SOME FISHES OF OFFER AMPHIPRION IF OFMES.— WHITLEY. 
231 
Parma viola sp. nov. 
(Plate xxviii, fig. 2.) 
D.xiii/16 ; A.ii/16 ; P.i/20 ; V.i/5 ; C.13. 22 tubes on L.lat. and about 9 
punctured scales. L.tr. 4/1/12. 
Head (50 mm.) 3-4 in length to hypural joint (170). Depth of body (94) 1-8, 
and depth of caudal peduncle (30) 5-7 in same. Eye (11) 2 in interorbital (22) and 
4*5 in head. 
Upper profile of head roundly convex. Head higher than long and longer 
than broad. Eye moderate. All opercles entire. Preorbital margin sinuous but 
not notched and without process. Jaws subequal, lips fleshy. Maxillary not reaching 
vertical of eye. A single series of small compressed teeth in each jaw. Tongue 
small. Five branchiostegal rays. Gill-membranes united across isthmus. About 
eleven short, pointed gill-rakers on the lower limb of the first gill-arch. Head scaly, 
except on frons, preorbital, chin, and margins of preoperculum where the scales 
are replaced by numerous large pores. Top of head, sides of nape, and an area 
behind the preopercular border thickly overlaid with auxiliary scales. Two small 
patches of minute scales on the median part of the gill-membranes. 
Body elongate ovate, compressed, covered with ciliated scales which are 
largest on the anterior portion of the sides and extend on to all the fins except the 
ventrals ; they form sheaths for the dorsal and anal fins but only extend a little 
over halfw T ay along the rays. The caudal is scaly almost to the tips of the rays and 
there are scales on the small membrane between the lobes. Lateral line gently 
arched, composed of twenty-two tube-bearing scales followed by eight or nine 
punctured scales on side of caudal peduncle. Most of the tube-bearing scales have 
irregular outlines, often w ith median lobes. Intestine long and large, the fish evidently 
subsisting on seaweeds. 
Dorsal originating in advance of pectorals and ventrals, terminating behind 
anal. Membranes of the spinous portion produced into pencils. Fourth and fifth 
dorsal spines longest ; of the rays, the sixth is longest, reaching to the tip of the 
pointed lobe of the soft dorsal fin. Anal somewhat similar to soft dorsal but lower 
and with a rounded margin ; eighth and ninth rays longest. Pectorals longer than 
head. Ventrals pointed, not reaching vent. Caudal lobes rounded, the upper longer. 
Colour, after long preservation in alcohol, fairly uniform chocolate-brown 
with traces of violet tinges on the bases of the pectorals and on parts of the head ; 
from these the specific name is derived. 
Described from the unique holotype, a specimen 170 mm. in length to hypural 
joint, or nearly 9 inches in total length. (Aust. Mus. Regd. No. 1.6611.) 
Locality. — Tasmania ; received by exchange from the Victoria Museum, 
Launceston, in 1904. 
This novelty is allied to Parma oligolepis but differs in being more elongate, 
having many pores and auxiliary scales on head, longer pectorals and soft dorsal, 
shorter ventrals, different fin-formulae, less scaly unpaired fins, notchless preorbital, 
larger eye, and in several minor characters mentioned in the description above. 
The holotype of Parma viola was labelled “ Glyphisodon victorice ” in the Australian 
Museum collection, but this identification was incorrect, as reference to Gunther’s 
