26 MR. G. A. BOULENGER ON [Jan. 20,. 
which is rounded and projects a little beyond lower jaw ; posterior 
nostril midway between eye and end of snout; premaxillary teeth 
forming a very short band, measuring about 1 width of mouth ; 
maxillary barbel # length of head, reaching root of pectoral; mandi- 
bular barbel 4 length of head. Dorsal I 6, nearer end of snout than 
root of caudal, first ray $ length of head. Adipose short, as long 
as dorsal. Anal I 5, midway between root of ventral and root of 
caudal. Pectoral a little longer than ventral, $ length of head. 
Caudal forked. Caudal peduncle 14 as long as deep. Dark olive- 
brown above, mottled with black, white beneath ; dorsal, pectorals, 
and ventrals light, with two transverse series of blackish spots ; 
caudal whitish, with some black spots, black at the base, with a 
large black blotch on each lobe. 
Total length 77 millim. 
A single specimen from hills in the Bulu country, near Efulen. 
24, SYNODONTIS OBESUS Bler, 
MIcROSYNODONTIS, gen. nov. 
Closely allied to Synodontis, differing only in the absence of a 
free orbital border and of suborbital bones, in the more elongate 
form and the rounded caudal fin, and in the curious modification 
of the transverse processes of the fourth vertebra. 
25. MIcROSYNODONTIS BATESII, sp. n. (Plate IV.) 
Depth of body 5 to 6 times in total length, length of head 43 
to 5 times. Body subcylindrical or feebly compressed in the 
precaudal region, strongly compressed behind; vent in the middle 
of the total length. Head broader than deep, 14 to 14 as long 
as broad, without ridges or keels; skin on vertex, occiput, and 
nuchal shield adherent to the finely rugose bones; a small frontal 
fontanelle ; eye directed upwards, in middle of head, its diameter 
6 or 7 times in length of head, twice in interorbital width. Lips 
moderately developed ; maxillary barbel simple, nearly as long as 
head; mandibular barbels with long, slender branches; outer 
mandibular barbels + length of head, inner 2. Premaxillary 
teeth small, forming a villiform band; mandibular teeth much 
shorter than the eye, 20 to 30 in number. Gill-cleft restricted to 
the sides. Occipito-nuchal shield a little longer than broad, 
ending in two rounded processes. Humeral process narrow, 
sharply pointed, rugose. Skin smooth. Dorsal I 6; spine strong, 
straight, striated but not serrated, about } length of head. Adi- 
pose dorsal low, elongate, 2 to 3 times as long as its distance from 
the rayed dorsal. Anal III-IV 8-9. Pectoral spine § to 3 length 
of head, strong and striated, with feebly serrate outer edge, with 
12 to 17 strong retrorse teeth on the inner side. Ventral not 
reaching anal. Caudal rounded. Dark brown or blackish, with 
5 yellowish cross-bars above, the first on the occiput, the second 
at the base of the dorsal; the body lower down with round 
yellowish spots ; throat and belly greyish, spotted or marbled wit’. 
