588 SUBANTARCTIC ISLAISTDS OF NEW ZEALAND. [Pisces. 



The head is depressed and broad, its breadth one-fifth greater than its height. 

 The eye lies wholly in its anterior half, and the maxilla extends to beneath the middle 

 of the orbit. 



The upper jaw overhangs the lower ; the teeth are in a single series, that in the 

 lower jaws with canines. The anterior nostril is in a tube which lies nearer to the 

 eye than to the tip of the snout, the posterior nostril is a little in advance and above 

 anterior margin of the eye. Eight gill-rakers on the lower limb of the anterior arch. 



The distance between the origin of the dorsal and the end of the caudal is one- 

 half that between the former point and the tip of the snout. The anal arises beneath 

 the middle of the dorsal, and when laid back extends to the base of the hypural. 



The ventrals are inserted midway between the tip of the snout and the base of 

 the caudal rays. The length of the pectoral is half the distance from its origin to 

 that of the ventral ; caudal slightly emarginate ; the length of the peduncle is one- 

 half greater than its depth. 



Colour. — The colour of the ground is pale olive, which becomes yellowish in 

 fluid. A young one of 60 mm. is colourless, with the exception of some pigmentation 

 along the dorsal and ventral surfaces. Larger examples are strikingly banded with 

 dark grey, the markings being, however, somewhat irregular. The bands break up 

 with increasing size, and a general reticulation results ; in old examples a general 

 clouding takes place, but there is always some definition in the hinder part of the 

 body. A dark blotch above the pectoral, partly concealed by the gill-cover, is 

 generally present. The under-surface is without markings, the pigmentation seen in 

 the young not being maintained. 



Length of specimen described, 140 mm. 



As above noted, the branchiostegal rays are eight in number in our examples. 

 Mr. Regan counts them as seven only. 



Hab. — New Zealand and Auckland Islands. 



Fam. SYNGNATHIDAE. 



Syngnathus, Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, 1758, p. 336. 



Syngnathus blainvillianus, Eydoux and Gervais. 



Syngnathus hlainvillianus, Eydoux and Gervais in Guerin. Mag. Zool., 

 vii, 1837, pi. xvii. Leptonotus hlainvillii, Kaup, Cat. Lophob. Brit. 

 Mus , 1856, p. 46. 



This species has generally been admitted as a member of the New Zealand 

 fauna on the identification of Dr. Giinther,* who wrote, " Of this fish, which 

 hitherto has been found on the west coast of South America only, we have received 

 an example from Cook Strait, New Zealand, through Dr. Hector." 



Dr. Kaupf had, however, identified the species in our waters twenty years 

 previously, and had also recorded it from the Auckland Islands, writing, "It is a 

 native of South America, Peru, Chili, Auckland Islands, and New Zealand." 



* Giinther, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (4), xvii, 1876, p. 402. 

 I Kaup, supra, p. 47. 



