ICHTHYOLOGY OF VENEZUELA — SCHULTZ 33 



Genus NARCINE Henle 



Narcine Henle, Uber Narcine, pp. 2, 31, 1834, (Genotype, Torpedo hrasiliensis 

 von Olfers.) (Ref. copied.) 



NARCINE BRASILIENSIS (Olfers) 



Electric Ray; Temblador de Agua Salada 



Torpedo IradUensis Olfers, Die Gattung Torpedo, p. 19, pi. 2, fig. 4, 1831 (Brazil). 

 Narcine hrasiliensis Rohl, Fauna descriptiva de Venezuela, p. 370, fig. 183, 1942 

 (coast of Venezuela; ? Rfo Mazanares). 



Class OSTEICHTHYES 



Subclass ACTINOPTERYGII 



Superorder Teleostei: Bony Fishes 



This class includes the bony fishes, which have hard bones as con- 

 trasted with the elasmobranch fishes with a cartilaginous skeleton. 

 There is but a single external gill opening, the gills being covered by 

 an operculum. 



Order ISOSPONDYLIOIDEA 



Suborder Clupeoidea 

 Family ELOPIDAE: Tarpons 



KEY TO THE GENERA AND SPECIES REPORTED FROM VENEZUELA 



la. Scales about 42 or 43; gill rakers very numerous; dorsal branched rays about 

 10 or 11; anal branched rays about 18 or 19; last ray of dorsal fin fila- 

 mentous Tarpon atlanticus (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 



1&. Scales small, 103 to 120 from upper edge of gill opening to midcaudal fin base; 

 gill rakers on first gill arch 5 to 8+10 to 15; branched dorsal rays 17 to 

 20; branched anal rays 11 to 13; last dorsal fin ray not filamentous. 



Elops saurus Linnaeus 



Genus TARPON Jordan and Evermann 



Tarpon Jordan and Evermann, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 47, pt. 1, p. 409, 1896. 

 (Genotype, Megalops atlanticus Cuvier and Valenciennes.) 



TARPON ATLANTICUS (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 



Tarpon; SAbalo 



Megalops atlanticus Cuvier and Valenciennes, Histoire natureUe des poissons- 

 vol. 19, p. 398, 1846 (Guadeloupe; San Domingo; Martinique; Porto Rico). 



Tarpon atlanticus Rohl, Fauna descriptiva de Venezuela, p. 373, fig. 184, 1942 

 (coast of Venezuela). 



Several specimens were seen rolling and diving in the Rio Concha 

 about 4 or 5 km. above Lago de Maracaibo. A large school was 

 reported in Lago de Maracaibo at its northern end during April 1942. 



802207 — J9 3 



