94 
MEMO IBS OF THE QUEENSLAND MUSEUM. 
NOTE ON PORTHEUS AUSTRALIS, A. S. Woodward * 
By H. A. Longman. 
In response to a series of letters sent out by the Director, the Queensland 
Museum has recently received several new collections of fossils. Two of these 
are of exceptional interest, as they represent Teleostean fishes of which, so far, 
only very fragmentary or distorted remains have been found. These specimens 
have been kindly forwarded by Mr. S. Dunn from Lower Cretaceous beds near 
Hughenden in the vicinity of Flinders River. 
The larger specimen was forwarded with one lateral surface almost 
completely covered with a matrix of fine hard limestone, in which were lying 
several Inoeeramus shells, whilst on the reverse side was exposed a large conical 
tooth. Fortunately we were able to cut away the matrix to a great extent, and 
the maxillae and dentaries were exposed. As a result we have no hesitation in 
identifying our specimen with Portheus australis, A. S. Woodward, the type 
of which came from the same district, and which, through the courtesy of Mr. 
B. Dunstan, Queensland Government Geologist, we have had an opportunity of 
examining. 
Mr. R. Etheridge, junr., has described under the name of Ichtliyodectes 
marathonensis f another specimen from an adjoining locality, which he says 
“bears a very suspicious resemblance ” to Portheus australis. But Mr. 
Etheridge’s species was described from a skull “ crushed from above down- 
ward.” in which the premax ilia* and anterior teeth are missing. He expressed 
the opinion that Portheus australis possibly could be referred to the allied 
genus Ichtliyodedcs, in which the anterior teeth are not enlarged. Our example 
is of some interest because it contains remains of both upper and lower anterior 
teeth, which are relatively very large. The maxillae exposed in this specimen 
are barely 5*4 inches in length. The right side exhibits remains and alveoli 
representing about twenty-four teeth, a part being still obscured by the hard 
matrix. Owing to the abrasions of the upper surface of the right maxilla and 
the consequent partial exposure of the alveoli, it would be difficult to estimate 
the real length of the teeth above the original margin. In their present state 
the larger teeth in the middle of the maxilla are 15 mm. in length, whereas the 
exposed part of the lower anterior tooth is much more robust and is 20 mm. 
* Woodward — Ann. Mag. Nat, His., ser. 6, xiv (1894), p. 444, plate x, figs. 1, la. 
t Records Aus. Mus., vol. vi, pt. i, p. 5 (1905) plates i & ii. 
