34 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



cess. Entire upper and anterior portion of the head 

 very porous. 



Eye l-lf in snout, l|-2 in the interorbital, 4i-6 in 

 the head. 



Maxillary barbels reaching to beyond origin of the 

 anal; mental barbels reaching hardly to the gill-open- 

 ing. Upper jaw slightly projecting, teeth all very fine, 

 villiform; the intermaxillary band shallowest in the 

 middle, becoming twice as deep on the sides, tapering 

 to a fine point behind; teeth on the 

 vomer in two separate elliptical 

 patches; palatine teeth in a similar 

 patch on either side, much longer 

 than the vomerine patches. 



Gill-membranes united and narrowly joined to the 

 isthmus. Gill-rakers very slender, 2-}-6. 



Distance of dorsal fin from tip of snout 3| in the 

 length, the spine granular toothed in front, 11-li in 

 head, the filament reaching to the caudal, the ray fol- 

 lowing equal to the length of the head. Distance of the 

 adipose behind the dorsal fin 2^2| in the length. 

 Caudal deeply forked, about 3| in the length. 

 Base of anal 3f-4i in the length, the highest ray 2^ 

 in the base. 



Base of ventrals about equidistant between snout and 

 end of the anal fin, the ventral fin 1|-1| in the head. 



Pectoral spine 1^ in the head, the filament reaching 

 beyond the origin of the anal. 



Dark purp>lish above, gradually shading into silvery 

 below, all the fins purplish, more or less thickly covered 

 with black dots, their tips sometimes dark purple; 

 sometimes the edge of belly and lower parts of sides 

 with similar dots. 



Head 4f ; depth 4|-6; D. I, 7; A. 32-35. 

 The specimens examined are from Sao Matheos; San- 

 tos; Para; Curuca; Pernambuco; British Guiana; Bahia. 



