Family XI. Pceciliid^e. 141 



58. Skiffia Meek. 



Skiffia Meek, Field Col. Mus. Pub. 65, 1902, 102. (Type, Skiffia 

 lerm® Meek.) 



Body compressed, deep ; dorsal fin in advance of the anal, its middle 

 over anal; teeth loose, outer series large, bicuspid, followed by a band 

 of small villiform teeth; alimentary canal elongate, its length 2 to 3^ 

 times the length of the body; peritoneum black; gill rakers long, 

 rather stiff, about 20 on the first arch; vertebrae about 16 + 18=34; 

 anal fin of male with its first 5 or 6 rays short and stiff, and separated 

 from the rest of the fin by a shallow notch ; dorsal fin of male higher 

 than that of female. 



A group of small fishes with much compressed bodies. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF SKIFFIA. 

 a. A black bar at base of caudal (inconspicuous page 



in some males of lermce, which have a uniform 

 coloration and a very dark head). 



b. Body light olivaceous in females; a dark spot 

 on hinder margin of each scale on upper half 

 of the body, these spots forming lines along 

 the rows of scales; dorsal fin usually black, 

 margined with yellow; D. 16; A. 15; scales 



12—33 multipunctata 141 



bb. Body light olivaceous in females, mottled 

 with dark, nearly plain on lower half of body; 

 males nearly plain; head usually quite dark; 



D. 13; A. 14; scales 14-37 lermce 142 



aa. No black bar at base of caudal. 



c. Body much variegated ; no dark lateral band ; 

 D. 14 or 15; A. 13 or 14; scales 13-34; ali- 

 mentary canal 3 times total length of the 



body variegata 143 



cc. Color uniform with a dark lateral band bi- 

 furcated on the anterior third of body; D. 

 16; A. 16; scales 11-32; alimentary canal 2 

 to 2^ times total length of body; origin of 

 dorsal fin midway between base of caudal 

 and nape bilineata 144 



131. Skiffia multipunctata (Pellegrin). 



Xenendum multipunctatum Pellegrin, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, 



1901, 205; Estado de Jalisco. 

 Skiffia multipunctata Meek, Field Col. Mus. Pub. 65, 1902, 103; 



Ocotlan. 



