424 MEMOIRS OF THE CARNEGIE MUSEUM 



11. Teeth wanting; lower jaw with a distinct V-shaped median groove for the reception of the 



pointed decurved upper jaw; head rather chubby Adontostemarchus. 



ii. Caudal and anal confluent; snout straight Orthosternarchus. 



Subfamily Electrophorusle. 

 Electrophorus Gill. 

 Gymnotus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 12, I, 1766, 427. 

 Electrophorus Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1864, 151. 



Type, Gymnotus electricus Linnseus. 



No frontal fontanel; anal basis extending around the end of the tail, forming 

 a false caudal; electric organs well-developed on each side of the lower part of 

 the tail; teeth conical, in one row in each jaw; body very elongate and without 

 scales. 



The single species of this genus is the remarkable "Electric Eel" of South 



America. 



270. Electrophorus electricus (Linnseus). 



Gymnotus electricus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 12, I, 1766, 427. — Muller and 



Troschel, in Schomburgk, Reisen, III, 1848, 639 (all fresh-waters of British 



Guiana). — Steindachner, SB. Akad. Wiss. Wien, LVIII, 1868, 14 (Surinam). 



— Gunther, Catalogue, VIII, 1870, 10 (Guiana). 

 Electrophorus electricus Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1864, 151. — Eigenmann, 



Repts. Princeton Univ. Exp. Patagonia, III, 1910, 450. 



Three specimens, 650-825 mm. Tumatumari. (C. M. Cat. No. 1302; 

 I. U. Cat. No. 12634.) 



Three specimens, 190-580 mm. Creek below Potaro Landing. (I. U. Cat. 

 No. 12633; C. M. Cat. No. 1754a.) 



One specimen. Pacopoo Pan. (C. M. Cat. No. 1755.) 



Head 8-9.2; depth 14.5-16 in the length to the end of the anal; anal rays 357, 

 362, 324 in three specimens; snout about 3.5 in the head, interorbital a little less; 

 eye 5-5.2 in the snout, and 15 or 16 in the head. 



Body cylindrical, elongate, and naked ; head depressed ; width of the head about 

 equal to, and depth of the head in the occipital region a little less, than the greatest 

 depth of the body; anus a little more than the length of the snout behind the 

 vertical from the eye, in front of the pectorals; ventral and dorsal profiles almost 

 straight. 



Snout heavy and broad; mouth large; gape moderately long but not quite 

 reaching to below the eye; lower jaw protruding; teeth small conical, a single row 

 in each jaw; eyes small, without free orbital margin. 



