52 
REVISION OF THE 
with the exception of a pair on the distal half of the maxillary, 
which are long and fringed; a series of mixed tentacles — simple or 
fringed, the latter the longer — around the edges of the opercular 
bones ; three well developed supraciliary tentacles, which are 
usually bifid or trifid ; a similar but smaller frontonasal tentacle ; 
occiput with five regular longitudinal series of rather small tentacles; 
lateral line pores each with a small, usually bifid tentacle, forming 
three series on the body, the two lower of which are sometimes 
aborted.* Caudal and pectoral fins rounded, the former 4 35, the 
latter 5*35 in the total length : outer ventral ray *25 longer than the 
pectoral and 1*25 of the length of the head. Coloration varying from 
violet to purplish black above and from pearl-gray to lilac below ; 
tail usually with four broad, more or less connected lighter cross- 
bands, which are continued on the dorsal and anal fins, where they 
are inclined respectively forwards and backwards ; sometimes the 
upper half of these bands is scarlet or orange, as also are the 
spinous dorsal and the cheeks ; the bands are usually plentifully 
sprinkled with darker spots and dots ; caudal fin lilac, with more or 
less conspicuous lighter transverse bars ; pectorals and ventrals 
violaceous gray, with broad basal and median purple bands, or 
uniform purple. (diemensis, belonging to Van Diemen's Land, 
whence Le Sueur believed that his specimen came ; it has not, how- 
ever, been found there since). » 
Total length 220 millimeters. 
From South- Western India (fide Valenciennes) to Eastern 
Australia and South-Eastern New Guinea. The Australasian 
records are as follows : — Timor (Bleeker) ; Houtmans Abrolhos, 
W.A., and Port Essington, N..T. (Kichardson) ; Port Darwin, N.T. 
(Macleay & Klunzinger) ; Thursday Island, T.S. (Weber) ; Darnley 
Island and Cape G-renville, Q. (Aileyne & Macleay) ; Port Denison, 
Q. (Klunzinger) ; Port Moresby, N.G. (Macleay) ; ? Port Jackson, 
* I have examined a specimen from Card well, length 166 millim., in which all 
the tentacles except the supraciliary were very short, and I consider Klunzinger's 
Batrachus miilleri to be merely an exaggerated example of this variety, in which for 
some reason the tentacles have not arrived at their full development. In an excep- 
tionally fine six-inches specimen from Moreton Bay the upper lateral line commences 
behind the supraciliary tentacles, and passing immediately above the edge of the 
opercle, curves upwards over the pectoral, and running close to the base of the soft 
dorsal, terminates at the upper fourth of the base of the caudal : the middle line 
separates from the upper above the base of the pectoral, and curving downwards 
behind that fin runs along the middle of the side until just in front of the caudal 
fin where it bends upwards and reunites with the upper line ; its pores are much 
fewer and more distant than those of the other lines, but the filaments are longer : 
the third line originates above the base of the ventral, curves slightly upwards 
beyond the tip of that fin, and passing close along the base of the anal finally 
terminates below the end of that fin. 
