298 CHARACINID-E. 



9. HEMIODTJS*. 



Hemiodus, Mull. 8f Trosch. Hor. Ichthyol. ill. p. 9. 



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

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

 with 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, east of the Andes. 



1. Hemiodus notatus. 



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

 Hemiodus notatus, Cuv. fy Vol. xxii. p. 119 (pi. 638 f) ; Kner, Dmkschr. 

 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-fourths 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-b. Fine specimens. Essequibo. From Mr. Ehrhardt's Collection. 

 c. Adult. Surinam. 



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 those 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 

 five 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 upper jaw with thirty-two crenulated teeth. Eye 

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

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

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



* 1. Curimatus amazonum, Humb. Observ. Zool. ii. p. 165. pi. 45. fig. 2 (bad). — 

 Prochilodus humboldtii, Cuv. Sf Vol. 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 this species, viz. the large scales below the lateral 

 line, has been unjustifiably omitted : Kner has not perceived this ; on the con- 

 trary, he says that his specimens perfectly agree with that figure ! 



