ICHTHYOLOGY OF VENEZUELA — SCHTJLTZ 



87 



Description. — The description is based on the holotype and para- 

 types. Detailed measurements and counts are recorded in tables 10 

 and 11. 



Head depressed, body compressed posteriorly, interorbital space 

 flat except on large males that have the top of head including interor- 

 bital space swollen and fleshy as shown in drasving (Myers, I. c, fig. 

 13) ; profile on females and young nearly straight; tip of lower jaw not 

 quite entering profile when mouth is closed; margin of eye not free; 

 teeth essentially as in stagnalis, but inner row of villiform band with 

 the teeth a little larger than others in this band; anterior nostrils 

 tubular, posterior nasal opening a slit above front of eye; cheek and 

 operculum scaled ; top of head scaled forward, a little in front of a line 

 between front of orbits; caudal fin scaled from one-half to four-fifths 

 the way out the rays, farther in the largest specimens; scales on 

 breast only a little smaller than on sides ; anus immediately in front of 

 anal origin; gill rakers about 3 -F 14 or 15; caudal fin with truncate 

 rear margin; middle rays of paired fins longest; usuaUy the sixth from 

 last ray of both dorsal and anal fins longest; pectoral fins usually reach 

 just to pelvic insertions or a little past but not to anus; pelvics reach 

 past anal origin; dorsal and anal fins when depressed reach to base of 

 caudal fin; dorsal origin equidistant between midcaudal fin base and 

 rear of head or a little behind head; anal origin in front of a vertical 

 line through dorsal origin and equidistant between midcaudal fin base 

 and middle of postorbital length of head to rear of head ; dorsal origin 

 about over base of second branched ray of anal fin; caudal peduncle 

 longer than deep in females or its length equal to its depth in large 

 males; caudal fin a little longer than eye and postorbital length of 

 head, anal fin of female with distal part of first or second to sixth anal 

 rays hardened and more or less fused into a glandlike pad. 



Coloration. — In alcohol, pale tan with dark spots anteriorly on adult 

 males; a dark bar below eye more prominent on males; several very 

 faint small pale grayish spots on dorsal fin almost beyond visibility, 

 none can be seen on anal fin; caudal fin of adult males blackish. 



Table 11. — Counts made on species of Austrofundulus 



