DISTICHODUS. 143 



Total length 700 millimetres. 



Distichodus niloticus is known from the Nile, the White Nile, and Lake Rudolf. 



List of specimens examined : — 



1 Nile.— Eiippell, 1833. 



3 Lower Nile. — Petherick, 1861. 



2 Beni SoneL— Loat, 7-14.9.99. 



2 At a regulator near Luxor. — Loat, 3-10.11.00. 



1 Nile between Luxor and Assuan. — Loat, 9-10.00. 



8 White Nile.— Petherick, 1862. 



1 Jebelain, White Nile.— Loat, 10.1.01. 



18 Fashoda.— Loat, 19.1.01-31.3.01. 



1 Mouth of Lake No.— Loat, 4.3.01. 



1 Lake No.— Loat, 22.2.01. 



1 Lake Rudolf.— Dr. Donaldson Smith, 1895. (Type of D. rodolphl) 



According to Hasselquist, this fish is called by the Arabs of Egypt " NefashJ' The 

 following names have been noted by Mr. Loat: — " Leffash" at Cairo ; u lissan " (^U), 

 at Beni Souef ; " lissan el buggarf " (y*JI ^J), in some places in Egypt. 



2. DISTICHODUS ROSTRATUS. 

 (Plate XXIII. fig. 2.) 



Solmo niloticus, part., Linnaeus, in Hasselquist, Reise Palsest. p. 422 (1762). 



Salmo cegyptiacus, part., Grmelin, Syst. Nat. i. p. 1386 (1788). 



Characinus nefasch, part., Lacepede, Hist. Poiss. v. p. 274 (1803) ; Geoffroy, Descr. Egypte, Poiss. 



p. 44, pi. v. fig. 1 (1809). 

 CitJiarinus nefasch, part., Riippell, Beschr. n. Fische Nil, p. 5 (1829). 

 Distichodus nefasch, part., Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Poiss. xxii. p. 175 (1849). 

 Distichodus rostratus, Giinther, Cat. Fish. v. p. 360 (1864), and Petherick's Trav. ii. p. 246, pi. iii. 



fig. B (1869); Boulenger, Ann. & Mag. N. H. (7) viii. 1901, p. 513. 

 Distichodus martini, Steindachner, Sitzb. Ak. Wien, lxi. i. 1870, p. 549, pi. iii. ftg r 2. 



This species is very nearly related to the preceding, differing only in the somewhat 

 larger scales, of which there are 83 to 98 in the lateral line, y^jo ^ n a transverse series, 

 and 13 to 15 between the lateral line and the ventral fin. The other distinctive 

 characters pointed out by Giinther, viz. the more prominent snout and the longer anal 

 fin, are not constant. 



The coloration is also the same as that of D. rostratus. A coloured sketch made by 

 the late P. Delhez at St. Louis, Senegal, represents the upper parts as of a bluish grey ; 

 the upper third of the iris bright red. Giinther describes the back as greenish. 



