Freshwater Fishes of South Africa. 



447 



Heterobranchus laticeps, Peters, Mon. Berl. Ac., 1852, p. 682, and 

 Eeise Mossamb., iv., p. 37, pi. vii., fig. 1 (1868); Bouleng., Poiss. 

 Bass. Congo, p. 265 (1901). 



" Depth of body 6-8 times in total length, length of head 3 to 

 3| times. Head depressed, 1| to If times as long as broad, its upper 

 surface coarsely granulate in the adult ; occipital process acutely 

 pointed ; frontal fontanelle knife-shaped, 2|- to 4 times as long as 

 broad, 3| to 6| times in length of head ; occipital fontanelle small, in 

 advance of occipital process ; eye 2| (very young) to 4f times in length 

 of snout, 4 to 9 times in interorbital width ; width of mouth a little 

 less than interorbital width ; band of praemaxillary teeth 5 to 6 

 times as long as broad ; vomerine teeth also villiform, forming a 

 crescentic band, which is nearly as broad as or a little broader than 

 prasmaxillary band ; nasal barbel | to once length of head ; maxillary 

 barbel 1^ to 2 times length of head, extending to end of pectoral or 



*?3^^&<^^, . 



FIG. 100. Heterobranchus longifilis. '-. 



between this point and origin of anal ; outer mandibular barbel 1^- to 

 If times as long as inner, which measures | to nearly once length 

 of head. Gill-rakers rather short, 20 to 30 on anterior arch. 



Dorsal 29-34 ; its distance from occipital process \ to % length of 

 head ; adipose dorsal as long as or a little shorter and lower than 

 rayed dorsal, commencing immediately behind or at a short distance 

 from the latter. Anal 44-54 ; extending, like the adipose dorsal, to 

 the base of the caudal fin. Pectoral ?- to ^ length of head, the spine 

 feebly serrated on the outer border and measuring | (young) to f 

 the length of the fin. Ventral midway between end of snout and 

 base of caudal, or a little nearer the latter. Caudal ^ to f length of 

 head. Olive above, white beneath, sometimes with scattered black 

 blotches ; dorsal and anal fins pale olive, darker towards the edge, 

 which may be margined with red ; caudal fin yellowish or pale 

 orange at the base, with a more or less distinct blackish crescentic 



