Freshwater Fish of Algeria. 393 



line and the root of the ventral, and in B. setifensis Jive ; 

 whereas in the specimens of B. longiceps in the British Museum 

 the number is eight. 



This led us to doubt the fact of the last-mentioned being an 

 African species at all ; and we begged M. Guichenot to inform 

 us as to the source whence the specimen in the Paris Museum 

 was obtained, and the number of transverse scales. He states 

 in reply : — '^ J'ai examine avec beaucoup de soin les deux 

 individus sees du B. lotigiceps, les seuls que possede notre 

 mus^e, et sur lesquels j'ai compte les ecailles qui se trouvent 

 entre la ligne lat^rale et 1' insertion des nageoires ventrales ; 

 elles sont au nombre de 7 ou de 8. Ces deux exemplaires 

 proviennent du Jourdain, et non d'Alg^rie. Je doute beau- 

 coup de I'existence de B. longiceps en Algerie, indiqude d'apr^s 

 une tete en tres-mauvais ^tat de conservation que j'ai trouvde 

 dans un des lacs de la Calle lors de mon s^jour en Afrique, 

 et que je crois avoir rapportee, mais a tort, k ce poisson." 



This proves beyond doubt that B. longiceps is not an African 

 species. 



19. Clupea finta^ Cuv. 



Hah. Nearly all the rivers of Algeria. Nile ; coasts of 

 Europe. 



20. Anguilla vulgaris^ Turton. 



It is certain that the African eel described as a new species 

 by Guichenot under the name of A. callensis'^ is identical 

 with the common European species. It is found everywhere 

 in Algeria. 



21. Sgngnalhus algeriensisj n. sp. 



The last fish on our list is the only new species which we 

 have observed ; and it is interesting, as it is rare to find Syn- 

 gnathid^e in water entirely fresh and beyond tidal influencesf. 



Head §■ of the total length ; snout half the length of the 

 head, and scarcely compressed. Diameter of orbit ^ of the 

 length of the head; space between eyes concave, and less 

 than the diameter of orbit ; occiput slightly elevated and 

 raised in a crest, which extends from the first body -ring to 

 the extremity of the snout. Opercles swollen, finely striated, 

 with a small ridge on the anterior portion only. Trunk 

 heptagonal, rather slender, twice and a quarter as long as the 

 head, and, measured from extremity of snout to vent, once 

 and a half in the length of the tail. There are fifteen pairs 



* Explor. Scien. de I'Alg. Poiss. p. Ill, pi. 7. f. 1. 



t Since this was written we have seen the eighth volume of Dr. Giiu- 

 ther's Catalogue, at p. 164 of which he describes this species from the 

 specimens sent by us to the British Museum. 



