344 silueim:. 



10. AUCHENOGLANIS. 



Auclienaspis (non Egerton), Bleeker, Nederl. Tijdschr. Dierk. i. 1863, p. 101 ; Gunther, Cat. Fish. 



v. p. 137 (1864). 

 Auclienoglanis, Gunther, Zool. Rec. i. p. 165 (1865) ; Boulenger, Poiss. Bass. Congo, p. 294 (1901). 

 Oxy giants, Vinciguerra, Ann. Mus. Genova, (2) xix. 1898, p. 249. 



Body moderately elongate, feebly compressed. Dorsal and anal fins short, the former 

 composed of a spine and 7 or 8 soft rays, and followed by a very long adipose fin. 

 Pectoral fins with a spine. Ventral fin with 6 rays, inserted behind the vertical of the 

 dorsal fin. Three pairs of barbels : maxillary and two mandibulars. Nostrils widely 

 separated from each other, the anterior on the upper lip, the posterior slit-like. Eye 

 supero-lateral, with free border. Jaws with villiform teeth, which may be reduced to 

 small groups; palate toothless. Gill-membranes free, feebly notched. Air-bladder 

 large, free. 



The praemaxillaries are small, and the maxillaries, hidden in the lip, are com- 

 paratively large and really border the mouth. 44 vertebrae (18+26) in A. biscutatus, 

 48 (21 + 27) in A. occidentalis. 9 branchiostegal rays. The intestinal canal is much 

 elongate and forms numerous convolutions. 



In addition to the two closely allied species here described, this genus is represented 

 by four species of smaller size, inhabitants of Cameroon and the Congo Basin *. 



1. AUCHENOGLANIS BISCUTATUS. 

 (Plate LXIL) 



Pimelodus biscutatus, I. Geoffroy, Descr. Egypte, Poiss. p. 301, pi. xiv. fig. 1 (1827) ; Cuvier & 



Valenciennes, Hist. Poiss. xv. p. 197 (1840). 

 Douq Majeq, Kifaud, Voy. Egypte, pi, cxciii. no. 35 (1830). 

 Auclienaspis biscutatus, Bleeker, Nederl. Tijdschr. Dierk. i. 1863, p. 101. 

 Auclienaspis biscutatus, part., Gunther, Cat. Fish. v. p. 137 (1864), and Petherick's Trav. ii. p. 232 



(1869). 

 Auclienoglanis biscutatus, part., Bonlenger, Poiss. Bass. Congo, p. 296 (1901). 

 Auclienoglanis biscutatus, Boulenger, Ann. & Mag. N. H. (7) x. 1902, p. 263. 



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

 and two-thirds to three and one-fourth times. Head moderately depressed, once and 

 two-fifths to once and two-thirds as long as broad, its upper surface and the operculum 

 rough with granular asperities and covered with a very thin skin ; occipital process 



* Cf. Boulenger, Ann. Mus. Congo, Zool. ii. 1902, p. 40. The species described as A. pulcher, Blgr., has 

 since been referred to the synonymy of A. ballayi, Sail v. 



