144 
MEMOIRS OF TEE QUEENSLAND MUSEUM. 
4. GIRELLA TRICUSPIDATA (Quoy & Gaimard). ELACKFISH. 
Box tricuspidatus Quoy & Gaimard (1824), p. 296. 
Blaekfish, Girella tricuspidata (Q. & G.) as small as two inches long are 
to be found commonly in most estuaries of the east Australian coast, when 
netting amongst weed. Interest lies in the fact that smaller postlarvae of this 
species can easily be mistaken ma.croscopically for the young of our Sparidae, 
particularly Bream. Two small specimens, measuring respectively 15-0 and 
17-6 millimetres were obtained in the seine net in the Nambucca River on 
19/10/44. The larger of these is illustrated in text fig. 4. In general shape 
it superficially resembles postlarval Acanthopagrus australis of similar size 
(compare text fig. 1C). It can be distinguished at once by a distinctive fin 
formula which is usually D. XV, 12; A. Ill, 12 but in the specimen figured 
I 1 Del. I.S.R.Munro- 
Text-fig. 4. — Post-larval Blaekfish, Girella tricuspidata (Quoy & Gaimard). 
From? a specimen 17.6 mm. long. 
is D. XIV, 13 ; A. Ill, 12. The colour is brownish oli'vaceous and there are 
about seven darker vertical bands on the back. There is a secondary series 
of jet black chromatophores which apparently persist from planktonic stages. 
There is one linear series of these along the bases of the dorsal fin-rays and 
fin-spines, and another less distinct ventral series along the bases of the anal 
fin-rays. There are a few such cells on the head and operculum and a very 
prominent large cluster on the visceral region directly behind the origin of the 
pectoral fin and largely hidden by it. A very prominent linear series extends 
from the centre of the base of the caudal fin, along the mid-line of each side 
of the body, to the posterior margin of the pectoral fin. The head length and 
body height are approximately equal and both slightly less than 4 in the body 
length. The eye diameter is approximately 2f in the head length. 
5. SILL AGO CILIATA Cuvier & Valenciennes. SAND WHITING. 
Sillago ciliata , Cuvier & Valenciennes (1829), p. 415. 
Tosh (1902) has already described in detail the eggs and early larvae 
of the common Sand Whiting, S. ciliata Cuv. & Val. which he refers to in his 
account as 8. bassensis Cuv. & Val. ITis material includes no larval stages 
greater in size than 2-5 millimetres. Tow nettings in the Noosa River during 
