490 SILURID-E. 



32. ATOPOCHILUS. 

 Sauvage, Bull. Soc. Philom. (7) iii. 1878, p. 96, and N. Arch. Mas. (2) iii. 1880, 

 p. 42 ; Bouleng. Ann. & Mag. N. H. (7) vi. 1900, p. 524. 

 Body moderately elongate, feebly depressed. Dorsal fin entirely in 

 advance of ventrals, formed of a spine and 6 branched rays ; an adipose 

 fin opposed to the anal, which is short. Pectoral with a strong spine. 

 Ventral with 7 rays. A cephalo-nuchal bony shield. Mouth large, 

 inferior, surrounded by a much developed, circular, papillose lip ; teeth 

 fine, slender, movable, truncate, bent at an obtuse angle and forming a 

 very broad band in the prsemaxillaries, this band entirely in advance of 

 the narrower band of mandibular teeth, which are similar to the prae- 

 maxillaries, but closer together ; conical teeth on the vomer ; a barbel 

 on each side, and another pair on the posterior border of the lip; 

 nostrils close together, the posterior with a valve ; eyes with free border. 

 Gill-openings short, confined to the sides. 

 Gaboon to Angola. 

 Two species : — 



Length of head 3§ times in total length ; eye 



4-^ times in length of head and not more 



than twice in interorbital width ; anal 



with 11 rays 1. A. savorgnani, Sauv., p. 490. 



Lenglh of head 2| times in total length ; eye 



6^ times in length of head and 2^ times 



in interorbital width ; anal with 9 rays . 2. A. macrocephalus, Blgr., p. 491. 



1. ATOPOCHILUS SAVORGNANI. 

 Sauv. 11. cc. pi. iii. fig. 3 ; Bouleng. ]. c. 



Depth of body a little less than its greatest width, 5f times in total 

 length. Head depressed, 1^ times as long as deep, a little longer than 

 broad, its length 3f- times in total length ; upper surface of head a little 

 rugose ; snout broadly rounded, its length 2^ times postocular part of 

 head ; nostrils nearer end of snout than eye, the diameter of which is 

 4-^ times in length of head, If times in interorbital width ; buccal cleft 

 straight, § length of head ; band of mandibular teeth not half as broad 

 as that of pragmaxillaries ; lateral barbel J length of head, more than 

 twice as long as posterior barbel. Occipito-nuchal shield as lon^ as 

 broad, ending in two points. A striated, acutely pointed humeral 

 process. Dorsal I 6 ; spine striated, § length of head. Adipose dorsal 

 3 times as long as deep, f its distance from rayed dorsal. Anal 11 



