201 



occiput and muchal shields with ridges ; operculum covered with 

 strong radiated strise, and almost carinated ; the pectorals are 

 not much longer than the orbit, and not quite one-half of one of 

 the body shields ; the snout is contained about seven times in 

 the trunk ; the distance from the anus to the beginning of the 

 dorsal is about equal to one-half its distance to the end of the 

 snout ; the body has three ridges, the upper one much more 

 marked than the others ; the central one ending at the base of 

 the tail ; each shield has two small longitudinal ridges, and is 

 perpendicularly striated ; the osseous rings number nine 

 on the body, seven more on the tail before the dorsal, 

 which begins on the seventeenth, and extends over the three 

 following ; behind these are forty-five or forty-six others ; the 

 caudal is very minute; no anal; the tail is tapering and very 

 thin, its ridges are much less marked than those of the body. 



The general colour is a light green, with dark spots corres- 

 ponding to the centre of the body rings ; eye of a golden hue. 

 There is a rather indistinct black stripe on the side of the snout. 



The length of my largest specimen is three and a-half inches. 

 I have seen it rather commonly in the months of January and 

 February ; taken with shrimps. Its motions are very active. 



STIGMATOPHORA. 



The most apparent characters of this genus of Dr. Kaup is 

 the absence of a caudal fin, and the tail going tapering to its end. 



Dr. Grunther characterizes it as follows : — " Body depressed, 

 with the ridges obsolete, those of the trunk being continuous 

 with those of the tail ; shields covered with soft skin ; pectoral 

 fin developed ; caudal absent ; tail tapering to a very fine point ; 

 dorsal very long; males with a caudal pouch, formed by cuta- 

 neous folds," Australia. 



All this applies exactly to the species I have under examina= 

 tion, with the exception of the soft skin covering the shields ; 

 I find them similar to the other Syngnathidce. 



STIGMATAPHOBA NIGKA. 



Stigmataphora Nigra., Kemp, Lophob., p. 53. 



Guntlier, Catal., vol. viii., p. 190. 



The general form is very slender ; the height of the body being, 

 in most specimens, contained, about twenty-four times in the 



