or FISHES FEOM LAKE TANGANYIKA. 551 



the mouth ; eye small, 3 times in length of snout, 7^ times in interorbital width ; nasal 

 barbel f length of head ; maxillary barbel a little longer than head, reaching posterior 

 third of pectoral ; outer mandibular barbels once and ^ as long as inner and nearly 

 as long as head. Jaws with bands of minute villiform teeth ; similar teeth form a 

 rather broader crescentic band on the vomer. Gill-rakers very long and slender, 

 closely set, about 110 on anterior arch. Dorsal with 53 rays, the posterior of which 

 are the longest and measure about ^ length of head ; distance between first dorsal ray 

 and occipital process ■§■ length of head ; adipose dorsal low and short, in contact with 

 caudal. Anal with 43 rays, separated from the root of the caudal by a space equal to 

 twice diameter of eye. Pectoral ^ length of head ; spine rather weak, not serrated, 

 a little more than half length of fin. Ventral equally distant from end of snout and 

 from root of caudal. Caudal rounded. Dark brown, almost black above, pinkish 

 white beneath. 



This remarkable fish is described from a single specimen, 500 millim. long, caught 

 at Mpala in a floating basket-trap. Native name : Singa. Dr. Cunnington saw larger 

 specimens, measuring 1020 and 1290 millim. A young specimen, 90 millim. long, was 

 taken in a native trap at Mbete and is here figured (Plate XXXI. fig. d). The head 

 is less depressed and the eyes are proportionally larger than in the adult ; the ventrals 

 are a little nearer the end of the snout than the root of the caudal. 



This fish, although until now unknown to zoologists, has been alluded to by Burton 

 (' The Lake Regions of Central Africa,' ii. p. 67) and by Stanley (' How I found 

 Livingstone,' p. 530). The latter says: "The Silurus called by the Wajiji Singa, which 

 grows, according to native report, to four and even six feet in length. The one I 

 sketched was 38-|- inches long, and weighed 10|^ lbs., but was considered to be a small 

 one. It is an extremely flat fish, of a dark brown colour on the back, and light brown, 

 inclined to whiteness, on the belly." Coode Hore (' Tanganyika,' p. 150) also alludes 

 to it as " the oily Singa (Silurus) of six feet in length." Cameron, on the other hand 

 (' Across Africa,' i. p. 270), applies the name Singa to Proto;pterus : " In the after- 

 noon I shot a large Lepidosiren, called by the natives Singa ; but it was so loathsome 

 to look at that no one would touch it, and the people declared it was poisonous." 



18. Chrtsichthys beachtnbma Blgr. 



A single specimen from Niamkolo, Native name : Mondi or Nvulu. 



19. Chrtsichthys sianenna, sp. n. (Plate XXXII. fig. 2.) 



Depth of body 5-|- to 6 times in total length, length of head 4^ times. Head 

 moderately depressed, once and f to once and ^ as long as broad, smooth above ; 

 snout rounded, projecting a little beyond the lower jaw, -§■ length of head, about 

 "I width of mouth ; eye 4 to 4^ times in length of head, once to once and ^ 

 in interorbital width ; nasal barbel very thin, \ diameter of eye ; maxillary barbel 



