324 



breadth at the base nearly equal to its length. Occipital 

 fontanel dilated and cardiform. Mouth small and trans- 

 verse, the width of the gape is '/ 4 of the length of the 

 head, lips thick, the upper terminating in a broad, free lobe. 

 Upper jaw well projecting and somewhat gibbous anteriorly. 

 Eyes 5 5 / , small, supero-lateral, surrounded by a fleshy lid, 

 2'/ 4 in snout and i'/ 2 in the interorbital space. Maxillary 

 barbels not quite reaching to gillcoverts, mandibulary and 

 mental barbels close together on the same transverse plane, 

 short. Dorsal fin a little higher than the body, its spine 

 roughened in front, weakly serrated behind and 7 / 10 of the length 

 of head, originating much nearer to the pectorals than to the 

 ventrals; the base of the rayed dorsal is 4 / 5 of that of the 

 adipose fin, which is rather long and low, originating well 

 in advance of the anal. Pectoral spine a little shorter but 

 stouter than the dorsal spine, equal to the width of the 

 head; it is roughened outside, finely serrated inside; they do 

 not nearly reach the ventrals, which themselves do not reach 

 the anal. Caudal deeply forked. Jaws with bands of villiform 

 teeth, that of the maxillaries wide and transversely divided 

 by- a naked groove, behind which the teeth are smaller and 

 decumbent. Mandibular band narrow. Gillrakers small, conical, 

 in moderate number. Brown above, yellowish white below, 

 the pectoral region silvery. Basal half of dorsal and anal fins 

 yellowish white, remainder of fins brown ; inner surface of 

 pectorals blue at the base. Length about 200 mm. [After 

 Ramsay & Ogilby; not seen by us]. 



Habitat: South New Guinea (Strickland river). 



2. Hemipimelodus macrorhynchus M. Web. 



Hemipimelodus macrorhynchus Max Weber, Nova Guinea IX. Zool. livr. 4, 1913, 

 P- 549- 



B. 6; D. I. 7; A. 1920; P. I. 10; V. 6. 



Elongate. Height under dorsal spine 5 3 / 5 , head nearly 4. 

 Dorsal profile slightly convex above the opercle, otherwise 

 slowly sloping down to the conical snout, which forms a 

 prominent cone, rapidly decreasing in seize. Mouth inferior, 

 slightly rounded, 2 3 / 4 in head, when closed only the posterior 

 part of the maxillary band of teeth is covered. The horizontal 

 connecting the middle of the frontborder of the eye with the 



