to 

 six genera Out of the eight species six are new, viz., Neinatocentris tatei^ Neiiiato- 

 ceniris wiuneckei, Eleotris larapinhc, Gobius ereiiiiiis, Chatocssiis liorni, Piotosiis 

 argeiiteiis ; of the remaining two Therapon Iriiftaceics, Macleay, is known from the 

 Endeavour River, and Therapon percoides, Giintli, from Queensland I'ivers. One 

 of the most striking features amongst the fish is the absence of allinity with 

 those of the Murray River system. Tlie genera Oligorus, Ctenolates, Murrayia, 

 Gadopsis and Copidoglanis of the Murray are entirely wanting. The genera 

 represented are those of coastal districts and may pei'haps be best regarded as 

 having been derived from the north. 



To the eight species must be added another, viz., Therapon fasciatiis, recorded 

 from "near the McDonnells" by Mr. A. H. S. Lucas, which is of interest as being 

 a- West Australian species. 



Mollusca. — The Mollusca is in many respects the most interesting of tin- 

 orders represented as it contains considei'ably the greatest proportion of endeinic 

 species. The number of land molluscs known to inhabit the region has Ijeen 

 increased from three previously recorded to twenty-live, of which, according to 

 Profe.ssor Tate,* four only extend beyond the area and tive are close allies of 



'- ZooloHii-"il Report, I'art II., p. 182. 



