144 



Field Columbian Museum — Zoology, Vol. V. 



134. Skiff ia bilineata (Bean). 



Characodon bilineatus Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1887, 371, pi. 



20, fig. 2; Rio Lerma, Guanajuato: Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 



47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1896, 668. 

 Skifjia bilineatus Meek, Field Col. Mus. Pub. 65, 1902; Huingo. 

 Basin of the Rio Lerma. 



FlG. 45. SKIFFIA BILINEATAfBean.) 

 No. 37832, U. S. National Museum. 



Head 37^; depth 3; D. 16; A. 16; scales 11-32. Body robust, 

 dorsal region somewhat elevated; head broad, depressed; interorbital 

 space nearly flat, 2 in head; snout short; outer series of teeth bicuspid, 

 loose, but less so than in other species of the genus; origin of dorsal 

 fin in advance of anal, midway between base of caudal and the nape; 

 opercle connected by a membrane to the shoulder; pectoral fin ij^in 

 head; ventral 2 ; alimentary canal elongate, slightly less than 2% times 

 the total length of the body; peritoneum black. 



Color brown above, lighter below; a dark lateral band divided on 

 anterior third of body, the posterior half more or less broken into 12 

 to 15 short, irregular bars, a few extending almost to dorsal fin; the 

 upper half of the body with a few fine punctulations. Length about 

 1.60 inches. 



A female 1.50 inches in length contained 27 young, white and very 

 slender, each being .32 inch in length. The young of this species are 

 evidently born the last of May and early in June. 



Subfamily Poeciliinse. 

 59. Platypoecilus Giinther. 



Platypcecilus Giinther, Cat., vi, 350, 1866. (Type, Platypoecilus 



maculatus Giinther.) 

 Body deep, compressed; dorsal fin slightly in advance of anal; 

 teeth loose, movable, in a single series in each jaw; alimentary canal 



