146 CHARACINLME. 



3. DISTICHODUS BREVIPINNIS. 

 (Plate XXIV. fig. 1.) 



Giinther, Cat. Fish. v. p. 360 (1864), and Petherick's Trav. ii. p. 247, pi. iii. &g. C (1869) ; 

 Steindachner, Sitzb. Ak. Wien, lxi. i. 1870, p. 547, pi. iii. fig. 1 ; Boulenger, Ami. & Mag. 

 N. H. (7) viii. 1901, p. 513. 



Depth of body two and three-fifths to three times in the total length, length of head 

 three to four times. Head as long as or a little longer than deep, once and a half to 

 twice as long as broad; snout broad, rounded, slightly projecting beyond the mouth, 

 its length about two-sevenths to one-third that of the head ; diameter of the eye three 

 (young) to six times in the length of the head, interorbital width twice or a little more 

 than twice ; width of mouth three to four times in the length of the head ; teeth in two 

 series in each jaw, the outer series containing 20 (young) to 34 teeth ; maxillary 

 extending to below the nostrils; upper surface of head with feeble stria3. Gill- 

 rakers short, 14 to 16 on lower part of anterior arch. Dorsal fin with 20 to 23 rays, 

 4 to 6 of which are unbranched, equally distant from the occiput and from the root 

 of the caudal fin; longest rays three-fourths to five-sixths the length of the head. 

 Adipose fin rather large, its base as long as or a little shorter than its distance from 

 the rayed dorsal. Anal fin with 13 to 15 rays, 3 or 4 of which are unbranched ; longest 

 ray three-fifths to two-thirds the length of the head, reaching beyond the root of the 

 caudal. Pectoral fin three-fifths to three-fourths the length of the head, as long as 

 or slightly shorter than the ventral. Caudal fin forked, with short rounded lobes. 

 Caudal peduncle usually deeper than long. Scales 80-91 ^|J, 18 to 20 between the 

 lateral line and the ventral fin. 



Olive or dark grey above, white beneath, the sides with large round dark spots 

 forming four or fi\e irregular longitudinal series ; according to Mr. Loat's notes, these 

 spots appear only after the fish has been a short time in spirit ; fins greyish, except 

 the pectoral, which is whitish; dorsal spotted with black; the ventrals and anal 

 sometimes blackish. In a sketch made by the late P. Delhez on the Senegal, the iris 

 is represented as crimson. 



Total length 220 millimetres *. 



This species is known from the White Nile, Lake Chad, the Senegal, and the Ni°er. 



* The head and tail of a very large specimen from the Upper Niger indicate that the species grows to a 

 length of at least 550 millimetres. 



