AET. 7 



NEW SIAMESE FISHES SMITH 



39 



PIPIDONIA, new genus 



Form very elongate; body strongly compressed; head long, de- 

 pressed, and broad; eyes small, close together; mouth small; teeth 

 small, pluriserial in both jaws; scales cycloid, of moderate size, 

 regularly arranged, head entirely naked; two well-separated dorsal 

 fins, the anterior with five spines. 



This genus may readily be distinguished by the greatly elongated 

 body; the broad, depressed head; the widely separated dorsal fins, 

 with only five spines in the first dorsal fin and relatively few rays 

 in the second dorsal and anal fins; the squamation of the body and 

 the naked head ; and the fine teeth in bands. 



{Pipidonia, from Pipidon, the Siamese island where the type was 

 collected.) 



PIPIDONIA QUINQUECINCTA, new species 



Description. — Body greatly elongated and markedly compressed, 

 depth 6 in standard length and 1.7 in head; least height of caudal 

 peduncle 2.5 in head; head long, greatly depressed and flattened 



PlGCRE 19. PIPIDONIA QUINQUECINCTA 



behind eyes, its greatest width nearly twice its depth and equal to 

 postorbital region, its length 3.5 in standard length; mouth oblique, 

 the maxillary not reaching vertical from anterior border of eye; 

 teeth small, in about 3 rows in each jaw, outer teeth somewhat en- 

 larged; eyes small, on dorsal profile, in anterior third of head, 0.5 

 length of snout and equal to the flat interorbital space ; snout, rami of 

 lower jaw, and median surface of lower jaw with numerous short 

 fleshy filaments; body completely covered with thin cycloid scales 

 of uniform size, 39 in longitudinal series, 10 between origins of sec- 

 ond dorsal and anal, 7 before dorsal, and 16 surrounding narrowest 

 part of caudal peduncle; no scales on top of head, opercles, or 

 cheeks. 



Fins: Dorsal rays V-I,8; first dorsal spine 2.25 in head and 1.8 

 in depth, inserted over 8th scale of lateral series ; second dorsal sepa- 

 rated from first by space equal to length of snout, the rays of nearly 

 uniform height and equal to longest dorsal spines, the base slightly 

 longer than that of anal and beginning slightly in advance of that 

 fin; caudal broad, wedge-shaped, its length equal to head; anal 



