West-African. fishes. Although this specimen differs from typical Ct. Petherici in the fin-formula, which is D.1810, A. 911, I refer it for the present to the Nilotic species.
In young specimens, 60 millim. long, the opercular armature and the vomerine and palatine teeth are well developed; but these specimens have the body still lower than the adult, yiz., one third of the total (without caudal); in the adult it is a little less than two fifths. The ornamental colours are prettier than in the adult, the diffuse blackish spot on the tail of the latter being a complete white-edged ocellus in the young.
Ctenopoma Kingsleyæ, sp.n. (Pl. I. fig. A.)
- Clenopoma Petherici, part., Günth. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1867, xx, p. 110 (part.).
This species is allied to Ct. Petherici, but has a deeper body, and especially the young differs much from that of the Nilotic species.
D. 16-179.A. 9-1o9-10.L. lat. 25.L. transv. 212/9.
The depth of the body is scarcely less than one half of the total length (without caudal), the length of the head a little less than one third. The snout is nearly equal to the diameter of the eye, which is two ninths of the length of the head; interorbital space rather convex, wider than the orbit. Mouth narrow, the maxillary extending somewhat beyond the front margin of the orbit, Vomerine teeth; palatine teeth in a very narrow linear band. A series of short spinous teeth above and below the opercular notch; subopercular and part of the interopercular margin finely and equally serrated. Tail very short, the anal terminating immediately before, or subcontinuous with, the caudal. Pores on the head entirely covered by scales, Five or six rows of scales on the cheek, the scales near the eye being much smaller than the others. Ventral fins not prolonged, reaching the vent. Soft parts of the vertical fins scaly. Blackish, a diffuse large black spot on the end of the tail, in front of the root of the caudal.
This diagnosis is taken from an adult specimen 150 millim. long; two young ones, 60 millim. long, differ in the following points:-—
Their body is somewhat less elevated (though much more than in young Ct. Petherici), its depth being contained 213 times in the total length (without caudal). Interorbital space as wide as the diameter of the eye, which is one fourth of the
