SYNODONTIS. 375 



bait used is chiefly durra paste. A favourite spot for catching it was about a mile 

 south of Assuan, in deep water, with fairly high rocky banks. Unlike the "hairy" 

 S. schall, there is very little mucous matter on the sides of the body in this species. 



At most places the fishermen do not make a distinction between S. serratus and 

 S. schall, but they do at Assuan, where the former is designated as " Gargour govuagie " 

 or " Gowagie" (jyilyi ;£/)• 



10. SYNODOOTIS SOREX. 

 (Plate LXXII.) 



Giinther, Cat. Fish. v. p. 211 (1864), and Petheriek's Trav. ii. p. 233, pi. i. fig. B (1869); 

 Vaillant, N. Arch. Mus. (3) viii. 1896, p. 107. 



Body strongly compressed, its depth three to four and a half times in the total length, 

 the length of the head three to three and a half times. Head once and a half to once 

 and two-thirds as long as broad, deeper than broad, more or less rugose, finely 

 granulate above from between the eyes, the granulate area sometimes extending on the 

 snout; frontal fontanelle narrow; snout pointed, once and a half to twice as long 

 as the postocular part of the head ; eye lateral, five (young) to seven and one-third 

 times in the length of the head, twice to three and a half times in the width of the 

 interorbital region, which is flat or feebly convex ; occiput obtusely tectiform. Mouth 

 narrow, with strongly developed lips, forming a large lobe on each side ; prsemaxillary 

 teeth few, in two or three series, with a few minute ones behind ; movable mandibular 

 teeth as long as or a little longer than the eye, 6 to 8 in number. Maxillary barbel with 

 a broad marginal membrane at the base, two-fifths to one-half the length of the head; 

 mandibular barbels with long, finely tuberculate, slender branches, the outer inserted 

 further back than and once and a half to twice as long as the inner. Gill-opening not 

 extending downwards beyond the root of the pectoral fin. Occipito-nuchal shield rouo-h 

 like the occiput, obtusely tectiform, once and a half to twice as long as broad, the 

 posterior processes obtusely pointed or truncate. Plumeral process little longer than 

 broad, flat, granulate, rounded or obliquely truncate, extending as far or not quite as 

 far back as the occipito-nuchal process. Skin smooth, not villose. Dorsal fin with 

 I 7 rays ; the spine strong, straight or curved, finely serrated in front, coarsely behind, 

 slightly shorter or slightly longer than the head, the soft terminal part produced into a 

 short filament. Adipose dorsal fin three to five times as long as deep, four to six times as 

 long as its distance from the rayed dorsal. Anal fin acutely pointed, with 12 rays, 8 of 

 which are branched. Pectoral spine shorter than that of the dorsal, rarely reaching the 

 base of the ventral fin, its outer border smooth or very finely serrated, its inner border 

 with 11 (young) to 28 strong serrse. Ventral fin acutely pointed, reaching the origin 



