82 CLASS XIV. 



the intermaxillary bones, with supra-maxillary very small or 

 changed into cirri. First ray of dorsal fin and of pectoral fins in 

 most a spine, furnished with a moveable joint. Adipose fin behind 

 the dorsal in many. 



A. Mouth inferior, surrounded by a membranous cirrose 

 velum. 



Loricaria L. Body cuirassed. Teeth long, thin, recurved at 

 the point, sometimes none. (Swimming-bladder none.) Gonio- 

 dontes AGASSIZ. 



Mailed fishes. These fishes live in the rivers of South America. 

 The ribs are feebly developed and not numerous. The upper and 

 lower spinous processes have, with the exception of those of some 

 of the anterior vertebrae, coalesced to form a flat ridge compressed 

 at the side. 



Loricaria L. in part, LACEP. Dorsal fin single. 



Loricaria AGASS. Branchiostegous membrane with four rays. 



Sp. Loricaria cataphracta L., Mus. Adolph. Fridtr. Tab. 29, BLOCK Syst. 

 Ichth. Tab. 34 (named Loric. cirrhosce) ; the uppermost ray of the caudal 

 fin runs out into a filament that equals the body in length ; Loricaria 

 maculata BL., Ichth. Tab. 375, figs, i, 2, GRONOV. Mus. Ichth., Tab. n. 

 Plecostomus; this species has the above filament scarcely as long as the 

 caudal fin. In Loricaria rostrata, a new species in the Rljks- Museum at 

 Ley den, the lowest as well as the uppermost ray of the caudal fin runs out 

 into a filament. This species, from the Caraccas, is very narrow, with a 

 pointed head. (The thus named species is not that of SPIX with the same 

 name, but a new one afterwards figured by KNER as Acestra acus.) 



See K. KNER Die Panserwelse des Kaiserl. Konigl. Hof-naturalien Cabi- 

 nettes zu Wien. le Abth. Lwicaria, Mit 8 Tafeln. (Aus dem vi. Bd. der 

 Denkschr. des Math, naturwiss. classe der Kaiserl. ATcad. de Wissensch. be- 

 sonders abgedruckt.) R. KNER Hypostomiden, Zweite Hauptgruppe der Fa- 

 milie der Panserwelse, Mit 5 Tafeln. Wien, 1854. (-4* dem vn. Bd. der 

 Denkschriften, &c.) 



Rinelepis SPIX, AGASS. (and Acanthicus of the same) VALENC. 



Branchiostegous membrane with three rays. Body aculeate or 

 rough. 



Hypostomus LAC. Dorsal fins two. Branchiostegous membrane 

 with three rays. 



Sp. Hypostomus plecostomus VALENC., Loricaria plecostomus L., GRONOV 

 Mus. Ichth. Tab. in. figs, i, 2, LINN. Mus. Ad. Frid. Tab. 28, fig. 4. 



