EDIBLE FISHES OF QUEENSLAND.—OGILBY. 
09 
Posterior half of preorbital 'vvith some deeply imbedded mostly non- 
imbricate scales ; middle portion of cheek; postorbital region, upper edge of 
opercle. and occiput scaly, the latter extending forward on the sides to above 
the middle of the eye ; rest of the head and a gradually decreasing stripe along 
the occipital and nuclial ridges naked in the adult ; scaly area much restricted in 
the youug ; preorbital and preoperele crossed by indistinct mucous canals ; 
inichal canal more conspicuous, extending among the scales to below the middle 
of the spinous dorsal. Lateral Ihie moderately curved to below the eighth 
dorsal ray, the length of tlu^ curved section equal to one fifth less than that of 
the straight, which is weakly armed posteriorly with lU to 18 feeble scutes, which 
increase in size and strength with age; widest scute in the adult about one third 
of the eye-diameter. 
Dorsal fin with viii to v, i lb to 'J1 rays; spinous dorsal small, originating 
a little behind the pectoral-base; ])rocumbent spine exposed in the young only; 
spines feeble, the 2nd longest 2*55 to 345 in the length of the head, the three 
last becoming isolated and finally absorbed with increasing age. Soft dorsal 
originating a little nearer to the root of the caudal than to the tip of the snout, 
the anterior rays produced as a low falciform lobe, its height 7-S to 6 in the length 
of the body, and extending when depressed to the lUth ray; last ray slightly 
2 >roduced. Caudal fin widely forked, the lobes equal, 4 to 3.4 in the length of 
the body. Anal fin with ii, i IG or 17 rays, originathig below the 6th or 7th 
dorsal ray; free spines short, the si^eond the longei’, 2*6 to 1*9 in the eye-diameter 
and 4 to 5-2 in the 1st ray, which is 2.33 to 2 in the length of the head, and 
extends when depressed to the 9th ray. Pectoral Avith 21 or 22 rays, its length 
3-85 to 2-6 in that of the body, and from one seventh less to one fifth more than 
the length of the bead, the 4th and 5th rays longest, extending in the young to 
above the origin, in the adult to above the 7th or 8th ray, of the anal. Ventral 
moderate, its length 2 to 2-8 in that of the pectoral and 8 to 7*25 in that of the 
body, the 1st ray a little the longest extending to a little beyond the vent. 
Gill-rakers 19 to 21 on the lower branch of the anterior arch, the longest 
from one fifth more than to as long as the fringes and 5-2 to 74 in the length 
of tlie head. Vent situated from one sixth nearer to the anal than to the origin 
of the ventral in the young to one eighth nearer to the origin of the ventral 
than to the anal in tlie adult. 
Coloration; — -{Young) : Golden, Avith ten or tweh^e alternately wide and 
narrow black cross-bands, which do not quite reach to the A'entral edge of the 
trunk, but are complete on the tail ; the first band runs obliquely forwards from 
the occipital ridge through the eye to close behind the maxillary; the second 
less obliquely backw^ards from the nuchal ridge over the hinder border of the 
opex’cle to the base of the pectoral, below Avhich it curves slightly forwards on 
the breast; the third, fourth, and fiftlP^ are below the spinous dorsal and are 
When but ten bands are present there are two only below^ the spinous dorsal. 
