SCHILBE. 311 



4. SCHILBE. 



Cuvier, Regne Anim. ii. p. 202 (1817;, part. ; Giinther, Cat. Fish. v. p. 49 (1864) ; 

 Boulenger, Poiss. Bass. Congo, p. 273 (1901). 



Differing from the preceding genus only in the absence of the adipose dorsal fin. 



51 vertebrae (15 + 36) in S. mystus, 55 (14 + 41) in S. uranoscopus. 



Also restricted to Tropical Africa and the Nile. Only two species appear to be 

 entitled to recognition, the shape of the body and the relative length of the barbels 

 being more variable than was hitherto believed. 



1. SCHILBE MYSTUS. 

 (Plate LVI. fig. 1.) 



Silurus mystus, Linnseus, in Hasselquist, Peise Palaest. p. 419 (1762), and Syst. Nat. i. p. 502 



(1766) ; Sonnini, Trav. Egypt, ii. p. 415, pi. v. fig. 3 (1800) ; Geoffroy, Descr. Egypte, Poiss. 



p.. 287, pi. xi. figs. 3 & 4 (1827) ; Joannis, Mag. Zool. 1835, pi. xii. 

 Schilbe mystus, Puppell, Beschr. n. Fische Nil, p. 5 (1829) ; Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Poiss. 



xiv. p. 372 (1839) ; Giinther, Cat. Pish. v. p. 50 (1864), and Petherick's Trav. ii. p. 222 (1869) ; 



Boulenger, Poiss. Bass. Congo, p. 273 (1901). 

 Chilbe Cherissie, Pifaud, Voy. Egypte, pi. cxciii. no. 30 (1830). 

 Schilbe intermedins, Puppell, Fortsetz. Beschr. n. Fische, p. 6 (1832). 

 Schilbe auratus, Joannis, t. c. pi. v. 

 Schilbe senegallus, Cuvier & Valenciennes, t. c. p. 378. 

 Schilbe dispila, Giinther, tt. cc. pp. 51, 223, and Ann. & Mag. N. H. (6) xvii. 1896, p. 276 1 



Boulenger, op. cit. p. 274. 

 Schilbe senegalensis, var. fasciata, Steindachner, Sitzb. Ak. Wien, lx. i. 1870, p. 983 ; pi. vi. 



figs. 1 & 2. 



Depth of body three to five times in the total length, length of head four and a half 

 to five and a half times. Head once and one-fifth to once and a half as long as broad ; 

 lower jaw slightly projecting ; snout broad, as long as the eye in the young, once and a 

 half to once and two-thirds in the adult ; eye perfectly lateral, its diameter three 

 (young) to six times in the length of the head, once and a half (young) to four times 

 in the interorbital width ; width of mouth equal to or a little less than the interocular 

 width ; vomero-palatine teeth forming an uninterrupted band, which is narrower than 

 the band of praemaxillary teeth. Nasal barbel two-fifths to three-fifths the length of 



