The Freshwater Fishes of South Africa. 339 



lateral line scales being also indistinctly marked in places ; anal 

 with a row of dark marks on lower portion ; caudal with a dark 

 lunate band near base extending along the lobes, extremity of caudal 

 rays tipped with black ; adipose fin dark except at base. 



The colour when fresh is bright silver, the longitudinal streaks are 

 jet-black, the fins a bright orange-red. 



One specimen, 288 mm. in length, from Zambezi River, at Living- 

 stone ; F. W. Sykes. 



One specimen, 470 mm. in length, from Zambezi River ; J. Drury. 



One specimen, 370 mm. in length from White River, Transvaal ; 

 A. T. Cooke. 



Mr. Sykes reports that this fish abounds in the Zambezi, above 

 and below the Falls and in most of the tributary streams ; it feeds 

 on smaller fish, including its own species, is very voracious and can 

 readily be caught with spoon bait, giving excellent sport. It has 

 peculiar hook-shaped bones, which are very numerous, and has to be 

 eaten soon after being caught, otherwise it becomes insipid and 

 flabby. 



Major J. Stevenson Hamilton, Warden of the Sabi River Game 

 Reserve, states that in the Sabi River, Transvaal, its spawning 

 season is the month of January. 



This species is also reported from the White and Blue Niles, 

 the Niger to Lake Ngami (?), and the Limpopo River. 



3. ALESTES. 

 Alestes, part., Mull, and Trosch., Hor. Ichthyol., i., p. 12 (1846). 



Teeth pluricuspid ; in 2 series in the upper jaw, the inner molar- 

 like ; origin of dorsal above or behind ventrals ; a small adipose 



dorsal fin. 



Key to Species. 



Dorsal fin originating above middle or last rays of ventrals. 



A. ii-iii 14-16; scales 23-25, 4J series of scales above lateral 



line; gill-rakers 16-20 1. A. imleri. 



A. iii 16 ; scales 33, 5J series of scales above lateral line ; gill- 

 rakers 25 2. A. late rails. 



ALESTES IMBERI, Peters. 



Alestes imberi. Peters, Mon. Berl. Ac., 1852, p. 276, and Reise 

 Mossamb. iv., p. 66, pi. xii., fig. 3 (1868); Bouleng., Cat. Fresh. 

 Fish. Africa, i., p. 209 (1909). 



Teeth 16 in upper jaw (f), 10 in lower (f). Depth of body 2 T ; ' rt 

 to 3| times in total length excluding caudal, length of head 3 T 7 ^ to 



