ATHERINIDAE 



ii other specimens (68-300 mm.) in the British Museum collection from the Falklands 

 and the Straits of Magellan. 



The specimens obtained by the ' William Scoresby ' mentioned above agree very well 

 with the form described by Lahille as Basilichthys madrynensis , but it seems doubtful 

 whether this is more than a local race of Austromenidia smitti. 





^7 



Fig. 66. A, Austromenidia smitti; B, Austromenidia nigricans, xi. 



A. smitti is closely related to A. laticlavia (Cuvier and Valenciennes), from Chile, 

 but may be readily distinguished by the smaller scales. Lahille recognizes two forms 

 of this species : the typical smitti from Golfo Nuevo and Golfo San Matias, and australis 

 from the southernmost parts of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of South America. 



Austromenidia nigricans (Richardson). 



Atherina nigricans, Richardson, 1848, Zool. 'Erebus' and 'Terror', Fishes, p. 77, pi. xlii, figs. 



13-18. 

 Atherinichthys nigricans, Giinther, 1861, Cat. Fish., in, p. 403; Smitt, 1898, Bih. Sv. Vet.-Akad. 



HandL, xxiv, iv, No. 5, p. 29, pi. iv, fig. 29. 

 Atherinichthys albumus, Giinther, 1861, Cat. Fish., in, p. 404; Cunningham, 1871, Trans. Linn. 



Soc. London, xxvu, p. 471. 

 Menidia patagoniensis, Eigenmann, 1909, Rep. Princeton Univ. Exped. Patagonia, in, p. 280. 

 Menidia albumus, Thompson, 1916, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., L, p. 423. 

 Austromenidia nigricans, Jordan and Hubbs, 1919, Studies in Ichthyol., Stanford Univ. Publ. 



Biol. Sci., p. 67. 

 Basilichthys nigricans, Lahille, 1929, Bol. Minist. Agric. Nac. Republ. Argentina, xxvm. 



P- 345. fi g- 

 Basilichthys nigricans var. macropterus, Lahille, 1929, t.c, p. 346, fig. 



Depth of body 5! to 7 (young) in the length, length of head 4A to 5. Snout from as 

 long to 1 1 times as long as eye, diameter of which is 3^ (young) to 4! in length of head 

 and 1 J to if in interorbital width. Jaws about equal anteriorly; maxillary extending to 

 or nearly to vertical from anterior margin of eye; teeth in jaws rather small; vomerine 

 teeth generally present. 12 to 16 gill-rakers on lower part of anterior arch. 90 to 105 

 scales in a longitudinal series. Dorsal VI-VII, I 10-12 ; origin of spinous dorsal a little 

 behind root of pelvic and nearer to end of snout than to base of caudal. Anal I 17-20; 

 last ray a little behind that of soft dorsal. Length of pectoral about f that of head. 

 Caudal more or less emarginate ; caudal peduncle about 4 times as long as deep. 



