124 MEMOIRS OF THE CARNEGIE MUSEUM 



6. Aspredo sicuephorus Cuvier and Valenciennes. (Plate I, fig. 1.) 

 Aspredo sicuephorus Cuvier and Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., XV, 1840, 439 



(Mana). — Gunther, Catalogue, V, 1864, 269 (copied). — Eigenmann, Repts. 



Princeton Univ. Exp. Patagonia, III, 1910, 380. 

 Platystacus sicuephorus Eigenmann and Eigenmann, Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci., (2), II, 



1889, 50; Occasional Papers Cal. Acad. Sci., I, 1890, 24 (Curuca; Rio 



Muria). 

 Aspredo loevis Cuvier and Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., XV, 1840, 431 (Guiana). 

 Aspredo batrachus Gunther, Catalogue, V, 1864, 269, part. 



Abundant in the brackish water about Georgetown. The largest of the 

 Aspredinidse secured. 



Many specimens, the largest 340 mm. No young were secured. (C. M. Cat. 

 No. 1551a-e; I. U. Cat. No. 11969.) 



Distance from snout to predorsal plate 4 to tip or to base of caudal; width of 

 head equal to its length to upper angle of gill-opening, its depth little more than 

 a fourth of its width; D. 5, the last ray adnate. A. 54-57, the last ray adnate. 



Eye minute; maxillary barbel adnate for nearly half its length, reaching the 

 pectoral spine, a small barbel near its base reaching the mental barbel, the latter 

 to the post-mental, the three in a nearly straight line, the mental barbel just behind 

 the angle of the mouth; patches of teeth on the two premaxillaries separate in the 

 middle; mouth broad, half the width of the head; the snout projecting beyond 

 the mouth for half the width of the latter; first dorsal ray more or less prolonged; 

 pectoral spine heavy, with nearly straight teeth on its inner margin, teeth on its 

 outer margin smaller, pointed toward the tip of the spine; no axillary pore. 



Uniform light brown to slate above, ventral and anterior part of anal hyaline; 

 anal and caudal dark. 



I have also examined the specimens in the Leiden and the British Museums. 

 It is very probable that aspredo and sicuephorus are identical. Giinther's specimens 

 "e" and three of "a-d" are sicuephorus, while one has the head more than 4 in 

 the length and represents aspredo. 



Platystacus Bloch. 

 Platystacus Bloch, Ausl. Fische, VIII, 1794, 52 (sp.). — Bleeker, Nederl. Tijdschr- 



Dierk., I, 1863, 118. 



Type, Platystacus cotylephorus Bloch. 



Sternal and abdominal region without tentacles; maxillary barbel simple, 

 without tributary barbels at its base; snout without spines. 



