2 Prof. E. Elilers on Lepiclosiven paradoxa and 



Since Dr. Bolils obtained liis specimens from the neighbour- 

 hood of the River Paraguay, while the few which were 

 collected by batterer and Castelnau came from the region 

 which is watered by the tributaries of the Amazon, it w^as 

 im])ossible to overlook the question whether the fish produced 

 by Dr. Bohls are identical with those obtained in Brazil. In 

 order to decide this pointy on the one hand I had at my 

 disposal tliirty specimens of the fish from Paraguay, while 

 on the otl;er 1 could only fall back upon the papers of Natterer, 

 BischofF, Hyrtl, and Castelnau. 



That the animals submitted to me belong to the genus 

 Lepidosiren is at once rendered sufficiently clear by their 

 general outward appearance ; the picture of the entire creature 

 supplied by the existing figures of Natterer, Bischoff, and 

 Castelnau proved this beyond doubt. In length alone the 

 specimens before me fell short of those described by Natterer, 

 who records this dimension as 3 feet and 9 lines ; the largest 

 of the fish which I measured was 72 centim. long. I was, 

 llO\^ ever, informed by Dr. Bohls that, owing to the difficulties 

 which had to be faced in connexion with the preservation and 

 transport of the specimens, he found it impossible to bring 

 away the large fish. The largest individuals that he saw 

 ■were somewhat over 1 metre in length, and were all fen)ales ; 

 the largest male was 92 centim. long. Dr. Bohls mentioned 

 that the living fish are much darker than the preserved speci- 

 mens ; they are almost black, and in consequence of a thick 

 coating of slime are as slippery as eels. 



On going into details it is soon found that the animals 

 before me present individual difterences. The larger portion 

 of them, twenty-seven specimens in all, exhibit peculiarities 

 which are not mentioned by any one of the describers of 

 Lejiidosiren paradoxa, and which render it probable that the 

 latter fish is not identical with those before me ; I consider 

 these to be representatives of a species hitiierto unde- 

 scribed, and which I designate Lfpidoniren articulata. Five 

 other specimens, on the other hand, exhibit a structure 

 which entirely corresponds with the description of Lepidosiren 

 paradoxa given by Natterer, Bischoff, and Castelnau, to 

 which species I consequently refer them. In accordance 

 with Giinther's explanation, I regard the species L. dis- 

 simiUs, created by Castelnau, as identical with Lepidosiren 

 'paradoxa. 



I will next proceed to give the dimensions of two males of 

 almost equal size belonging to the two species: — 



