Evermann and Kendall Fish from Central Ecuador. 95 



Since the publication of Eigenmann's South American 

 Nematognathi, Boulenger writes : * 



Leaving aside the two or three species in which a spine is present 

 between the rayed dorsal fin and the caudal, whether exposed and sup 

 porting the small adipose fin or partly imbedded in the skin, and for 

 which the name Sli/gnym?* Giinther may be retained, I find upon exami 

 nation of the material in the British Museum, and after perusal of Dr. 

 Steindachner's descriptions, that as many as six species of the genus Arges 

 are entitled to distinction. 



He further says : 



A. longifilis, sabalo, taczanowskii, and peruanus inhabit the Andes of Peru, 

 A. prcnadilla and whymperi the Andes of Ecuador. I had originally con 

 founded the two latter species, when Mr. Whymper submitted to me his 

 specimens for identification some years since, but renewed examination 

 has convinced me that there are at least three kinds of " Prenadillas " in 

 Ecuador, instead of one as believed by Putman. 



He then retains Stygogenes Giinther instead of Cyclopium 

 Swainson for the form with the spine on the caudal peduncle, 

 and Arges for the one with no spine and more or less of an 



adipose fin. ' ' Our specimens belong to the first named group. 

 Arges whymperi is doubtless an individual variation of Cyclopium 

 cyclopum as indicated by our specimens, since they show that 

 the presence or absence of a spine is not even a specific differ 

 ence. A. whymperi has no adipose fin and no spine. A. tac 

 zanowskii possesses a low fleshy fold which is supposed by the 

 authors to be an adipose fin, and has no spine, and represents 

 the sabalo group of Peru. 



In 1898 Boulenger described a species from Ecuador, f under 

 the name Arges festze, which appears to be valid. In the same 

 paper he redescribes A. prenadilla, regarding which he wrote 

 that the examples confirmed the identity, recognized by Stein- 

 dachner, of Brontes jwenadilla C. & V. and Arges brachycephalus 

 Giinther. 



Regan (1. c.) has recently made radical changes in the classi 

 fication of this Siluroid group and described a number of new 

 species. He objects to the family name Argidae of Gill and 



* Description of two new species of the Siluroid Genus Arges, Proc. Zool. Soe. London 

 1890, 450 to 452, and plate. 



t Poissons de 1'equateur Boll, du Mus. Zool. ed Anat. Comp. R. Univ. Torino, XIII, 

 No. 329, 1898, PI. XXI, Fig. 7. 



