166 



PLEUKONECTIDJE. 



" Body strongly compressed, flat, with one of the 

 two sides, which is always turned upwards, coloured, 

 whilst the other is colourless, and only sometimes 

 spotted. Both eyes are placed on the coloured side ; 

 and although the hones are present on hoth sides of 

 the skull, they are not equally developed or sym- 

 metrical. Dorsal and anal fins exceedingly long, 

 without divisions. Gills, four ; pseudo hranchiee well 

 developed. Air-bladder, none. 



" Carnivorous fishes, living on the sandy bottom 

 of the coasts of all the regions; many ascend 



rivers." 



RHOMBOSOLEA. 



G-enus established by Dr. G-unther, with the following character- 

 istics : — Eyes on the right side, the lower in advance of the 

 upper ; the mouth unsymrnetrical, narrower on the right side 

 than on the left ; the length of the left maxillary being less 

 than one -third of that of the head ; teeth on the blind side only, 

 where they are villiform, forming bands ; no vomerine or pala- 

 tine teeth ; most of the dorsal and anal rays branched ; the 

 dorsal fin commences on the foremost part of the snout ; only 

 one ventral, which is continuous with the anal ; scales very 

 small cycloid ; lateral line straight ; gill- openings narrow, the 

 gill-membranes being broadly united below the throat ; gill- 

 rakers short and conical. 



The following Melbourne fish enters evidently in this genus , 

 but cannot be placed in any of the three species described by 

 Dr. Gunther. In the sort I describe here, the dorsal extends to 

 the end of the snout, but the number of its rays do not agree 

 with any of the species mentioned by that author. 



