100 MUGILID,!.— POLYNEMID^. 



nearly twice as long as deep. Scales ctenoid, 40-45 in longitudinal 

 series, 13-14 in transverse series. Silvery, brownish on the back. 



Total length 230 millim. 



Mauritius, Reunion, and Comoro Islands. 



1. Tj'pe. Mauritius. 



2-3. Ad. Johanna, Comoro Ids. Sir L. Playfair (P.). 



4. Skel. „ „ „ 



.5-7. Yg. Anjuan, „ Prof. ^Y. Peters (P.). 



Fam. 17. POLYNEMID.^. 



Mouth protractile, the maxillaries excluded from the oral border ; 

 dentition feeble. Two nostrils on each side. Two well-separated dorsal 

 fins, the anterior formed of a small number of spines. Pectoral fin 

 inserted low down, with a lower portion consisting of free rays ; the 

 upper portion, or fin proper, attached to the scapula, the lower to a 

 fenestrate bone which appears to be formed by coalesced pterygials. 

 Ventral fins more or less behind the pectorals, with one spine and 5 

 soft rays ; pelvic bones suspended from the postclavicles. Preecaudal 

 vertebrae mostly with strong parapophyses, bearing the ribs and the 

 epipleurals at their extremity. Vertebrae 24. Air-bladder, if present, 

 very large. 



The three closely allied marine genera composing this family are 

 represented in Africa by species known to ascend rivers. 



1. PENTANEMUS. 



Artedi, in Soba, Thesaur. iii. p. 74 (1758) ; Guiith. Gat. Fish. ii. p. 330 (1860) ; 

 Bouleng. Poiss. Bass. Congo, p. 359 (11)01). 



Villiform teeth in the jaws,. on the vomer, and on the palatines and 

 ectopterygoids. Maxillary much widened behind. Edge of pvse- 

 operculum entire. Anal fin elongate, much more developed than the 

 soft dorsal. 



Tropical Atlantic. 



1. PENTANEMUS QUINQUAEIUS. 



Poh/nemus quinquarius, Linn. S.N. i. p. 521 (176G); Gill, Proc. Ac, Philad. 1861, 



p. 278. 

 PoJynemus artedii, Bennett, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1830, p. 146. 

 Folynemus macronemus, Pel, Bijdr. Dierk. 1851, p. 9, 



