264 Field Museum of Natural History — Zoology, Vol. X. 



barbels; a naked area along ventral surface; adipose fin with a spine; 

 ventral fins inserted below or anterior to the dorsal fin; dorsal spine low; 

 pectoral spine serrate on its inner margin, its surface covered with 

 bristles. 



19. Hoplosternum punctatum sp. nov. 



?Callichthys {Hoplosternum) thoracaius (non Cuvier & Valenciennes) 



Steindachner, Denkschr. K. Ak. Wiss. Wien, XLI, 1880, 66 (Cauca, 



near Caceres). 



Type No. 8943, F. M. N. H.; length no mm.; Rio Marte Amade, 

 six miles east of Panama City. 



Head 2.96 to 3.26; depth 3.1 to 3.54; D. I, 7 or 8; A. I, 6; lateral 

 scutes, 25 above lateral line and 23 or 24 below it. 



Body rather robust; dorsal region moderately elevated; anterior 

 profile straight or gently convex ; head broader than deep ; snout obtuse, 

 its length 2.2 to 2.36 in head; eye lateral, 7.45 to 8; interorbital 1.6 to 

 1.67; mouth subterminal, rather small, its width less than length of 

 snout; barbels varying in length, the longest reaching from lower third 

 to opposite distal third of pectoral spine; the lower lip with 2 fleshy 

 lobes; fontanel elongate in young, oval to nearly circular in adult; 

 occipital failing to reach fontanel; the scutes without carinations; 5 

 or 6 azygous plates in front of adipose spine; coracoids close together 

 anteriorly, or overlapping in the male, separated posteriorly by a 

 V-shaped naked area; distance between pectorals equal to or slightly 

 shorter than length of coracoid plates; dorsal fin inserted notably 

 nearer tip of snout than adipose; dorsal spine about equal to length of 

 snout; adipose with a rather strong spine, the membrane adnate to the 

 back; caudal fin with concave margin, but not as deep as in H. magda- 

 lencB; anal fin small, its origin by 2 scutes in advance of adipose; ventral 

 fins about as long as snout and eye, a naked area between them, extend- 

 ing back to vent; pectoral fins failing to reach base of ventrals except 

 in young, the spine with serrations on the back side, its length 1.56 to 

 1.73 in head. 



Color brownish black above, somewhat paler below. Entire body, 

 except upper surface of head and dorsal region, with small, roundish 

 black spots. These spots are also present on the rays of the dorsal and 

 caudal fins. Base of caudal with a black bar, followed by a yellowish bar. 



Of this species we have 4 specimens, ranging in length from 85 to no 

 mm. The largest we designate as the type. These were taken in the 

 Rio Marte Arnade, a small coastal stream about 6 miles east of Panama. 

 This is the only place where this fish was seen. Our specimens were 

 taken during April, 191 1. During March the following year this stream 



