FISHES OP THE FAMILY LOBICAEIID^E. 201 



From anatomical considerations it seems best to recognise five subfamilies, the 

 relations of which to each other are shown by the following scheme : — 



Neoplecostorninae. Argiinse. 



Loricariinae. I I 



PlecostominEe. Hypoptoponiatinje. 



Analysis of the Subfamilies. 



I. Haemal spines all simple ; lower and fourth upper pharyngeals not toothed ; anterior rudimentary 



ray of ventral normally shaped, but internal and directed forwards ; upper part of the body 

 protected by bony scutes. 

 Lower transverse portion of clavicles and coracoids not exposed ; 



margin of snout naked or covered with small granular plates . . . 1. PlecostominvE. 

 Lower transverse portion of clavicles and coracoids exposed ; margin 



of snout composed of more or less firm plates 2. Hypoptopomatin^e. 



II. Hsemal spines of the vertebras above the anal fin bifid ; lower and fourth upper pharyngeals 



toothed. 



A. No anterior rudimentary ray of ventral; caudal peduncle elongate 



and strongly depressed ; upper part of the body protected by bony 



scutes 3. LoRICARIIN/E. 



B. Anterior rudimentary ray of ventral internal, plate-like ; caudal peduncle cylindrical or 



compressed. 



Upper part of the body protected by bony scutes 4. NeoplecostominjE. 



Body naked 5. Argiine. 



Key to the Subfamilies. 



I. Upper part of body protected by bony plates. 



A. Caudal peduncle compressed, cylindrical, or moderately depressed. 



a. Lower transverse portion of coracoids and clavicles not exposed. 

 Abdomen naked or more or less completely covered with small 



granular scales, never as in the NeoplecostominEe Plecostomin.e (p. 202). 



Abdomen with a large, regular, nearly square patch of small granular 



plates, naked at the sides and anteriorly and posteriorly . . . NeoplecostominEe (p. 306). 



b. Lower transverse portion of coracoids and clavicles 



exposed, appearing as 2 pairs of plates extending 



between the bases of the pectorals Hypoptopojiatin^: (p. 262). 



B. Caudal peduncle strongly depressed, broad, elongate; lower 



transverse portions of clavicles and coracoids not exposed Loricariin/e (p. 269). 



II. Body naked Argiii^e (p. 307). 



2 e 2 



