Volume 1
Natural history of Victoria : prodromus of the zoology of Victoria; or figures and descriptions of the living species of all classes of the Victorian indigenous animals / by Frederick McCoy.
- Frederick McCoy
- Date:
- [1885-90]
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Natural history of Victoria : prodromus of the zoology of Victoria; or figures and descriptions of the living species of all classes of the Victorian indigenous animals / by Frederick McCoy. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.
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![Plate 84. CTENOLATES AMBIGUUS (Rich. sp.). The Murray Golden Perch. [Genus CTENOLATES (Gunth.). (Sub-kingd. Vertebrata. Class Pisces. Sub-class Teleostii. Order Acantbopterygii. Earn. Percidse.) Gen. Char.—Spinous dorsal of ten rays, continuous with tbe soft dorsal. Branchiostegals, seven ; pseudobranchiae distinct. Teeth villiform, in bands on the jaws and palate bones and vomer. Tongue smooth. Preoperculum finely serrated on straight posterior edge, with larger and less regular denticles directed slightly forwards in groups on undulated inferior edge. Lower edge of preorbital finely serrated. Scales of moderate size, finely serrated on posterior edge. Australia.] Description.—Ovate; greatest depth under anterior part of dorsal, about twice and a half in the total length of the fish, excluding the caudal fin. Head cavernous, a row of 6 or 8 large mucous pits extending on each side of lower jaw and preoper- culum, a few also larger ones above the preorbital plate. Length of the head slightly less than one-third of the total length, without caudal fin. Thickness about half the depth. Dorsal profile very convex from dorsal fin to occiput, concave from thence to end of snout, the concavity of profile greatest in large specimens, and above the occiput. Lower jaw slightly longer than upper, the maxillary reaching’, when the mouth is closed, to a little behind the vertical from the anterior part of the orbit. Diameter of the eye one-half of the length of the snout, and one-fourth to one-fifth of the post-orbital length of the head, according to the age. Upper part of the head smooth and naked; cheeks covered with small scales, about half the size of those on the operculum. Denticles on lower edge of preoperculum in three or four rounded groups, directed forwards. Operculum with one strong triangular spine, little behind tip of soft posterior angle, with a second one a little in front of it on upper edge, sometimes broken into several little denticles, and a third, smaller one, about half way between angle and upper base. Spines of dorsal thick, strong’, the 5 th and 6th longest; 1st branched ray of dorsal exceeding’ last spinous ray by about one-half of its length; last branched ray about one-fourth more than the length of the last spine. The basal third of the dorsals covered with small scales. Caudal and pectoral rounded. 1st ventral ray lengthened. Three anal spines, very thick, the 1st little more than half the length of the 2nd. Fin-rays; Dorsal, 10 spinous, 11 branched; pectoral, 17; ventral, 1 spinous, 5 branched; anal, 3 spinous, 8 branched (last two with one base); caudal, 15 to 17, with 3 or 4 short rays above and below. Scales: Along the lateral line, about 82; above, 14 to 16; below, 29 to 32. The posterior edge of the coracoid (a) above the base of the pectoral, and of the suprascapular (b) above operculum, finely denticulated. Color: Purplish on top of head; sides of head with mixtures of green, purple, and yellow; hack, rich yellowish bronze-green; sides, golden-yellow, fading into whitish on lower margin; scales of hack and sides minutely speckled with black; spinous dorsal fin pale- purplish, the rays tawny-yellow, minutely dotted with black; soft dorsal, blackish towards edge; pectorals yellowish, the rays minutely dotted with black, membrane nearly colorless; ventral fins, membrane yellowish, rays orange; caudal, with the](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b24757469_0001_0527.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
