48 THE CYPRINODONTS. 



on the female, or the base of the anal on the male. Caudal deep, as long as 

 the head, slightly convex. Scales large. Intestine long. 



Olivaceous to brownish ; back, top of head, and edges of scales darker ; 

 belly lighter to silvery ; cheeks silvery toward the throat. A blotch of 

 dark on the hindmost anal rays in both sexes. A transverse band of brown 

 or brownish near the base of the doi'sal, sometimes absent, or lost on very 

 dark fins. Anal of male with lower edge blackish. In cases a light band 

 across the dorsal separates two dark ones. Caudal and other fins clouded, 

 apparently tipped with light color. Some individuals are very dark. The 

 young have faint bars or vertical blotches on the flanks. Females of two and 

 three quarters, and males of one and three quarters inches. 



Cuba. 



PLATYPCECILUS. 



Platypoecihis Gth., 1866, Cat., VI, 350. 



" Cleft of the mouth small, transverse, mandible very short, with the bones 

 not united, the dentary being movable. Snout not produced. Both jaws 

 with a single series of small, pointed teeth. Scales rather large. Origin of 

 the anal fin behind that of the dorsal. Sexes differentiated ? Intestinal 

 tract with numerous convolutions. Mud eating. Central America. Although 

 we know only the female of this fish we conclude, from its close affinity to 

 Poecilia and Mollienisia, that the anal fin of the male is similarly modified." 



Platypcecilus maculatus. 



Flatypcecilws maculatus Gth., 1866, Cat., VI, 350 ; Eig., 1893, P. U. S. Mus., XVI, 57. 

 PlatypmcUus mentalis Gill, 1876, P. Phil. Ac, 335. 



D. 10 ; A. 9 ; V. 6 ; LI. 25 ; Ltr. 8. 



" Body much compressed and elevated, its greatest depth being below the 

 origin of the dorsal fin, and contained twice and one third in the total (with- 

 out caudal). Head less compressed than the body, the width of the interor- 

 bital space being nearly two thirds of the length of the head, which is two 

 sevenths of the total (without caudal). The diameter of the eye is more than 

 the length of the snout, and one third of the length of the head. The dorsal 

 fin is rather large, longer than high, and its origin is a little nearer to the 

 root of the caudal than to the extremity of the snout. Anal small, its origin 

 being opposite to the middle of the dorsal. Caudal rounded ; the free por- 



