SYNODONTIS. 429 back, and adipose fin; fins grey or olive, with numerous small round black spots; fringe of maxillary barbels black.
Total length 195 millim.
White Nile.
1. One of the types. Goz abu Gumah. L. Loat, Esq. (C.). 24. SYNODONTIS NIGRITA.
Cuv. & Val. Hist. Poiss. xv. p. 265, pl. eecexli. (1840); Giinth. Cat. Fish. v. p- 214 (1864); Steind. Sitzb. Ak. Wien, Ixi. i. 1870, p. 535; Vaill. N. Arch. Mus. (3) viii. 1896, p. 149, & vii. pl. xiii. fig. 1; Werner, Sitzb. Ak. Wien, exv. i. 1906, p. 1141; Bouleng. Fish. Nile, p. 366, pl. Ixxi. fig. 1 (1907). Hemisynodontis nigrita, Bleek. Neder]. Tijdschr. Dierk. i. 1863, p. 55. Depth of body 3 to 3 times in total length, length of head 3 to 33 Fig.322.
Synodontis nigrita.
White Nile (F.N.). 3.
times. Head a little longer than broad, rugose, granulate above from between the eyes ; snout rounded, as long as postocular part of head ; eye supero-lateral, 4 to 53 times in length of head, 14 to 23 times in interorbital width; lips moderately developed; premaxillary teeth forming a short and broad band; movable mandibular teeth not more than 4 diameter of eye, 30 to 35 in number. Maxillary barbel with a broad marginal membrane in its basal third, 1 to 1# times length of head, reaching between anterior and posterior fourth of pectoral spine ; cuter mandibular barbel about twice as long as inner, both with short,
430 SILURID.
tubercular branches. Gill-opening not extending downwards beyond root of pectoral spine. Occipito-nuchal shield rugose like the occiput, convex or obtusely tectiform, 14 to 1} times as long as broad, posterior processes pointed or truncate. Humeral process much longer than broad, distinctly keeled, sharply pointed, extending as far as, and usually beyond, occipito-nuchal process. Dorsal I 7; spine straight or feebly curved, # to once length of head, smooth in front, serrated behind. Adipose dorsal 2% to 3 times as long as deep, 12 to 2 times as long as its distance from rayed dorsal. Anal IV 8-9, rounded. Pectoral spine # to once length of head, feebly serrated on outer edge, strongly on inner. Ventral reaching anal or not quite so far. Caudal deeply forked, upper lobe slightly the longer. Caudal peduncle as long as deep ora little longer. Brown or olive to blackish, with more or less numerous round black spots; fins greyish to blackish, caudal with transverse series of black spots or with black cross-bars. Young brown, with two or three irregular wavy, dark-edged light bands on the caudal portion of the body, and spotted all over with blackish, the spots sometimes forming cross-bands; a light, dark-edged streak from eye to end of snout ; belly brown, with round darker spots; caudal fin whitish, with 3 to 5 very regular black transverse bands.
Total length 170 millim.
White Nile, Bahr-el-Gebel, Senegal, Gambia, Niger.—Type in Paris Museum.
1-10. Ad., hgr., & yg. Fashoda, White Nile. L. Loat, Esq. (C.). 11. Yg. Polkom, Baro R. (Sobat). Mr. P. UC. Zaphiro (C.); W.N. McMillan, isq.(P.).
12-13. Ad. Tonga, White Nile. L. Loat, Hsq. (C.). 14, Ad. Gondokoro, Bahr-el-Gebel. ie 15. Ad. Wadelai, Albertine Nile. J.S. Budgett, Esq. (P.). 16. Ye. Kaédi, Senegal. M. P. Delhez (C.).
17-19. Ad. McCarthy Id., Gambia. J. 8. Budgett, Esq. (P.). 20. Skel. i. 4 33 21-23. Ad. Assay, Low. Niger. mn Synodontis humeratus, Cuv. & Val. op. cit. xv. p. 264, is based on a coloured figure made by Rifaud in Upper Egypt. It appears to represent a fish similar to S. nigrita, but the short spine of the dorsal fin, serrated in front as well as behind, precludes its identification with that species.
SYNODONTIS. 431 Fig.323.
te Synodontis humeratus.
Tracing of the original sketch, reduced to 3. (After Vaillant.) 25. SYNODONTIS MELANOPTERUS. Bouleng. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1902, ii. p. 327, pl. xxix. fig. 1. Depth of body 34 to 34 times in total length, length of head 33 to 32 times. Head a little longer than broad, rugose above behind snout, which is obtusely pointed and slightly longer than postocular part of Fig.324.
Synodontis melanopterus.
Type (P. Z. 8. 1902), head ; eye supero-lateral, 53 times in length of head, twice in interorbital width; lips moderately developed; premaxillary teeth forming a short and broad band; movable mandibular teeth about 2 diameter of eye, 35 to 40 in number. Maxillary barbel with a broad marginal
432 SILURID.
membrane, 1 to 14 times length of head, reaching between base and middle of pectoral spine; outer mandibular barbel about twice as long as inner, both with moderately long simple or more or less ramified branches. Gill-opening not extending downwards beyond root of pectoral spine. Occipito-nuchal shield rugose like the occiput, simply convex or obtusely tectiform, 1 to 13 times as long as broad, with posterior processes pointed or rounded. Humeral process longer than broad, granulate, feebly keeled, extending as far back as occipito-nuchal process. Dorsal I 7; spine as long as or shorter than head, feebly curved, striated, smooth in front, feebly serrated behind. Adipose dorsal 34 times as long. as deep, 3 times as long as its distance from rayed dorsal. Anal III 8, rounded. Pectoral spine as long as or slightly shorter than head, not reaching ventral, strongly serrated on outer border, still more so on inner. Ventral reaching anal. Caudal deeply forked. Caudal peduncle as long as deep. Dark brown above and beneath ; fins dark brown or black, with some light cross-bands in the young.
Total length 205 millim.
Lower Niger, Lagos.
1-2. Her. & yg., Oguta, Lower Niger. _ Dr. W. J. Ansorge (C.). types.
3. Her. Ossomari, es us 4, Ad. Ogun R. at Aro, near Abeokuta, Major G. E. Bruce (P.). Lagos.
26. SYNODONTIS MACROSTIGMA, sp. n.
Depth of body 33 times in total length, length of head 34 to 52 times. Head a little longer than broad, rugose above; snout rounded and as long as postocular part of head; eye supero-lateral, 6 to 63 times in length of head, twice or a little over twice in interorbital width ; lips moderately developed ; premaxillary teeth forming a short and broad band; movable mandibular teeth not quite } diameter of eye, 20 to 26 in number. Maxillary barbel with a broad marginal membrane behind and a series of round warts in front, $ length of head, just reaching base of pectoral spine; mandibular barbels with short tubercular branches, outer not quite twice as long as inner. Gill-opening not extending downwards beyond root of pectoral spine. Occipito-nuchal shield rough like the occiput, merely convex, as long as broad, posterior processes rounded. Humeral process a little longer than broad, triangular,
SYNODONTIS. 455 granulate, without keel, extending as far back as occipito-nuchal process. Dorsal I 7; spine as long as head, slightly curved, striated, smooth in front (except towards the end), serrated behind. Adipose dorsal 4 to 45 times as long as deep, 14 times as long as its distance from rayed dorsal. Anal IV 8, rounded. Pectoral spine shorter than dorsal, not reaching Synodontis macrostigina.
Type. 2.
ventral, rather strongly serrated on outer border, very strongly on inner. Caudal deeply forked. Caudal peduncle as long as deep. Brown above, lighter beneath ; back and sides with large round or oval blackish spots ; head and fins with smaller spots.
Total length 160 millim.
Lake Ngami district, Bechuanaland.
1-2. Types. Okovyango R. R. B. Woosnam, Esq. (C.). 27. SYNODONTIS OBESUS.
Synodontis serratus (non Riipp.), Giinth. Ann. & Mag. N. H. (6) xvii. 1896, p-277.
Synodontis obesus, Bouleng. op. cit. (7) 1i. 1898, p. 415. Synodontis robbianus (non Smith), Giinth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1902, ii. p. 337. VOL. II. 2¥
434 SILURIDA.
Depth of body 3 to 34 times in total length, length of head 34 to 4 times. Head as long as broad ora little longer than broad, rugose above behind snout, which is rounded or obtusely pointed and as long as or slightly longer than postocular part of head; eye supero-lateral, 5 to 6 times in length of head, 2 to 24 times in interorbital width; lips moderately developed; preemaxillary teeth forming a short and broad band; movable mandibular teeth } or not quite } diameter of eye, 18 to 285 in number. Maxillary barbel with a broad marginal membrane, 1§ to 13 times length of head, reaching between anterior third and Fig.326.
Synodontis obesus.
Type, Old Calabar. 3.
middle of pectoral spine ; outer mandibular barbel about twice as long as inner, former with moderately long simple branches, latter with shorter branches with tubercular ramifications. Gill-opening not extending downwards beyond root of pectoral spine. Occipito-nuchal shield rough like the occiput, obtusely tectiform, 1} to 13 times as long as broad, with posterior processes pointed or rounded. Humeral process longer than broad, granulate, without or with a very feeble keel, extending as far back as occipito-nuchal process. Dorsal I 7; spine 2 to once length of head, more or less curved, striated, smooth in front,
SYNODONTIS. 435 feebly serrated behind. Adipose dorsal 3 to 4 times as long as deep, 13 to 2} times as long as its distance from rayed dorsal. Anal IV 8-9, rounded or obtusely pointed in front. Pectoral spine nearly as long as dorsal, not reaching ventral, moderately or rather feebly serrated on outer border, very strongly on inner. Caudal deeply forked, upper lobe the longer and more or less produced into a filament. Caudal peduncle as long as deep or a little longer than deep. Brown above and beneath, spotted or dotted with darker, the spots more distinct in the young, in which the fins are whitish, with round black spots. Total length 220 millim, Gold Coast to Gaboon.
1-4. Her. & yg. Offim R., Gold Coast. R. B. N. Walker, Hsq. (C.).; Dr. A. Giinther (P.).
5-6. Her. Infoan, 5 Pe 7. Type. Opobo R., Old Calabar. Miss Kingsley (C.). 8. Ad. Enyong R., be Major W. A. C. Cockburn (P.).
9. Ad. Kribi R., 8. Cameroon. G. L. Bates, Haq. (C.). 10-11. Types. Gaboon.
28. SYNODONTIS ROBBIANUS.
J. A. Smith, Proc. R. Soc. Edinb. viii. 1873, p. 92, fig. Depth of body 3} to 3% times in total length, length of head 3 to 34 times. Head about 14 times as long as broad, rugose above; snout obtusely pointed and as Jong as or slightly longer than postocular part of head; eye supero-lateral, 4 to 5 times in length of head, 14 to 13 times in interorbital width ; lips moderately developed ; premaxillary teeth forming a short and broad band; movable mandibular teeth not quite 4 diameter of eye, 15 to 20 in number. Maxillary barbel with a broad marginal membrane, 14 to 14 times length of head, reaching middle or posterior third of pectoral spine; outer mandibular barbel about twice as long as inner, former with moderately long, slender branches, latter with short, tubercular branches. Gill-opening not extending downwards beyond root of pectoral spine. Occipitouurhal shield rough like the occiput, obtusely tectiform, 14 to 14 times as long as broad, with pointed posterior processes. Humeral process 14 to 2 times as long as broad, granulate, keeled, extending as far back as occipito-nuchal process. Dorsal 17; spine 3 to ? length of head, feebly curved, striated, smooth in front, feebly serrated behind. Adipose dorsal 24 to 35 times as long as broad, 24 to 33 times as long as its 22
436 SILURIDA.
distance from rayed dorsal. Anal ILI-IV 8-9, obtusely pointed in front. Pectoral spine a little longer than dorsal, rather strongly serrated on outer border, very strongly on inner. Ventral not reaching anal. Caudal deeply forked, upper Jobe the longer. Caudal peduncle a little longer than deep. Pale brown, blotched or mottled with darker; ventral and anal fins dark, dorsal and caudal lighter, spotted with dark brown ; young with a light streak on each side of the snout, and regular black cross-bars on the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins. Total length 120 millim.
Old Calabar and Lower Niger.
Synodontis robbianus.
Type.
1. Type. Ikorofiong, Old Calabar R. Dr, A. Robb (C.) ; Dr. J. A. Smith (P.).
2-6. Ye. Oguta, Low. Niger. Dr. W.J. Ansorge (C.). 7-9. Yo. Abo, 55 A ORY. Niger Delta. Mr. J. Paul Arnold (P.). 29. SYNODONTIS HAUGI.
Synodontis guttatus (non Giinth. 1865), Giinth. Ann, & Mag. N. H. (3) xx. 1867, p- 112; Vaill. N. Arch. Mus. (3) viii. 1896, p. 140 (part.). Synodontis haug/, Pellegr. Bull. Mus. Paris, 1906, p. 470, and Bull. Soc. Philom. (9) ix. 1907, p. 31, pl. i. fig. 3.