the Ichthyology of Australia. 



127 



instead of showing two or three minute teeth posteriorly. The eye 

 is larger, and further removed from the profile, the skull being more 

 arched above as well as more convex transversely. The radiations 

 and ridges of the frontal bone are more pronounced in theraps, but pre- 

 sent the same patterns as in servus. Both species have scaly opercula 

 and subopercula, and there are still some scales remaining anteriorly 

 on the interopercula of both specimens. Cuvier's figure represents the 

 interoperculura of theraps as entirely scaly, and also a few crenatures 

 on the edge of the suboperculum, which are not visible in Mr. Gil- 

 bert's specimen. Our examples of both species possess the first very 

 small dorsal spine, which Cuvier notes as being occasionally absent 

 in servus, and as wanting in theraps. In both the fifth spine is the 

 tallest, the fourth and sixth being but little shorter. The second 

 anal spine is the stoutest in servus, the third in theraps, as men- 

 tioned in the * Histoire des Poissons.' Both have the large black 

 mark between the fourth and seventh dorsal spines, a smaller one on 

 the ninth and the membrane behind it, and three on the edge of the 

 soft dorsal. The three black bands on each side of the body exist 

 in both exactly as described by Cuvier ; but our example of theraps 

 wants the black mark on the lower tip of the caudal, and has a spot 

 above, between the black tip and first bar, which does not exist in 

 the figure given in the ' Histoire des Poissons.' There is a striking 

 difference in the lateral line of the Port Essington theraps, which is 

 perhaps merely an individual variety proceeding from an injury, viz. 

 an interruption beneath the third and sixth soft dorsal rays ; it com- 

 mences anew, and is continued to the caudal at the breadth of two 

 scales lower down, the ends of the two parts passing each other at 

 the interruption by the breadth of four scales. As the specimen con- 

 sists of only one side of the fish, we cannot speak more confidently 

 of the nature of this interruption of the lateral line, — the scales are 

 of the usual size and appearance around the place. 



The most striking distinction of the two species appears to be in 

 the number of the outer conical teeth. These are small, blunt, and 

 distant in servus, amounting only to about four on each side of each 

 jaw, while in theraps they are at least double that number, are almost 

 contiguous, and more acute, and they decrease in succession as they 

 recede from the symphysis. In servus their blunt tips only are 

 visible. 



Mr. Gray informs me that the Pterapon trivittatus of Hard- 

 wicke's ' Indian Zoology 3 is the Therapon theraps. 



Therapon rubricatus (Nob.), Tile-red Therapon. 

 No. 36. Lieut. Emery's drawings. 



Lieutenant Emery has a drawing of a fish taken on the 

 north-west coast of Australia, which is sufficiently character- 

 istic to enable us to place it without hesitation in the genus 

 Therapon, but abundantly distinct from any species described 

 in the c Histoire des Poissons/ The large opercular spine 

 and the serratures of the ascending limb of the preoperculum 

 are distinctly shown, but there are no teeth indicated on the 



