58 
MEUOIBS OF THE QUEENSLAND MUSEUM. 
AYe take this opportunity of thanking Aliss Phyllis Clark of Sydney for the 
evident care which she has taken in the production of the admirable drawings 
which illustrate this paper ; also to Mr. Allan R. IMeCulloch for many valuable 
suggestions. 
DECAPTERUS Bleeker. 
Decapfenis Bleeker, Nat. Tijds. Nederl. Iiid., i, 3851, p. 352" (hurra); Jordan & Evermann, 
Fish. North & Vlid. Amer., pt. 3, 1896, p. 907. 
Eustomatochis Gill, Proe. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1862, p. 261 (kurroides).^- 
Gymncpignatlius Gill, ibid, (macrosoma). 
Evepigymnus Gill, ibid, (hypodus). 
Body elongate-elliptical to elongate, subfusiform. Scales small and 
c}K^loid, covering the whole body except the nuchal ridge. Lateral line feebly 
curved, consisting of enlarged scales throughout its entire length, those on the 
straight section wholly or in part spitiigeroas. Head moderate or large, com- 
pressed, with pointed snout, the cheeks, temples, and occiput mostly scaly. Atouth 
terminal, protractile, with rather small oblique cleft, the jaws equal or the 
lower slightly ])rojecting; maxillary rather short, strongly dilated distally, 
with well developed supplemental bone. Dentition feeble; teeth in tlie jaws 
minute, mostly in a single series; similar teeth on the vomer and the x)alatines, 
and usually on the tongue. Nostrils small and contiguous. Eyes large, lateral, 
median or nearly so, with well developed adipose lid. Spinous dorsal well 
developed, persistent, with 7 to 9 flexible spines ; soft dorsal and anal lobes low, 
each succeeded by a single x>iiiBBle, the former with 27 to 86, the latter with 
23 to 30 soft rays; free anal spines strong. Caudal small and nai'rowly forked. 
Pectoral moderate and falcate, with 21 to 23 rays. Yentrals moderate, origin- 
ating below the pectoral-base. Gill-rakers rather long and slender. (Se/ca, ten* 
TTrepov, a fin: the pinnuhn being reckoned as separate fins, but the two anals 
as one.) 
Small scomliriform trevallies, frequenting nearly all temperate and tropical 
seas. At least 20 si>ecies are recognised as valid. In all probability two other 
species of Decapieriis — D. Jeptosomus^ and D. muroadsi^ — occur on our coast, 
"Since it has been proved that russellii (= kiirra) pot-sesses lingual teeth this subgenns 
becomes merged in Dcraplvrus. 
“ Antliors liave conspired to take Bleeker ’s paper in Werii. Batav. Gen., xxiv, 1852, as 
the earliest exposition of his carangin genera (except Uraspis 1855), and Jordan, Evermann, 
and Waite have even quoted it as “Decapterus 1855"" (idd. supra and Rec. Austr, Mus., v,. 
1904, p. 199), but the pa))ev quoted above antedates both these diagnostic keys. 
® Ogilby, Proe. Linn. 8oc. N. S. Wales, xxii, p. 761. 
^ Caranx muroadsi Schlegal, Faun. Japon., Pise., p. 108. 
