30 FISHES FROM BRAZIL 



The anal has 14 rays, counting two in front of the longest ray. It is deeply 

 emarginate, and its longest anterior rays reach past the tips of the last ones. 

 The ventrals are situated a little less than the length of the head in front of 

 the anal, and reach three-fourths of the distance to the anal. The caudal 

 is widely forked, and its lower lobe is a trifle the longer. Its longest rays 

 slightly exceed the length of the head. 



The ground color is slaty-brown on the back, grading downward to 

 soiled white on the lower parts. On the upper part of the side two more 

 or less definite rows of dark brown spots wdth blended edges, their diameter 

 about half that of the eye. The top of the head is brown, with a conspicuous 

 white spot over the fontanel. The tip of the snout has a deep blue spot 

 almost the exact color of modern blue-black writing ink. The fins and 

 hxmieral processes are deep orange-yellow, more intense on the caudal. 

 Counting from the middle of the caudal fin downward the sixth to the 

 eighth rays are abruptly black. 



Three specimens were collected at Para, from 9 to 12 inches in entire 

 length. 



97. Sorubim lima (Bloch and Schneider). 



A single specimen, 10 inches long, was collected by Dr. Baker and Mr. 

 Mann in the Madeira River about 400 miles above its mouth. 



The plates on the head are finely striate, granulate, and separated by 

 well-marked sutures. The anterior half of the occipital plate is bounded 

 laterally by parietal and temporal plates. Its granulated surface does not 

 reach to the dorsal plate, but below the thin membrane that covers it it 

 extends to, and joins, the dorsal plate. The dorsal plate is spearhead- 

 shaped, with its point forward. The fontanel is open from the middle of 

 the eye to within a diameter of the eye of the occipital plate, and anteriorly 

 is represented as a groove to in front of the eye. A membraneous groove 

 in the middle of the occipital plate appears like a second fontanel, but it 

 does not pierce the bone. 



98. Platystomatichthys sturio Kner. 



Several specimens w^ere collected at Para, the longest 14 inches in 

 length. They show some variation from Dr. Eigenmann's description. The 

 projection of the snout beyond the lower jaw is contained from 2^^ to 2^^ 

 in the length of the head. The eye is contained from lO^^ to 12^^ times 

 in the same distance. In none of them are the palatine teeth as far remote 

 from the vomerine, as described and figured by Dr. Eigemiiann. Usually 

 the palatine teeth are almost in contact with the vomerine teeth, there being 



