312 CHROMIDES. 



small ; proeorbital as wide as the orbit. Scales on the cheek in four 

 or five series ; caudal emarginate. A black lateral spot ; a dark band 

 descends from the occiput, through the eye, to the angle of the prae- 

 operculum. Fins uniform. {Heck.) 

 Rio Negro. Rio Guapore. 



2. Mesops taeniatus. 



D. ^. A. |. L. lat. 23. L. transv. 9. 



Fold of the lower lip continuous in the middle. Praeorbital much 

 narrower than the orbit. Scales on the cheek in three series. 

 River Cuj^ai. 



a. Twenty-seven lines long. River Cupai (800 miles from the sea). 

 From Mr. Bates's Collection. 



Descri2')tion of the specimen. — The height of the body equals the 

 length of the head, and is one-third of the total. Head longer than 

 high ; snout short, obtuse, as long as the eye, the diameter of which 

 is two-sevenths of the length of the head and equals the width of 

 the interorbital space. Cleft of the mouth oblique, with the lower 

 jaw slightly prominent, and with the maxUlary extending to below 

 the front margin of the eye. Prasorbital much narrower than the 

 orbit ; eye situated in the anterior half of the length of the head, 

 immediately below the upper profile. Dorsal spines slender, the 

 length of the twelfth being nearly two-thirds of that of the head. 

 The soft dorsal and anal extend to the middle of the caudal, if laid 

 backwards. Caudal rounded. The pectoral and ventral reach beyond 

 the origin of the anal. 



Brownish, with a black band running along the middle of the side 

 and terminating in a black caudal spot ; an oblique black band from 

 the eye to the angle of the prae- and inter-operculxim ; a short black 

 streak in front of the eye. 



16. SATANOPERCA. 



Geophagiis, sp., Heckel. 

 Body compressed, oblong, covered with ctenoid scales of moderate 

 size ; eye more remote from the extremity of the snout than from 

 that of the opercle ; praeorbital elevated. Dorsal spines numerous, 

 anal spines three ; base of the soft dorsal naked. Structui-e of the 

 branchial arches as in Geophar/us. Cleft of the mouth of moderate 

 width ; teeth in a narrow band, very small. Scales on the cheek 

 small, in more than five series. 

 Brazil (Peru). 



1. Satanoperca acuticeps. 

 Geophagus acuticeps, Heckel, Brasil. Flma-Fische, p. 394. 

 D. l-^. A. y. L. lat. 27. L. transv. J|. 

 Fold of the lower lip continuous in the middle. The greater por- 



