the Ichthyology of Australia. 



125 



larly barred by three dark bands alternating with as many pale ones; 

 on the anterior surface there are some spots, and the dark bars shine 

 partly through. The fore part of the anal is also barred, the bars 

 being most clearly seen on the spines ; the hind part of the fin is 

 tessellated by the rectangular spots. This tessellated pattern is still 

 more perfectly exhibited on the caudal, the dark and light colours 

 being nearly equal over the whole fin. The ventrals are marked 

 much like the anal. The edges of the scales are mostly lighter, 

 which renders the dark spots less intense on the scaly parts than on 

 the jaws, spines, and fins. The nasal cirrhus is banded by the two 

 colours. The eye is gold-yellow in the dried specimen. 



Osteology. — The cranium is convex and smooth over the posterior 

 angle of the orbit, but there is a very small mesial ridge on the oc- 

 ciput between the superior ends of the supra- scapulars. Between 

 the orbits there is a smooth mesial furrow, and the anterior frontals 

 are hollow. The infra- orbitars are narrow, presenting a chain of 

 cells communicating with each other. There is no process extend- 

 ing across the cheek to the angle of the preoperculum as in the Scor- 

 pcence. The preoperculum has been described already. The bony 

 operculum ends in two flat acute points, with an even semicircular 

 curve between them. It is the inferior third point, usually present 

 in the Serrani, which is wanting in this species. The edges of the 

 interoperculum and suboperculum are perfectly smooth. The supra- 

 scapular presents a series of cells like the suborbitars, and the un- 

 even or crenated edge of a small process shows itself exteriorly at 

 the upper angle of the gill-opening. There are, as in the Serrani, 

 twenty-four vertebrae, but I can reckon only nine of them as abdo- 

 minal, instead of ten ; for the tenth has a forked inferior spinous pro- 

 cess, which receives the point of the large interspinous bone of the 

 anal, but carries no ribs. There are only nine pairs of ribs, but two 

 or three of the posterior ones are forked. The first spine of the 

 dorsal is articulated to the first interspinous bone ; in Centropristes 

 nigricans there are three interspinous bones before the first dorsal 

 spine. The small lateral process of the last caudal vertebra which 

 exists in Serranus rasor and others of that genus is absent in this 

 Centropristes. The three anal spines are attached to a very strong 

 interspinous bone ; the middle spine occupying most of the articula- 



tion, the first and third spines moving partly on its base. The other 

 anal interspinous bones are much more slender and short. 



Dimensions. inches, lines. 



Length from intermaxillary symphysis to end of caudal 5 3 



1 base of ditto 4 3 



tip of gill-flap 1 7 



■ beginning of dorsal... 11 



centre of eye 6 



Diameter of orbit. h\ 



Length of pectoral 1 2 



ventral 1 



dorsal 3 2 



ditto, spinous part 2 1 



ditto, articulated part...,, 1 1 



