268 SILURIDJE. 



band which is as broad as or a little broader than the prsemaxillary 

 band ; nasal barbel \ to § length of head ; maxillary barbel as long as 

 or a little longer than head, reaching middle or extremity of pectoral 

 fin ; outer mandibular barbel § to once length of head, inner mandibular 

 \ to f. Gill-rakers moderately long, 10 to 12 on anterior arch. 

 Clavicles hidden under the skin. Dorsal 80-90, its distance from the 

 occipital process f to f length of head. Anal 60-75. Both dorsal and 

 anal very narrowly separated from caudal. Pectoral \ to f length 

 of head, spine smooth or slightly serrated. Ventrals If to 2 times 

 as distant from root of caudal as from end of snout. Caudal about § 

 length of head. Dark olive-brown above, whitish beneath, anal with a 

 light edge; an ill-defined, dark, light-edged crescentic band on the 

 caudal. 



Total length 280 millim. 



South Cameroon. 



1. Type. Ja R. CJ. L. Bates, Esq. (0.). 



2, 3-4. Ad. 



5. Skel. ,, » 



6, 7. Ad. Kribi R, 



8. Ad. Zima Country. ,> 



3. CLARIALLABES. 



Bouleng. Ann. Mus. Congo, Zool. i. 1900, p. 136, Poiss. Bass. Congo, p. 262 

 (1901), and Proc. Zool. Soc. 1907, p. 1092. 



Differs from the preceding in the eye being without free border. 

 Dorsal and anal united with caudal. Ventrals small. Vertebrae 76. 



A single species. 



1. CLARIALLABES MELAS. 

 Clarias melas, Bouleng. Ann. & Mag. N. H. (5) xix. 1887, p. 148. 

 Clariallalies melas, Bouleng. 11. cc. and Proc. Zool. Soc. 1902, i. pi. xxii. fig. 2, 

 and 1907, p. 1093. 



Depth of body 10 to 11 times in total length, length of head 6 times. 

 Head 1^ times as long as broad, smooth, the bony casque, in the 

 middle, about ^ width of head ; occipital process acutely pointed ; 

 frontal fontanelle sole-shaped, twice and \ as long as broad ; occipital 

 fontanelle smaller, oval, partly on occipital process ; eye very small, its 

 diameter 4 times in length of snout, 7 times in interorbital width, which 



