378 SILURKLE. 



head; no occipital process; posterior nostril nearer eye than end ot 

 snout; eye small, 9 times in length of head, 3^ times in interocuiar 

 width. Maxillary barbel f length of head, inner mandibular \, outer 

 mandibular nearly as long as head. Praemaxillary teeth forming a 

 reniform group. Gill-rakers few, wide apart. Dorsal I 14-15, rather 

 low, a little nearer end of snout than root of caudal; spine short 

 and smooth, \ length of head. Adipose dorsal low, originating at a 

 short distance from the rayed dorsal. Anal 11-12 (9 rays branched). 

 Pectoral f- length of head; spine strong, not quite \ length of head, 

 with a few retrorse sense on both sides. Ventral midway between end 

 of snout and root of caudal. Caudal rounded. Reddish brown, darker 

 on the back, with round dark brown spots ; smaller spots on the dorsal 

 and caudal fins. 



Total length 120 millim. 



Gold Coast. 

 1-2. Types. Ibbi E. II. B. N. Walker, Esq. (C.) ; 



Dr. A. Giinther (P.). 



25. ANCHAEIUS. 



Steind. Sitzb. Ak. Wien, Ixxxii. i. 1880, p. 251 ; Sauv. Hut. Madag., Poiss. 

 p. 478 (1891). 



Body moderately elongate, feebly compressed. Dorsal and anal fins 

 short, the former composed of a spine and 7 branched rays, and followed 

 by a rather long adipose fin. Ventral fins with 6 rays, well behind 

 the dorsal. Three pairs of barbels : maxillary and two mandibulars. 

 Nostrils rather widely separated from each other. Eye supero-lateral, 

 with free border. Mouth moderately large, with broad bands of small, 

 setiform, bicuspid teeth ; palate toothless. Gill-membranes narrowly 

 attached to isthmus, not notched, forming a continuous transverse fold. 



Madagascar. 



Two species : — ■ 



Maxillary barbel a little longer than head, 



reaching beyond base of pectoral; latter 



reaching ventral 1. A.fuscus, Stdr., p. 37!). 



Maxillary barbel i length of head, not reaching 



base of pectoral ; latter not reaching 



ventral 2. A. bredbarbis, Blgr., p. 380. 



