OCR Text |
Show 1899.] SYRIAN FISHES OF THE FAMILY CICHLIDiE. 117 deeper than long. Scales cycloid, 29-30 -^; lat. 1. ^^. Brownish above, golden beneath ; a blackish opercular spot; dorsal and anal with blackish spots forming oblique streaks on the soft part of the dorsal; caudal with a Avide-meshed dark network. Total length 160 millim. Lower Congo and Angola. 14. TILAPIA SQUAMIPINNIS. Chromis squamipinnis, Giinth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 311, and 1893, p. 621, pi. liii. Tilapia squamipinnis, Bouleng. Tr. Zool. Soc. xv. 1898, p. 4. Teeth small, in 4 or 5 closely-set series in both jaws. Depth of body 2\ to 2| in total length, length of head 2| to 3 times. Snout Avith straight or slightly comTex upper profile, \\ to \\ diameter of eye (as long as eye in the young), which is 4 times in length of head (3 to 3| times in the young), and twice in interorbital Avidth (lg to 1| in the young) ; mouth narroAV, \ to f width of head; maxillary extending to between nostril and eye ; 2 series of scales on the cheek ; large scales on the opercle. Gill-rakers short, 17 to 19 on lower part of anterior arch. Dorsal X V I 10-11 ; spines subequal from the middle ones, \ to \ length of head, about | longest soft rays. Pectoral pointed, as long as or a little longer than the head, reaching origin of anal or a little beyond. Ventral reaching vent. Anal III 8-9 ; third spine nearly as long as longest dorsals. Caudal slightly notched, upper angle pointed, lower rounded and shorter. Caudal peduncle a little longer than deep. Scales cycloid, 32-35 y^-; lat. 1. j^p. Pale greyish olive, with 8 more or less regular blackish cross-bars; oblique dark streaks on the soft dorsal and a large dark spot between the anterior rays. Total length 250 millim. Lake Nyassa and Upper Shire Biver. 15. TILAPIA MACROCENTRA. Tilapia macrocentra, A. Dum. Arch. Mus. x. 1859, p. 256. Chromis macrocentra, Rochebr. Actes Soc. Linn. Bord. (4) vi. 1883, p. 133. Depth of body 2i- in total length. 3 series of scales on the cheek. 22 gill-rakers on loAver part of anterior arch. Dorsal X IV 13, the spines remarkably strong and triangular. Anal III 10. Caudal rounded. Scales very large, cycloid, 26 in the lateral series. Uniform brown. Total length 260 millim. Senegal. I am indebted to the kindness of Prof. Vaillant for some notes on the gill-rakers, scales, and shape of the caudal in this and the other species so imperfectly described by Aug. Dumeril. |