232 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. 56. 



NOTOPTERUS AFER GUnther. "Plank Fish," 



Head. 4: depth, 4f ; D. i, 5; A. 134 (including caudal rays); scales 

 in lateral line, about 147 to caudal base; 20 scales above lateral line 

 to dorsal origin, and 33 l)elow at same point: ventral serrae, 30+5; 

 a,bout 100 predorsal scales to head; snout, 4| in head; eye, 4|; 

 maxillary, 2^; interorbital, 4^. Body deepest at dorsal origin, 

 strongly compressed. Head width, 2^ its length. Snout, convex; 

 length, two-thirds its width. Eye rounded, advanced about half 

 its diameter before head center. Mouth large: lower jaw but little 

 shorter. Maxillary to hind pupil edge. Row of moderate conic 

 teeth in each jaw, also on vomer and palatines. Nasal flap about 

 one-third of eye. Interorbital broadly convex. Lower preopercle 

 edge finely serrate. Rakers 4 + 8, elongately clavate, two-fifths 

 longer than filaments or about two in eye. Scales minute, generally 

 in rows sloping down backward, smaller on head and densely crowded 

 over anal and caudal. About 17 rows of scales on cheek. Scales with 

 14 to 16 basal radii; circuli moderate and usually complete. First 

 branched dorsal ray 2| in head; caudal, 3|; pectoral, If. Color in 

 alcohol largely deep brown, marked with ill-defined irregular spots 

 about size of pupil, though few on anal. Head below and belly 

 little paler, soiled with deep brown. Iris slaty. Length, 155 mm. C. 



CLARIAS ANGOLENSIS Steindachner. 



Head, 4|; depth, 6; D. 74: A. 52: snout, 3 in head to hind edge of 

 gill-opening; mouth width 2\: interorbital, 1|; eye, 5 in interorbital. 

 Body moderately slender; profile somewhat fusiform. Head width 

 equals its length, nearly smooth above. Snout broad; length in 

 profile aV»out two-fifths its width. Eye small; center about first 

 fourth in head. Mouth broad, lips moderate; lower jaw much 

 shorter. Broad bands of villiform teeth in jaws and on vomer; 

 band of latter equally wide. Nasal barbel reaches slightly beyond 

 occipital process; maxillary slightly beyond pectoral tip; outer 

 mental slightly beyond end of pectoral spine and inner mental 

 about to middle of latter. Frontal fontanel sole-shaped, twice broad 

 as long and nearly twice length of occipital. Occipital process as 

 slight isoceles triangle. Rakers, 4 + 12, lanceolate, about long as 

 filaments, or Ij eye-diameters. Dorsal and anal not joined with 

 caudal, but very narrowly separated. Dorsal begins at last two- 

 fifths between pectoral and ventral origins. Body before anal 

 shorter than rest of trunk by snout length in profile. Caudal If in 

 head; pectoral, 1§; ventral, 2 J. Pectoral spine serrate on both edges. 

 Color in alcohol largely uniform brownish; belly but slightly paler. 

 Dorsal and anal edges rather broadly and evenly whitish. Length, 

 98 mm. G. 



