LEP1D0STERNONS. 73 



Fam. III. Lepidosternons, (Lepidosternid^e). 



Teeth fixed on the inner side of the jaws, conical, simple and 

 pointed. Nostrils lateral, small, inferior, in a rostro-nasal plate. 

 Chest covered with larger and differently shaped shields from the 

 rest of the hody. Limbs none. Preanal pores none. Tail short, 

 truncated. Body with an impressed dorsal, ventral and lateral 

 line, the latter the widest. 



Synopsis of the Genera. 



I. Lepidosternon. Head-plates 10 or 12. 

 "2. Cephalopeltis. Head-plates 2, very large. 



1. Lepidosternon, Wagler. 



Head triangular, convex, covered with 10 or 12 shields. Chest 

 with many plates of a different shape from those of the hody. Tail 

 cylindrical, truncated. 



The Small-headed Lepidosternon. Lepidosternon micro- 

 ceplialum, Wagler. Spix, Braz. 70, L 26. Wagler, Icon. t. 16,/. 1. 

 Muller. Tiedem. Mag. Phys. iv. t. 22, f. 4. Dum. et Bib. E. G. v. 

 505. Amphisbama punctata, Nieuweid, Abbild. t L. Max- 



imilianum, Weigmann. 



Yellow, hack brown-spotted ; head with 10 head-shields; chest 

 with 10 long narrow shields ; preanal shields 6 ; tail with 10 or 

 12 rings. 



Inhabits Brazils. Mus. Munich. 



The Dolphin-headed Lepidosternon. Lepidosternon pho- 

 caena, Dum. et Bib. E. G. v. 507. 



Whitish, back brown-spotted ; head with 12 shields ; chest 

 with numerous small rhombic shields ; tail with 10 rings. 



Inhab. Buenos Ayres. Mus. Paris. 



2. Cephalopeltis, Muller. 



Head covered with 2 large hood-like plates; chest covered with 

 large shields ; tail cylindrical, truncated. 



The Cephalopeltis. Cephalopeltis scutigera. Cephalo- 

 peltis Cuvieri, Muller, Zeitsch. Physiol, iv. 253, t. 21, /. 6,7; t. 

 22, f. 5. Amphisb. scutigera, Hemp. Berlin Gesellsch. 1820, 129. 

 Dum.et Bib. E. G. v. 509. Lepidosternon Hemprichii, Weigm. 



Whitish, brown-spotted ; chest with 8 or 10 large shields ; tail 

 with 14 or 15 rings. 

 ■i. Adult, b Younger, in spirits. Brazils. From Dr. Gardner's 



collection. 



