496 SILUEID^. 



34. DOUMEA. 



Sauvaoe, Bull. Soc. Thilom. (7) iii. 1878, p. 96, and N. Arch. Mus. (2) iii. 1880, 

 p. 41 ; Boulena. Ann. & Mag. N. H. (7) vi. 1900, p. 526. 



Body elongate, feebly depressed, with extremely slender caudal 

 peduncle. Two short dorsal fins, the anterior entirely in advance of the 

 ventrals and formed of one simple, thickened but articulated, and 6 

 branched rays, the second much smaller, opposed to the anal, and formed 

 of fine rays partly concealed in adipose tissue ; pectoral and vtntral fins 

 large, horizontally expanded, the outer ray much thickened but not 

 ossified, formed of very numerous articles angularly bent and produced 

 on the outer side into a fringe imbedded in the thickened integument ; 

 ventral with 6 rays. No cephalo-nuchal shield. A maxillary and two 

 mandibular barbels on each side, verrucose like the lips. Nostrils 

 remote from each other, both with a valve. Eye small, without free 

 border. Mouth small, inferior, surrounded with thick papillose lips ; 

 small pointed prsemaxillary teeth ; mandibular teeth few or absent ; 

 palate toothless. Gill-openings narrowly interrupted at the isthmus, the 

 membrane forming an uninterrupted transverse fold. Air-bladder absent. 



Vertebrae 37 (17-|-20). 6 branchiostegal rays. 



Cameroon to Angola. 



Two species : — 



Head If to 1| times as long as brond, snout If 



to 1^ times as long as postocular part of 



head ; space between the two nostrils on 



each side equally distant from end of snout 



and from eye 1. D. ti/pica, Saiiv., p. 496. 



Head 1\ times as long as broad, snout 1^ times 



postocular part of head ; posterior nostril 



nearer eye 2. D. angolensis, Blgr., p. 497. 



1. DOUMEA TYPICA. 



vSauv. 11. cc. pi. iii. fig. 1 ; Bouleng. t. c. p. 527, and xii. 1903, p. 440. 



Depth of body sliglitly less than its width, 7J to 9 times in total 

 len"-th. Head strongly depressed, with slightly rugose vertex and 

 occiput, covered with a thin skin, If to IJ times as long as broad, 5 to 

 5J times in total length ; snout pointed, projecting a little beyond 

 mouth, 1§ to If times as long as postorbital part of head ; space between 

 the two nostrils on each side equally distant from end of snout and from 



