CYPEINODONTID^. 615 



Ohkbar in the Sahara. Like other fishes living in limited 

 localities or concealing themselves in mud, Cyprinodonts 

 lose sometimes their ventral fins; such specimens have 

 been described as Tellia. The species of the Nevf World 

 are less known than those of the Old, but not less numerous. 

 Allied to Cyprinodon are Fitzroyia from Monte Video, 

 and Characodon from Central America. 



Haplochilus. — Snout flat, both jaws being much depressed, 

 and armed with a narrow band of villiform teeth. Body oblong, 

 depressed anteriorly, compressed posteriorly. Dorsal fin short, 

 commencing behind the origin of the anal, which is more or less 

 elongate. 



Twenty species from the East Indies, tropical Africa, and 

 temperate and tropical America. 



FuNDULUS. — Cleft of the mouth of moderate width, developed 

 laterally and horizontally. Snout of moderate length. Teeth 

 in a narrow band, those of the outer series being largest, conical. 

 Scales of moderate size. Dorsal fin commencing before or 

 opposite the origin of the anal. Sexes not differentiated. 



"Killifish," abundant in the New World, where about 

 twenty species have been found ; F. Tieteroclitus, viajalis, 

 diaphanus, being common on the Atlantic coast of the United 

 States ; from the Old World two species only are known, viz. 

 F. Jiispanicus from Spain, and F. orthonotus from the east 

 coast of Africa. Allied to Fundulus are the South American 

 Limnwrgus, Lucania, Rivulus, and Cynolebias. 



Orestias. — Ventral fins none. Cleft of the mouth of moderate 

 width, directed upwards, with the lower jaw prominent, and 

 with the upper protractile. Both jaws with a narrow band 

 of small conical teeth. Scales rather small or of moderate 

 size, those on the head and upper part of the trunk frequently 

 enlarged, plate-like, and granulated. Dorsal and anal fins 

 moderately developed, opposite to each other. Sexes not difl'er- 

 entiated by modification of the anal fin. The gill-membranes of 



