154 Bulletin ^7, United States National Museum. 



Occipital process narrow, reaching the bony plate at base of dorsal 

 spine. Fontauelle continued to the base of the occipital process, -with a 

 bridire across it above the posterior margin of the eye. Dorsal and pec- 

 toral S))in6s pungent ; humeral process spine-like. Dorsal rays I, 6. This 

 genus is an ally of J'imelodus and lihamdia. The numerous siiecies are 

 confined chielly to the Amazon region. (Diminutive of Fimelodus ; inneTiriQ, 

 fat.) 



a. Adipose fin less than 3-i the length. D. I, 0. Pectoral fins not reaching ventral, nor ven- 

 tral to anal. Tectoral spine moderate, with S io \(i> remrved liodlvs. 

 }i. Sides with a dark lateral iaft<i ^iiicli continues forward on the head. Tip of pectoral 

 spioe ^ diameter of the spine; spine very broad. chagresi, 248. 



1't. Sides without dark lateral band, the color plain. Maxillary barbels reaching front 

 of anal. modesta, 249. 



248. PIMELODELLA CHAGRESI, (Steindachner). 



Head 4|; depth 5^. D. I, 6; A. 11 or 12. Body elongate, slender. Eye 

 3| in head. Maxillary barbels reaching front of adipose fin. Dorsal 

 spine straight, scarcely roughened in front, except near the tip, 1^ in 

 head. Adipose fin 3i in length ; caudal deeply forked, upper lobe much 

 the longer. Pectoral spine flat, IJ in head. Color brown, with a well- 

 defined band from tip of snout to middle of caudal ; dorsal fin with a 

 dark bar on the membrane upon each pair of rays. Rio Chagres. (Eigen- 

 mann.) 



P(meZof(?(.'!eAaf7resi, Steindachner, Ichth. Beitr., iv, 34, 1876, Rio Chagres, at Obispo. 

 Pimelodella chagresi, Eigenmann, I. c, 130, 1888. 



249. PIMELODELLA MODESTA, (Giinther). 



Adipose fin long ; nearly 3 in length. Maxillary barbels reaching front 

 of anal fin; eye 4 in head. Dorsal spine slender, little more than -\ the 

 head, somewhat shorter than pectoral spine ; caudal forked, the upper 

 lobe the longer. (Giinther.) (Esmeraldas, Ecuador; also recorded, per- 

 haps doubtfully, from Rio Chagres.) {modcshis, modest.) 



Pimelodus moiJestus, Gunther, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 18G(l, 230, Esmeraldas, Ecuador. GiJN- 

 THEU, Cat., V, 117, 1864. 



83. PIMELODUS, Lacdpede. 



(CONGROS BaRBOSOS.) 



Pimfhrbts, LACfipfiDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss., v, 94, 1803, (qiiadriniaridatits, etc. ; includes various 



genera). 

 Pimelodn.% CtiviER, Regne Animal, Ed. 1, 203, 1817, {quadrimaculaliin, etc.; species with one band 



of teeth above). 

 Pimelodus, Swainson, Class'n Fishes, etc., ii, 305, 1839, {qnadrimaculalus). 

 Pimelodrts, Gill, Lutken, etc., who take macidalus as type. 

 PfieudariodeK, Bleeker, Nederl. Tijdschr. Dierkunde, 1863, 99, {clarias). 

 Pseudorhamdia, Bleeker, I. c.,101, 1863, (maculalus = clarias). 



Teeth on the vomer in small patches or none; no teeth on palatines; 

 pterygoid teeth sometimes present. Fontanelle not extending backward 

 beyond the eyes. Humeral process broad, not spine-like. Crown of 

 head granulose, or covered with thin skin. Dorsal and pectoral spines 



