656 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.59. 



snout the lateral margins of head are expanded to form a thin knife edge, which 

 leads to the long preopercular spine, the anterior limit of the expanded edge marked 

 by a projecting spine, to the base of which runs a vertical ridge from front of eye and 

 an obbique ridge from middle of lower orbital margin; all the plates of the head 

 minutely prickly; on median portion of snout six or eight stronger hooked spines, 

 distributed on the rostral ridges; interorbital width 0.65 diameter of eye, which is 

 contained 4.4 times in head; premaxillaries protruding beyond mandible for a dis- 

 tance equal to 0.2 length of head; length of maxillary contained 2.3 times in head and 

 equal to the greatest external width at angles of mouth; the large barbel, when laid 

 back, extending to base of ventral fins; along its anterior margin it bears a series of 

 smaller barbels, mostly arranged in pairs, seven barbels, similar to these smaller 

 ones, occurring on each side of symphysis, on lower lip and adjacent portions of mandi- 

 ble; the most posterior of these, on the mandible, is always paired; mouth toothless; 

 gill rakers 5 X 16 or 17, the terminal ones represented by papillae, spinous dorsal joined 

 to soft dorsal at extreme base; pectorals long, reaching fifteenth plate along lateral 

 line, length of upper ray equaling distance from tip of snout to front of pupil; upper 

 free ray contained 2.25 times in head. 



Dorsal series of plates with strong backwardly hooked spines, which decrease in 

 size posteriorly, almost disappearing on caudal peduncle, behind these two movable 

 spines along base of upper caudal lobe; the upper lateral series of plates accompanies 

 the lateral line, which opens externally in three pores for each plate, one above and 

 two below the spine; behind the short anterior arch the spines are strong. Nine to 

 12 spines in front of middle of caudal peduncle bear at the base of the anterior side 

 a short, strong, straight spine, directed obliquely forward; spines of ventral row of 

 plates obsolescent, perceptible to the touch, but scarcely visible along course of 

 anal fin; only two or three of the anterior plates of the series have well-developed 

 spines. Dorsal series containing 29 to 30 plates, including 2 on base of caudal; 34 

 or 35 in upper lateral, 23 or 24 in lower lateral series, and 26 or 27 in ventral series, 

 including 2 on base of caudal. 



A specimen in life was pink, with a yellowish tinge, the tips of rostral processes, the 

 fins and long barbels deeper pink or almost scarlet, the tips of fins and ends of barbels 

 white; breast and belly white; upper parts of head and body marked with fine olive 

 dots and lines, those on head arranged regularly and symmetrically; some specimens 

 appear nearly or wholly plain, without spots and lines, pectorals whitish, streaked or 

 spotted with olive, anal marked with three indistinct narrow yellowish vertical bars; 

 other fins unmarked. 



