PENTAiYEMUS. 



101 



Pentanemus quinquarius, Giinth. Cat. Fish. ii. p. 331 (1860) ; Bleek. Nat. Verh. 

 Vet. Haarlem, xviii. 1863, no. 2, p. 86 ; Bouleng. Poiss. Bass. Congo, p. 360 

 (1901). 



Depth of body 3j to 3£ times in total length, length of head nearly 

 4 times. Snout more or less pointed, projecting beyond mouth, as long 

 as or shorter than eye, which is large and with the border partly hidden 

 under adipose tissue ; mouth large, maxillary extending beyond vertical 

 of posterior border of eye ; rather large scales on the head. Gill-rakers 

 very long and slender, much longer than gill-lamina;, 25 to 30 on lower 

 part of anterior arch. Dorsals VIII, I 14-17 ; spines of first dorsal 



Fie. 61. 



Pentanemus quinquarius. 

 W. Africa, i. 



rather feeble, first extremely short, second and third equal and § to f 

 length of head ; second dorsal pointed and emarginate. Anal II 20-32, 

 twice as long as second dorsal. Pectoral much longer than head ; 

 5 filaments, extremely long, longest at least twice length of body. 

 Caudal very large, crescentic, the lobes produced into filaments. Scales 



7—8 



feebly denticulate, 70-80 20=22* Bluish grey or olive above, silvery 

 white beneath ; fins yellow, sometimes finely dotted, as if produced, 

 with blackish. 



Total length 200 millim. 



West Coast of Africa and Cuba, sometimes entering rivers. 



