ClaasiJicQtion of the Order (hfun'ojJii^si. 17 



illnrii'.'', compressed, notcht'il or denticu- 



lati'd BrycotKrthiops*, AU'stes*, 



Petersiits*, Bn/con, Chulcinus, Ilcnuchiltis, Bri/ronopn, 

 Creatjrutus, Deufrrodon, I'.icudochalceus, CrenKc/iusf, 

 Scissor, Bramochnrnr, Tctrafionopterus, As/i/anaa', 

 Stichmmdon t, L/uanodectes, Ilemihrjicon, Parayoniatea, 

 Gi/m7ioc/iaraciiin.t, Dinpomn, Con/uopaiiirt, Pseudo- 

 conjnopuma, Stt'f/iapri(»i, Brac/ii/c/ialcinus. 

 Teeth in 2 series in tho prreuinxillaries, the 

 outer or both conical or siiliconical ; anal 



of moderate length Salminus, Ilystricodon, 



A(f07iiates, 

 Teeth unisorial, compressed, serrated in- 

 cisors ; mouth small Chirodon, Odontostilbe, 



Piabuca. 

 Teeth nniserial, compressed, pointed, notched 



or denticulated ; mouth larger Aphiocharnx, Minrngoni- 



ates, Leptayoniatcs. 

 Teeth nniserial, conical, without canines; anal 



not very elongate Phoxinopsis, Ctenochurax. 



Teeth conical, with canines ; anal fin very 



long Charax, lioeboides, Cipio- 



potamus. 



B. Abdomen keeled and serrated, bearing a median series of sharp- 

 edged bony plates with backwardly directed points : American. 



{Serrasalmoumce.) Mylesinus, Pyyocentrus, 



Pygopristis, Serrasalmo, Myletes. 



II. Pniemaxillaries movable ; maxillaries firmly united by suture with 

 the prajmaxillaries : African. {Hydrocyonince.) 



Hydrncyon. 



Tlie Cliaracinse correspond to about fourteen of Ei<;en- 

 mann's subfamilies; many of these are certainly natural 

 ^roup.", inasmuch as they include but a single genus or two 

 or three closely related genera. lijaanodecles^ Gymno- 

 characinus, Diapoma, Corynopuma, Stichanodon, and Steth- 

 oprion are apparently quite as near to Tetragouopterus and 

 Astifdnao; as the latter are to Brtjcon, and, in my opinion, 

 nothing is gained by making them the types of separate 

 subfamilies. 



Chalcens and Plethodectes are placed by Eigenmann in the 

 Piabiicininw, which he distinguishes from the Tetragono- 

 pterinfe by the absence of fontanels, a character of very slight 

 importance. In the Characit'ormes the presence of fotitanels 

 is probably sometimes a primitive feature, sometimes not ; 

 they have often become reduced or have disaj)peared or have 

 not developed, especially in those forms with the upper 

 surface of the head Hattish and the occijiital crest low. 



* These genera are African, the other Characinae American, 

 t Teeth uniserial, but these genera are apparently related to the genera 

 with biserial teeth, after which they are placed. 



Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 8. Vol. viii. 2 



