ZENAECHOPTERUS.— CYPEINODONTID.E. 17 



shortest. Caudal peduncle deeper than lon^. 40-43 scales in longi- 

 tudinal series. Olive above ; a silvery lateral band ; male usually with 

 black dots between the rays of the dorsal and with the anterior part 

 of the anal blackish. 



Total length 170 millim. 



East Coast of Tropical Africa to Polynesia. — Type in Paris Museum. 



1-4. Ad. Seychelles, in fresh water. Sir L. Play fair (P.). 



5. Skel. " .. 



Fam. 2. CYPRINODONTID^. 



Mouth protractile, the maxiilaries excluded from the oral border, 

 Parietals separated from each other, the supraoccipital in contact with 

 the frontals. Praecaudal vertebra3 with strong parapophyses, bearing the 

 ribs ; epipleurals inserted on the ribs. Head and body covered with 

 scales. Vertical fins differing in size and position according to the 

 genera, and often very strikingly in the two sexes. Ventral fins, if 

 present, with 5 to 7 ra}s. 



The African genera belong to the oviparous carnivorous type, in 

 which the digestive tract is short and the anal fin of the male is not 

 modified into an intromittent organ. 



Fresh and brackish waters of Southern Europe, Southern and Eastern 

 Asia, Africa, and America. 



Sijnopsis of the Genera. 



I. Teeth tricusi)id ; dorsal fin originating in advance of the anal, which has 



9 to 14 rays. 



Ventral fins present 1. C_y/>?7/to(?(7/i,Lacop.,p.l8. 



Ventral fins absent 2. Tellia, Gcrv., p. 22. 



II. Teeth unicuspid. 



A. Scales cycloid ; 9 to 19 anal rays. 



Dorsal fin originating in advance of or nearly opposite 



to origin of anal ; ventral fins distant from the 



pectorals , 3- Fioululns, Lacep., p. 23. 



Dorsal fin originating well behind origin of anal ; 



ventral fins distant from the pectorals . ... 4. //c<^>/ot7t;7«5, McCl., [>. 40. 

 Dorsal fin originating well behind origin of anal ; 



ventral fins below pectorals ^ 5. Procatopus, Blgr., p. 78. 



B. Scales ctenoid ; 27 to 30 :inal rays ... (3. Lamprkhthi/s, Regan, 



[p. 80. 



