HAPLOCHKOMIS. 509 



6. HAPLOCHROMIS ISHMAELI. 

 (Plate XC. fig. 6.) 

 Boulenger, Ann. & Mag. N. H. (7) xvii. 1906, p. 446. 



Depth of body equal to or a little greater than the length of the head, which is twice 

 and two-thirds to three times in the total length. Snout with straight or slightly 

 convex profile, once to once and one-third as long as the eye, the diameter of which 

 is three and a half to four times in the length of the head, four-fifths or once the 

 interorbital width, and once and a half to once and two-thirds the least width of the 

 prseorbital; lower jaw not projecting; mouth not very oblique, extending to below 

 the anterior border of the eye ; teeth very small, in three to five series in both jaws, 

 the outer largest and mostly bicuspid (36 to 60 in the upper jaw), the others tricuspid ; 

 three or four series of scales on the cheek, the depth of the scaly part below the eye 

 equal to or a little less than the diameter of the eye ; large scales on the opercle. 

 Gill-rakers short, 8 or 9 on lower part of anterior arch. Dorsal fin with 15 or 16 

 spines and 9 or 10 soft rays ; spines equal from the eighth or ninth, or slightly 

 increasing in length to the last, which measures one-third to half the length of the 

 head ; longest soft ray half to three-fourths the length of the head. Anal fin with 

 3 spines and 8 or 9 soft rays ; third spine nearly as long as and stronger than the last 

 dorsal. Pectoral fin pointed, as long as the head or a little shorter, reaching the 

 vertical of the origin of the anal or a little beyond. Ventral fin reaching the origin 

 of the anal or a little beyond. Caudal fin truncate. Caudal peduncle once and one- 

 third to once and a half as long as deep. Scales feebly denticulate, 31-34 j-^ ; lateral 



19-22 



lines y£f b . 



Females are pale olive-brown above, silvery white below ; a brown or black opercular 

 spot; a brown vertical bar sometimes present below the anterior third of the eye; 

 ill-defined, barely distinguishable, dark cross-bars on the back ; dorsal and caudal fins 

 greyish, with or without round darker spots; ventral and anal fins bright yellow, the 

 former sometimes blackish on the outer border, the latter sometimes with two large 

 orange ocellar spots ; lower half of caudal fin sometimes bright yellow. Males darker, 

 o-rey or blackish on the belly ; two dark bars across the snout ; dorsal fin grey, the soft 

 portion with round light spots ; ventral fin black ; two large orange ocellar spots on 

 the anal fin. Iris dark brown, with a bright red circle round the pupil. 



Lake Victoria, Described from thirteen specimens, measuring from 110 to 130 

 millimetres, obtained at Bunjako, 5-14.11.05, by Mr. E. Degen. One of them, a 

 female, has the mouth and pharynx full of eggs, measuring 3 millimetres in diameter. 

 A single specimen was taken at Entebbe by Mr. Degen, 4.6.05. 



