214 



THE AMERICAN CHARACIDAE. 



31. Hyphessobrycon bifasciatus Ellis. 



Plate 30, figs. 2, 3. 



Hyphessobrycon bifascialus Ellis, Ann. Carnegie mus., 1911, 8, p. 156, pi. 2, fig. 4; pi. 3, fig. 1. 



Habitat. — Southeastern Brazil. 



Specimens examined. 



Head 3.8; depth 2.5; D. 11; A. 29-32; scales 6 or 7-33 to 36-5 or 6; eye 

 2.3 to 2.5 in the head; interorbital almost equals the eye, 2.8 in the head. 



Compressed. Depth of the head at the base of occipital process 1.67 in 

 the greatest depth. Preventral and predorsal regions rounded, without complete 

 series of median scales. 



Occipital process about 5 in the distance from its base to the dorsal. Inter- 

 orbital slightly convex. Frontal fontanel triangular, as wide as the parietal 

 and four fifths as long as the parietal without the occipital groove. Second 

 suborbital leaving a naked margin, equal to half its own width, behind and 

 below. Maxillary not quite equal to the eye, a Uttle more than 3 in the head. 

 Mandible equal to the eye. Mouth moderate, snout .5 in the eye. Premaxil- 

 lary with three or four narrow, tricuspid or broadly conical teeth in the outer 

 row, and four or five 5- to 7-pointed teeth in the inner row. Maxillary with 

 one 3- or 5-pointed tooth of medium size. Dentary with a weakly graduated 

 series of four, sometimes five 5- to 7-pointed teeth followed by two or three 

 quite small ones on the sides. 



Gill-rakers 6 + 10. 



Scales on the ventral half of the sides face a little obliquely backwards 

 and downwards, especially in the region directly over the base of the anal where 

 they are often more or less crowded. A small scale interpolated at the base 



