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Show 1 9 0 5 .] OF THE FAMILY GALAXIID^E. 3 6 5 The author has also been permitted to examine the types of G. scriba and G. ornatus, preserved in the Paris Museum, and those of G. attenuatus, G. maculatus, and G. alpinus, in the Museum of the University of Cambridge. The author wishes to gratefully express his thanks to the Director of the Australian Museum, to Mr. E. R. Waite, to Professor L. Vaillant and to Dr. S. F. Harmer. Also to Mr. J. A. Wolffsohn, who has kindly sent him a copy of Philippi's paper describing the Chilian species. 27 species may be regarded as well established, but this number will doubtless soon be augmented. Two genera may be recognised, Galaxias and Neochanna. G a l a x ia s . Galaxias Cuv. Regne Anim. ii. p. 183 (1817); Cuv. & Val. Hist. Nat. Poiss. xviii. p. 340 (1846); Giinth. Cat. Fish. vi. p. 208 (1866). Mesites (non Geoffr.) Jenyns, Voy. Beagle, Fish. p. 118 (1842). Austrocobitis Ogilby, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, xxiv. 1899, p. 158. Body more or less elongate. Teeth conical, pointed, in a single series in the jaws and on the inner edge of each entopterygoid, and in a double series on the tongue. Eyes small or moderate, with a free circular lid. Dorsal fin more or less posterior in position, with 9 to 15 rays ; anal opposite or posterior to the dorsal, with 10 to 19 rays. Ventral fins present, with 6 or 7 rays. Vertebrae 53 to 64 in number (53 in G. olidus, 56 in G. platei, 60 to 61 in G. findlayi, 61 in G. fasciatus, 62 in G. attenuatus and G. maculatus, 64 in G. brevipinnis). Synopsis of the Species. I. South African. (Ventrals 6-rayed; dorsal and anal fins each with 9 to 12 rays; cleft of mouth rather small.) Caudal truncate-rounded ............................................................ 1. zebvatus. Caudal emarginate ..................................................................... 2. punctifer. II. South American. A. 6 or 7 brancliiostegals; caudal emarginate; origin of anal opposite or slightly posterior to that of the dorsal. 1. Origin of ventral equidistant from tip of snout and base of caudal or nearer the former. Length of head 5 (young) to 6^ (adult) in tlie length of the fish. 3. attenuatus. Length of head 7 to 7\ (young) in the length of the fish ............ 4. gracillimus. 2. Origin of ventral nearer to base of caudal than to tip of snout. Maxillary extending to below anterior margin of eye or slightly beyond........................................................................................................... 5. maculatus. Maxillary extending to below anterior ^ of eye ............................... 6. alpinus. B. 8 or 9 brancliiostegals; caudal truncate; origin of anal posterior to that of the dorsal. Origin of ventral considerably nearer to base of caudal than to tip of suout................................................................................................. 7 .platei. Origin of ventral slightly nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal ............................................................................................................ 8. smithii. |
