Pristipomatidæ.

Body compressed and oblong, covered with scales, the serrature of which is sometimes exceedingly fine and sometimes wanting. Lateral line continuous, not continued on the caudal fin. Mouth in front of the snout, with lateral cleft. Eye lateral, of moderate size. Five, six, or seven branchiostegals. Teeth in villiform bands, with pointed and conical canines in some of the genera; no molars or trenchant teeth in the jaws, generally no teeth on the palate; jaws toothless in two of the genera. No barbels. Cheek not cuirassed. One dorsal fin, formed by a spinous and soft portion of nearly equal development, the former of which either contains strong spines or is continuous with the latter; anal similarly developed as the soft dorsal; the lower rays of the pectorals branched; ventrals thoracic, with one spine and five soft rays. The bones of the head with a rudimentary or moderately developed muciferous system. Stomach cæcal; pyloric appendages in small or moderate number. Air-bladder present, more or less simple. Pseudobranchia; well developed.

page 67

Carnivorous fishes, without molar or trenchant teeth, inhabiting the seas of the temperate and tropical regions; a few entering fresh waters.

Therapon ellipticus. Macquarie River.

——unicolor. Gwydir River.

——servus. Cape York.

——Cuvieri. Port Jackson.

——caudovittatus. Harvey River, West coast.

Helotes sexlineatus. Port Jackson. "Yellow-tail."

——octolineatus. South-west coast.

Macquaria australasica. Bell River.

Pristipoma hasta. Cape York. Diagramma affine. North-west coast,

——polytænia. North coast.

——nitidum. Australian coast.

Hyperoglyphe porosa. Port Jackson.

Gewes subfasciatus. Ditto.

——ovatus. Ditto. (?)

——filamentosus. Cape York.

——argyreus. Port Jackson.

Scolopsis longulus. Torres Straits. Synagris furcosus. North coast.

——tæniopterus. North-east coast.

Pentapus vitta. West coast.

——paradiseus. North coast.

Erythrichthys nitidus. New Zealand, West coast of Australia.