THE CATFTSHES OF VENEZUELA — SCHULTZ 273 



23.8; 23.8); length of longest lobe of caudal 18.7 (20.8; 20.0; 20.3; 

 20.2); length of pectoral spine 19.2 (21.9; 21.2; 20.5; 23.4); length of 

 dorsal spine 20.9 (24.7; 19.9; 22.4; 22.3); distance from origin of anal 

 fin to center of anus 4.45 (5.04; 6.68; 6.30; 5.84). 



The following counts were made: Anal rays iv, 8; (iv, 10; iv, 9; iv, 9; 

 iv, 8; iv, 9; iv, 8; iv, 8; iv, 8; iv, 8;iv, 8; iv, 8; iv, 8); dorsal rays 

 always II, 5; pectoral I, 9; number of scutes with spines in the lateral 

 series 21-21 (21-21; 20-20; 24-25; 19; 20; 20; 19; 20; 20; 22; 21; 19); 

 branched caudal fin rays usually 15. 



Head depressed; doi-sal surface of head bony, with a raised crest 

 from occiput to origin of dorsal fin and a shallow groove in middorsal 

 line between orbits, but not quite reaching tip of snout; posteriorly 

 this groove has a fontanel; mouth small, subterminal, the upper lip 

 in front of lower jaw, both lips somewhat plicate; a wide band of villi- 

 form teeth on front of premaxillaries and on front of dentary; the pair 

 of maxillary barbels blackish and the two pairs of mental barbels 

 grayish, pale on some specimens; gill membranes united, the openmg 

 restricted mostly to the sides, and the distance between the lower 

 edges of gill opening equal to length of caudal peduncle; posterior 

 nostril about an eye diameter in front of eye; pectoral spine with a 

 backward curve serrated anteriorly and posteriorly ; dorsal spine with a 

 similar backward curve serrated anteriorly and posteriorly in young, 

 but the posterior serrations becoming obsolete with age; pelvics reach- 

 ing to opposite anus ; intestine much coiled and convoluted ; the lateral 

 series of scutes, each bearing a spine, directed posteriorly beginnmg 

 over anus and ending at base of midcaudal fin rays; the length of the 

 humeral process about 1% times interorbital space; gill rakers on first 

 gill arch of one paratype 7 + 17, short and slender; air bladder large, 

 the anterior compartment divided by a median partition, and deep 

 groove along dorsal midline; at the outer ventral anterior angles is a 

 convoluted horn ; the posterior section separated from the anterior by 

 a constriction with several long convoluted tubelike projections 

 extending past the anus to the posterior end of the body cavity ; these 

 fingerlike projections constricted in several places; measurements as 

 follows: Total length of air bladder 185 mm., in a female specimen 405 

 mm. standard length, greatest width anterior compartment 65 mm. 

 and its length 70 mm. ; gi-eatest width of posterior section 38 mm. and 

 to first constriction on dorsal side 28 mm.; the fingerlike projections 

 extend backward for 90 mm. with a forward-projecting recurved tip 

 30 mm. Origin of adipose fin above anus, its base a little longer than 

 that of anal fin; caudal peduncle somewhat constricted without plates 

 on its dorsal or ventral sides; caudal fin forked, the upper lobe longest. 



The lateral series of plates is represented by three or fom* more or 

 less embedded rough plates without spines at the anterior end of the 

 series; then no scutes until over the anus, where they begin and con- 



