438 Annals of the SoutJi African Museum. 



4. BAGRINJE. Dorsal fin short ; adipose fin present or trans- 

 formed into a second rayed dorsal ; anal fin short ; gill- 

 membranes free, or very narrowly attached to isthmus. 



A. Gill-membranes more or less notched in the middle ; 

 nostrils widely separated from each other. 



1. Nasal barbel present. 



Palate toothless ; dorsal with 6-7 branched rays . . . . fi. Gephyroglanis. 



2. Nasal barbel absent. 



Dorsal with 7-8 branched rays ; gill-membranes feebly 



notched ; eye with free border 7. Auclicnoglanix. 



B. Gill-membranes not notched, forming a straight trans- 

 verse fold or a very open angle ; nasal barbels absent ; 

 dorsal with 6-7 branched rays. 



Teeth in pterygoids ; nostrils close together 8. Arius. 



5. DORADIN.E. Dorsal fin short, a second dorsal fin, adipose 

 or rayed ; anal short ; gill-membranes more or less grown 

 to isthmus. 



Second dorsal fin adipose ; mandibular barbels branched ; 

 premaxillary teeth conical, not movable ; eye with 

 free border 9. Synodontis. 



1. CLAE1AS. 



Clarias, Gronov., Zoophyl., p. 100 (1781) ; Giinth., Cat. Fish., v., 

 p. 248 (1864) ; Bouleng., Poiss. Bass. Congo, p. 248 (1901), Fish. 

 Nile, p. 278 (1907), Proc. Zool. Soc., 1907, p. 1063, Cat. Fresh. Fish. 

 Air., ii., p. 221 (1911). 



Macropteronotus, part., Lacep., Hist. Poiss., v., p. 84 (1803). 



Body elongate ; with long dorsal and anal fins, composed entirely 

 of soft rays, extending to or nearly to caudal fin. Head much 

 depressed, upper and lateral parts osseous, forming a casque ; 4 pairs 

 of barbels one nasal, one maxillary, two mandibular. Eye small, 

 with free orbital margin. Jaws with a band of villiform teeth, a band 

 of villiform or granular teeth on vomer. Gill-membranes free from 

 isthmus, deeply notched in the middle. Males with a long conical 

 anal papilla. 



Key to Species. 



I. Ventral fins midway between end of snout and root 



of caudal, or a little nearer (less than J) the 



former ; nasal barbel shorter than head. 



.. Vomerine teeth mostly pointed or granular-sub- 

 conical, forming a band which is not broader than 

 band of premaxillary teeth ; distance between 

 occipital process and dorsal fin | to ^ length of 

 head. 



