TIL APIA. 523 



The fishermen of Lakes Menzaleh, Edkou, and Mareotis distinguish this species from 

 T. nilotica, under the names of " Shabar achdah" or Green Shabar, at the former lake, 

 and " Bolte hannene " at the two latter. 



6. TILAPIA NILOTICA. 

 (Plates XCIIL and XCIV.) 



Labrus niluticus, Linnaeus, in Hasselquist, Iter Falsest, p. 346 (1757), and Syst. Nat. i. p. 477 



(1766); Sonnini, Voy. Egypte, ii. p. 395, pi. xxvii. fig. 1 (1799). 

 Chromis nilotica, Cuvier, in Gruerin,, Icon. B. Anim. i. Poiss. pi. xliv. fig. 1 (1844) ; Sauvage, Bull. 



Soc. Philom. (7) iv. 1880, p. 211 ; Lortet, Ann. Mus. Lyon, iii.l883,p. 137,pl.vii. ; Mitchell, 



Rep. Fish. L. Menzaleh, p. 12, pi. ii. (1895) ; Gunther, Froc. Zool. Soc. 1896, p. 218. 

 Chromis niloticus, part., Griinther, Cat. Fish. iv. p. 267 (1862), and Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 490 ; 



Steindachner, Verh. zool.-bot. Ges. Wien, xiv. 1864, p. 226 ; Peters, Reise Mossamb. iv. p. 23 



(1868) ; Gunther, Petherick's Trav. ii. p. 216 (1869) ; Steindachner, Sitzb. Ak. Wien, Ix. i. 



1870, p. 96 ; Pfefler, Jahrb. Hamb. Wiss. Anst. x. 1893, p. 149 ; Vinciguerra, Ann. Mus. 



Genova, (2) xv. 1895, p. 28 ; Pfeffer, Thierw. O.-Afr., Fische, p. 10 (1896). 

 Chromis guentheri, Steindachner, Verh. zool.-bot. Ges. Wien, xiv. 1864, p. 228, pl. viii. figs. 3 & 4. 

 Chromis spilurus, Gunther, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1894, p. 89, pl. x. fig. A, and 1896, p. 219. 

 Tilapia nilotica, Boulenger, Tr. Zool. Soc. xv. 1898^ p. 6, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1899, p. 112, and Poiss. 



Bass. Congo, p. 455 (1901) ; Pellegrin, Mem. Soc. Zool. France, xvi. 1904, p. 309 ; Boulenger, 



Tr. Zool. Soc. xvii. 1906, p. 571. 



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

 and two-thirds to three and one-fourth times. Snout with straight or slightly convex 

 profile, broader than long, once (young) to twice the diameter of the eye, which is 

 contained three and a half (young) to five and two-thirds times in the length of the 

 head and once (young) to twice and a half in the interorbital width ; width of prseorbital 

 greater than the diameter of the eye in the adult ; mouth moderately large, half to 

 two-thirds the width of the head, with thick lips ; maxillary extending to below the 

 anterior border of the eye, or between the nostril and the eye ; teeth very small, in 

 three (young) to seven series in each jaw, outer largest, 30 (young) to 90 in the upper 

 jaw; two or three series of scales on the cheek, forming, under the eye, a nearly 

 straight horizontal band which equals or exceeds the width of the naked prseoperculum; 

 large scales on the opercle. Gill-rakers short, 17 to 25 on lower part of anterior arch. 

 Dorsal fin with 15 to 18 spines and 11 to 15 soft rays; spines very strong, subequal 

 from the fifth or increasing in length to the last, which measures two-fifths to half 

 the length of the head ; longest soft rays two-thirds to once the length of the head. 

 Anal fin with 3 spines and 9 to 11 (rarely 8) soft rays; third spine as long as or 

 shorter than or a little longer than the longest dorsal. Pectoral fin falciform, once 



3x2 



