THE CHARACIDAE. 17 



THE CHARACIDAE. 



<Dermopteres Dumeril, Zool. analytique, 180(3, p. 146. 



<Salmonidi Rafinesqite, Indice littiol. Siciliana, 1810, p. 32. 



<Dcrmopteria Rafinesque, Analyse nature, 1815, p. 87. 



= Charadni Muller, Archiv. nat., 1813, 1, p. 323. 



= Characinidae Muller, Monatsb. Acad. wiss. Berlin 1842. 



= Characins (Characidae) Agassiz, Rept. Brit, assos. adv. sci., 1814, p. 293. 



X Characins Valenciennes, Hist. nat. poissons, 1848, 21, p. 159. 



< Characina Vogt, Zool. briefe, 1851, 2, p. 150. 



= Characinidae Richardson, Encycl. Brit., 1856, ed. 8, 12, p. 245. 



X Characinoidei Bleeker, Enura. sp. piscium Arohip. Indico, 1859, p. 31. 



= Characinidae Gunther, Cat. fishes Brit, mus., 1861, 5, p. 278. 



= Characinidae Cope, Proc. Amer. assoc. adv. sci., 1872, p. 333. 



= Characinidae Gill, Arrang. fam. fishes, 1872, p. 16. 



= Citharini Fitzinger, Sitzungsb. Akad. wiss., Wien, 1878, 77, p. 37. 



= Characinida Schmarda, Zool., 1878, 2, p. 377. 



= Characinidae Jordan and Gilbert, Synop. fishes N. Amer., 1882, p. 254. 



> Characidae Gill, Mem. Nat. acad. sci., 1893, 6, p. 131. Proc. U. S. N. M., 1895, 18, p. 206. 



= Characinidae Boulenger, Poissons bassin Congo, 1901, p. 132. Cambridge natural history. Fishes 



1904, p. 575. Cat. freshwater fishes Africa, 1909, 1, p. 174. 

 = Characidae Eigenmann, Rept. Princeton univ. exped. Patagonia, 1909, 3, p. 252; 1910, p. 420. 

 = Characiformes Regan, Ann. mag. nat. hist., 1911, ser. 8, 8, p. 15. 



> Characidae Regan, hoc. cit. 



< Erythroiiles Valenciennes, Hist. nat. poissons, 1S46, 19, p. 480. 

 = Erythrinidae Richardson, Encycl. Brit., 1856, ed. 8, 12, p. 250. 



> Erythrinoidei Bleeker, Enum. sp. piscium Archipel. Indico, 1859, p. 31. 



> Erythrinidae Gill, Ann. Lye. nat. hist. N. Y., 1858, 6, p. 410. Mem. Nat. acad. sci., 1893, 6, p. 131. 



Proc. U. S. N. M., 1895, 18, p. 206. 



> Erythrinidae Cope, Proc. Amer. assoc. adv. sci., 1872, p. 333. 



> Erylhrini Fitzinger, Sitzungsb. Akad. wiss. Wien, 1873, 67, abth., p. 37. 



> Myletidae Adams, Man. nat. hist., 1854, p. 108. 



> Gastropelecidae Regan, Ann. mag. nat. hist. 1911, ser. 8, 8, p. 19. 



> Xiphostomatidae Regan, hoc. cit., p. 20. 



> Anastomidae Regan, hoc. cit., p. 20. 



> Hemiodontidae Regan, hoc. cit., p. 21. 



> Citharinidae Regan, hoc. cit., p. 21 . 



Zoological Position. 



The Characins are a family of Ostariophysi which, with the other families 

 of this superorder, are now at their prime. They are the dominant family of 

 fresh-water fishes in Tropical America and they play a prominent role in Africa. 



The Ostariophysi, which include most of the fresh-water fishes of the world, 

 are distinguished from all other fishes by the peculiar arrangment of a series of 



