298 CnARACINIDiE. 



9. HEMIODUS*. 



Hemiodus, Miill. ^ Trosch. Jlor. Ichthyol. iii. p. 9. 



Dorsal fin placed nearly in the middle of the length of the body ; 

 anal short ; ventrals below the dorsal. Body rather elongate, covered 

 Avith scales of moderate or small size ; belly rounded in front of the 

 ventrals. Cleft of the mouth small, with the upper lip slightly 

 thickened ; a series of flat, short, serrated, moveable teeth in the 

 upper lip ; lower jaw with rather sharp margin, without teeth ; 

 palate toothless. 



South America, oast of the Andes. 



1. Hemiodus notatus. 



Anodus (?) notatus, Schomb. Fish. Guiana, i. p. 218. pi. 15 (bad). 

 Hemiodus nota.tu8,Cuv.'^Val. xxii. p. 119 (pi. 038 1); Kiwr, Denkschr. 

 Wien, Acad, 1859, xvii. p. 158. 

 B.4-5. D. 11. A. 11. V. 11. L.lat. 57-63. L. transv. 12/6. 

 The scales below the lateral line are much larger than those above. 

 The height of the body is contained thrice and three-fom-ths in the 

 total length (without caudal), the length of the head four times. The 

 distance between the gill-opening and the vertical from the origin of 

 the dorsal is less than the length of the head. Silvery, a round black 

 spot above the lateral line, behind the dorsal fin, corresponding to the 

 thirty-third scale of the lateral line. Each caudal lobe with a black 

 longitudinal band. 



Guianas. 

 a-h. Fine specimens. Essequibo. From Mr. Ehrhardt's Collection. 

 c. Adult. Simnam. 



2. Hemiodus microcephalus. 



D. 11. A. 10-11. V. 11. L.lat. 67-72. L. transv. 12/6. 



Very similar to H. notatus. 



The scales below the lateral line are much larger than tliose above. 

 The height of the body is contained four times in the total length 

 (without caudal), the length of the head four times and two-thirds or 

 tive times. The distance between the gill-opening and the vertical 

 from the origin of the dorsal is equal to, or more than, the length of 

 the head. The tipper jaw with thirty-two creuulated teeth. Eye 

 -ndth very broad adipose lids. The root of the ventral corresponds to 

 the hinder half of the dorsal fin ; anal fin very smaU, the length of 

 its longest ray being two-fifths of that of the head. Coloration as 



* 1. Curimatus amazouiim, Humh. Observ. Zool. ii. p. 1G5. pi. 45. fig. 2 (bad). — 



Procliilodus humboldtii, Cit!'. Sf Val. xxii. p. 90. — Amazons. — Although 



Humboldt describes this fish as toothless, it is evident that it was a 



species of Hemiodus, closely allied to H. notatus. 



t The principal character of tliis species, viz. the large scales below the lateral 



line, has been unjustifiably ouuttcd: Kner has not perceived tliis; on the con- 



ti-ary, lie says that liis specimens perfectly agree with that figure ! 



