340 characinid^:. 



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 without 

 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-arown. From Mr. Fraser's 

 Collection. 



28. CHALCINTJS. 



Chalceus, Mull. Sf Trosch. Hvr. Ickthyol. i. p. 16 (not Cm.) 

 Chalcinus, Ouv. $• Vol. 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- 

 illary with only a few rudimentary 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 nematurus. 



? Chalceus angulatus, Spix, Pise. Bras. p. 67. tab. 34. 

 Chalcinus nematurus, Kner, Denkschr. Acad: Wiss. Wien, 1860, xviii. 

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



D. 11. A. 32-34. Y. 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. mullerii, 

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



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



