2. ERYTHBINC8. 283 



4. Macrodon aimara. 



? Erythrinus macrodon, in Schomb. Fish. Brit. Guiana, i. p. 254. pi. 27 



(very bad). 

 Macrodon aimara, Cuv. fy Val. xix. p. 523. pi. 586. 



D. 15. A. 11. V. 9. 



Canine teeth very large. {Vol.) 

 Cayenne. 



2. ERYTHRINUS*. 



Erythrinus, Gronov. Mus. Ichthyol. p. 6; Mull. 8f Trosch. Hor. Ichthyol. 

 lii. p. 5. 



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

 adipose fin none; anal rather short; ventrals below the dorsal. 

 Body oblong, covered with large scales ; head longish, with the cleft 

 of the mouth wide. Cheeks covered with the enlarged infraorbital 

 bones ; supratemporal plate double. Both jaws armed with a single 

 series of conical teeth, some being enlarged. A band of villiform 

 teeth on the palatine, and sometimes on the pterygoid bones ; no 

 detached anterior group of teeth ; vomer toothless. Anterior part 

 of the hinder air-bladder cellular. 



Tropical America. 



I have frequently observed the absence of one or two fins in species 

 of this genus ; sometimes the anal, sometimes one of the ventrals, 

 sometimes a part of the dorsal fin is wanting ; such fishes are evi- 

 dently monstrosities, and had not lost those fins by accident. 



The species may be divided thus : — 



* Pterygoid teeth present : Erythrinus. 

 ** Pterygoid teeth absent : Heter erythrinus. 



* Pterygoid teeth present. 



1. Erythrinus unitseniatus. 



Erythrinus unitseniatus, Spix, Pise. Bras. p. 42. tab. 19 ; Mull, fy Trosch. 



Jfor. Ichthyol. iii. tab. 3. fig. 1 (teeth) ; Cuv. 8f Val. xix. p. 486. 

 vittatus, Cuv. 8f Val. xix. p. 499. pi. 585 (not good). 



D. 11. A. 11. V. 8. L. lat. 33. Vert. 23/12. 

 The band of palatine teeth is nearly as broad as the maxillary 

 bone ; pterygoid teeth present, forming a band which is shorter than, 

 but as broad as, that of the palatine bones. The length of the head 

 is more thi.n one-fourth of the total (without caudal) ; caudal fin 

 nearly as long as the head without snout. The depth of the free 

 portion of the tail is one-half of the length of the head. Posterior 

 dorsal rays not prolonged ; the ventral does not extend beyond, if at 

 all to, Hhe vent. A black ocellus edged in front with silvery, on the 



* 1. Maturaque, Marcgr. p. 169 ; Synodus palustris, Bl. Sckn. p. 398. — Brazil. 

 2. Erythrinus cinereus, Gill, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. New York, 1858, \i. 

 p. 413.— Trinidad. 



