OF AUSTRALIA. 
51 
RUPPELIA. 
This new genus, dedicated to the celebrated traveller and 
naturalist, Ruppel, is characterised in the AVW*cfo?,byitsventrals 
formed of one spine and only three rays, and also by its soft 
dorsal, and anal considerably prolongated ; opening of the 
mouth oblique and superior; teeth numerous, villiform on 
several series, the external one formed of larger, conical ones 
disposed near one another ; the vomer and palatines with trans- 
verse series of teeth ; tongue and interior of the lower jaw very 
unequal and covered with very strong papillae, almost 
amountiug to teeth ; a short fleshy filament on each side of 
the upper jaw, near its centre and on the lip ; eye large ; body 
oblong, covered with moderate or even rather large scales • 
lateral line curved, running along the back till the end of the 
dorsal, and another straight along the middle of the body ; 
this latter does not attain the base of the pectorals, but is well 
marked to the centre of the base of the caudal ; dorsal with 
the spinous part longer than the branched one, formed of 
twelve spines ; the soft portion of the dorsal considerably 
prolongated ; caudal, rather long, rounded, anal with three 
spines, the soft portion prolongated like the one of the dorsal ; 
ventrals long, with one spine and three branched rays. 
RUPPELIA PROLOKGATA. 
Height, two and three-quarters, in length of body without 
the caudal fin ; head, three and a-quarter in the same ; 
diameter of the eye, four and a-half in the length of the head. 
The lower jaw longer than the upper one ; head without 
scales, its upper part unequal and having a longitudinal groove 
between the eyes, all its parts devoid of spines ; but the 
operculum has a prolongated rounded angle near the base of the 
pectorals ; forty-four or forty-five transverse lines of scales ; 
these very feebly ciliated on the edge ; dorsal fin with twelve 
spines, the first of which is only one-half as long as the 
second ; all the following increase gradually in length as they 
go backwards, and the twelfth is about twice as long as the 
second, the soft or branched rays number ten, and go gradually 
increasing in length, the two first not being much longer than 
