THE GYMNOTID EELS OF TROPICAL AMERICA. 137 



VII. Rhamphichthys Miiller and Troschel. 



Gymnotus Linn^us (in part), Syst. Nat., ed. XII, i, 427, 1766. 

 Rhamphichthys MtJLLER and Troschel, Hbrje IchthyoL, III, 15, 1849. 



Type, Gymnotus rostratus Linnaeus. 



With fontanels; no caudal; snout long; size moderate to quite large; body very 

 elongate and quite compressed; head moderate, tapering into a long, tubular 

 snout; gape short; mouth small; eyes moderately small and covered by a trans- 

 parent membrane. Scales cycloid and minute; lateral line complete, straight; 

 origin of the anal in front of the vertical from the gill-opening; caudal appendage 

 large and scaly. 



Fig. 8. Rhamphichthys rostratus (Linnseus). 



11. Rhamphichthys rostratus (Linnseus). 



Seba, Thesaur., II, tab. 69, fig. 3, and III, 99, tab. 32, fig. 5. 



Gymnotus Gronovius, Mus. IchthyoL, no. 73, 1754; id., Zoophyl., No. 167. 



Gymnotus rostratus Linn^us, Syst. Nat., ed. XII, i, 428, 1766; Bloch and 

 Schneider, 522, tab. 106, 1801; Gronow, Syst., ed. Gray, 22, 1854. 



Carapus rostratus Cuvier, Regne Animal, II, 237, 1817. 



Rhamphichthys rostratus MUller and Troschel, Horse IchthyoL, III, 15, 1849 

 (Guiana); Gijnther, Cat., VIII, 5, 1870 (Surinam); Eigenmann and Eigen- 

 MANN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIV, 1891, 62; Eigenmann and Ward, Proc. 

 Wash. Acad. ScL, VII, 1905, 168 (Guianas to Amazon); von Ihering, Os 

 Peixes do Brazil, Part 1 A, 1907; Eigenmann, Repts. Princeton Univ. Exp. 

 Patagonia, III, 1910, 449 (Guianas and Amazon). 



Gymnotus longirostris Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., II, 178, 1800. 



Rhamphichthys schomhurgkii Kaup, Apod., 135, 10, 1856; Steindachner, Die 

 Gymnotida?, 10, 1868 (Rio Negro). 



Rhamphichthys marmoratus Castelnau, Anim. Amer. Sud. Poiss., 86, pi. 46, 

 fig. 2, 1855 (Uruguay) ; Kaup, Apod., 132, fig. 7, 1856; Eigenmann and Eigen- 

 mann, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XIV, 1891, 62; Eigenmann, Ann. N. Y. Acad. 

 ScL, VII, 1894, 625 (Itaituba); Eigenmann and Ward, Proc. Wash. Acad. ScL, 

 VII, 1905, 168 (Orinoco and Guianas .to Rio de la Plata); Eigenmann and 

 • Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XXXI, 666, 1907 (Lower Amazon) ; Eigenmann, 

 Repts. Princeton Univ. Exp. Patagonia, III, 449, 1910 (Guiana, Orinoco to 

 Rio de la Plata) . 



