Barljus aureus, Cope^from Natal. 



391 



wliich show remarkable agreement in all characters except 

 the mouth and lips. 



Barhus aureus may be thus defined : — 



Depth of body equal to length of head, 3§ times in total 

 length. Snout rounded, feebly projecting beyond the mouth, 

 ^ length of head ; diameter of eye 4^ times in length of head, 

 interorbital width 3 times; mouth moderate, evenly curved, 

 its width 3^ times in length of head ; lower jaw with a sharp 

 edge; lips thin, not extending across the chin; two pairs of 

 equal barbels, measuring diameter of eye. Dorsal III 8, 

 third ray not at all enlarged, articulated, smooth ; the fin, 



Barbus aureus, Cope. | nat. size. 



which is equally distant from the occiput and from the root 

 of the caudal fin, has the upper border concave, and its 

 longest ray measures | length of head. Anal III 5, longest 

 ray § length of head. Pectoral | length of head. Ventral 

 below origin of dorsal. Caudal deeply forked. Caudal 

 peduncle once and ^ as long as deep. Scales 37 ^t, 2^ be- 

 tween lateral line and root of ventral, 16 round caudal 

 peduncle. 



Total length 195 mm. 



As stated above, B. aureus resembles B. Bowkeri, differin"* 

 in the structure of the mouth. In this respect it agrees with 

 B. rhodesianus, Blgr., another close ally, in which, however 

 the barbels are only about half the diameter of the eye and 

 the scales are larger (30-32 gj, 2^-3, 12), B. marequensis, 

 A. Smith, to which Cope regarded B. aureus as most nearly 

 allied, has the lower lip continuous, longer barbels, the last 

 simple ray of the dorsal strong and bony, and larger scales 

 (33 g, 3, 12). 



