x\ II. DKscRirnuxs ur somic m:w sim:cii:s of fishes 



AND MISCELLANEOUS NOTES ON OTHERS OBTAINED 



DURING THE EXPEDITION OF THE CARNEGIE 



MUSEUM TO CENTRAL SOUTH AMERICA. 



By John D. II ashman.* 



Some of the species of the Fygidiidcc called "Candiru" are said 

 to live as parasites in the branchial cavities of the larger siluroids. 

 In fact they attach themselves to any kind of fish or animal, including 

 man. By means of suction, for which their mouths are adai)ted, they 

 fasten themselves to their victim, and then painlessly cut the skin, 

 and gorge themselves upon its blood. The fishes brought into the 

 market at Manaos often show many wounds inflicted by the Candirus. 

 Below the first fall in the Madeira River it is difficult to take a catfish 

 which luis not been bitten several times by the Candirus. In a 

 creek called Igarape Irura, near Santarem, I collected four hundred 

 specimens of Candirus (Stegophilus) buried in the sand. They are 

 minute and could be seen by the millions in this locality, where the 

 water was too shallow to permit the presence of large fishes of any 

 kind. The fishes belonging to the genus VandeUia, as well as to other 

 genera of the PygidiidcB, lie buried in sand-bars, and I have often seen 

 them when disturbed rise like a flash and bury themselves again in 

 an instant, leaving a small round hole where they re-entered the sand. 



Geophagus hrasiliensis and sur in amen sis have been found in brackish 

 water. I saw one individual of G. hrasiliensis taken from the sea near 

 Santos. Near Iguape I put specimens of Acestrorhynchus hepsetus, 

 Geophagus hrasiliensis, Astyanax rutilus, Iloplias nialaharicus, and 

 Poecilia vivipara into sea-water. Naturally the pcecilids were not 

 affected. They normally live in both salt and fresh water. Acestro- 

 rhynchus and Hoplias died in a short time. Astyanax rutilus lived 

 for about an hour. G. hrasiliensis was at first somewhat restless and 



'This is the third paper relating to the Expedition of the Carnegie Museum 

 to Central South America. 



315 



