388 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



small, in a single row along the edge of the lower jaw, wanting above. 

 Two long rictal barbels, the outer reaching the length of the eye 

 beyond the base of the pectorals; the inner reaching twice the length 

 of the eye beyond the base of the ventrals. 



Naked area of the back and entire ventral side visible from the 

 sides. Lateral plates not reaching the dorsal or anal by about half 

 the diameter of the eye. An irregular row of twelve small azygous 

 plates reaching from the adipose to the dorsal. Free edge of scutes 

 armed with two irregular rows of stout spines; smaller backward 

 directed spines scattered over the surface of the scutes near their 

 middle. 



Origin of the dorsal a little in front of the vertical from the base of 

 the ventrals. Dorsal spine very weak, base of the dorsal 1.8 in the 

 height of the longest ray, which is 3.2 in the length. Spine of the 

 adipose reaching the base of caudal. Caudal the diameter of the eye 

 longer than the head. Origin of the anal on the vertical from the 

 fifth azygous plate in front of the adipose. Anal spine very weak; 

 the longest ray reaching 1.5 diameters of the eye beyond the caudal. 

 Pectorals 1.5 in the head, reaching a little beyond the base of the 

 ventrals. Ventrals not reaching the anal by one diameter of the eye. 

 Rays of the dorsal, anal, and caudal with short stiff bristles. 



Color light gray above to dull yellowish below. Top of head gray 

 with numerous dark brown spots. An interrupted row of dark spots 

 down the lateral line. Ventral side white. Barbels and fins, espe- 

 cially the ventrals and pectorals, dusky to almost blackish. 



Genus Hoplosternum Gill. 



5. Hoplosternum littorale Handcock. 



Hoplosternum littoralis Handcock, Zoological Jour., IV, 1828, 244 (Demerara). — 

 Eigenmann and Eigenmann, Occasional Papers, Cal. Acad. Sci., 1890, 456. 



3467 C. M. One, 159 mm. San Luiz de Caceres, May 22, 1909. 

 Coll. Haseman. 



3468 C. M. One, 183 mm. Manaos. Nov. 25, 1909. Coll. Hase 

 man. 



3469 C. M. Four, 115 to 199 mm. Santarem, Dec. 6 and 7, 1909. 

 Coll. Haseman. 



One, 147 mm. Race course trenches, Georgetown, British 

 Guiana, 1910. Coll. Ellis. 



