168 PHRACTOL.railDiE. 



1. PHRACT0L51MUS. 



Boiileng. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1901, i. p. G. 



Body elongate, subcylindrical, covered with large striated scales ; 

 lateral line complete, tubes straight. Head strongly ossified, covered 

 with thin skin ; mouth small, proboscidiform, capable of being thrust 

 forward, retractile into a depression on the upper surface of the snout ; 

 no teeth, except a conical tooth on each dentary, near the symphysis ; 

 a single narial orifice, preceded by a barbel. Gill-openings narrow, 

 restricted to the sides ; 3 branchiostegal rays ; no pseudobranchise. 

 Dorsal short, opposite to the space between ventrals and anal ; latter 

 short. Ventrals far back, with 6 rays. Vertebrae 34 (26 -1-8). Air-bladder 

 very large, extending as far back as the anal tin. 



Niger, Congo. 



1. PHRACTOLiEMUS ANSORGII. 



Bouleng. 1. c. pi. ii., and Ann. Mus. Congo, Zool. ii. p. 22 (190i') ; Ridewood, 

 Journ. Linn. Soc, Zool. xxix. 1905, p. 277. 



Depth of body 5 to 6 times in total length, length of head fi-| to 7§ 

 times. Head depressed, with very broad, slightly convex interorbital 



Fig. 133. 



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Xj>i 



Phrartolcemus ansorgii-. 

 Type. f. 



region ; eye small, lateral, 4^ to 5^ times in length of head, 3 to 3^ times 

 in interorbital width ; nasal barbel nearly ^ length of head. Dorsal 6, 

 first four rays simple, the others usually bifid, originating at equal 

 distance from head and from root of caudal ; second ray longest, 1^ times 

 length of head. Anal 6, similar to dorsal, but rays shorter. Pectoral 



