414 Synopsis of the Fresh Water Fishes, ' 



Family. 

 Characlnid.e, Muller. 



Sub-family. 

 Tetragonopterin^e, Gill. 



Genus. 



POECILURICHTHYS, GlLL. 



Body oval, compressed, and with the abdomen rounded, the 

 whole covered by moderate scales. 



Head with the profile triangular ; cheeks covered entirely 

 by the large third suborbital plate. 



Mouth moderate, with the gape elliptical; lower jaw shorter 

 than the upper. The intermaxillaries form the upper part of 

 the arch of the upper jaw, and are immovable. 



Teeth in two rows on the intermaxillaries, and in one row on 

 the dentaries; they are wide, compressed, increasing to the 

 crowns, which are multicuspid, with the middle cusp largest ; 

 the teeth of the maxillaries, when any are present, are very 

 small and conical. Palatine, vomer, and tongue smooth. 



Opercula with the margins rounded. 



Nasal apertures near the superior and anterior margin of the 

 eyes. 



^ Lateral line with the anterior portion deflected for a short 

 distance, and then continued in a straight line along the flanks, 

 sometimes to the caudal fin, and at other times abruptly termi- 

 nated near the middle. 



Dorsal nearly in the middle of the body, short, and higher 

 than long. The adipose dorsal is near the region above the pos- 

 terior portion of the anal. 



Anal long, moderately high, declining towards the posterior 

 end. 



