222 THE AMERICAN CHARACIDAE. 



Compressed. Depth of head at the base of the occipital process 1.2 in the 

 greatest depth. Preventral region rounded. Predorsal region rounded, with- 

 out a regular series of median scales. 



Occipital process a httle more than 5 in the distance from its base to the 

 dorsal. Interorbital nearly flat. Frontal fontanels triangular, as wide as the 

 parietal, and two thirds as long as the parietal without the occipital groove. 

 Second suborbital with a wide naked margin behind and below. Mouth large; 

 snout pointed rather short. Maxillary equal to the eye. Mandible longer 

 than the eye, 2.4 in the head. Premaxillary with five tricuspid and conical 

 teeth in the inner row and three conical teeth in the outer row. Maxillary with 

 two conical teeth. Dentary with five or six tricuspid teeth, followed by three 

 to six very small conical ones on the sides. 



Gill-rakers 6+9. 



Scales cycloid, striae crooked, more numerous near the sides of the free 

 margin of the scale, variable in number (18+). Caudal naked. No anal 

 sheath extending over the rays of the fin, but a series or part of a series of small 

 scales along the base of the anal. Lateral line with pores developed on about 

 6 scales. 



Origin of the dorsal the length of the eye nearer to the caudal than to the 

 snout, its longest ray about 4.5 in the length. Caudal probably about 1.33 

 in the head. Origin of the anal on the vertical from the ninth dorsal ray. Anal 

 truncate. Ventrals on the vertical from the first dorsal ray, very short, just 

 reaching the second scale in front of the anal. Pectorals archaic. Adipose 

 lacking. 



No humeral spots. A faint caudal spot not continued on the rays. Lateral 

 stripe very faint. Dorsal, caudal, and ventrals uniformly dusky; distal half of 

 anal dusky. All the scales, excepting those in the preventral region outlined 

 with dusky; much darker along the back; silvery except along the back. 



2. Hasemania melanura ElUs. 

 Plate 31, fig. 2. 



Hasemania melanura Ellis, Ann. Carnegie mus., 1911, 8, p. 149, pi. 1, fig. 2. 



Habitat. — Rio Iguassii, southeastern Brazil. 



Specimens examined. 



Catalogue Number of 



number specimens 



3002 C. Tj-pe 1 



3003 C. Paratj-pes 49 



