386 



SILTTBID^E. 



12. CHILOGLANIS. 



Peters, Mon. Berl. Ak. 1868, p. 599 ; Boulenger, Ann. & Mag. N. H. (7) vi. 1900, p. 521. 



Body moderately elongate, feebly depressed or feebly compressed. Anterior dorsal 

 fin entirely in advance of the ventral fins, formed of a spine and 5 to 7 branched rays ; 

 an adipose fin opposed to the anal. Pectoral fin with a strong spine ; ventral fin with 

 7 rays. A cephalo-nuchal bony shield. Month small, inferior, surrounded by a very 

 large, circular, papillose lip, with four barbels in its lower part ; conical teeth on the 

 praemaxillaries and on the vomer ; movable, slender, curved teeth in the lower jaw ; 

 a maxillary barbel. Nostrils rather remote from each other, both with a valve, the 

 anterior tubular. Eye small, without free border. Gill-openings short, confined to the 

 sides. Air-bladder small, partially enclosed on each side between the enlarged 

 processes of the anterior vertebrae. 



The skeleton is similar to that of Synodontis. 35 vertebrae (15 + 20) in Chiloglanis 

 niloticus. 



Six species are distinguished: three from East Africa (C. deckenii, Peters, 

 C. modjensis, Blgr., and C. brevibarbis, Blgr.), two from South Cameroon (C. came- 

 ronensis, Blgr., C. batesii, Blgr.), and one from the Upper Nile. 



1. CHILOGLANIS NILOTICUS. 



(Plate LXXVI. fig. 1.) 



Boulenger, Ann. & Mag. N. H. (7) vi. 1900, p. 522. 



Body not or but slightly compressed, its depth four to four and a half times in the 

 total length. Head smooth, strongly depressed, a little longer than broad, its length 

 three to three and a half times in the total length. Snout broadly rounded ; eye 

 directed upwards, in the second half of the head, its diameter six times in the length 

 of the head, about once and a half in the width of the interorbital region, which 

 is much greater than the distance between the posterior nostril and the eye. 

 Praemaxillary teeth in two large oval groups, narrowly separated from each other; 

 mandibular teeth very small, 6 to 11 in number. Maxillary barbel about one-third 

 the length of the head, longer than the barbels on the lower lip. Occipito-nuchal 

 shield narrow. Dorsal fin with I 6 or 7 rays, the spine not distinctly serrated, about 

 two-fifths the length of the head. Adipose dorsal fin low, as long as or a little shorter 



