

DOBAS. FISHES. 



others grayish. 1 foot long. Inhabits rivers of S. America. 

 Block, pi. 363. 



Gen. 63. DORAS, Lacepede. Silurus, Lin. 



Plead depressed, and covered with large and hard plates, or a 

 viscid skin ; cirri at the jaws ; two dorsal fins, the second 

 adipose; dorsal and pectoral spines strongly dentated; sides 

 covered with carinated or spinous plates. 



D. costalus, Cuv. (Cataphractus, Bloch.) Body yellowish brown, 

 deeper on the head and back ; mailed on the sides with broad 

 bony plates with a curved spine in the centre ; plate of the head 

 extending to half the dorsal fin ; cirri six, the two above long- 

 est ; first ray of the dorsal and pectoral fins serrated ; tail sharply 

 forked. Inhabits S. American seas Shaw, v. pi. 100. 



D. carinatus, Cuv. Body compressed ; cirri six, slightly pinnated 

 below ; lateral plates carinated and spinous ; first ray of the dor- 

 sal and pectoral fins strong and serrated. Inhabits S. America. 

 Shaw, v. 26. 



Gen. 64. M AC ROPTERONOTus,Lacep.- -//efcro6ra?2cAws, Geoff. 

 Head broad, depressed, and covered with large and hard plates ; 



mouth terminal ; jaws with eight cirri ; skin slimy ; only one 



extended dorsal fin. 



M. anguillaris, Lacep. (Silurus, Lin.) The Sharmuth or Black 

 Fish. With ten rays in the branchial membrane, and seventy rays 

 in the dorsal fin. Inhabits the Nile. Shaw, v. 23. 



M. batrachus, Cuv. (Silurus, Lin.) Head mailed by bony pieces, 

 ending in a point behind ; dorsal fin extending from the neck to 

 near the tail ; anal fin very long ; cirri eight ; branchial membrane 

 with seven rays. 8 to 10 inches long. Inhabits rivers of Asia 

 and Africa Bloch, pi. 370, fig. 1. 



Gen. 65. PLOTOSUS, Lacepede. 



Head depressed, and covered with large hard plates ; lips fleshy 

 and pendant ; cirri on the jaws ; two dorsal fins, of which the 

 second or adipose one, and the anal, are united to the caudal 

 fin ; tail pointed ; branchial membrane with nine or ten rays. 



P. anguillaris, Cuv. (Platystacus, Bloch.) Body eel-shaped, brown, 

 with longitudinal white stripes ; cirri eight ; teeth conical, those 

 on the palate globular ; spines of the dorsal and pectoral fins 

 dentated. 12 to 15 inches long. Indian seas. Shaw, v. pi. 99. 



Gen. 66. CALLICHTYS, Lin. Cataphractus, Lacep. 

 Body maifed on the sides by four rows of scaly plates ; head 



covered with plates ; snout and under part of the body naked ; 



two dorsal fins, the second with one ray ; cirri four ; teeth 



almost imperceptible. 

 C. mdgaris, (Loricaria Callichthys, Shaw.) Body dusky brown, 



