1913.1 NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 673 



CTJRIMATUS SPILUEUS COPE, A WRONGLY IDENTIFIED CHARACIN. 

 BY HENRY W. FOWLER. 



In 1878 Prof. Cope lists the specimens described below as Curimaiusr 

 spilurus Giinther without comment. In 1906 I followed this identi- 

 fication, though recently have been able to examine Gunther's 

 species, and find it distinct. Cope's species therefore requires a 

 new name, and is evidently the type of a new subgenus as well. 



XYROCHARAX subgen. nov. 

 Type Curimatus stigmaturus sp. nom. nov. 

 Back elevated or hunched conspicuously in front. Scales large, 

 smooth, in even lengthwise series. Caudal lobes naked. 

 Small fishes of the Amazons. 



{Eupov, razor; Mpa^, Charax; with reference to the trenchant 

 elevated predorsal region.) 

 Curimatus stigmaturus sp. nom. nov. 



Curimatus spilurus (not of Giinther) Cope, Proc. Aincr. Philos. Soc. Phila.,. 



XVII, 1878, p. 684. Peruvian Amazon. 



Curimata spilura Fowler, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila.. 1906, p. 297, tig. 4 



(Cope's material). 



Head 2^; depth 2|; D. iii, 9; A. iii, 8; P. i, 10; V. i, 8; scales 



30 in 1. 1. to caudal base, and 3? more on latter; 6 scales above 1. 1. 



to dorsal origin; 5 scales below 1. 1. to ventral origin; 4 scales below 



1. 1. to anal origin; predorsal scales 9? (damaged); snout 3| in head; 



eye2|; maxillary 4|; interorbital 2f ; least depth of caudal peduncle 



21 



Body elongate, well compressed, deepest or hunched at dorsal 

 origin, so that predorsal forms well-curved convex profile sloping 

 very steeply to occiput, the incline not broken. Predorsal also 

 trenchant or with slight median keel. Postdorsal constricted, though 

 convex. Preventral and postanal convex, first broadly so. Post- 

 ventral apparently trenchant. Caudal peduncle compressed, deep, 

 and least depth nearly equals its length. 



Head large, depressed above or in front, which level and obliquely 

 and steeply inclined to predorsal in nearly straight line, as seen in 

 profile. Head with sides flattened and well constricted below to 

 form rather narrow edge wich nearly horizontal profile. Snout 



