340 CHARACINTB^. 



The dorsal fin commences a little nearer to the snout than to the 

 root of the caudal fin, above or immediately behind the root of the 

 inner ventral ray. Caudal fin distinctly emarginate. Anal com- 

 mencing behind the dorsal. Pectoral as long as the head vsdthout 

 snout, extending to the ventral. Ventral shorter than pectoral, 

 reaching to the vent. Back brownish. Sides and belly silvery. 

 A more or less distinct blackish band runs from a black humeral 

 spot to the middle of the root of the caudal fin. 

 Andes of Western Ecuador. 



a-d. Adult (46 lines long) and half-grown. From Mr. Fraser's 

 Collection. 



28. CHALCINUS. 



Chalceus, Miill. Sf Trosch. Hor. Ichthyol. i. p. 15 (not Cuv.). 

 Chalciuus, Cuv. Sf Val. xxii. p. 258. 



Dorsal fin placed behind the middle of the length of the body, 

 behind the ventrals ; anal and pectoral long. Body oblong, covered 

 with scales of moderate size ; belly in front and behind the ventrals 

 trenchant. Cleft of the mouth of moderate width ; teeth in both 

 jaws multicuspid ; those of the intermaxillary in two series ; max- 

 illaiy with only a few rudimentaiy teeth near its articulation ; man- 

 dible with a complete series of multicuspid teeth in front, and with 

 small conical ones on the side ; a pair of conical teeth in the middle 

 behind the front series. Gill-opening very wide, the gill-membranes 

 being separate ; gill-rakers setiform. Intestinal canal with a single 

 circumvolution. 



Brazil, Guianas. 



1. Chalcinus nematiirus. 



? Chalceus angulatus, Spix, Pise. Bras. p. 07. tab. o4. 

 Chalcinus nematuriis, Kner, Denkschr. Acad. Wiss. Wien, 1860, xviii. 

 p. 13. taf. 1. fig. 1 (not synon.). 



D. 11. A. 32-34. V. 6. L. lat. 34-36. L. transv. ~. 



The height of the body is one-third of the total length (without 

 caudal) , the length of the head two-ninths ; operculum twice as high 

 as long*, reaching the vertical from the axil of the pectoral ; the 

 scales in the thoracic region are the largest. The distance of the 

 origin of the dorsal fin from the root of the caudal is contained once 

 and one-third in its distance from the extremity of the snout. Pec- 

 toral one-half longer than the head. The middle caudal rays are 

 somewhat produced (in mature specimens). Silvery, iridescent; an 

 irregular blackish blotch on the temple. (Kner.) 



Brazil. 



Kner thinks that this species may be identical with Ch. miiUerii, 

 Fil., or Ch. trifurcatus, Casteln., both these authors having rhstin- 



* According to the description ; it is represented lower in the figure. 



