SCALES OF SOME AUSTRALIAN FISHES.— COCKERELL. 
39 
POLYNEMID^. 
Polydactylus multiradiatus Gunther. Queensland ; Thursday Island. 
Scales quadrate, about 3 imn. broad and long, the practically straight sides gently 
converging toward the apical region ; basal radii 4 to 6, irregularly placed, the 
midmost one ending in a deep notch or sinus in the basal margin j nucleus far 
above the middle ; ctenoid area very well developed, forming sharp teeth on the 
margin, and about six rows of hexagonal elements below this. Compared with 
the scales of P. octonemus, these are much smaller, but entirely of the same type,, 
with the same characteristic basal notch. On minute comparison, one rather 
important difference is noted: the subapical elements of the ctenoid area are 
shorter, especially several rows from the margin, in P. multiradiatus than in 
P. octonemus, 
MULLID.E. 
Upeneus malabaricus Guv. & Yal. Garni ey Island. Scales very large,, 
more or less semicircular, about 15 mm. broad and 11 to 12 long; circuli exces- 
sively fine and dense; basal radii 5 or 6; basal margin scalloped; nucleus far 
above middle ; ctenoid area very well developed ; many of the marginal teeth 
bifid. 
This nearly agrees in structure with the scales of t/. dentaius, but the 
bifid apical teeth are distinctive; and whereas in U. de-ntalus there are very fine 
circuli running transversely just below the abruptly limited ctenoid area, in 
V. malaharicus this region is occupied by a minutely tubercular or subreticuiate 
pattern. The fine lines below the ctenoid area in U. dentatus, though referred 
to as circuli, and certainly part of that system, are much dejiser and finer than 
the true or typical circuli, which they meet at right angles laterally, while below 
they are broken up into minute venniform lines, which partly anastomose with 
the circuli, but mainly occupy the spaces between them. The minute pattern 
occupying the same region in U. malaharicAis is also derived from the circuli, but 
it is very different in appearance. 
In Pseud^ipeneus multifasciatus from Honolulu (Jordan and Evermann; 
U.S. Nat. Mus.), the scales are entirely of the same general type, with excessively 
fine circuli, and five or six basal radii. The area below the ctenoid patch has 
five transverse lines (as in TJ. deniattis) on the middle third only, the lateral 
thirds having fine circuli running vertically (at right angles to the transverse 
lines) up to the ctenoid patch. In addition, this region, as well as the lowermost 
part of the ctenoid patch, shows rather large round pustuliform markings. This 
last feature is apparently indicated by hyaline spots in U. malaharims. 
CAEANGIDH5. 
Caranx speciosus Forskal. Queensland. Scales circular or more or less 
oblong, 2 to rather over 3 mm. diameter; margin simple; no radii; normal circuli 
