424 MEMOIRS OF THE CARNEGIE MUSEUM 



II. Teeth wanting; lower jaw mth a distinct V-shaped median groove for the reception of the 



pointed decun'cd upper jaw; head rather chubby Adontostemarchus. 



a. Caudal and anal confluent; snout straight Orthostemarchus. 



Subfamily Electrophorin^. 

 Electrophorus Gill. 

 Gymnotus Linn^us, Syst. Nat., ed. 12, I, 1766, 427. 

 Electrophorus Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1864, 151. 



Type, Gymnotus electricus Linnaeus. 



No frontal fontanel; anal basis extending around the end of the tail, forming 

 a false caudal; electric organs well-developed on each side of the lower part of 

 the tail; teeth conical, in one row in each jaw; body very elongate and without 

 scales. 



The single species of this genus is the remarkable "Electric Eel" of South 



America. 



270. Electrophorus electricus (Linna;us). 



Gymnotus electricus Linn^us, Syst. Nat., ed. 12, I, 1766, 427. — Miiller and 



Troschel, in Schomburgk, Reisen, III, 1848, 639 (all fresh-waters of British 



Guiana). — Steindachner, SB. Akad. Wiss. Wien, LVIII, 1868, 14 (Surinam). 



— GtJNTHER, Catalogue, VIII, 1870, 10 (Guiana). 

 Electropho7-us electricus Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1864, 151. — Eigenmann, 



Repts. Princeton Univ. Exp. Patagonia, III, 1910, 450. 



Three specimens, 650-825 mm. Tumatumari. (C. M. Cat. No. 1302; 

 I. U. Cat. No. 12634.) 



Three specimens, 190-580 mm. Creek below Potaro Landing. (I. U. Cat. 

 No. 12633; C. M. Cat. No. 1754a.) 



One specimen. Pacopoo Pan. (C. M. Cat. No. 1755.) 



Head 8-9.2; depth 14.5-16 in the length to the end of the anal; anal rays 357, 

 362, 324 in three specimens; snout about 3.5 in the head, interorbital a little less; 

 eye 5-5.2 in the snout, and 15 or 16 in the head. 



Bod}'^ cylindrical, elongate, and naked ; head depressed ; width of the head about 

 equal to, and depth of the head in the occipital region a little less, than the greatest 

 depth of the body; anus a little more than the length of the snout behind the 

 vertical from the eye, in front of the pectorals; ventral and dorsal profiles almost 

 straight. 



Snout heavy and broad; mouth large; gape moderately long but not quite 

 reaching to below the eye; lower jaw protruding; teeth small conical, a single row 

 in each jaw; eyes small, without free orbital margin. 



