SYNODONTIS. 379 



fins greyish white; a pale red band along each lobe of the caudal fin. On Gambian 

 specimens Budgett has noted " Brilliant red tail and a little red near the head." 

 Young specimens have some dark marblings on the body and round dark spots on the 

 ventral, anal, and caudal fins. 



Total length 270 millimetres. 



This species varies much in the length of the snout. Most of our specimens agree 

 with Geoffroy's figure, the type of which has not been preserved, in having it as long 

 as or but little longer than the postocular part of the head, and at any rate less than 

 half the length of the head. But Vaillant describes one of Geoffroy's types, a rather 

 young specimen in the Paris Museum, as having the snout more than half the length 

 of the head, in this respect agreeing with a specimen (no. 3 of table of measurements) 

 brought home from the Gambia by Budgett, and which I should have felt inclined to 

 describe as a new species had I not had so large a series of specimens for study. 



Synodontis clarias must be very rare in the Lower Nile, whence Hasselquist's and 

 Geoffroy's specimens were procured. Mr. Loat found it only in the AVhite and Blue 

 Mies. It has been recorded from the Senegal and has been found by Budgett in the 

 Gambia, by Capt. Gosling in Lake Chad. 



List of specimens examined : — 



1 Cairo.— Ruppell, 1832. 



1 Omdurman.— Loat, 20.12.00. 



5 Wad Medine, Blue Nile.— Loat, 10-22.10.01. 



1 Jebelain, White Nile.— Loat, 11.1.01. 



1 Kaka, White Nile.— Loat, 15.1.01. 



4 Lashoda, White Nile.— Loat, 18.1.01. 



5 Between Khartum and the Sobat. — Zaphiro, 1904. 

 24 Mouth of Lake No.— Loat, 27.1-11.2.01. 



1 Lake Chad. -Capt. Gosling, 1904. 

 3 Nianimaru, Gambia. — Budgett, 1898. 



According to Hasselquist this fish is called " Sclieilan" according to Geoffroy 

 " Schal Senen" in Egypt. 



Only two other species agree with S. clarias, the type of the genus Synodontis, in 

 having barbed maxillary barbels. These are S. decorus, Blgr., from the Congo, and 

 S. resupinatus, Blgr., from the Niger. 



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