FAMILY XI. PCECILIIDVE. 143 



This species probably occurs throughout the Lerma basin. One 

 female taken about May 20 contained 30 young, each of which was 

 about .34 inches in length. 



133. Skiffia vuriegata Meek. 



Skiffia variegata Meek, Field Col. Mus. Pub. 65, 1902, 104; Zira- 



huen; Chalco. 

 Basin of the Rio Lerma. 



FIG. 44. SKIFFIA VARIEGATA Meek. 



No. 3612, Field Columbian Museum. 



Head 3! ; depth 2|; D. 14; A. 13; scales 13-34. Body deep, 

 compressed; top of head convex; interorbital 2% in head; mouth 

 small, lower jaw the longer; dim rather prominent; snout 4 in head; 

 eye large, 3 in head; origin of dorsal slightly in advance of anal; its 

 origin midway between base of caudal and posterior margin of orbit; 

 base of dorsal .fin i% in head; height (in male) T.% in head, being 

 somewhat lower in the female; anterior dorsal rays short, increasing 

 gradually to the eighth or ninth ; pectoral i ^3 in head ; ventral 2 ; 

 caudal fin truncate; alimentary canal coiled on the right side, its 

 length 3 times total length of the body ; peritoneum black. 



Color olivaceous, much mottled; an indistinct dark lateral band, 

 more or. less broken in some specimens ; four or five light brownish 

 spots on the lower portion of the caudal peduncle, the under surface 

 dark; color of the male more uniform and darker than that of the 

 female; no black bar at base of caudal; chin black. Length about 

 2.25 inches. 



The young of this species are born about the middle of May. A 

 female about two inches in length will give birth to about 20 young, 

 each being about .50 inch in length. 



