RECORDS OF W.A. MUSEUM. 
218] 
D. XV-XVI. 24-26 ; A. I II. 9-10 ; P. 9 + 5-6 ; V.I.5 ; C.14-15 ; 
I. lat. 48-51. Body moderately elongate, deeper in the young than 
in the adult, 3.24-4.10 in the length to the hypural. Head 3.3- 
4.10 in the same. Eye 4.38-6.23 in the head, and i 61-2.23 in the 
snout. Snout 2.71-3, greatest breadth 2.11-1.77, caudal peduncle 
3.56-2,84, longest pectoral ray 1.05-1.1, sixth dorsal spine 2.45- 
2.59 in the head. Eye i. 07-1. 47 in the interorbital width. 
Body covered with large cycloid scales, which become extremely 
small on the chest, and form a sheath at the bases of the dorsal 
and anal fins. Postorbital portion of head and opercles covered 
with small scales ; remainder of the head naked. Fleshy eye- 
opening almost equal to the interorbital width in young specimens, 
much narrower in adults. Nostrils close together, in the hinder 
half of the snout ; the anterior has a short skinny lobe. Lips very 
thick, maxillary reaching to below the anterior or posterior nostril 
A band of small cardiform teeth in each jaw which is broad in 
front, but becomes very narrow on the sides ; vomer and palatines 
toothless. 
Spinous dorsal a little shorter than the soft, and its margin is 
a little arched ; the sixth spine is usually the longest, the others 
decrease regularly in length. Anterior dorsal rays equal to or 
higher than the longest spine ; they become regularly shorter, and 
the margin of the fin is straight. Third anal spine longer, but 
much weaker than the second ; anterior rays much higher than 
those of the dorsals, the posterior ones very short, so that the 
margin is a little excavated. Pectoral, with five or six simple rays, 
the fifth from the bottom the longest, reaching backwards to above 
the vent in young specimens and not so far as the ends of the 
ventrals in adults. Caudal forked. 
Lateral line almost straight from the operculum to the upper 
portion of the caudal peduncle ; it is formed of very small scales 
intercalated between the larger ones of the body, each of which 
bears a simple or bifurcate tube. 
The colour markings are very distinct in the young, less so in 
adults. They consist of six broad brown bands, with darker edges, 
which descend from the back and run obliquely forward on the 
sides ; a seventh less distinct one is present on the caudal peduncle. 
In addition, irregular rows of large dark spots are present on the 
lower parts of the sides. Two brown bands extend backwards 
