776 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. xxx. 



24. TETRAGONOPTERUS FESTiE Boulenger. 



A dozen specimens collected at Mirador, Ecuador, the lon^-est the 

 same length as Boulenger's type, 65 mm. These differ from the origi- 

 nal description in having- a smaller e3'e as compared with the snout 

 and head, a smaller average number of scales, and the lateral spots 

 always conspicuous. Mr. C. Tate Regan has kindly compared one of 

 these specimens with the typical specimens in tlie British Museum and 

 has pronounced them to be identical. 



Head, 4 to 4i in length to base of caudal; depth, 2^ to 8. Eye, 3 to 

 3| in head; snout, 4 to 4i; height of dorsal 1; height of front of anal, 

 1^; pectoral, 1^. Dorsal, 10 or 11; anal, 34 or 35. Scales, 41 to 44; 

 8 series above lateral line and 8 or 9 below. 



Body compressed and rather deep, somewhat angulated in front of 

 dorsal; ventral outline forming a more even curve than that of dorsal; 

 only the larger specimens concave at nape. Breast transverselj^ 

 rounded in front of ventrals. Snout blunt; jaws equal, or the lower 

 a little shorter. Teeth rather large, 4 on each side of lower jaw. 

 Maxillary smooth on its anterior edge; scarcely reaching to anterior 

 border of eye, but extending down nearl}' to opposite lower border or 

 eye. Gill rakers slender; the longest one-third of eye; 10 to 12 on 

 lower part of arch. 



Origin of dorsal midway between base of caudal and anterior boi'der 

 of eye. Tip of dorsal when depressed reaching to a point midwa^^ 

 between base of last dorsal ray and base of auxilliary caudal ra3's. 

 Front of anal under middle of dorsal; last anal ray extending a little 

 past adipose dorsal. Posterior outline of anal shallowl}^ concave. 

 Pectoral reaching past base of ventral a distance equal to three-fourths 

 diameter of eye. Ventrals barely reaching front of anal. 



Color dusky above, darker on top of head, sides and lower parts 

 pale. A dark lateral band running from upper part of gill opening 

 to base of median caudal rays, where it terminates in an expanded 

 darker blotch, with sometimes a second, smaller, less conspicuous, 

 blotch behind it on base of median caudal rays. The lateral band 

 grows darker posteriorly and is bordered below by a very tine dark 

 line. Traces remain of a narrow silvery lateral band directl}" below 

 the dark band, Crossing the lateral band anteriorly are 2 large, con- 

 spicuous, elliptical, or sometimes crescent-shnped spots, extending 

 obliquely downward and forward; the posterior one above the tip of 

 the pectoral, the other a little posterior to the base of the pectoral. A 

 few pigment dots on posterior parts of dorsal, anal, and caudal; fins 

 otherwise colorless. 



In the original description the e,ye, is said to be twice the length of 

 the snout, and contained 2^ to 2| times in the head. The scales in 

 the lateral line number from 44 to 47. The color as follows: Une 



