﻿ElGBNMANN I THE FlSHES OF LAKE VALENCIA 



5 



-\. Creagrutus beni Eigenmanh. 

 D. Roeboides dayii Steindachner. 

 A. Gynmotus carapo Linnaeus. 

 C. Menidia venezuelae sp. nov. 

 P>. V. Lebistes reticulatus (Peters). 



A. V. Syinbranchus marmoratus Bloch. 

 C. V. Crenicicbla geayi Pellegrin. 



B. V. Aequidens pulcher (Gill). 



Valencia and Tuy basins. 

 Tuy basin. 



Valencia basin. 

 Valencia basin. 

 Valencia basin. 



Valencia and Tuy basins. 

 Valencia and Tuy basins. 

 Valencia basin. 



The species fall into a number of distinct groups according 

 to their distribution. Six ( marked A) are universally distributed 

 species. Six (B) in addition to the universally distributed 

 species are also found on the Island of Trinidad. The fauna of 

 the Island of Trinidad has lost its isolation by the study of the 

 Valencia and Kio Meta faunas. Sixteen (marked C) are peculiar 

 to Venezuela about Valencia and the upper Kio Meta but all of 

 these belong to widely distributed genera and they probably have 

 a wider distribution than is now known. One species (D) is also 

 found in the Kio Magdalena, and one (E) is found in the low- 

 lands of British Guiana. Two species do not belong to any of 

 these groups. Only ten of the species (marked V) were taken in 

 Lake Valencia itself. 



The lowland fauna is represented only by the universally dis- 

 tributed species and by Roeboides, Characidium, and lioenk- 

 hausia. The highland fauna consisting of Pygidium and Astro- 

 blepus is not represented in the collection. 



15088, F. Largest 100 mm. Maracay, Rio Bue, Valencia basin. July 29. 



15089, I. Rio Castano, Valencia basin, July 27. 



15094, I. Type 156 mm. Mouth of Rio Tapa Tapa, July 15, 1919. 



Head 4.25 ; depth 5.4 ; D. 1.6 ; A. 8 to 8.5 ; adipose fin 2.S in the length, 

 its distance from the dorsal very little longer than the eyes ; eye 4 in the 

 head. 1.25 in the interorbital ; teeth in the premaxillary in a band of uni- 

 form width ; maxillary barbel reaching beyond the end of the adipose ; 

 i outer mental barbel very nearly to ventral s; inner mental barbel slightly 

 beyond origin of pectorals. 



First dorsal ray (the spine) equal to the head without the opercle; 

 upper caudal lobe narrower than lower, sharp pointed and a little shorter 

 than the lower; anus but little nearer caudal than snout; pectoral spine 

 equal to snout and eye, with over 20 short teeth on its posterior margin. 



2 Along the base of the Cordilleras from Bolivia to Caracas. 

 2 The numbers refer to the collections of Indiana University. 



ENUMERATION OF THE SPECIMENS 



Siluridae 

 Pimelodella metae Eigenmann 

 "Vagre" 



Pimelodella tapatapae sp. nov. 



