FISHES — CYPRINIDAE — ALBURNELLUS DILECTUS 



259 



ALBURNELLUS, Girard. 



Gen. Char. — Body slender and compressed, covered with large, more or less deciduous, scales, which are deeper than long 

 and posteriorly furrowed. Gape of the mouth oblique; jaws sub-equal, lowei one slightly protracted beyond the upper, which 

 is not emarginated. Isthmus narrow. Dorsal fin higher than long. Ventrals inserted in advance of the dorsal. Caudal fin 

 deeply furcated. The pharyngeal bones are slender, expanded upon their convexity, the upper limb bent inwards and downwards, 

 and the inferior limb rather exiguous and shorter than the upper. The teeth themselves are slender and compressed, more or 

 less hooked, of the raptatorial kind, and disposed upon a double row of two and four, thus : 2 | 4 — 4 | 2. 



Sys. —Albumellus, Grd. in Proc Acad. Nat. Sc Philad. VIII, 1856, 193. 



This genus differs from Alburnus, to which it is closely allied, hy the lower jaw being less 

 protracted, requiring no emargination of the upper one to fit its apex. Moreover, the main row 

 of pharyngeal teeth is composed of four teeth instead of five. ^ 



1. ALBURNELLUS DILECTUS, Grd. 

 Plate LVII, Figs. 9—12. 



Spec. Char. — Head forming a little more than the sixth of the total length. Posterior extremity of maxillar bone reaching 

 a vertical line drawn at the anterior rim of the orbit. Diameter of eye entering three times in the length of the side of the 

 head. Anterior margin of dorsal fin somewhat nearer the fork of the caudal than the extremity of the snout. Insertion of 

 ventrals nearer the extremity of the snout than the base of the caudal fin. Pectorals slender, though far from reaching the 

 insertion of the ventrals. Reddish yellow, with a lateral silvery streak. 



Sys.— Alburnus dilectus, Grd in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. VUI, 1856, 193. 



The largest specimens observed are about three inches and a half in total length ; the head 

 forming a little more than the sixth part of it. The greatest depth is nearly equal to the length 

 of the head. The diameter of the circular eye is contained about three times in the length of 

 the side of the head, and less than once in advance of its anterior rim. There are ten longi- 

 tudinal rows of scales between the insertion of the ventrals and the base of the dorsal ; they are 

 anteriorly subtruncated, rounded, and tapering posteriorly. The lateral line runs along the 

 fourth row from the ventrals upwards. 



D 2, 8 + 1 ; A 2, 11 + 1 ; C 8, 1, 9, 8, 1, 7 ; V 1, 8 ; P 14. 



The anal fin is as long as deep, and a good deal longer than the dorsal ; its origin is nearly 

 opposite the jjosterior margin of the dorsal. The tips of the ventrals approximate the vent 

 without overlaping it. 



The ground color is uniformly reddish yellow, lighter beneath than above ; a silvery streak 

 may be observed along the middle of the flanks. The fins are light yellowish ; the rays of the 

 dorsal and caudal being tinged with greyish. 



Bf/erences to the figures. — Plate LVII, fig. 9, represents Alburnellus dilectus, size of life. 

 Fig. 10 is a scale from the dorsal region. Fig. 11, a scale from the lateral line. Fig. 12, a 

 scale from the abdominal region. 



List of specimens. 



