SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Bulletin 188

THE FRESH-WATER FISHES OF

SIAM, OR THAILAND

BY

HUGH M. SMITH

UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 194S

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington 2S, D. C.
Price 3LS0
 ADVERTISEMENT
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The present work forms No. 188 of the Bulletin series.
Alexander Wetmore,
Secretary, Sm,ithsonian Institution.
 CONTENTS
Page
Introduction 1

Purpose and scope of the catalog 1

Sources of information 3
Ichthyological literature of Thailand 5
Origin and relationships of the fresh-water fish fauna 10
Zoogeographic divisions of Thailand and their principal fresh waters. _ 13
Gazetteer of collecting localit'es in Thailand 16
Leading features of the fish fauna 28
Some peculiarities of structure and habits among the fresh-water fishes. 30
Introduced species 33
Vernacular names -- 34
Use of fresh-water fishes in contests 35
Economic importance of the fresh-water fishes 35
Acknowledgments 36
Class Pisces 39
Subclass Elasmobranchii 39
Order Euselachii 39
Family Carcharinidae 39
Genus Scoliodon MuUer and Henle 39
Order Batoidei 39
Family Pristidae 39
Genus Prislis Linck 40
Family Dasyatidae 41
Genus Dasyaiis Rafinesque 41
Subclass Teleostomi 42
Order Isospondyli 42
Family Elopidae 42
Genus Megalops Lacepede 42
Family Clupeidae - 43
Subfamily Clupeinae 43
Genus Hilsa Regan 44
Genus Sardinella Cuvier and Valenciennes 46
Genus Harengula Cuvier and Valenciennes 48
Subfamily Pristigasterinae 48
Genus 7Zzs/ia (Gray) Richardson 48
Genus Opisihopterus Gill 49
Subfamily Dorosomatinae 50
Genus Nematalosa Regan 50
Genus Anodontostoma Bleeker 51
Family Engraulidae 51
Genus Coilia Gray 52
Genus Setipinna Swainson 52
Genus Lycothrissa Giinther 54
Genus Scutengraulis Jordan and Seale 55
Family Osteoglossidae 55
Genus Scleropages Giinther 55
Family Notopteridae 56
Genus Notopterus Lacepede 56
III
IV BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Subclass Teleostomi — Continued. Page

Order Opisthomi 60
Family Mastocembelidae 60
Genus Macrognathus Lacepede 61
Genus Mastocembelus Scopoli 62
Order Apodes 67
Family Anguillidae 67
Genus A nguilla Shaw 67
Family Muraenesocidae 68
Genus Muraenesox McClelland 68
Family Ophichthyidae 68
Genus Pisoodonophis Kaup 68
Order Synbranchia 69
Family Flutidae 69
Genus Fhita Bloch 69
Family Synbranchidae 71
Genus Synbranchus Bloch 71
Genus Macrotrema Regan 72
Order Event ognat hi . 72
Family Cyprinidae 73
Subfamily Abraminae 74
Genus Oxygaster van Hasselt 74
Genus Macrochirichthys Bleeker 77
Genus Chela Hamilton 78
Genus Longiculter Fowler 82
Genus Paralaubuca Bleeker 82
Genus CuUrops H. M. Smith 86
Genus Parachela Steindachner. 88
Subfamily Rasborinae 88
Genus Esomus Swainson 89
Daniops, new genus 91
Genus Danio Hamilton 95
Genus Liiciosoma Bleeker 102
Genus Filirasbora Fowler 105
Genus Rasbora Bleeker 105
Subfamily Cyprininae 117
Genus Leptobarbus Bleeker 121
Genus Aspidoparia Heckel 123
Genus Albulichthys Bleeker 124
Genus Sikukia H. M. Smith 125
Genus Mystacoleucus Giinther 126
Genus Cosmochilus Sauvage 131
Genus Harnpala van Hasselt 132
Genus Catlocarpio Boulenger 135
Genus Tor Gray 137
Genus Cyclocheilichthys Bleeker 140
Genus Or eichthysB.. [Link] 150
Genus Probarbus Sauvage 150
Genus Raiamas Jordan 152
Genus Rohtee Sykes 153
Genus Barilius Hamilton 154
Genus Cirrhinus Oken 161
Genus Puntius Hamilton )63
 CONTENTS V

Subclass Teleostomi — Continued. Page

—
Order Eventognathi Continued.
—
Family Cyprinidae Continued.
—
Subfamily Cyprininae -Continued.
Geims Puntioplites B.. M. Smith 194
Genus Chagunius a. [Link] 195
Genus Acrossocheilus Oshima 196
Genus Balantiocheilos Bleeker 205
Genus Scaphiodonichthys Vinciguerra 206
Scaphognathops, new name 208
Genus Thynnichthys Bleeker 209
Genus Osteochilus Giiuther 210
Genus Acanthorhodeus Bleeker 219
Genus Labiobarbus van Hasselt 221
Genus Amblyrhynchichthys Bleeker 229
Genus Xenocheilichthys H M. Smith
.
230
Papillocheilus, new genus 230
Genus Barbichihys Bleeker 232
Genus Tylognathus Heck el 233
Genus Hololylognaihus Fowler 236
Genus Lobocheilus van Hasselt 237
Genus Morulius Hamilton 248
Genus Labeo Cuvier 250
Henicorhynchus, new genus 256
Subfamily Garrinae 259
Genus Garra Hamilton 259
Genus Discolabeo Fowler 262
Genus Epaheorhynchos Bleeker : 263
Genus Crossocheilus van Hasselt 269
Genus Mekongina Fowler 271
Family Homalopteridae 272
Subfamily Homalopterinae 273
Genus Homaloptera van Hasselt 273
Genus Balitora Gray 278
Balitoropsis, new genus 278
Genus Hevmnyron Regan 281
Family Gyrinocheilidae 281
Genus Gyrinocheilus Vaillant 282
Family Cobitidae 286
Genus Botia Gray 287
Genus Lepidocephalus Bleeker 293
Genus Acanthopsis van Hasselt 296
[Link], new genus 297
Genus Acanthophthalmus van Hasselt 299
Genus Cobitophis Myers 300
Genus Acanlhopsoides Fowler 302
Genus Noemacheilus van Hasselt 302
Order Nematognathi 329
Family Siluridae 330
Genus Wallagonia Myers 331
Genus Parasilurus Bleeker 333
Genus Silurichthys Bleeker 334
Genus Wallago Bleeker 335
VI BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Subclass Teleostomi —
Continued. Pase
—
Order Neniatognathi Continued.
—
Family Siluridae Continued.
Genus Silurodes Bleaker 336
Genus Ompok Lacepede 337
Genus Ceratoglanis Myers 339
Genus Krypto'pterus Bleeker 339
Family Heteropneustidae 345
Genus Heteropneustes MUller 345
Family Clariidae 346
Genus Clarias Scopoli 347
Genus Prophagorus H. [Link] 352
Family Plotosidae 353
Genus Plotosus Lacepede 353
Family Schilbeidae 354
Genus Platytropius Hora 355
Genus Eutropiichthys Bleeker 356
Genus Pangasius Cuvier and Valenciennes 357
Genus Pteropangasius Fowler 369
Genus Helicophagus Bleeker 370
Genus Laides Jordan 372
Genus Pangasianodon Chevey 372
Family Amblycipitidae 375
Genus Amblyceps Blyth 375
Family Bagridae 376
Genus Bagroides Bleeker 377
Genus Leiocassis Bleeker 378
Genus Mystus Scopoli 382
Genus Heterobagrus Bleeker 392
Family Sisoridae 393
Genus Bagarius Bleeker 394
Genus Gagata Bleeker 394
Genus Oreoglanis H. M. Smith 395
Genus Glyptothorax Blyth 396
Family Tachysuridae 404
Genus Batrachocephalus Bleeker 404
Genus Osteogeneiosus Bleeker 405
Genus Tachysurus Lacepede 406
Genus Ketengus Bleeker 414
Genus Hemipimelodus Bleeker 415
Familj' Akysidae 418
Genus Akysis Bleeker. 418
Order Cyprinodontes 419
Family Cyprinodontidae 419
Genus Aplocheilus McClelland 420
Genus Oryzias Jordan and Snyder 424
Family Poeciliidae 426
Genus Gambusia Poey 426
Order Synentognathi 426
Family Belonidae 426
Genus Strongylura van Hasselt 426
Genus Xenentodon Regan 427
 CONTENTS VII

Subclass Teleostomi — Continued.

Order Synentognathi^ —Continued. Page
Family Hemiramphidae 428
Genus Hyporhamphus Gill 429
Genus Zenar chapter us Gill 429
Genus Dermogenys van Hasselt 434
Order Heterosomata 436
Family Synapturidae 437
Genus Synaptura Cantor 437
Genus Achiroides Bleeker 440
Family Cynoglossidae 440
Genus Cynoglossus Hamilton 440
Family Syngnathidae 442
Genus Microphis Kaup 443
Genus Doryichthys Kaup 444
Genus Ichthyocampus Kaup 445
Genus Syngnathus Linnaeus 445
Order Labyrinthici 446
Family Anabantidae 446
Genus Anabas Cuvier and Cloquet 447
Genus Helostoma Kuhl and van Hasselt . 450
Genus Osphronemus Lacepede 451
Genus Trichopsis Kner 452
Genus Betta Bleeker 454
Genus Trichogaster Bloch 461
Family OphicephaUdae 465
Genus Ophicephalus Bloch 465
Order Percomorphi 474
Family Phallostethidae 474
Genus Phenacosteihus Myers 475
Genus Neostethus Regan 477
Family Polynemidae 477
Genus Polynemus Linnaeus 477
Family Centropomidae 478
Genus Lates Cuvier and Valenciennes 478
Genus Chanda Hamilton 479
Family Lobotidae 484
Genus Datnioides Bleeker 484
Family Nandidae 486
Genus Pristolepis Jerdon 487
Genus Nandus Cuvier and Valenciennes 488
Family Toxotidae 489
Genus Toxotes Cuvier and Cloquet 489
Order Gobioidea 498
Family Fieotridae 502
Genus Herreolus H. M. vSmith 503
Genus Eleotris Bloch 505
Genus Bostrichthys Dum4ril 506
Genus Bwiis Bleecker 506
Genus Prionohutis Bleeker 507
Genus Op/itocara Gill 507
Genus Oo y eleotris Bleeker 508
Genus VaZewaennea Bleeker 510
GenuB Piereleotris G\\\ — 510
VIII BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Subclass Teleostomi — Continued. Page

Order Gobioidea —Continued.
Family Gobiidae 512
Genus Gohiodon Bleeker 515
Genus Paragobiodon Bleeker 517
Genus Gobiopterus Bleeker 517
Genus Pipidonia H. M. Smith 51P
Genus Eugnathogobius H. M. Smith 520
Genus Pogonogobius H. M. Smith 520
Genus Pseud ogobiopsis Koumans 521
Gnathogobius,new genus 522
Genus Mahidolia H. M. Smith 524
Genus O3 yvrichthys Bleeker 525
Genus Bathygobius Bleeker 526
Genus Macgregorella Seale 526
Gewns Stigmatogobius 'R\eekev 526
Genus Acentrogobius Bleeker 527
Genus Awblygobius Bleeker 533
Genus Gnatholepis Bleeker 533
Aulopareia, new genus . 534
Genus Zonogobius Bleeker 536
Genus Vaiinosa Jordan and Seale 537
Genus Glossogobius Gill 541
Genus Creisson Jordan and Seale 542
Genus OUgolepis Bleeker 543
Genus Ctenogobius Gill 543
Genus Brachygobivs Bleeker 549
Genus Cryptocentrus Ehrenberg 551
Family Periophthalmidae 555
Genus Periophthalmus Bloch 556
Genus Periophthalmodon Bleeker 557
Family Apocrypteidae 559
Genus Pseudapocryptes Bleeker 560
Genus Parapocryptes Bleeker 561
Genus Apocryptodon Bleeker 562
Genus Apocryptichthys Day 563
Genus Boleophthalmus Cuvier and Valenciennes ^ 564
Genus Scartelaos Swainson 566
Family Gobioididae 567
Subfamily Taenioidinae 568
Genus Taenioides Lacepede ._ 570
Genus Brachyamblyopus Bleeker 570
Caragobioides, new genus 571
Subfamily Trypaucheninae 572
Genus Trypauchen Cuvier and Valenciennes 572
Genus Trypauchenichthys Bleeker 572
Order Plectognathi 572
Family Tetraodontidae 572
Genus Sphoeroides Anonymous 573
Genus Chonerhinus Bleeker 573
Genus Chelonodon Miiller 574
Genus Teiraodon Linnaeus 575
Literature cited 1^ D J_ i 578
Index 593
 ILLUSTRATIONS

Plates
Facing page

1. Dasyatis bleekeri (Blyth) 52

2. Setipinna melanochir (Bleeker) 53
3. Lepiobarbus hoevenii (Bleeker) 116
4. Puntius schwanenfeldii (Bleeker) 188
5. Puntius orphoides (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 189
6. Osteochilus vittatus (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 216
7. Pangasianodon gigas Chevey 372
8. Gobiodon verticalis Alleyne and Macleay, showing two color phases, and
Gobiodon rivulatus (Riippell) 516
9. Vaimosa rambaiae, new species, and Cryptocentrus callopterus, new species 517

Figures
Page
1. Notopterus chiiala (Hamilton) 57
2. Mastocembelus circumcinctus Hora 65
3. Chela caeruleostigmata (H. M. Smith) 80
4. C/ieZa mo w/ioii, new species: Type 81
5. Esomus melallicus Ahl 91
6. Daniops myersi, new species: Type 93
7. Danio (Danio) peninsulae, new species: Type 99
8. Danio (Allodanio) ponticulus, new species: Type 100
9. Danio (Brachydanio) kerriH. M. Smith 101
10. Rasbor a palusiris, new species: Type 108
11. Rasbora argyrotaenia (Bleeker) 110
12. Rasbora reirodorsalis, new species: Type 111
13. Rasbora later istr lata lalerisiriata (Bleeker) 115
14. Hampala macrolepidota van Hasselt 133
15. Hampala dispar H.M. Smith 135
16. Tor lambr aides (Bleeker) 138
17. Tor soro (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 140
18. Cyclocheilichlhys heteronema (Bleeker) 143
19. Cyclocheilichthys coolidgei, new species: Type 145
20. Cyclocheilichthys enoplos (Bleeker) 146
21. Cyclocheilichthys tapiensis H M.
. Smith 149
22. Probarbus jullieni Sauvage 151
23. Barilius nanensis, new species: Type 156
24. Barilius koratensis H. M. Smith 159
25. Cirrhinus lineatus, new species: Type 163
26. Puntius masya, new species: Type 171
27. Puntius stigmatosomus H. M. Smith 176
28. Puntius sametensis, new species: Type 177
IX
X BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
Page

29. Puntius paucisquamaius, new species: Type 178

30. Puntius faucis, new species: Type 180
31. Puntius lateristriga (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 182
32. Puntius simus, new species: Type 186
33. Acrossocheilus vittatus, new species: Type 198
34. Acrossocheilus malcolmi, new species: Type 199
35. Acrossocheilus schroederi, new species : Type 203
36. Scaphognathops stejnegeri (H. M. Smith) 208
37. Osteochilus hasseltii (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 214
38. Osteochilus schlegeli (Bleeker) 216
39. Acanthorhodeus deignani, new species: Paratype 220
40. Labiobarbus spilopleura (H. [Link]) 224
41. A mblyrhynchichthys truncatus (Bleeker) 229
42. Papillocheilus ayuthiae, new species: Type 231
43. Lobocheilus nigrovittatus, new species: Type 240
44. Lobocheilus cornutus, new species: Type 243
45. Lobocheilus cheveyi, new species: Type 246
46. Labeo indramontri, new species: Type 252
47. Labeo bicolor H. M. Smith 253
48. Labeo munensis H. M. Smith 254
49. Henicorhynchus lobatus, new species: Type 258
50. Garra taeniata H. M. Smith 261
51. Epalzeorhynchos kalliurus, new species: Type 264
52. Epaheorhynchos siamensisU. [Link] 266
53. Epalp'eorhynchos stig7naeus, new s'pecieB: Type 268
54. Homaloptera smithi Hora 276
55. Homaloptera lineata, new species: Type 277
56. Balitoropsis barischi, new species: Type 279
57. Botia horae H. M. Smith 290
58. Botia beauforti H. [Link] 292
59. Lepidocephalus ociocirrhus (van Hasselt) 294
60. Acanihopsis choir or hynchos (Bleeker) 296
61. Neacanthopsis gracilentus, new species: Type 298
62. Acanthophthalmus kuhlii (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 300
63. Noemacheilus breviceps, new species: Type 309
64. Noemacheilus nicholsiK. [Link] 310
65. Noemacheilus menanensis, new species: Type 311
66. Noemacheilus alriceps, new species: Type 312
67. Noemacheilus reidi, new species: Type 314
68. Noemacheilus obscurus, new species: Type 316
69. Noemacheilus schultzi, new species: Type 318
70. Noemacheilus deignani, new species: Type 320
71. Noemacheilus kohchangensis a. [Link] 322
72. Noemacheilus poculi, new species: Type 324
73. Noemacheilus masyaeli. [Link] 326
74. Noemacheilus bucculenius, new species: Type 327
75. Noemacheilus binoiatus H. M. Smith 328
76. Silurichthys phaiosoma (Bleeker) 334
77. Ompok bimaculatus (Bloch) 338
78. Kryptopterus mooi ei, new species : Type 342
79. Glorias macrocephalus Giinther 351
80. Platytropius siamensis (Sauvage) 356
 ILLUSTRATIONS XI

Pa°:e

81. Pangooius larnaudii Bocourt 359

82. Pangasius saniiwongsei H. M. Smith 364
83. Leiocassis siamensis Regan . 380
84. Leiocassis sienomus (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 382
86. Mystus vittatus (Bloch) 385
86. Mystus havmolleriH. [Link] 389
87. Glyptothorax callopter us, nevf species: Type 400
88. Glyptothorax major (Boulenger) 401
89. Glyptothorax buchanani, new species : Type 403
90. Batrachocephalus mino (Hamilton) 405
91. Tachysurus caelatus (Cuvier and Valenciennes') 411
92. Left pelvic fin of Tachysurus argyropleuron (Cuvier and Valenciennes)
and of Tachysurus venosus (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 412
93. Hemipimelodus borneensis (Bleeker) 416
94. Aplocheilus panchax (Hamilton) 422
95. Oryzias minuHllus, new species: Type 424
96. Synaptura aenea H. [Link] 440
97. Trichops-is vittatus (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 453
98. Trichogaster irichoptcrus (Pallas) 464
99. Datnioides microlepis Bleeker 486
100. Toxotes jaculairix (Pallas) 491
101. Toxotes chatarevs (Hamilton) 497
102. Ptereleotris stigmnl urus, new species : Type 511
103. Gobiopterus chuno (Hamilton) 518
104. Gnathogobius aliceae, new species: Type 523
105. Aula p areia janetae, ncvf species: Type 535
106. Ctenogobius cephalopardiis, new species: Type 546
107. Cryptocentrus lepiocephalus Bleeker 554
 — ' ;

THE FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR

THAILAND
By Hugh M. Smitk

INTRODUCTION
PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE CATALOG
The main purpose of this work is to make known, by means of a
comprehensive and not too technical account, the nature, extent, and
richness of the fish fauna inhabiting the fresh waters of the ancient
Kingdom of Siam to describe the relationships of the various groups
;

and to indicate what further collecting of specimens is necessary or

likely to prove profitable scientifically. It is the intention to take
cognizance herein of every species of fresh-water fish known from or
ascribed to Thailand. In cases of reasonable doubt as to the validity
of species described from the country or as to the accuracy of local
records or citations, it has been thought proper to admit them to the
catalog and trust to future observations to establish the facts.
If one accepts the definition that a fresh-water fish lives entirely in
fresh water in both the young and the adult stages, and never descends
to the sea (Hora, 1937a), it necessarily follows that according to its
title this catalog cannot strictly cover those fishes that (1) normally
inhabit brackish, estuarine, or river waters and may sometimes stray
1 In view of the invariable use of the name Siam in previous ichthyological literature of

the country, it is inevitable that this designation occurs frequently in the present catalog,
which is based on investigations made and publications issued before the name Thailand
was oflicially adopted in 193ft. It should be understood that all references to Siam in the
text, in the cited literature, and in the specific names of fishes apply to Thailand.
* Dr. Hugh McCormick Smith, formerly United States Commissioner of Fisheries
(1913-1922), Adviser in Fisheries to the Siamese Government (1923-1935), and after
1922 Associate Curator in Zoology in the United States National Museum, died on Septem-
ber 28, 1941. Although work on this monograph of Siamese fresh-water fishes had occupied
all his time at the National Museum since 1935, Dr. Smith did not quite complete the
manuscript before his death. The final work necessary to put it in shape for editing and
publication, such as the arrangement of families and the selection and supervision
of all the drawings by Mrs. Alice C. Mullen and Mrs. Aime M. Awl, was done by
Dr. Leonard P. Scliultz, curator of fishes, United States National Museum. When in the
course of this revision, type numbers were required and paratype numbers were found, Dr.
Schultz added such numbers to the manuscript. Miss Gladys 0. Visel and Dr. Schultz have
added all the references for genera and the original references for sp>ecies, since these
were not included in Dr. Smith's manuscript. The gazetteer of Thai localities (p. 16)
was prepared expressly for this catalog by Herbert G. Deignan, associate curator of birds,
United States National Museum. For accounts of Dr. Smith's life and accomplishments
In the fields of ichthyology and fisheries, see Copeia, Nov. 21, 1941, and the Journal of the
Washington Academy of Sciences, Dec. 15, 1941. Editoe.
1
2 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

therefrom into fresh water, (2) pass most of their life in the sea and
enter fresh water only at certain seasons for spawning or other pur-
poses, and (3) occur indifferently in fresh or salt water. However, in

order that this work may be more generally useful it will be

to made
include all species that may be found at any time in fresh water.
The scope of the title will be further broadened to include the
gobies and catfishes; all local species will be considered whether or
not they may be strictly fresh-water denizens, as, for several reasons, it
has been thought desirable to present these families as a whole.
The publication of this catalog by no means implies that the sub-
ject is exhausted or that there is no need for future investigation. On
the contrary, it is hoped that the present publication may serve as a
stimulus to further study, which will throw much needed light on the
bionomics of the known species and bring to notice many forms that as
yet are unnamed. The vastness of the fresh waters of the plains areas
and the remoteness and isolation of the innumerable mountain streams
guarantee that for many years to come important work may be profit-
ably undertaken by governmental agencies and by individuals. Fur-
ther collecting is especially desirable in the streams of the western side
of Peninsular Thailand, in streams contiguous to the Malay States, in
the Menam Mun and its tributaries in Eastern Thailand, in mountain
streams of the eastern slope of the Peninsula, and in streams of the
western frontier east of Moulmein.
The classification, the arrangement of families and genera, and
the terminology herein followed are in general in conformity with
"The Fishes of the Indo-Australian Archipelago," by Max Weber
and L. F. de Beaufort (vols. 1 to 8, 1911 to 1940), with such modifi-
cations as appear to be warranted or demanded by the more recent
taxonomic studies and conclusions of various ichthyologists. Full
descriptions of families, genera, and species have in general been
omitted because they are available in the Literature Cited and would
unnecessarily swell the bulk of the catalog. The artificial keys are
believed to be sufficiently full and explicit to enable qualified persons
to allocate and identify any species that may come to hand in field,
laboratory, or museum. The keys should, of course, be used with
proper discrimination and with due allowance for variations depend-
ent on size, age, sex, breeding condition, and individual departure from
the normal.
The synonymy includes practically every published citation of a
Thai species or locality. The form of the citations has been abbre-
viated from the full references given in the Literature Cited. The
synonymy has been restricted to citations pertaining to Thailand, ex-
cept in a few special cases in which there may be reasons for giving
references to nearby countries.
 FRESH-WATERFISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 3

In the numerous citations of Bleeker's records for Siamese fishes,

the figure appearing in parentheses after the year of publication is the
arbitrary running number assigned by Weber and de Beaufort in the
list of Bleeker's papers as given in volume 1 of "The Fishes of the

Indo- Australian Archipelago" (1911).

For most species a statement is made of its general range, its local
distribution, its size, its spawning and other habits as far as known,
and its food value and economic importance. For many genera and
species discussions of taxonomic relations, nomenclature, local varia-
tions, and color notes on living specimens are included. To render the
catalog more generally useful to laymen and to facilitate the identifi-
cation of specimens in markets and in the catch of fishermen, many of
the local vernacular names are given.
The catalog includes 15 orders, 49 families, 9 subfamilies, 209 genera,
of which 8 are new and 1 has been given a new name, 560 species,
including 50 new to science and 1 new name, and 5 subspecies. One
new subneus (p. 97) is proposed.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION
The principal basis for this work is the collections and observations
made in Siam by the writer in the years 1923-34, during which he was
adviser in fisheries to the Siamese Government. All sections of the
country were visited, large collections were preserved, and informa-
tion was obtained by personal observations and by interviews with
local officials and fishermen. These collections were supplemented by
specimens brought in by various assistants in the Siamese Bureau of
Fisheries.
Other material from government sources consisted of valuable speci-
mens from Eastern and Northern Siam obtained by employes of the
Royal Forest Department, and a miscellaneous lot of fishes, badly
preserved and poorly labeled, which had been accumulating for many
years in the Royal Siamese Museum, an institution that as a depository
of zoological objects has now ceased to function.
A representative series of specimens was presented to the United
States National Museum by the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries, which
also lent certain other material for examination in Washington.
Numerous specimens of fresh-water fishes from all parts of the
country obtained by Layang Gaddi during his general zoological col-
lecting for the United States National Museum have been recorded
in the present work.
One of the most extensive collections of Siamese fresh-water fishes
was made about 1921-22 by Dr. Malcolm A. Smith, at the time living
in Bangkok, now with the British Museum. His specimens were
mostly from Bangkok and the. lower Menam Chao Phya, but some
came from streamsi n the mountains of Nakon Sritamarat in Benin-
4 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
sularSiam and on Koh Chang in the Gulf of Siam. Most of his mate-
rialwas sent to Calcutta and was there studied and reported on by
Dr. Sunder Lai Hora, of the Indian Museum some of the specimens,
;

retained in Siam, reached the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries and were

examined by the present writer.
The British Museum is an important depository for Thai fishes,
obtained by donation, purchase, or otherwise over a long period of
time. Through the courtesy of the museum authorities, the writer
was able to examine all make comparison with
desired material and to
specimens taken to London for this purpose. The major earlier col-
lections of Siamese fishes in that museum are (1) the Mouhot collection,
obtained by purchase in 1859, registered in 1861 (2) the Jamrach col-
;

lection, purchased, registered in 1862; (3) the Schomburgk collection,

made by Sir Kobert Schomburgk, British consul at Bangkok, regis-
tered in 1865 ;
from Prof. W. C. H.
(4) the Peters collection, received
Peters in 1868; (5) the Siamese Museum collection, presented by the
museum, registered in 1897; (6) the Flower collection, made by Capt.
Stanley S. Flower, registered in 1898; and (7) the Chumporn collec-
tion, presented by H. R. H. Prince Chumporn, Siamese minister to
England. Of special interest is the small lot of fishes obtained by
Henri Mouhot in his pioneer travels in 1858-60, including the types
of new species described by Giinther. British travelers, explorers,
and residents in Siam contributed numerous specimens in recent years.
Of great interest and value have been the fish collections made for
the United States National Museum by H. G. Deignan during the
years 1935-37. All his material came from fresh water, much of it
from localities in Northern Thailand from which no fish specimens
had previously been taken. Mr. Deignan's collections, comprising
many forms, have been studied in Washington and are reported on
herein. A valuable part of the Deignan collections was obtained by
A. R. Buchanan and P. D. Harrisson of Chiengmai, from the Mechem,
a tributary of the Meping, and various affluents, from which no pre-
vious fish specimens had been received.
The Museum of Comparative Zoology has courteously made avail-
able for study and report a collection of fishes obtained in 1937 at
Chiengmai and on Doi Angka, Northern Thailand, by the Harvard
Primate Expedition, Harold J. Coolidge, Jr., director. This collec-
tion, though small and from waters where fishes had been obtained
by others, was of considerable interest and contained representatives
of species regarded as new. The information afforded by a study of
this collection has been incorporated in the present catalog and a set
of duplicates was presented to the United States National Museum.
In addition to the knowledge of Siamese fishes obtained by observa-
tion in the field, in local aquaria, and in markets, and by the study of
 FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 5

various collections, all published articles on the subject have been

consulted and the information therein has been fully utilized in pre-
paring the present work. The ichthyological literature of Thailand
is referred to in the section following. Among the ichthyologists of a
former period to whom the writer feels especially indebted because of
their indispensable works are Pieter Bleeker, Albert Giinther, and
Henri fimile Sauvage.

ICHTHYOLOGICAL LITERATURE OF THAILAND

A considerable literature pertaining to Siamese fishes has been ac-
cumulating for more than 80 years. Some of the published articles
have dealt with single species, genera, or families some have had only
;

incidental references to local forms in general reviews or studies of

families; others have dealt with the fishes of particular waters; and
some have been based on more or less extensive collections in various
districts of the country.
The first references to Siamese fresh-water fishes in ichthyological
publications seem to have been in papers by Pieter Bleeker (1819-
1878), with the exception of a single species {Ophicephalus serpen-
tinus) described from Siam in 1831 by Cuvier and Valenciennes.
It washave been expected that Bleeker, who specialized in Orien-
to
tal fishes and, according to Dr. Theodore Gill, was "the most active
ichthyologist that ever lived," should have been interested in the fish
fauna of Siam and should have made noteworthy contributions there-
on. It does not appear that Bleeker ever visited Siam, but he had
opportunity to examine and report on collections made by others. He
published seven papers dealing wholly with Siamese fishes between
1860 and 1865, as well as several others in which Siamese fishes were
mentioned or figured. Several papers, in identical form, appeared
more or less simultaneously in two different scientific journals. His
monumental "Atlas Ichthyologique des Indes Orientales Neer-
landaises" (9 vols., folio, 1862-1877) contains various references to the
occurrence of East Indian fishes in Siam, and is indispensable to stu-
dents of fishes of the Oriental region. The first of the Siamese papers
(1859-60 [239] ) identified species represented in an album of drawings
said to have been made by Count Castelnau in Siam. In 1865 Bleeker
(347) gave a list of 89 species of fishes examined by him in the Musee
du Jardin des Plantes a Paris, which had been collected in the Menam
Chao Phya by Dr. Bocourt. Twelve species noted as new were not
described at the time ("restent a decrire") but were subsequently de-
scribed by Bleeker in various publications with the exception of three
catfishes, which were named in a publication by Bocourt. In 1865
590087 — 45 2
6 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Bleeker (356) listed all the species of fishes actually known from Siam,
177 in number, including marine forms.
Among the noteworthy Siamese fresh-water fishes described as new
by Bleeker are the catfish Eeterobagrus hocourti, the loach Botia
modesta, and the cyprinids Pimfius proctozysron and Paralauhuca
typus.
A
valuable early account of Siamese fishes appeared in 1866 under
the authorship of Firmin Bocourt in "Notes sur les reptiles, les
batraciens et les poissons recueillis pendant un voyage dans le royaume
de Siam," which formed a part of the general work by A. Milne-
Edwards on the expedition of Bocourt to Siam. It was in this article
that Bocourt described and fiom-ed the catfishes Pangmius larnaudii
and Micronema hleeheri^ now Kryptopterus hleekeri Giinther, and that
Bleeker was credited with Heterobagrus hocourti.
Beginning in 1878 and continuing till 1883, H. E. Sauvage, of the
Paris Museum d'Histoire Naturelle, published a series of important
articles on the fresh-water fishes of Indo-China and of Siam, based
chiefly on collections made by Jullien and Harmand. A number of
new forms inhabiting Siam were described and figured, including four
catfishes {Hemipimelodus siamensis, Pangasius pleurotaenius^ Heli-
cophagus hypophthalmus, and Pseudeutropius siamensis [now Platy-
tropius siamensis]) and various cyprinids (among them Barilius or-
natus^ Cirrhinus microlepis, Cosmochilus harmandi, Proharbus juUieni,
and Puntius siamensis). Of special interest and importance is the
paper "Sur une collection de poissons recueillie dans le Me-Nam
(Siam) par M. Harmand" (1883b), listing 70 species, some new, some
recorded from Siam for the first time. It is in this paper by Sauvage
that there occurs one of the most curious lapses in the whole history
of ichthyology. A catfish, Pseudohagrus nudiceps^ is described as
new. In the same publication and on immediately preceding pages,
Sauvage (1883a) had a paper entitled "Sur une collection de poissons
recueillie dans le lac Biwako, (Japon) par M. F. Steenackers," in
which, in language practically identical with that used in the Siamese
paper, he described as new, obviously from the same specimen or speci-
mens, a catfish under the name Pseudohagrus nudiceps. This species
certainly does not exist in Siam, and the genus has no known repre-
sentative south of China.
Under the auspices of the University ofEdinburgh and the Uni-
versity of Liverpool, Nelson Annandale and Herbert C. Kobinson made
an expedition to Perak and the Siamese Malay States in 1901-2, the
results of which were published under the title "Fasciculi Malayenses."
In part 2 of the section devoted to zoology, James Johnstone contrib-
uted a "Keport on the Marine Fishes" containing a description of one
supposed new goby {Periophthalmus phya) from the estuaries of the
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 7

Jambu and Patani Kivers; and G. A. Boulenger supplied a mere

"List of Freshwater Fishes," 12 in number, all of which except one
were taken in the Patani watershed, and most of them from the Patani
River between Biserat and the town of Patani.
Among other authorities who have contributed to the knowledge of
Siamese fishes are: Albert Giinther, of the British Museum, whose
"Catalogue of the Fishes" in that institution (1859-1870) contains de-
scriptions of a number of new forms from Siam (including the archer-
fish Toxotes microlepis, the serpenthead Ophicephalics siamensis, and
the sole Gynoglossus xiphoideus), mostly collected by Henri Mouhot
and described also in an appendix to Mouhot 's posthumous volumes;
George A. Boulenger, of the British Museum, who, in a paper entitled
"Description of a New Genus of Cyprinoid Fishes from Siam" (1898),
gave an account of the remarkable Catlocarpio siamensis and made in-
cidental references to local species in other papers L. S.
; Berg, who in
1906 described Gyrinoche'dus haznakovi from a part of Siam now in
Cambodia C. Tate Regan, of the British Museum, who, in his "Asiatic
;

Fishes of the Family Anabantidae" (1910), described two important

Siamese species, the fightingfish Betta splendens and the anabantid
Trichopodus pectordlis, now THchogaster peotoralis^ and in another
paper (1913) described the catfish Leiocassis siamensis; Hialmar Ren-
dahl (1920) who made known a new cyprinid Barbus hantajnensis, now
Acrossocheilus hantamensis, from Northern Siam; J. R. Norman, of
the British Museum, who in 1925 described a new cyprinid Barbus
vemayi, now Puntius vevTiayi^ collected by Arthur S. Vernay in the
Mewong, north-central Siam; W. C. H. Peters (1868), who listed 17

species of Siamese fresh-water fishes collected in January to May 1861

by Dr. F. Jagor; Eduard von Martens, who (1865-1876) reported on
the fishes collected on the Prussian Expedition to Eastern Asia (1860-
1863) and listed about 45 species of Siamese fresh-water fishes obtained
at Bangkok and Petchaburi Franz Steindachner, who in 1879 described
;

the cyprinid Luciosomg, hleekeri and the catfish Pangasius siamensis

from the Menam Chao Phya Bangkok; Ernst Ahl, whose "Eine
at
Revision der Cypriniden-Gattung Esomus" (1924) contains a descrip-
tion of Esomus metalUcus from Siam; Erna Mohr (1926a), who de-
scribed two new hemiramphs, ZeTiarchopterus claims and Z. pappen-
heimi, from Bangkok; L. F. de Beaufort, who, in 1927, published a
description of a new cyprinid Tylognathus siamensis; George S. Myers,
who in two papers (1928 and 1937) extended our knowledge of the
remarkable family Phallostethidae, describing Phenacostethus smithi
nd Neostethus siamensis as new and A. S. Pearse, who, in 1933, in a
fi ;

paper entitled "The Gobies at Paknam," gave an interesting account of

the food and parasites of certain species of gobies abounding in the
lower Menam Chao Phya.
8 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Among other recent publications on Siamese ichthyology, special

mention should be made of two by Sunder Lai Hora, one appearing
under the title "On a Collection of Fish from Siam" (1923b) the other
,

entitled "Fish of the Tale Sap, Peninsular Siam" (1924a). In the

former paper, based entirely on collections made by Dr. Malcom Smith
mostly in the Menam Chao Phya near Bangkok, there were described
as new Culter siamensis, Barhus smithi (described from Siam many
yeai'S earlier by Bleeker under the namfe Pimtius proctosysron) Glyp-
,

tothorax siamensis, and Mastacerribelus armatus var. favus. In the

latter paper, based on collections made by Dr. N. Annandale, new forms
described were the fresh-water pipefish Michophis annandalei and the
spiny-eel MastaceTnbelus circwmcinctus, together with several brack-
ish-water or marine species. Dr. Hora has published also valuable
incidental references to or accounts of Siamese fishes in his papers on
the fishes of India and Burma, and in 1937 (c) he described a new
genus {Platytropius) of Siamese schilbeid catfishes to accommodate
Sauvage's Pseudeutropius siamensis.
A small collection of fishes mostly from Peninsular Siam, made by
Dr. H. Bernatzik in 1936 and 1937, was reported on by Dr. F. P. Kou-
mans (1937a). The collection, in the Natural History Museum in
Basle, Switzerland, contains examples of 37 species, of which one,
Barilius hernatziki, from a mountain stream between Trang and
Patalung, is described as new and is interesting as being the only spe-
cies of Barilius reported from Peninsular Siam, although another
species {B. guttatus) is known from Pahang, one of the Federated
Malay States. This new species, together with a number of other
forms, is stated to have been taken at "Kapa, N. W. Peninsular Siam."
There does not appear to be any locality properly so called, and it is
believed that the place intended to be mentioned is Takuapa, a small
community on the west coast of Peninsular Siam north of Puket. An-
other locality erroneously indicated from which fish specimens were
obtained is "Lake of Patalung, N. W. Siam." This is obviously in-
tended for the inner lake of the Tale Sap, Peninsular Siam; near
its head is the Patalung Kiver, with the town of Patalung several miles

above its mouth.

Of special importance among the most recent publications on Sia-
mese fishes has been a series of six articles by Henry W. Fowler based
on collections made by or for R. M. de Schauensee between 1932 and
1936. The articles, appearing in the Proceedings of the Academy of
Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, have contained descriptions of many
new genera and new species and all new forms, as well as many pre-
;

viously known, have been illustrated from original drawings by Fowler.

As much of de Schauensee's material came from interior waters, the
reports thereon have special value in connection with the present
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 9

catalog, and detailed consideration thereof has been given herein in

the systematic treatment. It may
be pointed out that localities in
which specimens were collected, as noted in Fowler's papers, cannot
always be accepted as correct for the reason that many of the speci-
mens came from city markets. For Bangkok, especially, the locality
thus given means very little, for sea fishes from all parts of the north-
ern, eastern, and western coasts of the Gulf of Siam reach Bangkok by
rail and vessel, as do fresh-water fishes from the Meklong, the Tachin,
and the Bangpakong, as well as from the Menam Chao Phya and its
numerous branches and connecting canals. It should therefore be
understood that marine and brackish-water species attributed to Bang-
kok or other interior communities may not have come from local
Bangkok waters.
An important recent paper is "A Contribution to the Ichthyology of
the Malay Peninsula" by Albert W. "C. T. Herre and George S. Myers
(1937), for while it pertains little or not at all to the fishes in the
Siamese part of the Malay Peninsula, it indicates the presence in the
Malay States of a number of species previously known only from
Siam and suggests the existence in Siamese territory of various Ma-
layan species that may be discovered when further collecting is done
in the southern provinces.
Special mention should be made of the fact that several papers on
Siamese fresh-water fishes have had Siamese authors. The first of
these, "Notes on Rod Fishing in Bangkok," by His Serene Highness
Prince Vipulya (1923), embodies interesting notes on the game fishes
of the Menam Chao Phya in the vicinity of Bangkok, with scientific
identification of the species as well as their vernacular names. Note-
worthy as being the first systematic paper by Siamese is "Note on
Some Freshwater Fishes of Koh Samui and Koh Pa-ngan, Gulf of
Siam" (1932), by Luang Masya Chitrakarn and Boon Chuay Indram-
barya, of the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries. Some original observa-
tions on the breeding, growth, food, habits, etc., of an outstanding local
species, the fightingfish {Betta splendens), are given in a paper (1930)
by Choola Jedadib, of the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries.
The most noteworthy of the ichthyological publications by Siamese
authors is "Index to Fishes of Siam" (1936), by Chote Suvatti, of the
Siamese Bureau of Fisheries. The work, in part a citation from pub-
lished records and in part a list of localities represented by specimens
in the local government collection, is based largely on a fully anno-
tated card catalog of Siamese fishes inaugurated and maintained by
the present writer during his sojourn in the country. The treatment
comprises the recording for each species of the scientific name, the
Siamese vernacular names (in Siamese characters), literary citations
for Siam (in Roman characters), and the localities (in both Siamese
and English) from which the species had been recorded in the catalog.
10 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

The "Index," which isthus more than an index, serves the useful pur-
pose of giving a general list of the known species of Siamese fishes.
During 12 years spent in Siam, the present writer published numer-
ous articles on the local fishes. These for the most part appeared in
the Natural History Supplement of the Journal of the Siam Society,
and one paper was contained in the Proceedings of the United States
National Museum under the title "Descriptions of New Genera and
Species of Siamese Fishes" (1931a), most of the species referred to
being from fresh water. Three articles on Siamese fresh-water fishes
—
of special popular interest the walkingfish, the archerfish, and the
—
fightingfish appeared in 1936 (a, b) and 1937 (b) in Natural His-
tory, the magazine of the American Museum of Natural History. Vari-
ous other papers, all listed in the accompanying literature cited and
dealing for the most part with matters of nomenclature, have been
published in Copeia, Proceedings of the Biological Society of Wash-
ington, Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences, The
Aquarium, and elsewhere.

ORIGIN AND RELATIONSHIPS OF THE FRESH- WATER FISH FAUNA

In his earliest papers dealing with the fishes of Siam, Bleeker
(1859-60 [239] ) noted the strong resemblance existing between the fish
fauna of the Menam, the large river of Bangkok, and that of the rivers
of Borneo and Sumatra. He commented on the subject in a later
paper, about 1865, and noted not less than 35 species common to Siam
and to islands now separated from the mainland of Asia by wide and
deep stretches of salt water. Bleeker does not appear to have at-
tempted an explanation of this outstanding phenomenon.
In a paper entitled "The Continental Shelf of French ludo-China
and the Relationship Which Formerly Existed between Indo-China
and the East Indies," Krempf and Chevey (1934), of the Oceano-
graphic Institute of Indo-China, announced the results of oceano-
graphic investigations and made deductions therefrom that bear on
the present similarity of the fish fauna of the East Indies and south-
eastern Asia. What was said of French Indo-China applies equally
well to Siam. They noted the work of Dutch investigators in studying
the continental plateau of Java and the Sunda Islands with reference
to its geological history and in tracing the course of river valleys now
submerged. In the southern part of the China Sea there has been
outlined a va^t estuary of a great river that drained northern Borneo
and Sumatra and the eastern slopes of the Malay Peninsula the bed of
;

this river, called the North Sunda River, is now under 40 to 100 meters
of water. Krempf and Chevey described the bed of a similar vast
river, called the Great South Indo-China River, which flowed from
northwest to southeast and emptied about 150 miles north of the North
 : : .

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 11

Sunda River, its bank being at the level of the present 100-meter iso-
bath. Between these two great rivers was an extensive plain from
which rose a few isolated mountains less than 200 meters in height.
The writers pointed out

It will be quite apparent that interchanges of freshwater fauna between the

two hydrographic systems would be very easy or rather that there was only one
and the same fauna common to all this immense region. * * *
The practical identity of ichthyologic fauna in countries now separated by the
sea, is easily understood when the geologic history of the area is known. Recrea-
tion in thought of the great continental block joining these countries as it
appeared before its immersion, with its two great rivers, provides at once the
key to the common origin of the fauna.

In a table showing "distribution of the freshwater fishes of southern

Asia," Krempf and Chevey listed species of the East Indies, Indo-
China, Burma, and India but made no mention of Siam and Malaya,
which, inferentially, are included under Indo-China; certain species
are shown thereunder that are Imown only from Siam. The table,
while fully illustrating the great similarity between the fishes of Indo-
China and the East Indies, loses some of its force by incompleteness
and errors. Only 76 species of fishes common to Indo-China (and
Siam) and the East Indies are shown. The list could be doubled, and
about 40 cyprinoid species alone are omitted. Among the errors are
the inclusion under the East Indies of genera and species peculiar to
Siam and Indo-China (e. g., the cyprinoid Puntioplites froctozysron) ^

the omission from the East Indian list of common species found there
as well as Indo-China (e. g., the catfish Wallago dinema) and the non-,

listing of various species of Indo-China (and Siam) that are known

also from Burma and India (e. g., the catfish Glarias 'batrachm)
In the foregoing conception, the fresh-water fish fauna of the East
Indies, Indo-China, Malay Peninsula, and Siam had a common origm.
The general subject is discussed at some length b}'- Hora (1937a) with
special reference to India ; but inasmuch as his observations and con-
clusions have a more or less direct application to Siam, they are quoted
directly

The relationships and the geographical distribution of the freshwater fishes

of Indiawere discussed by two of the leading ichthyologists, Day and Giinther,
of the last century. The former advocated Malayan affinities for the Indian
fauna, while the latter, though admitting the migration of several Oriental
freshwater fishes to Africa, laid special stress on the African affinities of this
fauna. Beyond some casual references very little work has since been done on
this aspect of the Indian freshwater fishes, and in view of the advances that have
been made in our knowledge of the paleogeography and systematics of fishes
it seems opportune to review the whole subject in the light of recently discov-

ered facts.
* * *

There is an unfortunate impression, mainly among geologists, that in the

case of fishes dispersal may be effected through the agency of birds, chiefly
12 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

aquatic species, wliicli may carry the eggs attached to their feet from one
watershed to another. Those who have paid particular attention to this mat-
ter, however, are definitely of the opinion that such a mode of dispersal of
freshwater fishes is normally highly improbable, even though there may be
records of such fortuitous dispersal in practically all groups of animals including
freshwater fishes.
In connection with my work on the Siluroid fishes of India for a revised
edition of "Fishes" in the Fauna of British India series, I have been greatly
struck by the close similarity of the Indian forms to those found towards the
east in Indo-China, Siam, and the Malay Archipelago. As a result of a detailed
study of the genera and species inhabiting these regions I am definitely of the
opinion that the freshwater fish fauna of India in the main originated in South-
eastern Asia, most probably in Indo-China, and spread vpestwards by successive
waves of migration to India and later to Africa while the two masses of land
were connected with each other. Gregory's researches on the evolution of the
mountain and river systems of South-eastern Asia have shown that in this region
—
there were extensive river captures the rivers on the west beheading the
rivers on the east these changes made possible the migrations of aquatic ani-
;

mals from the east to the west but not in the reverse direction. Gregory's
researches have further shown that all the rivers of Eastern Tibet drained into
the Gulf of Siam or the South China Sea before the present rivei- systems became
established. * * * The freshwater fauna of Eastern Asia at least may have
originated along the coasts of Indo-China, when the ocean water in this area
was greatly diluted by the drainage into it of several river systems.
Professor Gregory's views about the capture of the eastern rivers by the
western rivers are, however, not accepted by all geologists;
* * * but a con-
siderable mass of evidence bearing on the close relationship and distribution
of the fishes of South-eastern Asia demands for its explanation a hypothesis
similar to that worked out by Gregory.

Inasmuch as Thailand is geographically separated from parts of

Indo-China, Burma, and Malaya by only political barriers, with large
rivers constituting international boundaries, it is natural that there
should be many species of fresh- water fishes common to Siam and the
adjoining countries. With every new making of fish
activity in the
number of over-
collections in waters at or near the boundaries, the
lapping species becomes augmented, and some additions to the known
common faunas of these contiguous countries may be expected from
time to time for many years.
That part of the Malay Peninsula that lies in Thailand is essen-
tially similar physically to the remaining part constituting the Fed-
erated and Non-federated Malay States. The boundary is artificial,
and the fish life on the two sides should, and does, present few
differences, and those differences will become less striking and may
largely disappear as the result of further observations and collecting.
The recent work of Herre and Myers (1937) has disclosed for Malaya
a very large number of species known also from Siam.
In the forest-covered mountains of Northern Siam streams tribu-
tary to the Mekong, the Menam Chao Phya, and the Salwin basins
may have fishes that specifically are common to two or all three of
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 13

these drainage systems. While the present watersheds would not per-
mit the passage of fishes from one to another, it is apparent that at
no very distant geological period physical barriers were not insur-
mountable and that fish populations now cut off from one another
had the opportunity to mingle.
While Thailand has a very large percentage of species identical with
forms known also from Sumatra, Borneo, Java, and other East In-
dian islands, there is a considerable number of striking Siamese genera
of both the plains rivers and the mountain streams that are wholly
unrepresented in the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Among these
are the cyprinoid genera Aspidoparia, Bariliits, Catlocarpio, Cirrhinus,
Oreichthys, Probarhus, Punfioplites, Scaphiodonichthys, Scaphog-
nathops^ and Xenocheilichthys and the siluroid genera Amblyceps.
Heterohagrus^ and Oreoglanis.

ZOOGEOGRAPHIC DIVISIONS OF THAILAND AND THEIR PRINCIPAL

FRESH WATERS
C. Boden Kloss (1915) proposed for Siam certain divisions in order
to afford to naturalists and others a better understanding of the zoology
and to avoid confusion in the recording of information. The divi-
sions suggested—Northern, Central, Western, Peninsular, Eastern,
and Southeastern Siam—may be convenient in the consideration of the
distribution of land animals but they are not always applicable to
fishes, for which the logical division of the country would be into
river basins or drainage systems. It happens, however, that the
Central, Peninsular, Eastern, and Southeastern divisions proposed by
Kloss may in general be accepted for fishes, leaving the limitations
of Northern and Western Siam subject to modification.
Northern Siam has been defined as all that part of the country
lying north of latitude 17°5()'. It is mostly mountainous and forested
and is drained by three great rivers, the Salwin or Menam Kong,
the Menam Chao Phya (through its tributaries the Meping and the
Menan), and the Mekong.
The northwestern corner of Northern Thailand is drained mostly
by the ]\Ienam Pai, which enters the Salwin soon after receiving the
Menam Surin as its chief affluent. Farther south another tributary
of the Salwin, the Menam Mue or Thaungyin, has as its principal afflu-
ent the Menam Yuam, an important stream with a generally southern
course. The Salwin and the Menam Mue constitute the Thailand-
Burmese boundary for upward of 300 kilometers. The part of Siam
drained by the Menam Mue may properly be treated as Northern Siam,
although classed as Western Siam by Kloss, who defined this division
as including all that area lying between the mouth of the Menam Mue
on the north and Koh Lak on the south and between the Tenasserim
14 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

border and the Gulf of Siam, taking in a part of the central plain
as drained by the Petchaburi and Pran Kivers. Western Thailand,
if it is necessary to recognize this division, might more properly and
conveniently be regarded as the mountainous region between Northern
Siam and Peninsular Siam extending along the Thailand-Burmese
frontier and involving the headwaters of the Meklong, Petchaburi,
and Pran Rivers.
Of the major aflSuents of the Menam Chao Phya in Northern Thai-
land the Meping is the most western, rising in the Den Lao Range and
having among its tributaries the Mechom, the Mechem, the Mewang,
and the Meklang, the last-named stream draining Doi Angka, the
highest mountain in the country. The Meyom, and the Menan rising
in the Pi Pan Nam Mountains, drain a large part of the eastern sec-
tion of Northern Siam.
Entering the Mekong along its short course where it forms part of
the boundary between Thailand and French Laos, there are two note-
worthy streams, the Meing and the Mekok, which taking rise respec-
tively in the Pi Pan Nam Mountains and in the Khun Tan and Den
Lao Ranges, drain wide, level, sometimes swampy districts before en-
tering the great parent river. The Mekok has as a principal tributary
the Mefang, which in turn has the Memao as one of its branches.
Central Thailand is the comprehensive designation for the vast
plain watered by the Menam Chao Phya and its tributaries and collat-
erals,by the lower Meklong, by the lower Petchaburi and Pran, and by
the Bangpakong and its affluents the Nakon, Nayok, the Sakeo, and the
Prachin. Flowing into the Menam Chao Phya at its head at Pak-
nampo and constituting its chief sources are the Meping and the Me-
nan, the latter joined near its mouth by the Meyom. Discharging into
the Menam near its mouth is the celebrated Bung Borapet, which has
been converted into a permanent lake by the construction of barriers
and has been set aside by the government as a fish nursery and sanctu-
ary. Coming into the Menam Chao Phya from the northwest is a
stream known as the Mewong, which rises in the Tanon Tong Chai
Range and is the principal western tributary of the Chao Phya. Lower
down, about 50 kilometers south of Paknampo and 200 kilometers
from the Gulf of Siam, the Chao Phya splits into a number of large
streams and forms a delta. The main river divides and reunites, its
principal divisions being the Menam Yai, Menam Noi, and Menam
Lopburi, which coming together in the region of Ayuthia and joined
by a great eastern tributary, the Menam Pasak, flow past Bangkok and
enter the Gulf of Siam as a mighty stream whose freshness and silt
and mud are carried far into the sea. The other main part of the
Chao Phya, beginning as the Menam Supan and changing into the
Menam Nakon Chaisi, becomes the Menam Tachin and enters the Gulf
of Siam about 40 kilometers west of the Chao Phya.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 15

The Menam Chao Pliya is the outstanding physical feature of the

country and it is to Thailand is to Egypt and the Mis-
what the Nile
sissippi is to the central part of the United States. With its tribu-
taries and the other streams with which it is connected by canals, it is
the main channel of communication and provides the means of trans-
portation for two of the great products, teak logs in rafts and rice in
barges. It is furthermore a perennial source of invaluable fertilizer,
wliich, in the form of silt, is brought down by the annual floods and
deposited on the inundated ricelands.
This is the region of greatest abundance and variety of fish life,
which, in consequence of the vast watery areas resulting from the
annual inundations, is afforded boundless opportunity for reproduc-
tion and growth. Connected with the teeming streams are extensive
marshes and swamps, which are annually converted into lakes, to
which the fishes resort for spawning purposes with the subsidence of
;

the flood waters and steady evaporation during the long period of
drought, the lakes shrink and many of them revert to marshes and
swamps before another flood season comes.
Peninsular Thailand, formerly sometimes referred to as Lower
Siam or Southern Siam, may be considered as extending from Koh
Lak to British Malaya, with a frontage on the Gulf of Siam and the
Indian Ocean except where, on the west, it is bordered by the Tenas-
serim Range and the Menam Kra. The topography is varied,
consisting of coastal flats, plains, and forest-clad mountains, with
numerous small streams and several of some magnitude. The Menam
Bandon, a short tidal water, is entered by the Tapi and the Kirirat,
which are fair-sized rivers flowing northward and draining rather
extensive mountain and plain areas. Farther south, occupjnng an
extensive plain op the east side of the peninsula, is the large Tale Sap,
or Inland Sea. This consists of an inner lake that is fresh and an
outer lake that is brackish and discharges into the Gulf of Siam at
Singora. The Tale Sap, with its much smaller Tale Noi connected
with its northern arm, provides conditions very favorable for fish life.
At the southeastern corner of Peninsular Thailand the Patani Plain
is drained by the Menam Patani and the Menam Saiburi, which rise
in the mountain range forming the Malayan boundary while on the ;

west side the only noteworthy stream is the Menam Trang.

Eastern Thailand, much the largest of the natural geographical
divisions, consists principally of a saucer-shaped plateau, which is
flooded during the wet season and suffers from a scarcity of water
during the dry season. The Mekong forms the northern and eastern
boundaries; on the west the Pechabun Mountains and Dong Phya
Yen Range separate it from the central plain; and on the south the
Dong Pek Scarp divides it from Cambodia. Drainage is principally
by the Menam Mun, a very sizable stream that enters the Mekong
 .

16 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

from the west and has as its main tributary the Menam Chi, which
supplies a large part of the plateau. The discharge from two shallow
but extensive lakes in the north is effected by tlie Menam Pau, a trib-
utary of the Menam Chi. In the eastern part of the plateau is Lake
Lahan, having an area of about 170 square kilometers, the largest
fresh-water lake in the country, which is both flooded and drained by
the Nam Kam. The only other noteworthy stream is the Menam
Songkram, which enters the Mekong from the northeast section of the
division. WHien the Mekong is in flood there is a strong reverse
current in all the tributary streams.
Southeastern Thailand is a small division lying south of the Bangpa-
kong and bounded on the east by the Bantad Range forming a part of
the Cambodian border and on the west by the Gulf of Siam. It has a
A'aried topography, with a detached mountain range (Chantabun
Mountains), forested plain, extensive tidal areas covered with marsh
grass and mangrove swamps, short rivers of which the principal are
the Chantabun, the Wain, and the Trad or Krat, and numerous rocky
jungle-clad fringing islands. The largest island, Koh Chang, is 30
kilometers long with an area of 180 kilometers. It is forest-clad and
very rugged, with the highest of the peaks 644 meters, and in clear, cool
rockv streams below picturesque waterfalls there is an interesting fish
life'."

GAZETTEER OF COLLECTING LOCALITIES IN THAILAND

In the Thai language generic prefixes are commonly applied to
geographical names (i. e., «<?, gulf, bay, bight; han^ village). In this
gazetteer the generic prefixes are given in parentheses following the
name [cf. Kong (Mae Nam) for Mae (Nam) Kliong; in the text of the
catalog the name used would be Mekong] This has been done for the
.

sake of consistency even where foreign usage treats the prefix as an in-
herent part of the name. Such names as Ban Mae Sot ("Village of the
River Sot") and Doi Mae Kong Ka ("mountain of the River Kong Ka")
are listed as Mse Sot (Ban) and Mse Kong Ka (Doi).
In every case the spelling of the name proper used in the text has
been placed first [i. e., Mekong (Kong being considered the name
proper) would be listed as Kong (Me or Mse, "river," generic prefix,
understood)], instead of Kliong. Whenever such transliteration dis-
agrees with that used (since 1940) by the Royal Survey Department at
Bangkok, the name is given also, as a subsidiary to the spelling used in
the text, according to the more recent system. In certain instances a
frequently employed (and sometimes mandatory) alternative name is
listed as well (i. e., the dialectic spelling Nang Ka for the mountain
correctly pronounced Langka and now officially named Pha Cho)
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 17

The generic prefixes here used (with variants in parentheses) are

as follows

Ao: Gulf, bay, bight.

Ban: Village.
Bung: Marsh.
Dot: Mountain (northern).
Hiiai {Huey), Huai Mw, Huai Nam: Brook, stream.
Khao (JS^ao) ; Mountain (southern).
Klilong (Klong) : Canal, stream.
Ko (Eoh) : Island.
Krung: Capital city.
Kivan: Lake (northern).
Lam: Brook, stream.
Lam Nam Toh: Waterfall stream.
La em, (Lem) : Peninsula, cape.
Mw {Me) Nam,, Nam, Moe, M<b Nam (Menam in the text) : River, largo or
small.
Mtiang: Town.
Novg: Marsh.
Tambon (Tambol) : Political subdivision of a changwat (province).
Thiu Khao: Mountain range.

Pronunciation of Thai names can be only approximately indicated

by the Roman alphabet and no useful purpose would be served by
mentioning more than that m and ce should be considered diphthongs,
the former having the value of a in English "hat," the latter sounding
somewhat like the German o.

Distances and directions have been derived from the Map of Siam
(1: 2,000,000) issued by the Royal Survey Department at Bangkok.
B. E. 2460.
Locality names used in the synonymy have been made consistent
regardless of the spelling employed by the original author.

ABBREVIATIONS
0=Central Thailand. NW=Northwest Thailand.
N=North Thailand. SE = Southeast Thailand.
E=East Thailand. P=Peninsular Thailand.
W=West Thailand.

LOCALITIES
Ang Settlement at the base of Khao Sabap SE.
(Ban) : ;

Angka (Doi), Ang- Ka, Inthanon: High mountain (over 8,000 feet) about 35
miles WSW. of Chiang Mai N. ;

Angtong (Muang), Ang Thong: Town on the Chao Phaya about 15 miles NNW.
of Ayutthaya ; C.
Aw (Huai) 0: Tiny brook of the Mse Nam Nan system near Ban Khana N.
, ;

Ayuthia (Krung), Ayutthaya, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Krung Kao: Old

capital on the Chao Pliaya about 40 miles N. by E. of Bangkok C. ;

Bajo (Lam Nam Tok), Ba Cho: Waterfall stream in the Province of Pattani; P.
Ban Po Khlong) Ban Pho: Canal in the city of Bangkok C.
( , ;

Bang Taeng (Khlong) Stream tributary to the Mse Nam Krat SE.
: ;
18 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Ban Yao (Mse Nam) Short stream entering the Gulf of Slam about 24 miles
:

SSE. of the Chanthaburi SE. ;

Bandon (Ao), Ban Don: Bight of the Gulf of Siam on which the town of Ban
Don is situated P. ;

Bandon (Mae Nam), Ban Don, Ta Pi: River on which the town of Ban Don is
situated name applied only to the lowest reach of the Ta Pi P.
; ;

Bang Som (Ban), Bang Son: Suburb of Bangkok on the Chao Phaya above the
city ; C.
Bang Torani Ban Bang Thorani Village on the Mae Nam Chao Phaya between
( ) , :

Bangkok and Ayutthaya; C.

Bangkam (Mae Nam), Bang Kham: Stream tributary to the Mse Nam Lopburi
at Lopburi ; C.
Bangkapi (Khlong), Bang Kapi: Canal in the city of Bangkok ; C.
Bangkok, Bang Kok: Name commonly applied by foreigners to the capital of
Thailand, from the village that anciently stood on the left bank of the
Chao Phaya and formed the nucleus around which has grown the great
city known to the Thai as Phra Nakhon or Krung Thep C. ;

Bangpa-in (Ko), Bang Pa-in: Island in the Chao Phaya about 34 miles N. by E.
of Bangkok C. ;

Bangpakong (Mae Nam), Bang Pakong: River entering the Inner Gulf of Siam
at its northeastern corner ; C.
Bangsai (Ban), Bang Sal: Village on the Chao Phaya C. ;

Bangtang (Ban), Taeng: Village on the Mae Nam Si Kuk C. ;

Bantad (Khao) Banthat: Mountain E. of Krat SE.

, ;

Bantad (Tniu Khao), Banthat, Chains de I'Elephant: Coastal mountain range

of southeastern Thailand and southwestern Cambodia SE. ;

Bhanam Bencha (Khao) Phanom Bencha: Mountain near Krabi P. , ;

Biserat (Muang), Yala, Jalor: Village on the Mae Nam Pattani about 23 miles
S. of Muang Pattani ; P.
Borapet (Bung) Boraphet: Large artificial lake near Pak Nam Pho C.
, ;

Borapet (Khlong), Boraphet: Waterway connecting Bung Boraphet with the

Mae Nam Chao Phaya C. ;

Bua Yai (Ban) Village on the railway between Khorat and Khon Kaen, about
:

50 miles NNE. of Khorat E. ;

Chaiburi (Muang), Bung Kan (Ban) Village on the Mae Khong about 81 miles :

NE. of Udon Thani E. ;

Chainad (Muang), Chai Nat: Town on the Chao Phaya about 35 miles S. by E. of
Nakhon Sawan ; C.
Chaiya (Muang), Phum Riang (Ban) ; Village oti the Bight of Ban Don about
14 miles NNW. of Ban Don P. ;

Cham Ham (Ao) Cham Han: Bight of the Gulf of Siam W. of Chanthaburi SE.
, ;

Chan (Huai, Mae Nam) Stream on which Chiang Saen Mai is situated N. : ;

Chang (Ko) Large island in the Gulf of Siam SW. of Krat SE.
: ;

Chantabun (Mae Nam), Chanthabun: River flowing into the Gulf of Siam on
which Chanthaburi is situated ; SE.
Chantabun (Muang), Chanthabun, Chanthaburi: Town on the Chanthabun
River about 134 miles SE. of Bangkok SE. ;

Chao Chet (Mae Nam) Stream, tributary to the Chao Phaya, which it enters at
:

Ban Pho about 6 nriles SSE. of Ayutthaya C. ;

Chao Phya (Mae Nam), Chao Phaya, Chao Phraya: Great river flowing into the
head of the Inner Gulf of Siam, formed by confluence of the Mae Ping and
the Mae Nan at Pak Nam Pho and Nakhon Sawan C. ;

Chawang (Khlong) Mountain stream E. of Ban Don; P. :

 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 19

Chem (Mae Nam), Chaem: Stream, tributary to the Mae Ping, which it enters
from the west about 45 miles SW. of Chiang Mai N. ;

Cheo (Mae Nam), Chieo: Stream in Krat Province; SE.

Chi (Mae Nam) Large river, tributary to the Nam Mun, which it enters about
:

8 nriles W. of Ubon Racha Thani E. ;

Chiengdao (Muang), Chiang Dao: Village between Doi Chiang Dao and the Mse
Nam Ping, about 40 miles N. of Chiang Mai N. ;

Chiengdao (Doi), Chiang Dao: High mountain (over 7,000 feet) about 40 miles
N. by W. of Chiang Mai N. ;

Chiengmai (Muang), Chiang Mai: City on the Mae Ping, terminus of the North-
ern Line of the Royal State Railways, about 356 miles N. by "W. of
Bangkok ; N.
Chiengrai (Muang), Chiang Rai, Chiang Hai: Town on the Mae Nam Kok about
92 miles NE. by N. of Chiang Mai N. ;

Chiengsen (Muang), Chiang Ssen, Chiang Saen Kao. Old Chiang Seen: Ruined
city on the right bank of the Mas Nam Khong about 15 miles NE. of Chiang
Ssen Mai; N.
Chiengsen (Muang), Chiang Sasn, Chiang Sasn Mai, New Chiang Saen: Town
on the Mae Nam Chan about 17 miles N. by E. of Chiang Rai N. ;

Chik (Ko) Islet in the Gulf of Siam SE.

: ;

Chom (Mae Nam) Stream tributary to the Mae Ping; ?N.

:

Chomtong (Muang), Chom Thong, Luang (Ban) Town on right bank of the :

Mae Ping about 30 miles SW. of Chiang Mai N. ;

Cheng' (Khao) Mountain near Trang; P.

:

Cheng (Lam Nani Tok) Waterfall stream dropping from Khao Chong near
:

Trang; P.
Chula (Ko) Rocky islet near the mouth of the Chanthabun estuary; SE.
:

Chumporn (Muang) Chumphon, Tha Taphao (Ban) Coastal town on the :

eastern side of the Isthmus of Kra about 150 miles NNW. of Nakhon Si
Thammarat; P.
Den tao (Thiu Khao), Daen Lao: Mountain range on the Thai-Shan frontier in
which the Mse Nam Ping has its source
N. ;

Dha Luang (Ban), Tha Luang: Village on the Mae Pa Sak, the center of exten-
works C.
sive irrigation ;

Don (Ban), Surat Thani: Coastal town at the mouth of the Mae Nam Ban Don,
about 65 miles NW. of Nakhon Si Thammarat P. ;

Don Lao (Khlong) Stream tributary to the Mae Nam Tha Chin C.
: ;

Dong Pek (Thiu Khao), Dong Raek: Mountain range forming the divide between
the basins of the Mae Nam Mun and the Mae Nam Bang Pakong and farther
to the east forming the frontier between Thailand and Cambodia.
Dong Phya Yen (Thiu Khao), Dong Phaya Yen: Mountain range forming the
southern part of the divide between the basins of the Chao Phaya and the
Mse Khong; C, E.
Fang (Mae Nam) River tributary to the Mae Kok, which it enters about 18 miles
:

NE. by E. of Muang Fang; N.

Fang (Muang) Village on the Mae Fang about 41 miles W. of Chiang Rai; N.
:

Haeng (Mae Nam) Stream tributary to the Mae Nam Nan, which it enters from
:

the SW. by W. about 18 miles S. of Muang Nan N. ;

Han (Nong) See Lahan (Nong).

:

Hang Kraben (Mae Nam), Hang- Kaben: Anabranch of the Mae Nam Chao Phaya
above Ayutthaya C. ;

Hoi Toi (Ban), Hua Toei: Station on the Southern Line of the Royal State Rail-
ways about 11 miles W. of Ban Don P. ;

Hu Puang (Huai), Hu Phuang: Tiny brook tributary to the Mse Nam Mao; N.
20 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Hua Hin (Ban) : Seaside village on the Gilt' of Siani about 87 miles SSW. of
Bangkok; C.
Hua Mak (Ban) Village on railway about 8 miles E. of Bangkok; C.
:

Hua Mot (Doi) High mountain (over 6,000 feet) situated just N. of Doi Langka
:

(Doi Pha Cho) N. ;

Huey Ta (Ban), Huai Ta: A'illage W. of Naklion Si Thammarat at the base of

Khao Luang ; P.
Huey Yang' (Ban), Huai Yang: Village about 158 miles SSW. of Bangkok; C.
Hupbon (Ban), Hup Bon: Village near Ban Si Racha SE. ;

Ing' (Mns Nam) River, tributary to the Mne Khong, on which Muang Thoeng
: is

situated; N.
Jhering: See Yamoo (Ban).
Ka (Huai) Stream flowing between Doi Chiang Dao and the next mountain to
:

the south N. ;

Kahten (Ko), Katen, Kraten: Islet in the Gulf of Siam S. of Ko Samui P. ;

Kam (Mse Nam) River draining Nong Lahan and tributary to the Mae Khong,
:

which it enters about 46 miles ESB. of Sakon Nakhon E. ;

Kanburi (Muang), Kanchanaburi: Town on the Mae Klong, at the junction of

the Khwse Yai and the Khwje Noi, about 36 miles NW. by N. of Ratcha-
buri; C.
Kao (Huai), Ksec: Stream arising on Doi Suthep and entering the Mse Ping at
Chiang Mai; N.
Kemarat (Ban), Khenunarat: Village on the Mie Khong about 61 miles NNE.
of Ubon Racha Thani E. ;

Keng Sok (Ban), Kaeng Sok: Village (on the Mse Klong?) stated to lie in
southwestern Thailand C. ;

Khan (Mse Nam) Stream, tributary to the Mse Ping, which it enters from the
:

north about 20 miles SSW. of Chiang Mai N. ;

Khana (Ban) Village on the Mse Nam Kon about 39 miles N. by E. of Muang
:

Nan N. ;

Khong Noi (Mse Nam) Stream tributary to the Mse Nam Pai near Mse Hong
:

Son; N.
Khor (Nong), Kho: Lake near Si Racha SE. ;

Khun Tale, Khun Thale: Lakelike expansion of the Mse Nam Ta Pi above the
town of Ban Don ; P.
Khun Tan (Doi), Nga Chang: Mountain
(over 4,000 feet) situated above Khun
Tan by S. of Chiang Mai, sometimes recorded by
station, about 29 miles SE.
Dr. Smith as Khun Tan Mountains N. ;

Khun Tan (Thiu Khao) Mountain range forming the divide between the basins
:

of the Mse Ping and the Mse Wang N. ;

Kirirat (Mse Nam), Khirirat: River tributary to the Ta Pi above Ban Don; P.
Kiriwong (Ban), Khiriwong: Village at the headwaters of the Mae Nam Tadi,
about 16 miles W. of Nakhon Si Thammarat P. ;

Klang Pla (Mse Nam), Kang Pa, Ka Pak: stream on Doi Ang Ka, tributary
to the Mse Klang or Mse Kang from the north and formed by confluence of the
Mse Ka Pak Luang and the Mse Ka Pak Noi near Ban Nong Lom N. ;

Klong (Mse Nam) River entering the Inner Gulf of Siam at its northwestern
:

corner formed by confluence of the Khwse Yai and the Khwse Noi C. ;

Koh Lak (Ban), Ko Lak, Prachuap Khirkhan (Muang) Seaside village on the :

Gulf of Siam about 140 miles SSW. of Bangkok C. ;

Kok (Mse Nam) River, tributary to the Mse Khong, on which Chiang Rai is
:

situated ; N.
Kok Kamyan (Khlong) Stream tributary to the Mse : Nam Suphan (Tha Chin)
near Suphanburi C. ;
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 21
Kon (Mae Nam) Small swift stream (tributary to the Mje Nam Nan) on which
:

Ban Khana is situated N. ;

Kong (Mse Nam) Khong, Cambodia One of the great rivers of Asia it forms a
, :
;

great part of the eastern boundary of Thailand.

Kong Kha (Huai), Kong Ka: Small stream arising on Doi Mse Kong Ka and
entering the Mse Yuan from the west near Mse Sariang N. ;

Korat (Muang), Khorat, Nakhon Rachasima (Muang) Large town on the upper :

Nam Mun about 135 miles NE. by E. of Bangkok E. ;

Kra (Mffi Nam), Pak Chan: River forming the boundary between Thailand and
the southernmost part of Tenasserim P. ;

Krabi (Muang), Ghirbi: Coastal town on the western side of the Malay Penin-
sula about 76 miles WSW. of Si Thammarat ; P.
Krabin (Muang), Krabinburi: Town on the Sa Kaao River about 81 miles E. by
N. of Bangkok C. ;

Kraburi (Muang), Nam Chut Yai (Ban) Village on the Mse Nam Kra or Mse :

Nam Pak Chan, about 28 miles W. by S. of Chumphon P. ;

Krat (Mse Nam), Trat: Short river entering the Gulf of Slam N. of Ko Kut; SE.
Krat (Muang), Trat: Town on the Krat River about 169 miles SE. by E. of
Bangkok; SE.
Kuang (Mse Nam) Stream ai'ising in the vicinity of Doi Langka and entering
:

the Mse Ping about 16 miles S. by W. of Chiang Mai N. ;

Kumpawapi (Muang), Kumphawapi, Na Khong (Ban) Village at the head- :

waters of the Mse Nam Pao, about 21 miles SE. by S. of Udon E. ;

Kut (Ko) Large island in the Gulf of Siam S. by E. of Krat SE.

: ;

Kwe Noi (Mse Nam), Khwae Noi: Western branch of the Mae Nam Klong, above
Kanchanaburi O. ;

Kwe Yai (Mse Nam), Khwae Yai: Eastern branch of the Mse Klong above
Kanchanaburi C. ;

Lahan (Nong), Han: Large lake near Sakon Nakhon, draining into the Mae
Khong; E.
Lam Ton Lang (Ban), Lam Thong Lang: Village NW. of Pak Chong; C.
Lampam (Ban) Village on the Inner Lake of the Thale Sap; P.
:

Lampang: See Nakon Lampang (Muang).

Langka (Doi), Pha Cho High mountain (over 6,000 feet) about 32 miles ENE. :

Nang Ka N.
of Chiang Mai, incorrectly recorded by Dr. Smith as Doi ;

Langsuen (Muang), Lang Suan: Town on the Bight of Ban Don about 118 miles
NW. by N. of Nakhon Si Thammarat P. ;

Lao (Huai, Mse Nam) Stream arising on Doi Hua Mot and entering the Mse :

Kok from the south about 13 miles NE. of Chiang Rai N. ;

Len (Huai) Stream on Doi Hua Mot, one of tlie headwaters of the Mse Nam
:

Lao; N.
Lin (Huai) : Tiny brook tributary to the Mae Mao near Ban Muang Sum; N.
Lorn (Huai) : Small brook tributary to the Mse Nam Hseng on which Ban San
Tha is situated; N.
Long (Mse Nam) Swift stream : tributary to the Mse Chsem ; N.
Lopburi (M;b NanT) : Anabranch of the Mse Nam Chao Phaya on which Lopburi
is situated ; C.
Lopburi (Muang) : Old capital on the railway about 30 miles N. by E. of
Ayutthaya C. |

lu (Mse Nam) Small stream tributary to the Mae Chsem N.

: ;

Luang (Khao) High mountain (almost 6,(XK) feet) about 15 miles W. by N.

: of
Nakhon Si Thammarat; P.
Luk (Huai) Brook arising on Doi Khun Tan (Doi Nga Chang) N.
: ;

590087 —45 3
22 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Mse Kong Ka (Doi) : Low mountain about 9 miles SW. by W. of Mse Sariang; W.
(sometimes called NW.).
Mffi Sot (Ban) Frontier village about 119 miles NW'. by W. of Nakhon Sa-
:

wan W. ;

Mao (Mse Nam) : Stream, tributary to the Mse Fang, arising on Doi Pha Horn
Pok; N.
Mehongsorn (Nuung), Mse Hong Son: Town on the Mse Nam Pai about 73
miles WNW. of Chiang Mai N. ;

Mekang (Ban), Mae Kang, Mse Klang, Kang, Pang Chao: Village on the Mse
Klang or Mte Kang about 4 miles NW. of Chom Thong and at the foot of
Doi Ang Ka N. ;

Mekong Kha: See Mse Kong Ka (Doi).

Menam, Lae Nam: The words for "river," commonly used by foreigners without
qualification for the Mae Nam Chao Fhaya C. ;

Mesarieng (Ban), Mse Sariang, Mse Yuam, Maing Long Gyi: Town on the
Mse Nam Yuam about SO miles SW. by W. of Chiang Mai; W. (sometimes
called NW.).
Mesort: See Mae Sot (Ban).
Metang (Ban), Mae Tseng, San Maha Phon: Village on the Mse Titng about
21 miles N. by W. of Chiang Mai N. ;

Muang Sum (Ban), Muang Chum: Village on the Mae Mao at the base of Doi
Pha Hom Pok about 9 miles NNW. of Fang N. ;

Mue (Mse Nam), Moei, Thaungyin: Large river flowing noi-thwestward into the
Salwin and forming part of the boundary between Tenasserim and western
Thailand.
Mun (Mse Nam) : Large river tributary to the Mae Khong, on which Khorat and
Ubon Racha Thani are situated E. ;

Na Muang (Ban, Tambon) Village on the Mae Nam Klong; C.

:

Na Muang (Lam Nam Tok) Waterfall stream on Ko Samui P.

: ;

Nakon Chaisi (Mae Nam), Nakhon Chai Si: Name applied to the middle reach
of the Tha Chin River C. ;

Nakon Lampang (Muang), Nakhon Lampang: Large town on the Mae Wang
about 36 miles SE. of Chiang Mai N. ;

Nakon Nay ok (Mse Nam), Nakhon Nay ok: Short tributary of the Bang Pakong
River; C.
Nakon Noi (Khlong), Nakhon Noi: Stream flowing through Nakhon Si Tham-
marat into the Gulf of Siam P. ;

Nakon Sawan (Muang), Nakhon Sawan: Town on the Chao Phaya about 135
miles N. by W. of Bangkok C. ;

Nakon Sritamarat (Muang), Nakhon Si Thammarat Large town near : the

coast of the Gulf of Siam about 364 miles by W. of Bangkok P. S'. ;

Nam Poo (Khao), Nam Phu Locality on the Mse Pa Sak, probably a
: hill of the
Phetchabun Range; C.
Nam Puat (Ban) Village in the French Enclave about 60 miles
: N by W. of
Muang Nan N. ;

Nan (Mae Nam) Large river that joins with

: the Mse Ping at Pak Nam Pho to form
the Chao Phaya ; N., C.
Nan (Muang) Town : on the right bank of the Mse Nam Nan about 118 miles E.
Chiang Mai N.
of ;

Nang Ka (Doi), Langka, Pha Cho High mountain (over 6,000 feet) about 32
:

miles ENE. of Chiang Mai N. ;

Ngeh (JNhe Nam), Nge: Stream tributary to the Mae Ping; ?N.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 23

Ngop (Muang) Village near the headwaters of the Mae Nan about 53 miles N.
:

by E. of Nan N. ;

Noi (Mae Nam) Anabranch of the Chao Phaya, which imites with the Mae Nam
:

Yai and the Lopburi at Ayutthaya C. ;

Nong' (Khoa) Mountain (over 4,000 feet) in the Nakhon Si Tharamarat Range,
:

situated about 27 miles N. by W. of Khao Luang P. ;

Nong Tong (Huai), Nong Thong: Tiny brook tributary to the Mae Mao near
Ban Muang Sum ; N.
Nontaburi (Muang), Nonthaburi: Town on the Chao I'haya just N. of Bang-
kok; C.
Ong (Mae Nam) : Small stream between Chiang Mai and Wiang Pa Pao, probably
tributary to the Mae Kuang N. ;

Pa Khwang (Ban), Village on the Nam Nan between Muang

Pha Khwang:
Nan and Muang Pua N. ;

Pachebon (Muang), Pechabun, Phetchabun: Town on the Mae Pa Sak about 85

miles NE. by E. of Nakhon Sawan C. ;

Pai (Mae Nam) River tributary to the Salwin W.

: ;

Pal (Muang), Wiang Tai (Ban) Town on the Mae Pai about 51 miles NW. of
:

Chiang Mai; W.
Pailin (Muang), Phai Lin, Bo Din Nieo (Ban) Village in Cambodia about 151 :

miles ESE. of Bangkok ; SE.

Pak Bhayoon (Ban), Pak Phayun: Village on the Inner Lake of the Thale Sap
about 20 miles WNW. of Song Khla ; P.
Pakhai (? Ban) :? Village; C
Pakjong (Ban), Pak Chong: Railway station about 50 miles of Khorat E. WSW ;

Paklat (Ban), Pak Lat: Village on the Chao Phaya between Bangkok and the
mouth of the river C. ;

Paknam (Ban), Pak Nam: The words for "estuary" or "river's mouth," com-
monly used without qualification for Ban Pak Nam Chao Phaya, the fishing
village at the mouth of the Chao Phaya C.
Paknampo (Ban), Pak Nam Pho: Town at the confluence of the Mae Nam Nan
and the Mae Nam Ping about 136 miles N. by W. of Bangkok C.
Paknam Wain (Ban), Pak Nam Wen: Village at the mouth of the Mae Nam
Wen; SE.
Pakpayum (Ban), Pak Bhayoon, Pak Phayun: Village on the Inner Lake of
the Thale Sap about 20 miles WNW. of Song Khla ; P.
Pakret (Ko), Pak Kret: Island in the Chao Phaya N. of and near Bangkok; C.
Pak Thawan (Ban) Village on the Mae Nam Pran C.
: ;

Pan (Ban), Phaen: Village on the Mae Nam Si Kuk; C.

Pang Chao (Ban), Mae Klang, Mae Kang, Kang: Village on the Mae Klang
or Mae Kang about 4 miles NW. of Chom Thong and at the foot of Doi Ang
Ka; N.
Pa-ngan (Ko) Island in the Gulf of Slam north of Ko Samui P.
: ;

Pasak (Mae Nam), Pa Sak, Sak: River, tributary to the Chao Phaya, which it
enters from the northeast near Ayutthaya C. ;

Patalung (Mae Nam), Phatthalung: Stream, tributary to the Thale Sap, on

which Phatthalung is situated P. ;

Patalung (Muang), Phatthalung: Town near the Inner Lake of the Thale Sap
about 56 miles S. by E. of Si Thammarat P. ;

Patani (Mae Nam), Pattani: River, flowing into the Gulf of Siam, at the mouth
of which Pattani is situated P. ;

Patani (Muang), Pattani: Large coastal town near the mouth of the Gulf of
Siam about 51 miles ESE. of Song Khala P. ;
 ;

24 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Patani States, Pattani States: The petty Malay sultanates which were combined
to form the Province of Pattani P. ;

Pau (Mse Nam), Pao: River, tributary to the Nam Chi, on which Kumphawapi
is situated ; E.
Payao (Muang), Phayao, Phrayao, Nai Wiang (Ban) Village about 05 miles :

NNE. of Nakhon Lampang N. ;

Payao (Nong, Kwan), Phayao, Phrayao: Lake near the village of Phayao N. ;

Pechabun (Muang), Phetchabun: Town on the Mae Nam Pa Sak about 85 miles
NE. by E. of Nakhon Sawan C. ;

Pechabun (Thin Khao), Phetchabun: Mountain range forming the northern part
of the divide between the basins of the Chao Phaya and the Mse Khong
C, E., N.
Petchaburi (Muang), Pechaburi, Phetchaburi: Town on the Phetchaburi River
about 31 miles S. by E. of Rachaburi C. ;

Petrieu (Ban), Paetriu: Village on the Mag Nam Bang Pakong about 30 miles
E. by S. of Bangkok C :

Phra Pathom (Ban) Village on the Mae Nam Tha Chin C. : ;

Phu-Quoc (Ko), Phukok: Large island in the Gulf of Siam, part of Cochin-
China but lying off Kampot in Cambodia.
Pi Pan Nam (Thiu Khao), Phi Pan Nam: Two parallel chains of hills, the more
western forming the divide between the basins of the Mse Wang and the
Mae Yom, the more eastern forming the divide between the Mae Yom and the
Mae Nan N. ;

Ping (Mae Nam) Large river which joins with the Mae Nan at Pak Nam Pho
:

to form the Chao Phaya N., C. ;

Pipedon (Ko), Phiphidon: Small island off the western coast of Peninsular
Thailand lying SE. of Ko Tao Yai P. ;

Pitsanulok (Muang), Phitsanulok: Town on the Mae Nam Nan about 210 miles
N. of Bangkok ; C.
Pla Talum Puk
Long sandy spit extending northward into the Gulf
(Liem) :

of Siam Nakhon Si Thammarat P.

just E. of ;

Pliew (Huai), Phliu: Waterfall stream arising on Khao Sabap; SE.

Po (Ban), Pho: Village on the Chao Phaya about 36 miles N. by E. of Bang-
kok ; C.
Pong (Ban) : Village on the Mae Klong about 20 miles N. by E. of Rachaburi C. ;

Pong (Ban), NamPhong: Village on the Nam Phong about 130 miles NNE. of
Khorat ; E.
Pong (Khlong) : Stream W. of Nakhon Si Thammarat near the base of Khao
Luang; P.
Pong Nam), Phong: River tributary to the Nam Chi, which it enters from
(Mae
the N. by E. about 111 miles
NNE. of Khorat E. ;

Poem Duang (Ma? Nam), Phum Duang: Stream at Mhose mouth Muang Chaiya
is situated ; P.
Poon (Mae Nam). Phum: Stream tributary to the Mae Yom, probably that which
enters the main river about 43 miles SW. of Muang Phrae
C. ;

Potaram (Ban), Photharam: Village on the Mae Klong about 13 miles N. by E.

of Rachaburi O. ;

Prachin (Mae Nam) Name applied to the middle reach of the:

Bang Pakong; C.
Prachin (Muang), Prachinburi: Town on the Bang
Pakong River about 61 miles
ENE. of Bangkok ; C.
Pr.3e (Muang), Phrae: Town on the Mae Yom about 88 miles SE. by E. of Chiang
Mai ; N.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 25

Pran (Muang), Pranburi, Pak Khlong Pran (Ban): Coastal village at the
mouth of the Pran River about 99 miles SSW. of Bangkok; C.
Pran (Mae Nam) Short river entering the Inner Gulf of Siam on the western
:

side near its mouth C. ;

Pratip (Nong), Prathip: Pond at Chiang Mai near the railway station; N.
Pua (Muang) Village on the Mae Khwang about 31 miles NNE. of Muang
:

Nan ; N.
Puat (Huai, Mjk Nam) : Stream in the French Enclave on which Ban Nam Puat
is situated, tributary to the Mse Nam Khop (an affluent of the M« Nam
Khong) N. ;

Puket (Ko), Phuket: The largest island off the western coast of Peninsular
Thailand; P.
Raheng (Ban), Rahaeng, Tak (Muang) Town on the left bank of the Mse :

Ping about 101 miles NW. by N. of Nakhon Sawan C. ;

Raibon ( Khlong) Rai Bon Stream near Muang Krat SE.

, : ;

Rajaburi (Muang), Ratchaburi, Ratburi: Large town on the Ma? Kloug about
49 miles WSW. of Bangkok C. ;

Ranoad (Khlong), Ranot: Stream flowing from the west into the Inner Lake
Sap P.
of the Thale ;

Rayong (Muung) Fishing village on the Gulf of Siam about 90 miles SE. by
:

S. of Bangkok SE. ;

Ronpibun (Ban), Ron Phibun: Village about 19 miles SSW. of Nakhon Si

Thammarat ; P.
Sabap (Khao) Mountain near Chanthaburi SE.
: ;

Sai Nok Riang (Huai) Brook tributary to the Mj£ : Nam Plium Duang at Muang
Chaiya ; P.
Saiburi (Mse Nam), Taluban: Stream arising in the mountains where Thailand,
Perak, and Kelantan meet and entering the Gulf of Siam near its mouth
at Saiburi ; P.
Saiburi (Muang), Saraburi, Saburi Town on the Mse Pa Sak about 60 miles :

NE. by N. of Bangkok C. ;

Saiyok (Ban), Sai Yok: Village on the western branch (Khwse Noi), of the
Mse Klong about 88 miles NW. of Rachaburi C. ;

Sak (Mse Nam), Pa Sak: River, tributary to the Chao Phaya, which it enters
from the northeast near Ayutthaya C. ;

Sakeo (Ban), Sa Kaeo: Village about 101 miles K. of Biinxkok C. ;

Sakeo (Mse Nam), Sa Kc8o: Stream, tril)utary to tiie Bang Pakong liiver, on
which Krabinburi is situated C. :

Sakon Nakon (Muang), Sakon Nakhon: Town about 145 miles NNW. of Uboii
Racha Thani E. ;

Salwin (Mns Nam), Salween, Salawin, Mse Khong: One of the great rivers on
Asia it forms part of the western boundary of Thailand.
;

Samet (Nong) Marsh or pond near Chanthaburi SE.

: ;

Samrong (Khlong) Canal near Bangkok connecting the Ma? Nam Chao Phaya
:

with Mse Nam Bang Pakong C. ;

Samui (Ko) Large island in the Gulf of Siam N. of Nakhon Si Thammarat; I'.
:

Sao Tong (Ban), Sao Thong: Village on the highway between Nakhon Si Tham-
marat and Ron Phibun P. ;

Sarahet (Ban) Village on the Mse Nam Phetchaburi,

: days by poled boat or .5

16 hours by motorboat above Phetchaburi C. ;

Seming (Khao), Saming Mountain (over 4,000 feet) about 23 miles NE. by E. :

of Krat SE.;

Si Koh Ha (Ko), Si Ko Ha: Limestone island in the Thale Sap; P.

26 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Sichang (Ko), Si Chang: Island of the Inner Gulf of Siam W. by S. of Si

Racha; SE.
Sichon (Ban) Coastal vilhige on the Gulf of Siam about 38 miles N. by W. of
:

Nakhou Si Thammarat P. ;

Sikuk (Mjs Nam), Si Kuk: Stream tributary to the upper Mje Nam Chao
Phaya C. ;

Silom (Khlong), Si Lom: Canal in the city of Bangkok; C.

Sing (Lsem) Cape enclosing the Cbanthabun estuary to the west, about 10 miles
:

SSW. of Chanthaburi SE. ;

Singora (Muang), Singgora, Song Khla: Town on the Gulf of Siam at the
mouth of the Thale Sap about 95 miles SSE. of Nakhon Si Thammarat P. ;

Soi (MiB Nam) Stream arising on Doi Langka (Doi Pha Cho) and flowing into
:

tributary of the Mae Nam Wang N. of Nakhon Lampang N. ;

Sok (Khlong) One of the western headwaters of the Mae Nam Ta Pi P.

: ;

Songkram (Mse Nam), Song Khram: River tributary to the Mae Khong, which
it enters from the W. about 39 miles NE by N. of Sakon Nakhon B. ;

Sot (Mae Nam) Stream, tributary to the Mae Moei, on which Ban Mse Sot is
:

situated ; W.
Sriracha (Ban) Si Racha, Si Maha Racha: Town on the eastern shore of the
Inner Gulf of Siam about 50 miles SE. by S. of Bangkok SE. ;

Srisawat (Ban), Si Sawat: Village on the eastern branch (Khwse Yai) of the
Mae Klong about 94 miles NW. by N. of Rachaburi C. ;

Supan (Mse Nam), Suphan: Name applied to the upper reach of the Tha Chin
River C.
;

Supanburi (Muang), Suphanburi: Town on the Mse Nam Suphan (Tha Chin)
about 55 miles NNW. of Bangkok C. ;

Surin (Mae Nam) River tributary to the Mae Pai, which it enters about 20
:

miles WSW. of Muang Mse Hong Son W. ;

Sutep (Doi), Suthep: Mountain (5,500 feet) rising steeply from the plain just
W. of Muang Chiang Mai N. ;

Ta (Mse Nam), Tha: Stream arising in the Khun Tan range and entering the
Mae Kuang about 16 miles S. by W. of Chiang Mai N. ;

Ta Chang (Ban), Tha Chang: Railway station on the Nam Mun about 11 miles
E. by N. of Khorat village on a tributary of the Nam Mun W. of Khorat E.
; ;

Ta Fang (Ban), Tha Fang: Misinterpretation of That Fang; see Ta Ta Fang.

Ta Ta Fang (Ban), Thattafang, That Fang: Village on the left bank of the
Salwin about 18 miles WSW. of Mae Sariang N. ;

Tachalom (Ban), Tha Chalom: Village on the Mae Nam Tha Chin; C.
Tachin (Mae Nam), Tha Chin: River which enters the head of the Inner Gulf
of Siam just W. of the mouth of the Chao Phaya C. ;

Tadi (Mse Nam), Ta Di: Stream arising on Khao Luang and passing through
Nakhon Si Thammarat to enter the Gulf of Siam P. ;

Taeng (Ban), Village on the Krat River near Muang Krat; SE.
Tai (Ban), Thai: Village on the Mae Khong in Udon Providence; E.
Takuapa (Muang), Takua Pa: Town on the western side of the Malay Peninsula
about 115 miles W. by N. of Nakhon Si Thammarat P. ;

Tale Noi, Thale Noi: A small fresh-water extension of the Thale Sap at the
NW. corner of the Inner Lake P. ;

Tale Sap, Thale Sap Song Khla, Inland Sea of Singgora: An almost land-
locked arm of the Gulf of Siam extending W. and NW. of Singgora or
Song Khla it is divided into the salty Outer Lake and the brackish Inner
;

Lake P.;

Talebun (Ban), Taleban, Saiburi (Muang) Coastal town at the mouth : of the
Mse Nam Saiburi about 26 miles ESE. of Pattani P. ;
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 27

Tarn (Ban), Tham: Village near a famous cave at the eastern base of Doi
Chiang Dao N. ;

Tang' (Mae Nam), Taeng: River confluent vpith the Mse Ping at Ban Mae Tjeng
or San Maha Phon N. ;

Tanon Tong Chai (Thiu Khao) Thanon Thong Chai: Mountain range forming
the divide between the basins of the Salwin and the Mae Ping; NW.
Tao (Ko) Island in the Gulf of Siam NW. by N. of Ko Pa-ngan P.
: ;

Tapi (Mse Nam), Ta Pi, Ban Don: River flowing north to enter the Gulf of
Siam at Ban Don P. ;

Thalerng (Khlong), Ta Loeng: Stream near Ron Phibun; P.

Thaungyin (Mse Nam), Thaungyeen, Mcei: Large river flowing northwestward
into the Salwin and forming part of the boundary between Tenasserim and
western Thailand.
Thoeng (Muang), Nai Wiang (Ban) Town on the Mae Ing about 28 miles SE. :

by E. of Chiang Rai N. ;

Thung Luang (Ban) Village about 85 miles SW. by S. of Bangkok; C.

:

Ton (Mae Nam) Stream arising on Doi Langka (Doi Pha Cho) and flowing into
:

a tributary of the Mae Nam Ping NE. of Chiang Mai N. ;

Ton Lang (Lam), Thong Lang: Stream tributary to the Mae Nam Pa Sak from
the east on which Ban Lam Thong Lang is situated C ;

Tonburi (Muang), Thonburi: Part of Bangkok, on the rigut bank of the Chao
Phaya C. ;

Trang (Mse Nam) Small river on which the town of Trang is situated; P.
:

Trang- (Muang), Thap Thiang (Ban) Town on the Mse Nam Trang about 63 :

miles SSW. of Nakhon Si Thammarat ; P.

Tum (Mse Nam) Swift stream tributary to the Mse Chaem N.
: ;

Tung Song (Muang), Thung Song, Chaniai (Ban) Railway junction about 26 :

miles SW. of Nakhon Si Thammarat ; P.

Ubon (Muang), Ubon Racha Thani: Town on the Nam Mun, terminus of the East-
ern Line of the Royal State Railways, about 184 miles E. of Khorat B. ;

Udon (Muang), Udon Thani, Mak Khaeng (Ban) Town about 174 miles N. by E. :

of Khorat E. ;

Um Meng (Huai) Swift brook, tributary to the Mae Chaem, which it enters from
:

the east about 21 miles W. of Chom Thong N. ;

Umpang (Ban), Um
Phang: Village near the Tenasserim frontier about 85 miles
W'. of Nakhon Sawan ; C.
Umpang (Huai), Um
Phang: Stream, one of the headwaters of the Mae Klong
Khwae Yai, on which Ban Um Phang is situated C. ;

Wain (Mse Nam), Wen: Short river flowing into the Gulf of Siam near Chantha-
buri; SE.
Wang (Mse Nam) River tributary to the Mae Ping; watering the country be-
:

tween the Khuri Tan and western Phi Pan Nam Ranges N., C. ;

Wieng Papao (Muang), Wiang Pa Pao, Nai Wiang (Ban) Village on the Mse :

Nam Lao about 41 miles SSW. of Chiang Rai N. ;

Wong Mse Nam River tributary to the Chao Phaya,

( ) : which it enters from the
NW. by N. about 26 miles S. of Nakhon Sawan C. ;

Yai (Ko) Island in the Chao Phaya between Bangkok and Ayutthaya C.
: ;

Yai (Mae Nam) Anabranch of the Chao Phaya which unites with the Mse Nam
:

Noi and the Lopburi at Ayutthaya C. ;

Yamoo (Ban), Yamu, Yaring (Muang), Jhering: Coastal village about 8 miles
E. of Pattani ; P.
Yang- (Nong) Small lake E. of Si Racha SE.
: ;

Yao Yai (Ko), Panjang^ (Pulau) Large island off the western coast of Peninsu- :

lar Thailand lying just E. of Ko Phuket P. ;

28 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
Yom (Mje Nam) : River tributary to the Mse Nan, watering the country between
the eastern and western Phi Pan Nam Ranges N., C. ;

Yuam (Mffi Nam) River tributary to the Salwin, on which Mae Sariang
: is

situated ; W.

LEADING FEATURES OF THE FISH FAUNA

A
fresh-water fish fauna of great variety and abundance has de-
veloped in Thailand as a result of peculiarly favorable physical and
biological conditions. The country extends through 16° of latitude
(5° to 21° N.) and 9° of longitude (97° to 106° E.) and has an exceed-
ingly diverse topography, comprising mountains, elevated plateaus,
and coastwise swamps and marshes, and
flat alluvial plains, interior

mountainous and low islands, some of considerable size. About 70

percent of the surface is forest-clad, and mountains and lowlands
contain innumerable brooks, rivers, canals, and lakes, and the plains
have an intricate system of connecting and intersecting watercourses.
Under the influence of the southwest monsoon, there exists over
most of the country a wet season of daily rainfall, which lasts from
April to November, with an average yearly precipitation of 1,600
mm. (63 inches). The amount of rainfall varies considerably in the
and may average over 3,000 mm. (120
different parts of the countr}'^
inches) in some places and only 900 mm. (36 inches) in others. The
rainy season is followed by a cool, dry, or winter season, under the
influence of the northeast monsoon, extending from November to
February, during which practically no rain falls. Between the cessa-
tion of the dry season and the beginning of the wet season there is a
summer season.
short hot transition or
The annual inundation of the vast central plain of Thailand and
of the various minor plains is an event of great importance in the
life of all the fishes. As the streams begin to rise and fill their beds,
together with the connecting canals, and the tributary ponds, lakes,
swamps, and marshes that had become reduced during the protracted
dry season, the fishes follow the flood waters, into the ricefields, into
the lakes, and into the swamps being converted into lakes and by the ;

time the inundation has reached its height the vast majority of the
free-swimming fishes have spawned. With the falling of the flood
waters, the adults move back into the river channels, leaving the
young to follow in accordance with their rate of growth and respec-
tive needs. The flood waters give protection to the 3'Oung, which in
general have a rapid growth and many attain maturity in one year.
Outstanding among the fresh-water fishes are the Cyprinidae, which
are the most numerous as regards genera and species and the most
abundant as regards individuals. The present catalog recognizes 55
genera and 206 species. Some of the genera are peculiar to Siam, some
range into the contiguous countries, and into India, China, and the
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 29

Indo-Australian Archipelago. There is no brook, rivulet, river, canal,

or lake in which the family is not represented and a net or trap may
;

hardly be drawn anywhere at any time without yielding one or more

species. Some species occur in incredible numbers in certain places
at certain times, others may be found only singly, and several strik-
ing species are as yet known from only single specimens. The whole
gamut of size among cyprinoid fishes is run by the family in Thai-
land from the most diminutive only 2 cm. long to the colossal Catlo-
carpio siam-ensis, peculiar to Thailand and French Indo-China, which
attains a length of 3 meters and may be the largest member of the
family. From the viewpoint of the domestic food supply, the family
is of incalculable importance.
A
very prominent element in the fresh-water fish fauna is the
loaches (Cobitidae). Herein recognized are 8 genera and 38 species.
Several genera are peculiar to Thailand, and a number of species
belonging to genera widely distributed in southern Asia and the Indo-
Australian Archipelago are known only from this country. These
mountain streams, where they bury them-
fishes are characteristic of
selves insand and gravel. Some, however, lacking the burying habit,
are found in large, muddy rivers and even in lakes.
A very conspicuous feature of the fauna is the abundance of cat-
fishes (Nematognathi) as regards both species and individuals. The
local representatives herein considered fall into 10 families, 34 genera,
and 100 species. Some of them are found only in mountain brooks,
some only in the large rivers, and some throughout certain river basins
from their headwaters to their brackish-water mouths. Two panga-
siids are among the largest catfishes in the world; one species,
Amhlyceps mangois, is among the smallest. In one family (Sisoridae)
some genera have a thoracic adliesive apparatus enabling the fish to
cling to stones in swift current ; other genera have the whole underside
of the head and the pectoral and ventral fins modified so as to serve
as an adhesive organ. All the members of one family (Clariidae)
have an accessory breathing organ, occupying a cavity on each side
of the head above the gills. In one family (Heteropneustidae) there
is a supplementary respiratory apparatus consisting of two long hol-

low cylinders extending among the muscles of the back. In at least

three genera of one family (Tachysuridae) comprising many species
the eggs are incubated in the mouth of the male.
The tendencyof certain kinds of flatfishes in various parts of the
world to establish themselves in fresh water is manifested in a striking
manner in Thailand where representatives of three soleid genera are
found far inland in places where the water is always fresh. Some of
these fishes are met with several hundred miles from the sea above
rapids that are believed to be nonnegotiable by such fishes. No obser-
vations have been made on the spawning habits, eggs, hatching, and
30 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

development of the young of these fresh-water flatfishes, which are

worthy of special study.
Everywhere observable and constituting a salient feature of the fish
life of streams, lakes, swamps, and marshes are the serpenthead fishes,
the Ophicephalidae, which are represented by eight species.
The Anabantidae are largely represented in Thailand. In some of
the local genera, six in number, the gills appear inadequate to maintain
the necessary respiratory functions, and the fishes are dependent on
atmospheric oxygen, which they are able to appropriate by means of
acc^essory breathing organs developed from the branchial arches and
occupying special cavities in the head. These fishes are monogamous
and blow masses of glutinous bubbles for the reception of their eggs.
Several members of the family are among the choicest of Oriental food
fishes,and several are among the most attractive of aquarium fishes.
Conspicuous fishes on flats and river banks exposed at low tide are
the periophthalmid gobies, whose movements and antics out of water
afford never-ending amusement to human observers. Inasmuch as
these fishes are sometimes seen resting with their caudal fin and
posterior part of their body still in the water and with the fore parts
and head propped up by their pelvic fins, some persons have asserted
that the submerged caudal fin is employed as a respiratory organ.
This statement does not rest on adequate observation or on sound phys-
iological grounds. The brief aerial excursions of these fishes on the
mud flats do not necessitate the invoking of a special caudal breathing
apparatus. The gills, in their closely shut-in cavities, retain sufficient
moisture to sustain the respiratory processes until the fish plunge into
their burrows or into open water. On emerging from the water they
proceed cautiously and may at first expose only their eyes or the
anterior part of the body until the absence of danger is assured, but
more frequently than otherwise the observational point is wholly out
of the water, on a mud flat, on a shell or stone, on a stick, or on the
root of a mangrove tree. This subject has been dealt with by Dr.
Sunder Lai Hora, of the Zoological Survey of India, who has had
ample opportunity for observation and abundant material for experi-
mentation. His conclusion is that the caudal fin in these fishes does
not and cannot serve as a respiratory organ. Scarcely less noteworthy
than the aerial movements is the degree to which aerial vision has
developed, enabling the fish to detect, pursue, and capture small food
objects on the tide flats.

SOME PECULIARITIES OF STRUCTURE AND HABITS AMONG THE

FRESH-WATER FISHES
In a preceding section reference was made to the development in
two families of catfishes, the Clariidae and the Heteropneustidae, and
in the Anabantidae of respiratory apparatus accessory to the gills. In
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 31

the Clariidae the accessory organ, occupying a large chamber above

each gill cavity, is an outgrowth of the fourth gill arches and consists
of an arborescent structure that provides a large surface for the
absorption of the atmospheric air reaching it through the mouth. In
the Anabantidae a similar organ, arising from the fourth gill arch,
is composed of a set of superimposed leaflike plates, which afford a

large absorptive surface. In the Heteropneustidae an entirely differ-

ent accessory breathing organ is found. Extending from the pharynx
among the muscles of the back on each side of the vertebral column
is a long cylindrical tube, richly supplied with blood vessels and

serving as a primitive lung. These tubes, into which both water

and air are taken and from which water and air are forced by muscu-
lar action, enable the fish to obtain the requisite quantity of oxygen
while living in hot, shallow, stagnant ditches and in other places
where the water does not contain enough air to support life.
Although the Ophicephalidae lack the elaborate air-breathing
organs met with in the aforementioned families, they have a large
suprabranchial cavity lined with puckered vascular epithelium, which
serves the same purpose.
It has been shown by repeated observation and experimentation on
the clariids and anabantids in Thailand that even in well-aerated
water the gills may not provide enough oxygen to satisfy the re-
quirements of the system, and death may ensue in a comparatively
short time (20 to 30 minutes in some cases) if the fish are prevented
from going to the surface to expel vitiated air and take in gulps of
fresh air. We may recognize here an evolutionary process that in
time may eliminate the gills and make these fishes entirely air-
breathing.
Associated with possession of air-breathing apparatus is the ability
of some kinds of fishes to live out of water for protracted periods,
if the respiratory chambers remain moist. Under the stress of
drought, when the waters gradually evaporate and ponds and small
streams disappear until the return of the rainy season, some of these
fishes habitually go deeper and deeper into the mud and ultimately
occupy damp pockets, at depths up to a meter, where they aestivate.
Aestivation in the case of Thailand air-breathing fishes consists of en-
forced inactivity and greatly reduced metabolism while they are
buried under parched earth in a stratum of damp mud during the
dry season, the limited nutritional needs of the system being sup-
plied by the absorption of stored fat and other food material and
the vital processes being maintained largely by the utilization of at-
mospheric air, which reaches the respiratory chambers through the
cracked or porous overlying earth. One can imagine the subter-
ranean tragedies that may occur when the desiccation of the soil is
32 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

continued beyond the muddy pockets in which the fishes have taken
final refuge.
One of the striking phenomena connected with fresh-water fishes

in Thailand, as in other Oriental countries, is the sudden appearance,

on a field or swamp bed that has been dry for months and cut off
from any watercourse, of good-sized fishes after a torrential downpour
at the beginning of the rainy season. Such a manifestation, so mysti-
fying to the uninitiated, is easily explained when one recognizes the
presence of buried aestivating fishes, which eagerly make their way
to the surface when a copious rain floods and softens the dry soil.
The ability to breathe atmospheric air and to exist out of water
for a considerable time has led to another extraordinary habit in
Clarias, Anabas, and other fishes, namely, the voluntary leaving of
the water and traveling on land, sometimes across dusty roads, some-
times on dry lawns. The impelling influence may be a desire to find
improved physical conditions, to seek a better food supply, or to
escape enemies. Progress out of water is by lateral movements of
the tail as in swimming, while the body is maintained in an upright
position by the paired fins. Detailed accounts of actually observed
performances of Clarias hatrachus and Andbas testudineus will be
found in the appropriate systematic discussions.
A large number of cyprinoid fishes, representing many genera, which
are constantly or during a part of the year subjected to a swift cur-
rent, exhibit flanges on the fin rays. The radial flanges are most
prominent on the dorsal and anal fins but are to be seen also on the
ventrals and pectorals. They extend outward and backward along the
whole length of each ray and decrease in width from the base out-
ward. They form a complete overlapping buffer for the interradial
membranes. No description of these accessory parts of the fin rays
of swift-water fishes has been met with in the literature, and no ex-
planation of their function seems to have been given.
In the writer's opinion the radial flanges serve to protect the delicate
interradialmembranes from the injury they would receive from the
constant impact of particles of sand and silt in rapid downstream
motion. With a fish in its normal position, with head upstream,
sharp-edged particles are effectively deflected from the membranes.
It is conceivable that, in the absence of such protection, the mem-
branes either might become completely worn through, and thus the
usefulness of the fins be destroyed, or, responding to the constant ir-
ritation, might become thickened and thus impair the flexibility of
the fins.
These appendages reach their highest development in fishes that
live in mountain streams, and are absent or only feebly developed
in lake, pond, and sluggish-stream fishes.
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 33

The present author has observed the flanges in certain Indian fishes.
Dr. Hora, the keenest student of Indian fishes, states that he has
formed no opinion in regard to these structures.
Mention has been made of the practice of oral incubation in the
three genera of Siamese catfishes of the family Tachysuridae. Asso-
ciated with this habit is the existence of secondary sexual characters

in both sexes, consisting in the male of a longer head, larger oral cavity,
more posterior insertion of pectoral and ventral fins, and smaller
ventral and the development in the female on the inner ventral
fins,

rays of peculiar pads whose shape varies with the species. A conse-
quence of oral incubation is that the male, having taken in a batch
of eggs, is prevented from feeding until hatching ensues and the
young leave his mouth after the absorption of the yolk-sac. Sim-
ilarly, in the female feeding becomes more and more difficult with
the gi'owth of the enormous eggs, and a point is reached when the
digestive organs are so compressed that they become nonfunctional,
and no food can enter the stomach or intestines. It naturally follows
that by the time the eggs are laid and the protracted hatching period is
over both parents become much emaciated. This subject is discussed
at some length in the systematic treatment of the Tachysuridae.

INTRODUCED SPECIES
A
few species of cyprinoid fishes have been introduced into Thai-
land, mostly by Chinese and from China. These have been brought
in the young stages in vessels from Hong Kong and Swatow and have
been grown in artificial ponds or in f enced-off sections of canals, mostly
in Bangkok. Some of the fishes have from time to time escaped from
captivity and gained access to open waters, and in the future they will
doubtless have to be reckoned with as a regular element of the local
fauna. Such escaped fishes have been taken in the Menam Chao Phya
as far north as Paknampo, and there is nothing to prevent their ulti-
mate dispersal all over Central Thailand.
The business of transplanting food fishes from China to Thailand
has depended on the ease with which certain kinds may be transported,
their ready susceptibility to growth in ponds, and the ready sale
among the large Chinese population of particular fishes with which
the Chinese were familiar at home.
Following is a list of exotic cyprinoid fishes that have been taken
to Thailand and successfully acclimatized in ponds; introduction of
various other species may be expected from time to time
Cyprimis carpio Linnaeus. Common carp.
Carassius auratus (Linnaeus). Goldfish.
Aristichthys nobilis (Ricliardson).
Cirrhinus moUtorella (Cuvier and Valenciennes).
34 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Hypophthalmichthpfi moUtrix (Cuvier and Valeuciennes).

Ctenopharyngodon idellus (Ciivier and Valenciennes).
Mylopharyngodoit aetiops (Basilewsky).

VERNACULAR NAMES
The vast majority of the fresh-water fishes of Thailand have dis-
tinctive vernacular names, some of which have borne the test of cen-
turies of use. Many names are very apt and clever and sug-
of these
gest either a delightful imagination on the part of the early fishermen
or an acquaintance with the structure and habits of given species.
Without implying the attachment of undue importance to colloquial
fish names, it is the intention to record in this catalog these names in
Roman characters and to indicate their English significance or mean-
ing whenever possible. It should be understood, however, that the
exact transcription of Thai words into Roman characters is not possi-
ble without the employment of many diacritical marks, whose use and
explanation would lead us too far afield for present purposes.
With rare exceptions, the name of a fish in Thai usage is preceded
by the word pla (fish). Most names consist of a simple word which
may be a noun, an adjective, or a participle; thus, pla 7nu, hogfish; pla
deng, redfish; pla duk, wrigglingfish. Qualifying words follow the
regular names thus pla mu khao, white hogfish pla deng tale^ sea red-
;
;

fish; pla duk uey^ fat wrigglingfish.

Among the few vernacular names in which the prefix pla is not used
may be mentioned ma nam, or waterhorse, applied to both the seahorse
(Hippocampus) and to a certain fresh-water pipefish {Ichthyocam-
pus). The syllable ma in this name, pronounced with a high-pitched
tone and meaning horse, must be distinguished from the ma in pla
lin Tna, a general name for soles {Synaptura and Cynoglossus) in which
7tia, pronounced with a rising inflection, means dog, the full name be-

ing translated as dog-tonguefish. This colloquial term, originating in

Asiatic jungles, is essentially the same as hound-tongue used in western
Europe for Cynoglossus, and both are the equivalent of the ancient
Greek designation for a similar fish that has been perpetuated in the
generic name.
As an example of fantastic fish names, there may be mentioned
pla jim fan jorake, given to a large fresh-water pipefish; jim fan
means toothpick, jorake means crocodile; so the translation of the
name would be crocodile toothpick fish.
Some names are onomatopoeic. Common examples are pla kot
and pla yk, generally applied to various catfishes that when caught
emit a sound closely approximated by the names.
In a large number of fish names there is a prefix, ka, whose signifi-
cance has not been satisfactorily explained. That it is not now a
 .

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 35

fundamental part of the name is suggested by the frequency with

which, among certain people in certain districts or for certain species,
it is omitted without causing any misunderstanding or confusion as

to the fish in question. Among the common fish names having this
initial syllable ha there may be mentioned pla kaben (a ray) pla kabok
,

(a mullet), pla kadi (an anabantid), 'pla kahae^ pla kamang^ fla
kamao^ pla kasup (cyprinoids), pla kapong (a bass), pla kasong (a
serpenthead) pla kathing (a spiny-eel) and pla katung (a gar)
,
, The .

shortened forms pla sup, pla mang, pla thing, etc., are often heard.
It may be noted that the prefix ka is not restricted to fishes but is a
part of the vernacular names of other animals {karok, squirrel, katai,
rabbit, etc. )

USE OF FRESH-WATER FISHES IN CONTESTS

The Thai people share with the people of other nationalities a keen
and love for contests of skill, fleetness, and endurance among
interest in
the lower animals, whether racing horses, racing dogs, fighting cocks,
jumping frogs, fighting crickets, or fighting and wrestling fishes.
The idea of using fishes in matched contests seems to have originated
among the Thai, and Thailand is the only country in which fish-
fighting may be considered a national sport.
The Thailand have for many years been employed as
fishes that in
combatants are a cyprinodont {Aplocheilus panchax), two anabantids
{Betta splendens and Trichopsis vittatus), and a hemiramph {Der-
mogenys piosillus) Two of these have long been cultivated, and their
.

fighting stamina has been greatly improved by cultivation. In the

case of all these species, only the adult males are employed.
The pugnacious disposition of the little halfbeak Dermogenys is
manifested in an entirely different manner from that of Betta. The
exhibition of strength and endurance, on which the encounters are
decided, can best be described as wrestling; and as the fish had no
distinctive English name I ventured in 1923 to suggest that it be
called wrestlingfish, a designation that has since been generally used.
The Thai name, pla khem, or needlefish, in allusion to the long sharp
lower jaw, is applied to various other half beaks, which, as far as known,
do not engage in combats.

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF THE FRESH-WATER FISHES

While the coastal waters of Thailand abound with fishes that support
an important industry, yielding large quantities of food for local con-
sumption and export, the fresh-water streams, canals, and lakes also
have extensive fisheries, and the fishes of the fresh waters are, in cer-
tain respects, of greater importance to the general welfare because they
 ;

36 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

constitute the principal animal food of a large part of the interior

population and are essential in maintaining a properly balanced diet.
It is hardly an exaggeration to state that in every household in
—
Thailand some kind ot fresh-water fish whether fresh, dried, or
smoked — is eaten every day.
Certain fresh-water fishes are among the staple foods of the country,
and are often the only source of animal nitrogenous material consumed
by millions of people. Outstanding among these fishes in popularity
and in quantity utilized are the serpenthead phicephalus sti'iatus^
the anabantids Trichogaster pectoralis and Anahas testudineus
the catfishes Clarias^ Krytofterus^ Mystus^ and Pangasius, and
the featherback Notopterus notopterus.
The solicitude of the government regarding the perpetuation of the
supply of interior fishes is keen. With the killing of other animals
coming within the interdiction of the national religion. Buddhism,
there is nothing to replace the fishes as sources of nitrogenous food.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In the preparation of this catalog the author has been greatly aided
by the hearty cooperation and assistance in field and office, by valuable
information supplied, and by fish specimens collected by his former as-
sociates in the Thailand fishery service —
a service that began as a de-
partment of the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture, later became a
well-organized bureau, and now is rated as a division in the Ministry
of Agriculture. Those to whom special acknowledgments are due are
Boon Chuay Indrambarya, the head of the service; Luang Masya
Chitrakarn, Luang Praserth Aksorn, Luang Anantamasya Pithaks,
Nai Chote Suvatti, Thavil Vongtongmark, and Pongse Phinthoyothin.
In other branches of the Siamese Government various officials
showed practical interest in the work of the fishery service by facilitat-
ing transportation of field parties, by detailing assistants to make col-
lections of local fishes, and by other aid both official and personal.
Among those who were thus very useful and who directly or indirectly
contributed information and specimens that have added to the com-
pleteness of this catalog are Phya Jolamark Bicharana, former direc-
tor-general of the department of irrigation Phya Daruphan Pithaks,
;

chief conservator of forests Phya Winit Wanandorn, Phya Phananu-

;

chorn, and Phya Anuwatti, officers of the forest service.

The author is under special obligations to the late Mom Eajawongse
Yai Sanitwongse who was unceasing in supplying information, col-
lecting specimens, and providing means for extending knowledge of
the local fish fauna.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 37

The Thai Government courteously lent to the United States National

Museum over 100 original drawings of fishes from which a selection
has been made for illustrations for this work. These drawings were
made by the talented Thai artists Luang Masya Chitrakarn and Nai
Chote Suvatti. A number of very accurate and beautiful watercolor
drawings of fishes from life, by Luang Masya, could not be used in the
present work because of the cost of reproduction and legal interdiction.
An invaluable aid was rendered by foreign ichthyologists in com-
paring Thailand fish specimens with types and other material in their
respective museums and in furnishing information regarding particu-
lar specimens in those museums. Special acknowledgment is due to
Dr. Baini Prashad, superintendent of the Zoological Survey of India,
and to Dr. Sunder Lai Hora, assistant superintendent of the suiTey
and the leading present authority on Indian fishes, who during many
years courteously made critical examination of Siamese material and
comparison with Indian specimens, and, on behalf of the Indian
Museum in Calcutta, sent valuable specimens to the United States
National Museum. In Holland, Dr. L. F. de Beaufort, of the Zoolog-
ical Museum in Amsterdam, and Dr. Frederik P. Koumans, of the
Royal Natural History Museum in Leiden, were ever ready to exam-
ine specimens sent from Siam and to compare them with Bleekerian
types and other material deposited in those institutions. At the Mu-
seum of Natural History in Paris Dr. Jacques Pellegrin provided de-
tailed descriptions of certain inadequately described oriental species
and made possible the identification of Siamese material. The au-
Museum provided facilities for the examination
thorities of the British
of the extensive collection of Siamese fishes in that great institution,
and J. R. Norman and Dr. Ethelwynn Trewavas very kindly examined
certain Siamese specimens sent for determination, compared the types,
and made identifications.
To Henry W. Fowler, curator of the department of ichthyology in
the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, thanks are due for
his courtesy in examining and lending Siamese material forming a
fish
part of the collection of R. M. de Schauensee, and for sending to the
United States National Museum, as donation or exchange, certain
valuable specimens from that collection.
At the American Museum of Natural History in New York City,
John T, Nichols, curator of recent fishes, kindly made available for
examination certain specimens of Chinese comparison with
fishes for
Siamese material, and offered valuable suggestions in regard thereto.
Others who have been helpful through suggestions or through the
loan of specimens are Dr. Carl L. Hubbs, curator of fishes in the Museum
of Zoology of the University of Michigan, and Dr. George S. IMyers,
590087 —45 4
 —
38 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

professor of zoology and head curator of the zoological collections in

the Natural History Museum of Stanford University.
In the United States National Museum, Dr. Leonard P. Schultz,
curator of fishes, has been of constant assistance during the prepara-
tion of this catalog. Earl D. Reid, aid in the division of fishes, has
been helpful in various ways. To Dr. Leonhard Stejneger,^ head cura-
tor of biology, I am indebted for much valuable advice and counsel in
matters connected with nomenclature.

^ Dr. Stejneser died on February 28, 1943. Editor.

 Class PISCES
Subclass ELASMOBRANCHII
Order EuSELACHii: Sharks
Family CARCHARINIDAE
Genus SCOLIODON Muller and Henle

Scoliodon Muixer and Henle, Sitz. Ber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1837, p. 114. (Type,
Carcharias (Scoliodon) laticaudus Muller and Henle.)

SCOLIODON WALBEEHMII (Blecker)

Carcharias {Scoliodon) ivalbeehmii Bleeker 1856 (144), p. (348) 353 (Rio,

Bintang Island).
Scoliodon walbeehmi Hoka, 1924a, p. 464 (Tale Sap).

Of the numerous species of sharks of various families and genera

inhabiting the coasts of Thailand, only one, the present form, has
been definitely identified as regularly entering fresh water. This small
shark, of wide range (China to India), does not appear to have been
recognized or recorded as elsewhere frequenting fresh water.
Reaching a length of 60 to 75 cm. in local waters, this fish is fairly
common in the inner lake of the Tale Sap and in the Patalung River,
which flows into it.
According to the local fishermen, this shark takes a rather heavy
toll of young turtles {Batagur taska) from the nesting colony in the
Tale Sap near Pak Bhayoon.
Another shark of this genus, Scoliodon sarrakowah (Cuvier), and
Hemiscylliy/ni griseum (Miiller and Henle) belonging in the family
Hemiscylliidae, are listed by Fowler (1935a, 1937) from Bangkok,
but these records are believed to be from market specimens from the
Gulf of Siam.
The vernacular Thai name for this and other sharks is pla chalam.

Order Batoidei : Sawfishes, Rays, and Skates

Family PRISTIDAE: Sawfishes

The sawfishes are common in the shore waters, estuaries, and lower
courses of rivers and are caught in considerable numbers in nets and
on hooks. They have economic importance in that the flesh meets with
39
 :

40 BULLETIN 188, tJNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

ready sale, oil is extracted from the liver, and the fins are dried for
the Chinese trade; both flesh and fins are locally regarded as better
than those of sharks.
In Thailand as in India the saws of sawfishes are favorite votive
offerings from the fishermen to the temples and shrines. Practically
every one of the numerous shrines in the coastal districts has a collec-
tion of saws of all sizes. Some of the large sawfishes that have been
taken in local waters are represented by their saws preserved in the
temples.
The Thai vernacular name for the sawfishes is chanark.

Genus PRISTIS Linck

Pristis LINCK, Mag. Phys. Naturg. Gotha, ser. 3, vol. 6, p. 31, 1790. (Type, Squalus
pristis Linnaeus.)

Three or four species of sawfishes of the genus Pristis are known

from Thai waters. Of these, two regularly ascend fresh-water streams
and may be found many miles from the sea. These may be identified
by the following characters
la. Origin of dorsal fin behind base of ventrals under part of caudal with a
;

prominent lobe rostrum comparatively narrovp and slender, tapering

;

very gradually or of approximately same vridth throughout, with 23 to 35

pairs of teeth, first pair inserted about 3 times width of rostrum in front
of eyes cuspidatus
16. Origin of dorsal fin in advance of ventrals under part of caudal fin with an
;

inconspicuous lobe rostrum broader and more tapering, with 17 to 20 pairs

;

of teeth, first pair inserted about 2 times width of rostrum in front of

eyes microdon

PRISTIS CUSPIDATUS Latham

Pristis cuspidatus Latham, 1794, p. 279, pi. 26, fig. 3 (locality not given).

This species of India, Malaya, the East Indies, and Thailand is com-
mon in the coastal waters of Thailand and pushes its way far up some
of the large rivers. It reaches a large size and is a very formidable
creature to handle either in a boat or on shore. There is a record for
the Tachin River in Central Thailand of a fish 8 meters long with a
saw 2.5 meters long and 40 cm. wide at its base.

PRISTIS MICRODON Latham

Pristis microdon Latham, 1794, p. 280, pi. 26, fig. 4 (locality not given).
Pristis perrottetei Hora, 1923b, p. 144 (Nontaburi) (footnote by Malcolm Smith).

For this species of wide Oriental distribution there is a definite rec-

ord of the capture of one fish 120 cm. long in tlie Menam Chao Phya
at Nontaburi, 62 km. from the sea. There are various records of ex-
amples taken in the river below Bangkok and in the lower parts of
other rivers. A fish entangled in a net in the Menam Chao Phya above
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, THAILAND 41

Paknam in 1901 was 6 meters long and so unwieldy that it could not be
taken into the fishermen's boat its saw, deposited in a local joss house
;

and examined in July 1923, was 118 cm. long from the basal pair of
teeth and 25 cm. broad the teeth numbered 18 on each side, and the
;

largest were 6 cm. long.

In the Mahaniiddee River in India this fish, according to Day, as-
cends at least 40 miles from the sea, far beyond the influence of the
tides and salt water.

Family DASYATIDAE: Stingrays

Genus DASYATIS Rafinesque

Dasyatis Rafinesque, Caratteri animali piante Sicilia, p. 16, 1810. (Type, Das-
yatis it jo Rafinesque.)

This world-wide genus of stingrays is represented in Thailand by

two species that regularly frequent fresh water, besides a number of
others found only in salt or brackish water. The general vernacular
name for these fishes is pla kaben, sometimes contracted to pla ben, the
different species being distinguished by qualifying adjectives.

la. Tail with a long, deep cutaneous fold on its ventral surface, none on dorsal
surface 5 long papillae inside mouth on lower jaw disk broader than long,
; ;

its anterior angle obtuse sephen

16. Tail without a cutaneous fold on either ventral or dorsal surface; 2 papillae
inside mouth on lower jaw; disk longer than broad, its anterior angle
acute bleekeri

Various other rays listed by Fowler (1935a, 1937) from Bangkok and
Paknam are regarded as market specimens caught in the Gulf of Siam
and therefore excluded from the scope of this catalog.

DASYATIS SEPHEN (Forsk&l)

Raja sephen Fobskal, 1775, pp. viii, 17 (Djedda, Lohaja, Red Sea).
This well-known stingray of the Indian Ocean and Indo-Australian
Archipelago is common on the coasts of Thailand and occurs regularly
in fresh water. It is found up the Menam Chao Phya for at least 20
miles above Bangkok. In the inner lake of the Tale Sap it is quite
common at times and produces young in the strictly fresh waters of
that "inland sea." Two specimens collected on July 5, 1929, were a
male 71.5 cm. long with disk 18.5 cm. wide and a female 73 cm. long with
disk 20 cm. wide, which were born under observation from a fish 59 cm.
broad, 52 cm. long to base of tail, and 118 cm. in total length; the young
emerged tail first closely rolled on their long axis.
This ray attains a large size in the local salt waters. One measured
at Chumporn on the Gulf of Siam, September 25, 1923, weighed 61
kilograms and was 252 cm. in total length, with the body 109 cm. long
 — . )

42 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

and 142.5 [Link] and the tail 143 cm. long. Another brought to the
Chumpom market a short time before weighed 240 kilograms and was
said to measure over 4 meters across the disk.
In allusion to the large black fin in the middle of the tail, the Siamese
fishermen call this ray fla kaben tong {tong=^2ig) to distinguish it
from other rays in which there is no caudal fin.
DASYATIS BLEEKERI (Blyth)

Plate 1

Trygon lleekeri Blyth. 1860a, p. 41 (Bengal). Hora, 1924a, p. 464 (Tale Sap).
Dasybdtus blcekeri Hora. 1923b, p. 173 (Nontaburi).

This marine species of India and Burma, described from Bengal in

1860, was added to the Thai fauna by Hora in 1923 and 1924 and has
since been found as far inland as the mouth of the Menam Nan near
Paknampo. With the exception of a specimen from the more or less
brackish water of the outer lake of the Tale Sap, collected by Annan-
dale in 1916 and reported on by Hora in 1924, all the specimens from
Thailand have come from strictly fresh water. Three specimens
taken in the lower Menam Nan on October 17, 1930, had the disk 16.8,
19.3, and 20 cm. long, and the tail 65, 76, and 78 cm. long.
In the Bangkok region this fish is known to the fishermen as pla
kaben and pla kaben khao, while in the Paknampo district it is called
pla kaben nam, chuet (fresh-water ray fish)

Subclass TELEOSTOMI
Order Isospondyli
Family ELOPIDAE: Tarpons, Bigeyes, Bonefishes

Genus MEGALOPS Lacepede

Megalops Lacek^de, Histoire naturelle des poissons, vol. 5, p. 289, 1803. (Type,
Megalops fllamentosus 'LacepMe=CUipea cyprinoides Broussonet.

MEGALOPS CYPRINOIDES (Broussonet)

Clupea cyprinoides Beoussonbtt, 1782 (no pagination), pi. 9 (oceans between the
Tropics [not Jamaica and Antigua or Rio Janeiro, Brazil] Tanna Island, ;

South Pacific).
Megalops cyprinoides Hoba, 1923b, p. 175 (Nontaburi) 1924a, p. 479 (Tale Sap).—
;

Smith, 1930, p. 56 (Siam).

This fish, the Oriental correspondent of the celebrated tarpon of the

western Atlantic {Tarpon atlanticus) has a very wide distribution in
,

the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

While primarily marine, it regularly enters fresh water and in Thai-
land may be looked for in the lower courses of all large streams. It
ascends the Menam Chao Phya for some distance above Nontaburi.
In the Chantabun River it is found at least as far upstream as the town
 : :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 43

of Chantabun. It enters the inner lake of the Tale Sap. Its adapt-
shown by the fact that in the
ability to a strictly fresh-water habitat is
interior of Java it is reared in fresh-water ponds from young caught
along the coast. During 2 years the fish was found on Koh Tao, the
isolated island in the Gulf of Siam off Chumporn, which has little or
no fresh water except during the rainy season on July ; 19, 1927, Di-.
A. F. G. Kerr collected specimens 10 to 11 cm. long in an isolated
pool in an otherwise dry stream bed cut off from the sea by a high sand
bank; and in September 1928 in a similar pool in the same place the
present writer found the fish to be common in two sizes, averaging
about 10 and 20 cm. long.
A length in excess of 50 cm. is attained by this species, but the
largest examples actually met with in Thailand have been about 35
cm. long.
The vernacular designation of this fish in Thailand is 'pla taluerk
(upturned-eye fish), a name that does not indicate much discrimina-
tion, for the same name is applied to various clupeids, such as Ilisha,
belonging in another family. In the Chantabun district of South-
eastern Thailand, however, this fish is called pla taluerk nam chuet
{nam chuet^ fresh water) to distinguish it from the marine species of
somewhat similar appearance, with large eyes.

Family CLUPEIDAE : Herrings, Sardines, Shads

This very large and commercially important family has many local
species, most of them marine but a few either regular migrants into
fresh water or wanderers therein at certain times. The Thai forms
having a fresh water habitat may be conveniently considered by sub-
families, which are distinguishable as follows

la. Mouth terminal or superior, toothed or edentulous ; maxillary with 2 supple-

mentary bones.
2a. Ventral fins well developed; anal fin of moderate length, with 15 to 25
rays; jaws equal Clupeinae
2b. Ventral fins small or absent anal fin long, with 33 to 92 rays lower jaw
; ;

projecting and upturned Pristigasterinae

16. Mouth inferior, edentulous maxillary with 1 supplementary bone.
;

Dorosomatinae

Subfamily Clupeinae

This subfamily is numerously represented in Thai waters and is

economically the most important division of the clupeid fishes. The
three local genera that enter fresh water may be distinguished as
follows
la. A distinct notch in middle of upper jaw formed by intermaxillaries meeting
at an acute angle; size large; anadromous Hilsa
 .

44 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

16. No distinct notch in middle of upper jaws ; size medium ; not anadromous.
2a. Scales marked by transverse grooves that are in pairs and are deficient
mediaiily ; last 2 anal rays enlarged ; lovv^er jaw not markedly
pi-oniinent Sardinella
26. Scales marked by transverse grooves that are not and are con-
in pairs
tinuous across middle of scale ; last 2 anal rays not enlarged lower jaw ;

more prominent Harengula

Genus HILSA Regan

Hilsa Regan, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, vol. 19, p. 303, 1917. (Tj'pe, Paralosa
durMnensis Regan.)

HILSA TOLI (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Alausa toll Cuviek and Valenciennes, 1847, vol. 20, p. 435 (Coromandel, Pondi-
cherry )
Clupea (Alausa) toll von Maetens, 1876, p. 405 (Bangkok).

Culpea (Alosa) toll Webek and db Beaufort, 1913, vol. 2, p. 64 (Siam).

Hilsa toll HORA, 1923b, p. 174 (Nontaburi).

From the East Indies the range of this species extends to Malaya,
Thailand, and India.
In Thailand interest in this fish arises from the fact that it is typi-
cally anadromous, like the closely related hilsa {Hilsa ilisha (Hamil-
ton) ) of India and the shad {Alosa sapidisshna) of the Atlantic coast
of North America. The most noteworthy run is in the Menam Chao
Phya. Fish usually begin to arrive every year late in November and
slowly ascend the flooded river as far as Pakret and Koh Yai. Some
years no fish are observed until the first or second week in December.
There is considerable variation in the size of the fish as they run up
the Menam Chao Phya at the spawning time. The males, which aver-
age smaller than the females and never reach the size of the largest
females, range from 27 to 40 cm. in total length for a large number
examined. The females have been 39 to 58 cm. long. For all examples
measured during several years, the average length of males was 34.8 cm.
and of females 46.7 cm., all these being fully adult fish that had gone
into fresh water to spawn.
When the fish first come in from the sea their sexual organs are
in an undeveloped condition. Ripening ensues rapidly in fresh water,
and spawning takes place in January and February. The favorite
spawning ground is the west channel of the river at Pakret. By the
end of February all fish have spawned. Spent fish, very pale and
somewhat emaciated, gradually work their way downstream, swim-
ming rather deep and being rarely caught in the pongpang (bag) nets,
which are set near the surface and are kept distended by the outflow-
ing current.
A special gill-net fishery is conducted
for this fish from the village
of Ban Po,
a part of Bangkok. In an ordinary season there are 30
boats engaged, each with a crew of 2 or 3 men or women. The nets
 . : ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 45

are of peculiar construction, and their operation takes advantage

of the observed habits of the fish. The nets, adapted for drifting,
are 120 meters long meters (73 meshes) deep, with a mesh
and 7.5
of 5 cm. square. They are set at a depth of 2.5 meters and are kept
in an upright position by wooden floats attached to the top rope.
At intervals of 6 to 7 meters there is a hollow piece of bamboo, painted
white, one end of which is attached by a single cord to the top rope
of the net. The nets are set during slack tide, whether flood or ebb.
When a fish is its struggles are reflected in the movements
caught
of the adjacentbamboo markers, which may take a vertical position
and are conspicuous in the turbid water. The fishermen in the at-
tendant boat draw in the proper section of the net and remove the fish
without disturbing the net as a whole.
Fishing is done daily for about 3 months (November to February),
and the average daily catch for all boats at Bangkok is about 100
fish. The fish are in good demand on account of their fine flavor and
are often sold on the river while the fisher}^ is in progress, so that
few may reach the city markets. Fishermen's prices are 1 to 2 bahts
per fish.

As an example of the activity of the fishery, there may be presented

the record of a visit made to 15 boats operating along the Bangkok
water front during the period between 10 30 and 12 o'clock a. m.
:

on February 9, 1926. Six of the boats had no fish, but several of

these had already sold their catches to eager customers who came out
in boats. The catch of each of the 9 other boats was: 5 females;
4 females, 1 male; 3 females, 2 males; 5 females (one 54 cm. long) ;

4 females (one ripe *) 1 male 3 females (one 43 cm. ripe, one 53 cm.)
, ;

3 females (one 39 cm. ripe), 2 males (35 and 40 cm.) 4 females; 3 ;

females (one ripe).

The following data are for 10 examples of Hiha toll collected from
on the spawning grounds at Pakret on January 27, 1924
gill-nets

Length to Length to
base of tip of
Sex Spawning condition middle upper
caudal caudal
rays lobe

Female Ripe 49.0 58.0

Female Unripe, 'ovaries large 35.0 41.8
Male.. Spent 32.9 39.0
Male.. Spent 32.2 38.9
Male.. Spent-. - 31.4 37.1
Male.. Spent 31.0 37.2
Male. Spent 29.6 35.0
Male. Spent- 25.3 30.0
Male.. Spent 23.8 28.5
Male.. Spent 22.5 27.0

* The term "ripe" means that the eggs were fully mature and that the female had freely

—
running eggs when alive and was ready to spawn. L. P. S.
46 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

The female 58 cm. long referred to in the foregoing table had freely
running eggs. Over a pint of eggs were expressed, and a large part
of each ovary was still intact as shown by subsequent dissection. The
eggs as extruded were 0.66 mm. in diameter; after water-hardening
they were approximately 1 mm. Some of the eggs were artificially fer-
tilized. In view of the facility with which eggs may be taken and
hatched, the operation of a field hatchery at Pakret would be entirely
practicable as well as desirable.
Another spawning ground of some importance may be the Tale
Sap, where Annandale reported the fish abundant in the outer lake
in February.
may be taken in the Gulf of Siam during most of the year,
Fishes
and seems probable that fishes that come into being in the local
it

waters do not, in the course of growth, wander far from the great
shallow arm of the sea that laves most of the coast of Thailand. There
are records of fully adult fishes caught in bag nets off the Chantabun
Estuary in March, in traps at the head of the Gulf of Siam in July,
and in shore seines off Singora in October. As bearing on the age of
the fishes at spawning, a single observation may be offered. Scales from
a female 46 cm. long taken in the Menam Chao Phya in February were
examined by the late Dr. Nicholas Borodin, who had been making
studies of the scales of the American shad {Alosa sapidissima) for
age determination. He pronounced the scales to have come from a fish
5 years old, and noted that a 5-year-old American shad would have
an average length of 39 to 42 cm.
The vernacular name for this fish is pla talum puk. A sandy spit
in the Gulf of Siam off Nakon Sritamarat bears the name Lem Pla
Talum Puk on the charts.
Another species of this genus, H. kanagurta (Bleeker), which in-
habits the coastal waters of the East Indies, Ceylon, India, and
East Africa, is fairly common in the Gulf of Siam but does not
have the habit of ascending streams it is distinguishable from H. toll
;

by small size (not exceeding 22 cm.), its more numerous gill rakers
its

(100 to 150 on lower arm of first arch as against 70 to 95 in toli)^ and

its shorter caudal fin (about equal to length of head, while in toll

this fin is 1.5 times the head). The fishermen give this species the
distinctive name of pla mong kroi or pla lin kroi.
Genus SARDINELLA Cuvier and Valenciennes

Sardinella Cuvieb and Valenciennes, Histoire natiirelle des poissons, vol.

20, p.
28, 1847. (Type, Sardinella aurita Cuvier and Valenciennes.)

This world-wide genus of numerous sardinelike fishes has a number

of representatives hi the coastal waters of Thailand, and two of those
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 47

species are entitled to notice herein because at times they wander into
fresh water. They may be differentiated as follows

la. Caudal lobes with distinct black tips ;

gill rakers on lower arm of first arch
38 to 44 melanura
10. Caudal lobes without distinct black tips ;
gill rakers on lower arm of first
arch 50 to 55 gibbosa

SARDINELLA MELANURA (Cuvier)

Clupea melanura Cctvier, 1829, p. 318 (locality not given).

Of wide distribution in the East Indies and the Indian Ocean, this
species seems to be entitled to notice herein because of the existence in
the British Museum of a specimen from the Menam Chao Phya, a gift
from the old Siamese Museum.
The species has been sadly confused with Harengula vlttata (q. v.)
and is variously called Harengula melanurus and Clupea {Harengula)
[Link] by Bleeker, Clupea atricauda by Giinther, Harengula com-
mersoni by Jordan and Scale, and Clupea {Harengula) atricauda by
Weber and de Beaufort. The writer follows Regan (1917, p. 384) in
identifying this fish with Clupea melanura Cuvier (1829) but not with
Alausa melanura Cuvier and Valenciennes (1847, vol. 20). From
Harengula vittata it may be distinguished by the generic characters
shown in the key and by the more posterior position of the ventral
fins, which are inserted under the middle of the dorsal in Tnelanura

and under or very slightly posterior to the origin of the dorsal in

mttata. In both forms the terminal part of each caudal lobe is
sharply marked off with black.

SARDINELLA GIBBOSA (Bleeker)

Clupea giMosa Bleekee, 1849 (10), p. (69), 72 (Macassar).

Clupea (Harengula) fimbri-ata Webee and de Beaufokt, 1913, vol. 2, p. 75, figs. 26,
27 (in part).
Sardinella gihhosa Regan, 1917, p. 383 (Siam).

Although this is almost exclusively a marine species throughout its

wide range in the Indo-Australian Archipelago, in the Gulf of Siam,
and on the coasts of India and East Africa, in Thailand it has been
found in fresh water on a number of occasions. Specimens from the
Tapi River near Bandon, Peninsular Thailand, in September 1923,
were 9.5 to 10.5 cm. long. Five specimens from the Menam Chao Phya
at Paklat in February 1928 were 12.2 to 13.2 cm. long and all had large
isopods attached on the abdomen just behind the pectoral fins and on
the caudal peduncle, making ulcers.
A length of 17 or 18 cm. is attained by this species. This species
occurs in abundance in the Gulf of Siam and is of great potential
value because of its suitability for canning as "sardines."
The local vernacular name is pla lang keo (green-back fish).
 .

48 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Genus HARENGULA Cuvier and Valenciennes

Harengula Cxjviebi and Valenciennes, Histoire naturelle des poissons, vol. 20,
p. 201, 1847. (Type, Harengula latulus Cuvier and Valenciennes= C^wpea
macropthalma Ranzani.)

HARENGULA VITTATA (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Clupeonia vittata Cuvier and Vauhstciennes, 1847, vol. 10, p. 352 (Vanikoro).
Clupea (Alausa) melamcra von Martens, 1876, p. 405 (Bangkok).
Clupea (Harengula) melanura Webee and de Beaufobt, 1913, vol. 2, p. 72 (Siam).
(Fide Regan.)

This widely dispersed species of the Indian and western Pacific

Oceans is almost exclusively marine, but in Thailand it has at times a
In addition to the record for Bangkok by von
fresh-water habitat.
Martens, which may be based on market material from the Gulf of
Siam, but is not so indicated as are citations for other species, the fish
is known from the Tapi River near Bandon in Peninsular Siam, where
specimens about 9 cm. long were taken in September 1923. A length
of 14 [Link] given by Bleeker for the East Indies.

The species is strikingly marked by having the outer third of each

caudal lobe black, thus resembling Sardinella Tnelanura (Cuvier)

Subfamily Pristigasterinae

In this subfamily there are two genera of which representatives in

Thailand have the tendency, if not the regular habit, of entering fresh
waters from the sea or estuaries. They may be distinguished as fol-
lows :

lo. Dorsal and ventral fins present; anal rays 33 to 54 Ilisha

16. Dorsal fin present, ventral fins absent anal rays 56 to 66
; Opisthopterus

Genus ILISHA (Gray) Richardson

Ilislia (Gray) Richardson, Report on the ichthyology of China and Japan, p. 306,
1846. (Type, Ilisha ahnormis (Gray) Richardson.)

The name Gray by Richardson in 1846 on the

Ilisha, credited to
basis of a drawing of Ilhha ahnorTnis, appears to take precedence over
Pelloiia of Cuvier and Valenciennes (1847). There are many species
now known from Thai waters, but most of them have not been ascer-
tained to enter fresh water at any time, although there is a tendency
on the part of the genus as a whole to come within the influence of
brackish water in estuaries and at the mouths of rivers. One Burmese
species ascends the Irrawaddy as far as Mandalay.
In addition to the species differentiated in the key below, definitely
credited with a temporary fresh- water habitat, Fowler (1934a, 1935a)
lists several species (/. indica Bleeker and /. Irachysoma Bleeker)

as collected at Bangkok ; these citations, however, cannot be accepted

 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 49

as constituting undoubted fresh-water records and are believed to be

based on market specimens from the Gulf of Siam.
la. Abdominal scutes 25 or 26, of which 7 are posterior to base of ventrals ; anal
origin under posterior half of base of dorsal ; origin of dorsal fin somewhat
nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal kampeni
16. Abdominal scutes 28 to 31, of which 9 to 11 are posterior to base of ventrals;
anal origin under hindermost rays of dorsal; origin of dorsal fin midway
between tip of snout and base of caudal dussumieri

ILISHA KAMPENI (Weber and de Beaufort)

Pellona kampeni Webee and de Beaufort, 1913, vol. 2, p. 87 (Batavia, Java ; Balik-
papan, Borneo).

Otherwise known only from Borneo and Java, this species is entitled
to a place in this catalog from having been taken at two fresh-water
localities in Peninsular Thailand, the Tapi River near Bandon in
September 1923, and the inner lake of the Tale Sap at Pak Bhayoon in
October 1923. The specimens agree closely with the original descrip-
tion of Weber and de Beaufort.
Tlie largest is 17 cm. long.

ILISHA DUSSUMIERI (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Pellona dussumieri Cuviek and Valenciennes, 1847, vol. 20, p. 316 (Malabar;
Coromandel; Bombay).

This is a common species of the East Indies and Thailand, primarily

marine but haunting the mouths of rivers and sometimes ascending
streams, probably for spawning purposes. On June 10, 1926, fishes
approaching the spawning condition entered the estuary of the Chan-
tabun River and were caught in set nets, and the next day many were
taken in the lower river and sold in Chantabun, over 200 being observed
in the market.
The largest examples were 46 emi long, many 28 to 37 cm.
In the Chantabun district, where this fish is well known to fishermen
and marketmen, it is called pla lek. Elsewhere around the shores of
the Gulf of Siam the vernacular name is yla taluerk^ shared with vari-
ous other species.

Genus OPISTHOPTERUS Gill

Opisthopterus Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1861, p. 38. (Type,
Pristigaster tartoor Cuvier and Valenciennes.)

OPISTHOPTERUS MACROGNATHUS Sleeker

Opisthopterus macrognathus Bleeker, 1866 (381), p. 299 (Sumatra and Borneo).

Although long known from Singapore, Simiatra, Borneo, and Java,

in sea and estuaries, this well-marked species has rarely been recorded
in localities outside the Indo- Australian Archipelago. It is, however,
 ,

50 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

not uncommon Thai waters, and many examples were examined and
in
a number of specimens preserved from points about the head of the
Gulf of Siam. It is to be found chiefly in salt water, but it enters
estuaries, such as the Chantabun Estuary in Southeastern Thailand,
and shows a tendency to venture short distances up streams like the
Bangpakong and the Menam Chao Phya.
It reaches a length of 20 cm., but owing to its boniness and limited
amount of muscular tissue it has little food value.
This species is known to the fishermen as pla hang (compressed fish)
pla hat mai (bamboo-leaf fish) and pla ijyitt, a name sometimes shared
,

with Pellona.

Subfamily Dorosomatinae : Gizzard Shads ; Mud Shads

This subfamily is given full family rank by Jordan (1923). There
are two local genera, distinguished as follows:
la. Last dorsal ray produced as a filament, which reaches caudal fin maxillary ;

with its posterior end expanded and curved downward gill rakers very nu- ;

merous (about 140) Nematalosa

1&. Last dorsal ray not produced as a filament maxillary with its posterior end
;

straight and tapering, its median part expanded gill rakers less numerous
;

(about 80) Anodontostoma

These fishes in Thailand, like their close relatives {Dorosoma of
Rafinesque) in the Atlantic, are migratory, primarily marine but enter-
ing fresh or brackish waters to spawn. They subsist chiefly on minute
organic objects or particles obtained in bottom mud, which is strained
by their numerous fine gill rakers. by a long
Digestion is facilitated
convoluted intestine beset with fingerlike villi and supplemented by
caeca, which pour juices into the intestine; and by a thick-walled
stomach like the gizzard of a fowl.

Genus NEMATALOSA Regan

Nematalosa Kexjan, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, vol. 19, p. ai3, 1917. (Type,
Clupea nasus Bloch.)

NEMATALOSA NASUS (Bloch)

Clupea nasus Bloch, 1795, vol. 9, p. 116, pi. 429, fig. 1 (Malabar).

This species of the Indo-Australian Archipelago and India occurs

throughout the Gulf of Siam and ascends streams for short distances.
There are no published references to its occurrence in the fresh waters
of Thailand, but it has been observed in such situations on various occa-
sions. A favorite resort and spawning groundis the Tale Sap, where,
in the inner lake, has been found in July and October. Fish of both
it

sexes with sexual organs in an advanced stage of development but not

in actual spawning condition were collected in October.
Adult fish are 16 to 20 cm. long.
 ) : ;;

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 51

The local fishermen call the fish pla kok or pla kodk^ sometimes, in
the Tale Sap, fla kwp.

Genus ANODONTOSTOMA Bleeker

Anodontostoma Bleekeb (16), Verb. Batav. Genootsch. (Madura), vol. 22, p. 15,
1849. (Type, Anodoniostoina hasseltii BleeViev—CI/upanodon chacunda
Hamilton.

ANODONTOSTOMA CHACUNDA (Hamilton)

Clupanodon chucutulu Hamilton, 1822, pp. 246, 383 (Gangetic estuaries).

Dorosoma chacunda Webeb and de Belvtjtort, 1913, vol. 2, p. 25, fig. 14 (Slam).

Nearly all the observed occurrences of this species in Thailand apply

to the Gulf of Siam off the mouths of rivers. There are, however, a
few definite records for fresh water, such as the Chantabun River at
the town of Chantabun. Specimens from the Menam Chao Phya are
in the British Museum by gift of the old Siamese Museum long since
disbanded as a repository for natural-history specimens. Specimens,
15 to 16 cm. long, approaching the spawning condition and doubtless
destined for the lower reaches of the river have been taken off the
Menam Chao Phya in December. Young of the year, 6 to 6.75 cm. long,
have been caught at the head of the Gulf of Siam in July.
Although very bony, the flesh is considered of good flavor, and in
the commercial fisheries of the Gulf of Siam large quantities are some-
times caught and are preserved by sun-drying with or without previous
pickling.
The fishermen do not distinguish this species from Nematalosa nasus
(Bloch) and give it the same name, pla kok.

Family ENGRAULIDAE: Anchovies

Most of the Thai members of this large and important family are
marine. There are, however, species in four genera that regularly
enter fresh water and are entitled to a place in this catalog. They
may be differentiated as follows
la. Caudal fin small, pointed, not forked, and joined to the very long aual fin
tail strongly tapering ; upper rays of pectoral fins detached and filamen-
tous '.

Coilia
1&. Caudal fin large, forked, and entirely separate from the long anal fin; tail
not strongly tapering; upper rays of pectoral fins not detached.
2a. Uppermost ray of pectoral fins more or less produced into a filament but
not detached from other rays origin of anal fin anterior or posterior to
;

origin of dorsal fin spiniferous ventral scutes from head to anal

;

opening Setipinna
26. Uppermost ray of pectoral not produced into a filament.
fins
3a. Origin of anal fin anterior to origin of dorsal no free predorsal spine ;

spiniferous ventral scutes from base of pectorals to anal opening jaws ;

vpith canine teeth Lycothrissa

 ) — — — ;

52 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

36. Origin of anal fin posterior to origin of dorsal a free predorsal spine
;

spiniferous ventral scutes from head to anal opening; jaws without

canine teeth Scutengraulis

Genus COILIA Gray

Coilia Gr.\y, Zoological Miscellany, pt. 1, p. 9, 1S31. (Type, Coilia hamUtonii

Gray.

COILIA MACROGNATHOS Bleeker

Coilia macrognathos Bleeker, 1852 (55), p. 436 (Borneo). von Martens, 1876,
p. 404 (Bangkok). P'owlee, 1935a, p. 96, fig. 15 (Bangkok).
Coilia macroffnathus Webee and de Beaufort, 1913, vol. 2, p. 49 (Siam). Hora,
1923b, p. 175 (Nontabm-i).

Of the various species of Coilia known from Thai waters, this is the
only one that seems to ascend the local rivers regularly. It is other-
wise known from estuaries in Borneo. It may be found every year,
usually in the winter season, in the lower courses of the Menam Chao
Phya and the Menam Bangpakong. In the former it exhibits a definite
migratory upstream movement, beginning in November and contin-
uing for several months. The fish at that time is in company with
the migrating shad, Eilsa toll (Cuvier and Valenciennes) and ascends ,

at least as far as Pakret. In the wide-mesh floating gill nets set for
shad, the fish is often caught by having its long, backward-projecting
toothed upper jaw entangled in the webbing.
The ventral fins are usually inserted just posterior to the origin of
the dorsal, but there is variation in Thai specimens in which, as pointed
out by Fowler (1935a) the ventrals
, may be inserted a little in advance
of the dorsal. Another variation shown by local examples is in hav-
ing the teeth on the upper border of the maxillary of uniform size, as
shown in Bleeker's plate ( (301) vol. 6, pi. 261, fig. 4) and not of alter-
, ,

nately different sizes as given by Weber and de Beaufort.

A maximum length of about 25 cm. is reached in Thailand.
The vernacular name for this and other species is fla hang' hai
(chicken-tail fish), in allusion to the fancied resemblance to the trim
lines of the fighting cock.

Genus SETIPINNA Swainson

Setipinna Swainson, The natural history of fishes, vol. 2, p. 292, 1839.

. . . (Type,
Setipinna megalura S>wainson=Clupea phasa Hamilton.)

These anchovies are recognizable at first sight by the moderate or

extreme lengthening of the uppermost ray of the pectoral fins. There
are two local species, which may be distiaiguished by characters shown
in the key below. They share with the other anchovies the vernacular
name of pla meo (cat fish).
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 1i

DASYATIS BLEEKERI (BLYTH).

Drawn by Luang Masya; courtes>- of the Thailand Government,
U. S NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 188 PLATE 2
"^t
 — — ;;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 53

la. Scales in lateral line 50 to 53 origin of anal fin in advance of origin of dorsal
;

dorsal rays i, 10 to 14 upper produced ray of pectoral fins reaching end

i, ;

of ventrals ; gill rakers on long limb of first arch 9 or 10 pectoral fins often
;

uniformly black melanochir

1&. Scales in lateral line 40 to 48 ; origin of anal fin posterior to origin of dorsal
dorsal rays i, 13 to i, 15; upper produced ray of pectoral fins very long,
sometimes reaching posterior third of anal fin gill rakers on lower arm of
;

first arch 18; pectoral fins not uniformly or otherwise black taty

SETIPINNA MELANOCHIR (Bleeksr)

Plate 2

Engraulis melanochir Bi-eekeb, 1849 (16), p. 13 (Madura Strait near Kammal and
Surabaja).
Stolepliorus melanochir Bleekee, 1865 (347), p. 35 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. 176 ;

(Siam).
Setipinna melanochir Bleekeb, 1866-72 (301), vol. 6, p. 136, pi. 267, fig. 3 (Siam).
Webeb and de Beaufoet, 1913, vol. 2, p. 28, fig. 15 (Siam). Hoea, 1923b, p. 174
(Nontaburi) 1924a, p. 481 (Tale Sap).
;

Engraulis melanchoir Sautage, 1883b, p. 151 (Menam Chao Phya).

Outside of the East Indies this species is commonest and best known
in Thailand. Of the numerous specimens collected, nearly all have
come from strictly fresh water, although in Thailand, as in the East
Indies, the fish frequents also salt and brackish waters. In the Menam
Chao Phya the fish is found far upstream at least as far inland as —
Lopburi. In the Bangpakong and other large streams entering the
head of the Gulf of Siam the fish is common at times in their lower
courses. A center of noteworthy abundance is the inner lake of the
Tale Sap and the Tale Xoi, the latter connected with the Tale Sap by
short, narrow channels. From July to October during several years
the fish was present in these waters.
The maximum size recorded for the East Indies is 27 cm, (Bleeker).
The largest example observed in Thailand was 32.5 cm. long. A spec-
imen in the U. S. National Museum from the Bangpakong Kiver. June
26, 1933, is 28.5 cm. long. Examples 18 to 20 cm. long are often met
with.
In addition to having a striking physiognomy, this fish is conspicu-
ously colored. Wlien adult, the body is of a uniform pale yellow, there
may be black areas on the side of the head, the upper and lower jaws
may be black, and the fins except the pectorals are usually pale to bright
yellow. The pectorals in the larger examples are often, perhaps
usually, jet black, but many fish have no black whatever on the pec-
torals, which may then be bright yellow and the ventrals may be black-
tipped. Exceptionally the black pectorals have the produced ray
yellow.
590087 — i5 5
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54 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Owing to its rather large size, this fish is frequently sent to the
markets in the larger communities and has some reputation as a food
article.
SETIPINNA TATY (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Engraulis taty Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1848, vol. 21, p. 60 (Pondicherry

Malacca).
StolepJiorus taty BaLEEKEB, 1865 (356), p. 176 (Siam).

The range of this species extends from the East Indian Archipelago
through the Gulf of Siam to both coasts of India. It is much less
partial to fresh water than is S. Tnelanochir, and the Thai records for
streams and lakes are few. There is, however, a definite record for
the extreme part of the Tale Sap, October 1923, and the fishes may be
commoner in that region than the collected specimens would indicate.
The largest local examples have been 17 cm. long.

Genus LYCOTHRISSA Giinther

Lycothrissa Guntheb, Catalogue of the fishes in the British Museum, vol. 7, p.

399, 1868. (Type, Engraulis crocodilus Bleeker.)

LYCOTHRISSA CROCODILUS (Bleeker)

Engraulis crocodilus Bleeker, 1851 (26), p. 15 (Bandjermassing, Borneo).

Sauvage, 1883b, p. 151 (Menam Chao Phya).
Engraulis {Lycothrissa) crocodilus von Martens, 1876, p. 404 (Bangkok).
Lycothrissa crocodilus Weber and de Beaueort, 1913, vol. 2, p. 31, fig. 16 (Siam).
FowLEE, 1935a, p. 96 (Bangkok).

The numerous records for this species, otherwise known only from
brackish and fresh waters of Sumatra and Borneo, are entirely for the
Menam Chao Phya. It ascends the river at least as far as Koh Yai,
and specimens examined have been collected in February, March, and
August.
The
largest obtained have been over 22 cm. long. A
length of 28 cm.
isrecorded for the East Indies. Full maturity is attained when less
than half that size. Thus, a fish taken August 9, 1923, contained well-
developed ova.
The species may be readily recognized by the characters indicated in
the key, especially the presence in the jaws of caninoid teeth combined
with a comparatively short maxillary and the origin of the dorsal fin
definitely posterior to the origin of the anal. In full-sized specimens
the silvery sheen of the body is relieved by w^holly or partly black
pectoral fins and a pale yellow caudal fin with a well-defined broad
blackish posterior edge.
Among the Thai this fish is always called pla meo (cat fish)
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 55

Genus SCUTENGRAULIS Jordan and Scale

Scutengraulis Jordan and Seale, Copeia, No. 141, p. 30, 1925. (Type, Thrissa
hamiltoni Gray.)

SCUTENGRAULIS MYSTAX (Bloch)

Cupea mystax Blooh, in Schneider, 1801, p. 426, pi. 83 (Malabar).

Engraulis mystax Hoea, 1923b, p. 174 (Nontaburi).

One of the most abundant of the Thai anchovies, caught in immense

quantities along all the shores of the Gulf of Siam, this species some-
times enters fresh water, as has been recorded by Hora. Throughout
most of its range, extending from China through the Indo-Australian
Archipelago to India, it is an important economic fish in the seas and
estuaries.
A maximum length of about 20 cm, is attained.
The local vernacular name is pla meo (cat fish), in allusion to the
resemblance of the long mustache-like maxillary to the whiskers of a
cat.

Family OSTEOGLOSSIDAE
Genus SCLEROPAGES Gunther

Scleropages Gunthek, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 3, vol. 14, p. 196, 1864. {Type,
Scleropagcs leichardti Giinther.)

SCLEROPAGES FORMOSUS (MuUer and Schlegel)

Osteoglossum fonnosum MtriXEE and Schlegel, 1844, p. 1, pi. 1 (Borneo).

Scleropages fcn-mosns Smith, 1931b, p. 64 (Krat) 1931d, p. 177 (Southeastern
;

Siam).— Fowler, 1934b, p. 335 (Krat).

Described in 1844, this fish was for a long time supposed to be con-
fined to streams and lakes in Borneo, Bangka, and Sumatra. In 1931
the species was recorded from several localities in Malaya.
In 1931 a Boy Scout in Krat, Southeastern Thailand, first made
known the presence of the fish in that country and presented some very
interesting notes, which accompanied a specimen 26 cm. long sent to
Bangkok. These notes (Smith, 1931d) constitute by far the most
extensive observations heretofore made on this species, and it is im-
portant that they be confirmed and amplified by a qualified biologist.
The fish is fairly common in streams, canals, and swamps in the Krat
region and it is said to attain a length of 90 cm. and a weight of 7.2
kilograms. Many are caught for market with lines, cast nets, gill nets,
and other apparatus, and the flesh is of good flavor.
The observations at Krat indicate that the eggs, of large size and few
in number, are taken into the mother fish's mouth immediately after
 : — ;

56 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

extrusion and there incubated, this habit having been reported also
by Fuhrmann (1905) and by Boulenger in the East Indies.
The local vernacular name is fla tapad^ applied to no other species.

Family NOTOPTERIDAE: Featherbacks

Genus NOTOPTERUS Lacepede

f/otoptertis Lacepede, Hifitoire natiirelle des poissons, vol. 2, p. 189, 1800. (Type,
Notopterus kaipirat [Link]=Oymriotus notopterus (Pallas).)

The featherbacks are among the most characteristic fishes of Thai-

land. They are easily recognized by their broad, compressed, finely
scaled body; large membranous opercular flap; teeth on jaws, tongue,
vomer, palatines, and pterygoids double-serrated ridge along the me-
;

dian line of the very short abdomen; small tuftlike dorsal fin inserted
near the middle of the long back ribbonlike anal fin with 100 or more
;

rays occupying seven-eighths of the length of the head and body;

small caudal fin confluent with the anal and rudimentary ventral fins.
;

There may
be three species in Thailand. Reports from several
places indicate the occurrence of a fish differing in general appearance
from the other species and in Bung Borapet assistants of the Siamese
;

Bureau of Fisheries have observed, but have been unable to secure,

fish that did not seem to be either of the local forms and for which the
bung fishermen have the name pla satu, not
applied to any other species.
If another species actually occurs, must be rare and is possibly
it

Notopterus horneensis Bleeker, of Borneo and Sumatra.

The two common local species may be distinguished by the following
characters
la. Maxillary extending far behind eye; head and body scales of same size; 12
to 22 transverse rows of scales on preopercle 37 to 45 pairs of spines along
;

median line of abdomen a row of 5 to 10 large round black spots above

;

anal fin; size large chitala

Ih. Maxillary extending to pupil or to rear border of eye head scales larger than
;

body scales 8 to 10 transverse rows of scales on preopercle 28 to 33 pairs

; ;

of spines along median line of abdomen no black spots above anal fin
;

size medium notopterus

NOTOPTERUS CHITALA (Hamilton)

Figure 1

Mystus chitala Hamilton, 1822, pp. 236, 382 (Bengal and Bebar Rivers).
Notopterus oceZM/er Bleekek, 1865 (356), p. 176 (Siam).
Notopterus chitala Sauvage, 1881, p. 164 (Siam). Weber and de Beaufort, 1913,
vol. 2, p. 10, tig. 6 (Siam).— HoRA, 1923b, p. 175 (Nontaburi).— Vipulya, 1923,

p. 227 (Bangkok, Bangpa-in).— Smith, 1930, p. 56 (Siam) 1933b, p. 245, pis.

;

8, 9, fig. 1 (Siam).— Fowlee, 1935a, p. 90 (Bangkok).

In the rivers of Java, Borneo, Sumatra, India, Burma, Malaya, and

Thailand this fish is noteworthy for its large size, peculiar form, and
 —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 57

interesting habits. In Thailand it abounds in the rivers, canals, and

swamps of the central plain and is one of the best-known fishes, always
rendering itself conspicuous by its habit of coming to the surface, mak-
ing a splash, rolling over, and exposing its broad silvery side.
A length of more than a meter is attained in India, the greatest
length reported in the Indo-Australian Archipelago is 87.5 cm., and

fishes a meter long have very rarely been observed in Thailand in

recent years, the size usually being TO to 75 cm.
Thai examples of N otoyterus chitala always exhibit a longitudinal
series of black spots on the side above the anal fin, each spot often hav-
ing a well-defined white ring around it. The spots number from 5 to
10 on each side, and there may be a difference of 1 or 2 spots on the two
sides of a given fish. This color phase in Siamese fishes is in strong
contrast with that observed in fishes in the Indo-Australian Archi-
pelago, which are usually immaculate, although Weber and de Beaufort
state that rarely there is a series of 4 or 5 black spots in the caudal
i-egion.

Figure 1. Notopterus chitala (Hamilton). Drawn by Nai Chote Suvatti; courtesy of the
Thailand Government.

By the time the young have reached a length of 3 to 3.5 cm., 10 to 15

blackish or dark gray cross bands appear; at a length of 7 to 8 cm.,
when the fishes are about 70 days old, a dark brown rounded or elliptical
spot appears at the lower ]3art of each of the posterior cross bands; with
further growth the cross bands begin to grow faint and finally dis-
appear, while the spots become more intense and persist throughout
adult life.

Noto'ptei'us chitala subsists on insects, shrimps, and especially small

surface-swimming fishes, including the halfbeak Zenarchoptenis
ectuntio (Hamilton), the archerfish Toxotes jaculatiix (Pallas), and
various cyprinoids.
This fish has unique spawning habits, which have been made known
chiefly by assistants of the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries. Writing of
the notopterid fishes in the Cambridge Natural History, Fishes (1904,
p. 555),Dr. Boulenger recorded that "nothing is known of their breed-
ing habits and developments," and Dean's Bibliography of Fishes
 :

58 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

(1916-1923) makes no reference to this subject. Thanks to the ob-

servations made in Thailand in recent years, the egg-laying habits,
eggs, incubation, and development of this species are now rather well
known. From an account thereof published by the writer (1933b) the
following information is extracted
The existence, in a single fish, of eggs of several different stages of
development has been shown by dissection. It has also been proved
that only one ovary develops during one season. Whether the two
ovaries alternate in activity from year to year orwhether only one
ovary ever functions remains to be determined. In numerous speci-
mens the mature ovary was found to occupy the left side of the com-
paratively small abdominal cavity, the digestive and other viscera
being pushed to the right side.
It seems to be fully established that the care of the eggs devolves
only on the male fish. Throughout the hatching period the male is in
assiduous attendance. Human intruders are fiercely attacked and nat-
ural enemies, comprising for the most part small catfishes {Mystus of
Scopoli) and minnows {Rashora of Bleeker), are driven off. An
equally important duty of the male is keeping the eggs aerated and free
from sediment by fanning movements of the tail. In the sluggish
waters of swamps the eggs may become covered with sediment, which
prevents normal development and induces the growth of fungus. If
the guardian is removed, the eggs are preyed on by small fishes and
those that escape are coated with sediment and ultimately asphyxiated.
Fishermen sometimes take advantage of the male's devotion by fishing
at a stake or stump that has been found to bear eggs. By jigging with
unbaited hooks or using hooks baited with insects, shrimps, or small
fish, they sooner or later catch the male parent and sacrifice the in-

cipient brood. The female parent is never observed at the egg posts
under circumstances that indicate maternal solicitude.
The number of eggs deposited at one time on one post may be several
thousand, and the ^gg output of one fish in a season may exceed 5,000
and even reach 10,000 or more. In Bung Borapet a four-sided stake
taken up for observation on July 17, 1932, was, by actual count, found
to have 1,733 eggs on two sides and approximately the same number
on the other two sides, a total of more than 3,400. The incubation
time, in water with an average temperature of 33° C, is 5 to 6 days.
The Siamese Bureau of Fisheries has encouraged and facilitated egg
laying in this species by providing suitable posts. Thus, in May, June,
and July 1932 in an outlet of Bung Borapet, 53 round and square posts
were driven into the bottom at intervals of several meters in water
1.5 to 2 meters deep and on 18 days between May 3 and July 30, 36
;

of the posts were utilized by the fishes, 4 each on June 1 and 8 and 5
on July 2. Some eggs, removed from posts and stumps and placed
 — —
FRESH-AVATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 59

in troughs, hatched with a mortality of 20 percent owing to sediment

and fungus. Thus, while artificial hatching is practicable, it does not
seem to be superior to hatching under normal conditions and should
probably be resorted to only when batches of eggs have been left
without the care of a male fish.
The fish is in considerable demand, and large quantities are caught
for market with seines and other apparatus. Swamps yield the largest
numbers. As the fish bears transportation rather well, rice barges are
sometimes used for sending fish to Bangkok, especially from swamps
whose fishing privileges are under private lease. A barge filled with
water instead of rice may carry 3,000 or more large fish for several
hundred miles.
The flesh is of good flavor but full of small bones. In order to over-

come the bones the flesh is often chopped fine and then made into balls
and cooked with curry.
The Thai call this fish pla krai and pla Tiang fan; hrai means to
move slowly but naturally, hang pan means broad tail. The Bengali
colloquial name for the fish is chitala, adopted as the specific name by
Hamilton.
NOTOPTERUS NOTOPTERUS (Pallas)

Gymnotus notopterus Pall.\s, 1769, pt. 7, p. 40, pi. 6, fig. 2 (Indian Ocean).
Notopterns kapirat Bleekek, 1865 (356), p. 176 (Siam). Petees, 1868, p. 273
(Siam).— SAin^AGE, 1881, p. 164 (Siam).—Kaboll, 1882, p. 184 (Siam).—
Sauvage, 1883b, p. 152 (Menam Cliao Phya).
Notopterus notopterus Webee and de Beaufort, 1913, vol. 2, p. 9 (Siam).
ViPULTA, 1923, p. 226 ( Siam ) .—Hora, 1923b, p. 175 (Siam) 1924a, p. 482
;

(Tale Sap).— Smith, 1930, p. 56 (Siam) 1933b, p. 245, pi. 9, fig. 2- (Siam).—
;

Fowler, 1934a, p. 85 (Bangkok, Chiengmai) 1934b, p. 335 (Bangkok) 1935a,

; ;

p. 90 (Bangkok) ;1937, p. 130 (Bangkok, Paknam, Tachin) 1939, p. 40

;

(Huey Yang).
The range of this species includes Java, Sumatra, India, Burma,
Malaya, and Thailand. It is generally distributed over Central Thai-
land, in rivers, swamps, and canals. It is known also from the Tapi
River above Bandon and from Klong Sok, an upper tributary of the
west branch of that river. Farther south in Peninsular Thailand the
fish has been reported from the inner lake of the Tale Sap. In South-
eastern Thailand it has been collected in the Chantabun River and
in a tributary thereof on Kao Sabap. In Northern Thailand the fish
appears to be uncommon; among the few records is one small speci-
men from the Mengeh, a tributary of the Meping.
Wliile in India this fish may reach a length of 60 cm. or more, many
specimens measured in Thailand have been under 40 cm., thus agreeing
with the maximum size of 35 cm. given by Bleeker and by Weber and
de Beaufort for the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Of a dozen adult
fish taken at random from a large catch in a trap at Hang Kraben,
60 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Central Thailand, December 11, 1924, the lengths were : One, 24 cm.,
one, 26 cm., four, 28 cm., one, 29 cm., two, 33 cm., one, 34 cm., one, 35
cm., and one, 38 cm.
In life the adult fish has a nearly uniform silvery gray or light
bronze or copper color. Young fishes are marked with narrow dark
gray or blackish cross bands of somewhat irregular shape, mostly
wider than the interspaces. The bands, numbering 25 to 30, begin on
the nape and extend to the base of the caudal fin. The 4 or 5 anterior
ones extend from the back across the opercle and are approximately
vertical; the others are inclined downward and forward. The bands
begin to disappear when the fish are about 10 cm. long, and at a length
of 15 cm. only vestiges remain. Occasionally traces of the transverse
bands persist, especially anteriorly, in nearly full-grown fishes.
Insects, crustaceans, and succulent roots of aquatic plants constitute
the principal food of this species.
At the period of flood water, the adults enter the swamps and deposit
eggs on submerged roots of aquatic plants. Observations on egg-lay-
ing, incubation, growth, and behavior of young are much less extensive
than for A^. chitala. With the subsiding of the flood waters, the adult
and young leave the swamps and enter the rivers and canals in great
numbers.
The flesh is sweet but full of small bones. Large quantities are
caught for domestic consumption and for sale, and in some places
there is at times an active special fishery. In some of the canals extend-
ing eastward from the Menam Chao Phya to the Menam Bangpakong,
hundreds of large scoop nets (Yokyaw) are operated. The fishes are
eaten either fresh or smoked. Their shape adapts them for smoking
whole, and after that treatment they are distributed over all parts of
the country.
The Siamese name for this fish is pla chalat or pla salaf, meaning
clever or cunning fish.

Order Opisthomi
Family MASTOCEMBELIDAE: Spiny Eels

The mastocembelids are acanthopterygian fishes of extraordinary

with minute scales, a pointed snout terminat-
aspect, eellike in shape,
ing in a movable fleshy tip, small mouth, minute jaw teeth, small
gill openings on the under side of the head, anterior nostrils widely
separated from the posterior and contained in a tentacle on the side
of the rostral appendage, very long dorsal and anal fins composed
partly of strong, short spines, and deficient ventral fins. They re-
semble the true eels in having the shoulder girdle not suspended from
the skull. Authorities have differed as to their systematic position.
 —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 61

Giinther (1861, vol. 3, p. 539) placed them between the trumpetfishes

(Fistulariidae) and the springbacks (Notacanthidae) and wrote:
"The structure of the mouth (not of the bones of the upper jaw) and
of the gill-apparatus, the separation of the humeral arch from the
skull, the absence of ventral fins, the anatomy of the internal parts,
and the whole habit, afforded ample proof that these fishes are eels,
in which a part of the dorsal fin is spinous."
Boulenger (1904, p. 716) placed them in the suborder Opisthomi,
between the suborder Acanthopterygii and the suborder Pediculati,
and stated: "This division stands in the same relation to the Acan-
thopterygii as do the Apodes to the Malacopterygii. The single
family is possibly derived from the Blenniidae."
Jordan (1923) placed them in the order Opisthomi immediately
preceding the Apodes.
The family comprises two closely related genera, both represented
in Thailand, one by a single species, the other by eight species.

la. Under surface of rostral appendage marked by transverse striae ; no spines

at angle of preopercle Macrognathus
lb. Under surface of rostral appendage without transverse striae; spines at
angle of preopercle in most species Mastocembelus

Genus MACROGNATHUS Laeepede

Macrognathus Lacepede, Histoire uaturelle des poissous, vol. 2, p. 283, 1800.
(Type, Ophidium aculeatum Bloch, restricted by Cuvier and "Valenciennes,
1831.)

MACROGNATHUS ACULEATUS (Bloch)

Ophidium aculeatum Bloch, 1787, vol. 5, p. 60, pi. 159, fig. 2 (East Indies).
RhynchoMella aculeata var. siamensis Guntheb, 1861, vol. 3, p. 540 (Petchaburi).
RhynchoMella ocellata Bleeker, 1865 (347), p. 34 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. 174
;

(Siam).
Rhynchohdella aculeata von Martens, 1876, p. 396 (Bangkok). Sauvage, 1883b,
p. 151 (Menam Chao Phya).— Hora, 1923b, p. 180 (Bangkok).— Chabanatjd,
1924, p. 580 (Gulf of Siam).— Fowler, 1934a, p. 146 (Chantubun) 1935a, p. ;

134 (Bangkok) 1935b, p. 513 (Old Chiengsen)

; 1937, p. 222 (Bangkok,
;

Tachin, Mepoon, Kemarat).

Rhyncobdella aculeata Sauvage, 1881, p. 160 (Siam, Mekong).

The range of this species extends from India to Burma, Thailand,

Indo-China, Malaya, and some of the East Indian islands (Borneo,
Moluccas) According to Hora ( 1923b) the fish "is found in brackish
. ,

waters within tidal influence and in the deltas of Indian, Burmese

and Sind rivers." In Thailand, however, the fish is race in brackish or
coastal waters and is mostly to be met with far from the sea, through-
out the Menam Chao PHya, in the Menam Sak as far upstream as
Pechabun, in the Menam Chi at Udon, as far inland as Kemarat,
and in tributaries of the Menam Mao, and in various lakes, swamps,
canals, and ditches of the central plain.
62 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

This seldom exceeds a length of 30 cm. in Thailand, but in other

fish
countries reported up to 37 or 38 cm.
it is

Giinther (1861) had a specimen from "Pachebore," Thailand, ob

tained by Mouhot, and called it var. siamenms^ with the statement:
"Having only one specimen, we do not feel that we should be justi-
fied in describing it as a separate species." The differences from
typical aculeata^ namely, 13 instead of 18 to 20 dorsal spines, 58 instead
of 52 soft anal rays, and a pair of confluent ocelli at the base of the
caudal fin, seem to come within the normal variation in the species.

Hora's specimen from Bangkok had 15 dorsal spines, and Day gave
the dorsal spines as 16 to 20 in Indian examples. The black white-
edged ocelli along the base of the dorsal fin number 2 to 9; excep-
tionally there may be, in addition, one or two ocelli at the base of the
caudal fin and more rarely an ocellus at the posterior base of the anal
fin (Fowler, 1934a).
The variation in the number and position of the ocelli is well il-
lustrated by fish in the Deignan collection from brooks tributary to
the Meong, an affluent of the Mekong, between Wieng Papao and
Chiengmai, Northern Thailand, July and August 1935. Of seven
specimens, three have 3 subdorsal and 1 caudal ocelli; two have
2 subdorsal and no caudal ocelli; one has 5 subdorsal and 1 caudal
ocelli; and one has 1 subdorsal and no caudal ocellus. The dorsal
spines in these specimens number 14 or 15.
The generic name usually given to this species is Rhynchohdella^
dating from Bloch (1801) with orientalis Bloch as the type, that species
,

being a synonym of Ophidium aculeatwrn Bloch (1787) In 1800, how- .

ever, Lacepede had established the composite genus Macrognathus^

which Cuvier and Valenciemies (1831, vol. 8) restricted to aculeatus,
and placed Lacepede's other species, armatus^ in Mastocembelus.
This fish is well known to the Thai, and wherever found it is called
•pla lot^ a distinctive name.

Genus MASTOCEMBELUS Scopoli

Mastocembelus Scopoli, Introductio acl historiam naturalem, p. 458, 1777. (Type,

Mastacembelus unicolor (Kuhl and van Hasselt), Cuvier and Valenciennes.)

The best taxonomic treatment of these fishes is by Boulenger (1912).

The characters on which he separated all the species known to him have
been used in the following key, into which have been incorporated four
recently described forms peculiar to Thailand. Several other Burmese
species may be looked for in Siamese waters of the western drainage.

la. Dorsal and anal fins confluent with caudal.

2a. Snout entirely scaly no preopercular spines dorsal rays XXVI to XXX,
; ;

60 to 70; anal rays III, 59 to 69; body brown, clouded with darker;
vertical fins with a yellow margin; a series of black spots at base of
dorsal fin maculatus
 — ;;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 63

2&. Snout scaleless or scaly ouly at sides.
3a. A preorbital spine.
4a. Dorsal spines more than 30, dorsal soft rays 60 to 90.
5a. Dorsal rays XXXIV to XXXIX, 79 to 90 anal rays ; III, 79 to 90.
6a. Body brown above a blackish zigzag band extending from eye
rich ;

to base of caudal fin, sending branches to dorsal and anal

flns armatus arinatiis
65. Body covered with dark brown or black reticulations enclosing large
round or oval pale spots finer reticulations may cover abdomen
;

vertical fins dark, a dark spot at base of pectoral.

armatus f avus
5&. Dorsal rays XXXII to XXXIV, 60 to 75 anal rays III, 56 to 75 ;

body brown, with white lines and several rows of small white
spots bases of vertical fins blackish, margins white a black spot
; ;

at base of pectoral argus

4b. Dorsal spines less than 30, dorsal soft rays 41 to 56.
7a. Doi-sal rays XXIX, 46; anal rays III, 56; back and sides brown,
under surface yellowish; body with about 18 dark brown cross
bands which do not reach midline of back under spinous dorsal fin
and extend to edge of anal fin circumcinctus
76. Dorsal rays XXVI to XXVIII, 45 to 48; anal rays III, 41 to 43;
back and sides brown, under surface white; body with 16 to 20
irregular blackish cross bands which extend entirely across body
and do not reach edge of anal fin taeniagaster
36. No preorbital spine; dorsal rays XXXII to XXXVII, 70 to 80; anal
rays III, 70 to 80 body black or brown, with 4 longitudinal red bands
;

vertical and pectoral fins black, with red margin erythrotaenia

16. Dorsal and anal fins not confluent with caudal no preorbital spine dorsal
; ;

rays XVI, 46 to 48 anal rays III, 42 to 45 body with 18 or 19 dark cross

; ;

bands inclined downward and forward, a narrow dark stripe in inter-

. spaces paucispinis

MASTOCEMBELUS MACULATUS Cnvier and Valenciennes

Mastacemhelus maculatus Cuviee and Vaxenciennes, 1831, vol. 8, p. 461

(Molucca).
Macrognathus maculatus Bleeker, 1865 (356), p. 174 (Siam).

Only Bleeker has recorded this from Thailand. It is other-

species
wise known from Java, Borneo, and Sumatra. The chief
Billiton,
features are the completely scaly snout (not found in any other local
form), the presence of a preorbital spine but no preopercular spines,
the extension of the mouth to a point under the posterior nostril, and
a clouded brown body, yellow margins to the vertical fins, and a series
of black spots along the base of the dorsal fin.

MASTOCEMBELUS ARMATUS ARMATUS Gunther

Mastacembelus armatus var. armata Gunther, 1861, vol. 3, p. 543 (Siam; Cal-
cutta; East Indies).
Macrognathus armatus Bleekee, 1865 (356), p. 174 (Siam).
Mastacembelus armatus von Martens, 1876, p. 396 (Bangkok). Sauvagb, 1881,
p. 160 (Siam).— Fowler, 1934a, p. 146 (Chiengmai).

The range of this fish extends from India and Ceylon to southern
China, and thence through Thailand and Malaya to Sumatra. The
64 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

British Museum contains specimens from Thailand in the Mouhot and

Schomburgk collections also specimens from the upper Bangpakong
;

Kiver from the Siamese Museum and from the Menam Chao Phya at
Bangkok from Capt. Stanley Flower. In Thailand it is the common-
est, most widely distributed, and largest member of the genus. It is
found in rivers, canals, swamps, and lakes.
A length of at least 70 cm. is attained in some Thai waters. A speci-
men, 25.5 cm. long, taken from the Menam Chao Phya at Koh Yai,
between Bangkok and Ayuthia, had no preorbital spine but was
otherwise typical.
This species, and doubtless others of the genus, subsist on insects,
crustaceans, and small fishes.

On account of its shape, slippery skin, powerful muscles, and activity

it is difficult to handle, and its short, sharp, stout spines can inflict
painful wounds. It is exposed for sale regularly in the markets and
it has some use as food.
Everywhere in Thailand it bears the vernacular name of pla kath-
ing.
MASTOCEMBELUS ARMATUS FAVUS Hora

Mastacembelus armatus var. favus Hora, 1923b, p. 180 (Nontaburi) 1924a, p. ;

474, fig. 2 (Tale Sap).— Fowler, 1934a, p. 146 (Chiengmai, Bua Yai).
Mastacembelus favus Fowxer, 1937, p. 222, figs. 204-209 (Mepoon, Bangkok).

This peculiar to Thailand, as far as present information

fish is
goes, and found at such widely separated places as the Tale Sap
it is

in Peninsular Thailand and the upper waters of the Mechem, tribu^

tary of the Meping, in Northern Thailand.
A length of 40 cm. is attained by specimens in hand, but a length of
60 cm. is reported by fishermen.
No structural characters have been pointed out by which M. a. favus
may be distinguished from armatus proper, but as a color variety it is
well defined. Five specimens, 3.8 to 5 cm. long, collected by Deignan
on April 22, 1935, in the Meping at Chiengmai have the body colora-
tion much subdued and the outstanding markings are a row of dark
brown spots at the base of the dorsal and anal fins, which are other-
wise white. Fowler (1937) has given six excellent figures showing
color variation.

MASTOCEMBELUS ARGUS Gunther

Mastacembelus argus GiJNTHEa;, 1861, vol. 3, p. 542 (fresh waters of Siara) ;

1864, p. 179 (Siam and Cambodia).—Peters, 1868, p. 263 (Slam).- von

Martens, 1876, p. 396, pi. 10, fig. 4 (Bangkok and Petchaburi ) .—Gunther,
1880, p. 499, fig. 228 (illustration of a specimen "from Siam").— Sauvage,

1881, p. 160 (Siam) lS83b, p. 151 (Menam Chao Phya ) .— Boulenger, 1912,
;

p. 201 (Siam).— HoEA, 1924a, p. 475 (Tale Sap).— Fowlee, 1935a, p. 134,
figs. 93^96 (Bangkok) 1939, p. 47 (Krabi).
;
 —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 65

ilacrognathus argus Blekkfr, 1865 (347), p. 34 (Siarn) ; 1865 (356), p. 174

(Siam).

This species appears to be peculiar to Thailand and it is rare. It

was described from a specimen 9 inches long collected by Mouhot,
listed in the British Museum catalog as from "fresh waters of Siam."
Another specimen from Thailand in the same museum was collected
by Newman. Von Martens described and figured life size in color
a specimen from Bangkok. Bleeker (1865) [347, 356] recorded the
species as represented in a collection from Thailand sent to Paris
by Bocourt, and Sauvage (1883b) listed it among fishes from the
Menam Chao Phya collected by Harmand. The only recent men-
tion of the taking of specimens is by Hora (1924a) and Fowler
(1935a, 1939). The former cited one fish taken at the mouth of the
Patalung Eiver in the inner lake of the Tale Sap by Dr. Annandale,
who stated that when fresh the specimen was dark olive-green with
blood-red markings. Fowler gave a good description and figured
four color variations in specimens from Bangkok and cited a speci-
men 38 cm. long from Krabi in Peninsular Siam. Preserved speci-
mens are described as having a brown body marked by white bands
on head, several rows of round white spots on body, a white margin
to vertical fins, and a dark blotch at base of pectoral fin.

MASTOCEMBELUS CIRCUMCINCTUS Hora

FlQUKE 2

Mastacembelus circumcinctus Hora, 1924a, p. 475, fig. 3 (Patalung River, Tale

Sap).

This strongly marked species seems to be peculiar to Peninsular

Thailand. The type and only specimen seen by Hora came from the
inner lake of the Tale Sap and was about 16 cm. long. The present
writer collected a specimen, 17 cm. long, in the same water on October
9, 1923, another, 16 cm. long, in the Tale Noi, October 8, 1923, and
two specimens, 8 and 9.2 cm. long, in Klong Nakon Noi in the town
of Nakon Sritamarat, July 17, 1928.

Figure 2. Mastacembelus circumcinctus Hora. Drawn by Nai Chote Suvatti; courtesy of

the Thailand Government.

Fishes of very similar appearance observed in the Chantabun dis-

trict of Southeastern Thailand apparently are referable to M.
tosniaQ aster.
66 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
MASTOCEMBELUS TAENIAGASTER Fowler

Mastacemhelus circumcinctiis (non Hora) Fowlee, 1934a, p. 146 (Chantabun).

Mastacembelus taeniagaster FowIxEb, 1935a, p. 136, figs. 97-101 (Chantabun).

A strongly marked species, known from four specimens, 8.9 to 15.3

cm. long, from Chantabun, in Southeastern Thailand.
The species is close to M. circumcinctus but appears to differ in hav-
ing fewer rays in the anal fin and in details of coloration; thus, the
dark bands on the trunk extend to the spinous dorsal fin (but do not
reach that fin in circumcinctus) and the extension of the dark bands
across the tail does not reach the edge of the anal fin (while in circuTn-
cinctus the dark marks go quite to the free margin of that fin).

MASTOCEMBELUS ERYTHROTAENIA Blecker

Mastacemhelus erythrotaenia BlEeker, 1850 (24), p. 6 (Bandjermassing, Bor-

neo).— Sauvage, 1881, p. 160 (Siam).
Macrognathus erythrotaenia Bleekeb, 1865 (347), p. 34 (Sians) 1865 (356), p. ;

174 (Siam).

Bleeker's records are based on a specimen or specimens that he ex-

amined in the collection, in the Musee Jardin des Plantes a Paris, made
in the Menam Chao Phya by Bocourt. The species was originally
described from rivers of Borneo and has since been recorded from
Sumatra and Penang.
The relations of the species are indicated in the preceding key. In
addition to lacking the preorbital or infraorbital spine that charac-
terizes other local species placed in this group, the markings are
striking ; the brown or blackish body has four longitudinal red bands,
and the dorsal, caudal, anal, and pectoral fins are black with a red
margin.
MASTOCEMBELUS PAUCISPINIS Fowler

Mastacemhelus paucispinis Fowler, 1939, p. 75, fig. 23 (waterfall at Trang).

This species is known from two specimens, 8.6 and 7.7 cm. long,
taken on October 13, 1936, from a waterfall stream near Trang, Penin-
sular Siam.
In the paratype the anal and caudal fins are continuous, a feature
regarded by Fowler as "apparently abnormal"; in the type both the
dorsal and anal fins are disconnected with the caudal, as in several
Indian species. Associated with this character is the presence of only
16 spines in the dorsal fin, a number much less than in any other known
species. From head to base of caudal fin there are 18 or 19 dark bands
extending obliquely downward and forward, those over the anal fin
continued on the fin, those on the trunk falling short of the median
ventral line. In each space between the bands there is a narrow dark
stripe parallel with the bands.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 67

Order Apodes : Eels

Of the numerous kinds of eels frequenting the waters of Thailand,

only a few species are found in fresh water; these belong in three
families, as follows:

la. Dorsal and anal fins confluent with the caudal, which completely covers the
end of the tail posterior nostril a circular or oval opening in front of eye.
;

2a. Body covered with minute embedded scales; teeth small, conic, in bands
on jaws and vomer tongue not fully adnate to floor of mouth, but free
;

at tip and sides origin of dorsal fin far behind gill openings- Anguillidae
;

2b. Body scaleless teeth in anterior part of jaws caniniform, middle row of
;

vomerine teeth enlarged and strongly canine or compressed tongue ;

adnate to floor of mouth origin of dorsal fin above or in advance of gill

;

openings Muraenesocidae
16. Dorsal and anal fins not extending to end of the tail, which is pointed and
bears no fin, the caudal being absent body scaleless tongue adnate to floor
; ;

of mouth posterior nostril a slit on inner side of upper lip below or in

;

advance of front border of eye Ophichthyidae

Family ANGUILLIDAE: True Eels

Genus ANGUILLA Shaw

Anguilla Shaw, General zoology, vol. 4, p. 15, 1803. (Type, Anguilla vulgaris
Shaw.)

The catadromous which are so conspicuous and economically

eels,
important in the North Atlantic and streams discharging therein, are
of comparatively little importance in the Pacific and Indian Oceans,
and in Thailand they are so rare as to constitute a curiosity when
caught. Several species of wide Oriental distribution {Anguilla
elphinstonei Sykes, A. mauritiana Bennett, A. celebesensis Kaup) may
be looked for in Thailand, but as yet only one species has been actually
found in local waters.

ANGUILLA AUSTRALIS Richardson

Anguilla australis Richakdson, 1841, p. 22 (Port Arthur).

Muraena australis Fowler, 1939, p. 43 (Krabi).
This species, of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, is the only eel of
the genus Anguilla that has been detected in Thai waters. It was
first met with in September 1926 when one 64 cm. long was taken in

the Bangkapi Canal in Bangkok. The fish was exhibited alive as an

"electric eel" by a man who specialized in freaks and monstrosities
shown at fairs. It was inspected by the writer in March 1927 but not
critically eisamined until June 1928, after it had died. A second speci-
men, 66.5 cm. long, taken in fresh water on Puket Island, off Peninsular
Thailand in the Bay of Bengal, was displayed in preservative by Boy
Scouts of the Puket district in an exhibition held in Bangkok in
68 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

February-March 1927, and subsequently presented to the Siamese

Bureau of Fisheries.
Both of these examples were unmistakably referable to this species,
having, among other characters, the origin of the dorsal fin immedi-
ately opposite the anal opening and the angle of the mouth extending
well behind the eye,
A third and only other known specimen from Thailand is recorded
by Fowler (1939) it was 63 cm. long and collected September 21,
;

1936, at Krabi, in Peninsular Thailand.

Family MURAENESOCIDAE : Eels

Genus MURAENESOX McClelland

Muraenesox McClelland, Calcutta Journ. Nar. Hist., vol. 4, p. 408, 1843. (Type,
Muraenesox tricuspidata McClelland.)

MURAENESOX CINEREUS (Forsk&l)

Muraena cinerea FobskAl, 1775, pp. 10, 22 (Arabia).

While this widely dispersed eel of the Pacific and Indian Oceans is
common in the coastal waters of Thailand, it may also be found at
times, but apparently very rarely, in the lower courses of the large
rivers in water that is perfectly fresh, as in theMenam Chao Phya
as far up some miles above Bangkok. Von Martens
as Nontaburi,
(1876) reported the fish from Bangkok, but his was a market specimen.
Fowler (1939, p. 43), under the name Muroenesox arabictts, lists a
specimen 80.5 cm. long from Krabi in Peninsular Siam but does not
indicate whether from salt or fresh water,
A name borne by this fish around the head of the Gulf of Siam is
pla manglcorn (dragon fish).

Family OPHICHTHYIDAE: Snake Eels

Genus PISOODONOPHIS Kaup

PisoodonopMs Kaup, Catalogue of the apodal fish in the collection of the British
Museum, p. 15, 1856. (Type, Pisoodonophis cancrivorus Richardson.)

PISOODONOPHIS BORO (Hamilton)

Ophisurus horo Hamilton, 1822, pp. 20, 363 (estuaries of the Ganges near Cal-
cutta).
Pifioodonophis loro Hora, 1923b, p. 173 (Nontaburi).— Smith, 1930, p. 57 (Siam).
Pisodonophis l)oro Fowleb, 1935a, p.96 (Bangkok).

Wliile thisis a marine species, it has the regular habit throughout

itswide range (East Indies, China, Indo-China, Thailand, and India)

of entering brackish and fresh water and ascending streams. In
Thailand it is the common eel of the Menam Chao Phya Basin and
 — ;

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 69

of theswamps tributary thereto. At times it is very abundant as far

inland as Paknampo, at the head of the Menam Chao Phya, in Janu-
ary and other months of the dry season, and large quantities may be
taken to market from the nearby swamps.
The fish reaches a length of nearly 1 meter. The largest actually
measured in this country was 83 cm. long, from the Krat River, in
Southeastern Thailand.
The evidence is not conclusive, but the statements of fishermen and
Government officials indicate that it breeds in swamps and ricefields
from June to August.
In the special fishery for this species, traps baited with fish are set
in swamps, canals, and along river banks, and 2-pronged spears are
used in holes in river banks. The fish has considerable economic im-
portance, as it is popular as food and may easily be kept alive in tubs
of water or even out of water for a long time. The usual practice is
to cut the body into transverse pieces and cook it with curry.
The vernacular name, jyl^i lai^ is shared with other eels.

Order Synbranchia
Two families of this order of eellike fishes are represented in the
fresh waters of Thailand.
la. Teeth in bands on jaws and palatines gill membranes confluent and attached
;

to isthmus by a median septum dividing the gill openings gills vestigial, ;

on 3 arches Flutidae
1&. Teeth in a single series on jaws and palatines, expanding into a pluriserial
patch or band at symphysis of each jaw gill membranes confluent and
;

not attached to isthmus, the gill openings not being divided by a septum
gills functional, on 4 arches Synbranchidae

Family FLUTIDAE: Swamp-Eels

Genus FLUTA Bloch
Flnta Bloch, in Schneider, Systema ichthyologiae . . ., p. 565, 1801. (Type,
Monopterus javanensis Lacepede.)

FLUTA ALBA (Zniew)

Miiraena alba Zuiew, 1793, p. 299.

Monopterus javanensis Blkeker, 1865 (347). p. 35 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. 176
;

(Siam).—GtJNTHEE, 1870, vol. 8, p. 14 (Siam).—Volz, 1906, p. 165 (Menam

Chao Phya).
Monopterus javanirus von Maktens, 1876, p. 405 ( Bangkok ).^ Sauvage, 1881,
p. 164 (Siam).
Monopterus albus Weber and dk Beaufort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 413, fig. 211 (Siam).—
FowLEK, 1934a, p. 86 (Chiengmal, Bangkok).
Fliita alba Smith, 1934b, p. 300 (Siam generally).

In ponds, canals, ditches, ricefields, and swamps all over Thailand

this snub-nosed eelmay be found in considerable numbers. Specimens
590087 —45 6
 : ,

70 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

have been examined from Peninsular Thailand (mouth of the Pata-

lung River in the inner lake of the Tale Sap), Menam Chao Phya at
Bangkok and vicinity, Bung Borapet, and old bed of the Mekong at
Chiengrai, Northern Thailand.
It reaches a length of nearly a meter, but examples as large as 70 cm.
are uncommon and the usual run is from 25 to 40 cm.
The fish has been described as "degraded rather than primitive";
and although well known and of wide distribution on the Asiatic con-
tinent (China to Burma) and in the Japanese, Chinese, and Dutch
islands, it has not received from zoologists the attention that its inter-
esting anatomy and habits would seem to warrant.
A paper on the circulation and respiration in this fish, with a gen-
eral account on its biology and anatomy, was published by Volz (1906)
with some notes on the fish in Thailand, as follows
What I know about the life habits of this fish does not rest on my own observa-
tions. I refer therefore to the place In my diary pertaining to Fluta, and written
down there is what I could learn from Siamese and Siamese Malays These fishes
:

are readily eaten by Chinese and Siamese. They Inhabit the canals connected
with the Menam and the brooks and swamps, and penetrate from here into the
inundated ricefields. At the beginning of the dry season they withdraw with the
retreating water to the deepest places in the fields, where the moisture remains
the longest, and dig themselves into the earth. How
they do this, how long they
work, and so on, I could not learn. The Europeans knew nothing about it, and I
could not speak long enough with the natives. The fishes are caught in the follow-
ing manner In the I'ainy season they take the hook, but in the dry season the
:

natives search for them in the fields. Where a number of these fishes are expected
to be in the ground, probing? are made with the help of a long 2-pronged iron fork
by sticking it into the ground from time to time. If one finds a place where there
are fishes, he digs a hole, often 1-1.5 m. deep, and hauls up with the aid of a net.
These animals are supposed to be able to live in these holes for months and first
begin to come out again with the beginning of the rainy season. The fishes are
also supposed to migrate. While they lie in the baskets they produce a noise that
appears to come out of the mouth and is not very loud. [Translation.]

The best observations on the eggs and young of Fluta have been
made in Thailand by Luang Anantamasya Pithaks, of the Siamese
Bureau of Fisheries. The fish abounds in Bung Borapet, the large
lake, originally aswamp, which has been set aside as a |ish preserve and
nursery and has been the scene of many studies and experiments on the
local fishes. It has long been known to the fishermen of the Bung
Borapet region that this eel spawns in the lake, the spawning period
extending from July onward. The eggs are laid in shallow water near
a bank and are contained in a bubble nest such as is made by various
anabantid fishes, but whether both parents take part in blowing the
bubbles has not been determined, although the fishermen believe that
only the female performs this function. The rafts of eggs are not held
in place by aquatic vegetation but float freely in the open water, and
the color of the bubble mass undergoes change from time to time during
 : —

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 71

the progress of incubation. On July 12, 1931, the observer named

discovered a school of young swamp eels at the surface in shallow
water, and nearby, projecting from a hole in the soft bottom, he saw
the head of an adult eel, supposed to be the female parent. The young,
numbering several hundred, were in a compact mass 20 to 25 cm. wide,
and when some of them were scooped up in a coconut shell the adult
made no attempt to defend them but withdrew into the hole. The
young were of a pale brownish color, with the upper part of the body
and head thickly beset with minute dark brown spots. A dark line
extended from the eye to the snout, and a dark stripe extended down-
ward and backward from the eye. The average length of 29 specimens
was 33.6 mm. the range being from 27 to 36.5 mm.
;

This caught in considerable quantities for domestic consump-

eel is
tion and local sale, and at times shipments are made to the Bangkok
markets. It bears transportation well, as it is able to live out of water
for a long time if its skm is kept moist.
The fish seems to have no distinctive vernacular names but shares
with other eels the name fla lai.

Family SYNBRANCHIDAE
Two Thai representatives of this family of eellike fishes fall into
two genera, as follows
la. Gill openings narrow, forming a single aperture confined to the ventral sur-
face posterior nostrils oval, above eye eyes small origin of dorsal fin in
;
; ;

advance of anal opening Synbranchus

1&. Gill openings forming a single, very v?ide aperture extending up sides to lateral
line posterior nostrils oblique, lanceolate, above eyes eyes minute origin
;
; ;

of dorsal fin opposite anal opening Macrotrema

Genus SYNBRANCHUS Bloch

Synbranchus Bloch, Naturgeschichte der auslandischen Fiscbe, vol. 9, p. 86, 1795.

(Type, Synbranchus marnioratus Bloch.)

SYNBRANCHUS BENGALENSIS (McClelland)

Ophisternon bengalensis McClelland, 1845, p. 197, pi. 11, fig. 1 (Bengal).

Symbranchus bengalensis Karoli, 1882, p. 184 (Siam). Boulenger, 1903, p. 303
(Patani River).
Synbranchus bengalensis TVebek and de Be-vufort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 41G, fig. 213
(Siam).— HORA, 1923b, p. 174 (Bangkok).
The range of this fish extends from India through
the Indo- Austral-
ian Archipelago to the Philippines, French Indo-China, and Thailand.
It is apparently rather rare in Thailand, and the only specimens ob-
served in recent years have been three recorded by Hora (1923b) from
Bangkok and one collected in the Menam Chao Phya at Nontaburi on
September 26, 1924. The occurrence of the fish in Peninsular Thailand
 — —
72 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
was made known by Boulenger (1903) from a collection in the Patani
River by Annandale and Robinson.
A length of 53 cm. is reported for the East Indies. The largest
Thai example, from Nontaburi, was 25 cm. long.

Genus MACROTREMA Regan

Macrotrema Regan, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, vol. 0, p. 390, 1912. (Type,
Symhranchus calU/ans Cantor.)

MACROTREMA CALIGANS (Cantor)

Symiranchns culigans Cantob, 1849, p. 1316 (Sea of Pinang).

Macrotrema caligans Hora, 1924a, p. 466 (Tale Sap). Smith, 1934b, p. 324
(Bangpakoug River). Fowlee, 1935a, p. 96 (Bangkok).
Although this rare fish of the Malay Peninsula and Java is usually
rated as a marine species, the records of its occurrence in Thailand
indicate thatit may also frequent water that is strictly fresh. It was
given a Thai habitat by Hora (1924a) on the basis of one specimen
first

from the mouth of the Tale Sap at Singora, in salt or brackish water,
and one from the fresh inner lake of the Tale Sap at Pakpayum. The
only other Thai records are for the Bangpakong River, June 25, 1933,
where a specimen was found in a pongpang net in water perfectly fresh
and very muddy, and for Bangkok one specimen, probably a market
fish, listed by Fowler (1935a).

A maximum length of 20 cm. is reported for this species. The speci-

men from the Bangpakong River was 17 cm. long its general color was
;

pinkish purple, with the fins carmine; its caudal fin had 15 rays, al-
though Cantor's figure as copied by Bleeker (301, vol. 4, p. 119) shows
9 rays.

Order Eventognathi : Carps, minnows, loaches, etc.

The fishes of this vast cosmopolitan order found in the fresh waters
of Thailand fall into four families, which may be recognized by char-
acters indicated in the key below. The body is covered with cycloid
scales, rarely wholly or partly scaleless; the lateral line is almost
always present and complete. The mouth is toothless and the food is
restricted in consequence; forms with long, convolute intestines are
vegetarian, those with short intestines subsist chiefly on minute ani-
mals. Barbels are present or absent. The lower pharyngeal bones are
falciform and in all but one of the local families are armed with well-
developed teeth, which may be in one to three series. The single dorsal
fin is composed largely of soft branched rays, but the anterior rays are

unbranched and the last simple ray may be ossified into a spine, which
may bear weak or strong denticulations. All the species are oviparous.
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF BIAM, OR THAILAJ^D 73

la. A single external gill opening on each side ;

pharyngeal teeth jiresent.
2a. Head and body mostly compressed, not flattened below ; ventral and pectoral
fins not inserted horizontally ; only outermost ray of pectoral fins simple.
3a. No suborbital or preorbital spine ; mouth terminal or inferior ; barbels
none, or or 4 pharyngeal teeth in 1, 2, or 3 rows
2, ;
; air bladder divided
into 2 anteroposterior parts, not enclosed in bone Cyprinidae
3&. A suborbital or preorbital spine present or absent ; mouth inferior ; bar-
bels 6 or 8; pharyngeal teeth in a single row; air bladder enclosed in
bone, its posterior part small or vestigial Cobitidae
2&. Head and body depressed, flattened below ; ventral and pectoral fins in-

serted horizontally ; several outer or inner pectoral rays simple ; no sub-

mouth inferior pharyngeal teeth in a single
orbital or preorbital spine ; ;

row at least three pairs of barbels air bladder reduced, consisting of

; ;

two connected lateral parts enclosed in bone Homalopteridae

lb. Two external gill openings on each side; mouth inferior; pharyngeal teeth
absent upper and lower lips coiled together in postlabial groove barbels
; ;

absent ; ventral and pectoral fins horizontal Gyrinocheilidae

Family CYPRINIDAE: Minnows and carps

It is in this family that the fresh-water fishes of Thailand reach

their greatest development as regards number of genera and species
and number of individuals. The number of species exceeds those
known from French Indo-China, from Malaya, from the Indo-
Australian Archipelago, or from Burma. Even in India, with seven
times the area of Thailand, this family is scarcely more numerously
represented.
For convenience the following subfamilies may be recognized
Iri. Upper separated from skin of rostrum by a deep groove; base of upper
lip
lip less covered by a pendulous rostral fold; mouth anterior,
more or
subinferior, or conspicuously inferior.
2a. Abdomen compressed into a sharp edge; no barbels; pharyngeal teeth in
2 or 3 rows dorsal fin with 7 to 10 branched rays arising in posterior
; ;

half of body and inserted opposite anal or opposite space between anal
and veutrals anal fin with 12 to 48 branched rays
;
Abraminae
2&. Abdomen rounded or flat, not compressed into a sharp edge barbels present ;

or absent pharyngeal teeth in 1, 2, or 3 rows.

;

3a. Generally a knob at symphysis of lower jaw fitting into an emargination

in upper jaw; barbels rostral and maxillary, but one or both pairs
may be absent dorsal fin with 6 to 16 branched rays and without any
;

osseous simple rays, arising behind origin of veutrals anal fin with 5 ;

to 17 branched rays; lateral line if present with an abrupt down-

ward curvature anteriorly, if complete running in lower half of
caudal peduncle Basborinae
3b. No knob at symphysis of lower jaw barbels rostral and maxillary, but ;

one or both pairs may be absent dorsal fin with 7 to 30 branched rays
;

and with or without an osseous simple ray, which may be smooth or

denticulated, arising before, over, or behind origin of ventrals; anal
fin with 5 to 9 branched rays and with or without an osseous simple

ray; lateral line (with two exceptions) running along middle of

caudal peduncle__^^ ^-^ —
,-^^_^-^,^—— Cyprininae
-. —
 : ;

74 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

1&. Upper lip not separated from snout by a groove but continuous with skin
of snout ; mouth conspicuously inferior lower lip with or without a
;

sucking disk Garrinae

Subfamily Abraminae

These fishes are a rather conspicuous element in the fresh-water

fauna in all parts of the country. They may at once be recognized
by the greatly compressed body and the cultrate ventral edge, which,
in the local genera, extends along the whole length of the abdomen.
Seven genera and 17 species are herein considered
la. Ventral fins present.
2a. Predorsal scales extending between eyes; mandibular symphysis witn a
well-developed hook fitting into a depression in upper jaw.
3a. Pectoral fins Inserted above ventral profile, which is evenly curved
throughout body oblong scales of medium size, not over 70 in lateral
; ;

line; of small size Oxygaster

which is convex anteriorly
3&. Pectoral fins inserted in the ventral profile,
and straight between pectorals and ventrals body very elongate scales ; ;

very small, more than 115 in lateral line of large size. ;

Macrochirichthys
26. Predorsal scales not extending between eyes mandibular symphysis with ;

or without a hook or knob fitting into a depression in upper jaw.

4a. Dorsal fin entirely opposite anal no hook or knob at mandibular sym-
;

physis; pharyngeal teeth triserial ; scales in lateral line 31 to 37.

Chela
46. Dorsal fin entirely or partly in advance of anal ; hook or knob at mandib-
ular symphysis more or less developed.
5a. Pharyngeal teeth biserial; ventral fins far forward, their base
nearer to head than to anal fin ; lateral line continuous
scales in lateral line 74 to 75 gill rakers over 100
;
Longiculter
56. Pharyngeal teeth triserial; ventral fins farther back, their base much
nearer to anal fiu than to head gill rakers less than 50.
;

6a, Body moderately elongate, with dorsal and ventral profiles strongly
curved; usually a slight nuchal concavity; postorbital region
short, less than 0.5 length of head air bladder bipartite scales ; ;

in lateral line 50 to 70 Paralaubuca

66. Body more elongate, with profile from tip of snout to dorsal fin
straight and horizontal or very slightly curved no nuchal con- ;

cavity; ventral profile strongly curved; postorbital region long,

more than 0.5 length of head, air bladder tripartite; scales in
lateral line over 90 Cultrops
16. Ventral fins absent ; dorsal fin over anal branched anal rays 30 to
;

35 Parachela

Genus OXYGASTER van Hasselt

Oxygaster van Hasselt, Alg. Konst. Letterbode, vol. 2, p. 132, 1823. (Type,
Oxijgaster anomalura van Hasselt.)

now assignable to this genus were for many years listed under
Fishes
the name of Chela, a composite genus of Hamilton (1822). Bleeker
 : . ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 75

1863 [314] made Chela cachius of Hamilton the genotype, but his action
seems to have been generally disregarded (Day, Giinther, Weber and
de Beaufort). The next available name is Oxygaster of van Hasselt,
1823.
These fishes are easily distinguishable by the extension of the nuchal
scales into the interorbital space, in addition to the other features shown
in the preceding key.
Fowler (1934a) described, as new species of Chela from Thailand,
C. pointoni, harroni,and stigmabrachiuTn, but only the first of these
conformed with the definition of Chela (i. e., Oxygaster). Later
Fowler (1935a, 1937) placed them, including pointoni., in Cutter.
Bleeker (1865 [356]) listed without description Chela castelnaui
from Bangkok. The name is based on a drawing in Count Castelnau's
album of Siamese fishes and appears to have no standing.
Following is a key to the species of Oxygaster recorded from
Thailand
la. Caudal fin with a sharply defined black spot on each lobe ; scales in lateral
line 42, in transverse series to base of ventral fin 10.5-1-5 maculicauda
16. Caudal fin veith no black spot on either lobe.
2a. Scales in lateral line 50 to 60, in transverse series to base of ventral fin 11
or 12^1-5 to 7 origin of dorsal
; fin opposite or slightly in advance of
origin of anal fin . anomalura
2&. Scales in lateral line 30 to 43.
3a. Depth 2.75 to 3.6 in length and greater than head pectoral fins extending ;

beyond base of ventral.

4a. Scales in transverse series 8-1-3 origin of dorsal fin slightly in advance
;

of origin of anal siamensis

4&. Scales in transverse series 6 or 7-1-4 ; origin of dorsal fin opposite or
behind origin of anal oxygastroides
3&. Depth about 4.25 in length and equal to head ; scales in transverse series
8-1-3 ; origin of dorsal fin far in advance of origin of anal fin ;
pectoral
fin extending to base of ventral pointoni

OXYGASTER MACULICAUDA (H. M. Smith)

Chela maculicauda Smith, 1934b, p. 301 (Tale Sap).

This strikingly marked little fish is known only from three speci-
mens, 5.5 cm. long, taken by the writer in Klong Ranoad, a tributary
of the inner lake of the Tale Sap, Peninsular Siam, October 9, 1923.
No other species of Oxygaster has a black spot on each caudal lobe.
The type is U. S. N. M. No. 103372.

OXYGASTER ANOMALURA van Hasselt

Oxygaster anomalura van Hassext, 1823, p. 133.

Chela oxygaster Weber and de Beaufort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 52 ( Sumatra ; Java
Borneo Malacca )
;

The range of this species includes Java, Borneo, Sumatra, and

Malaya, as well as Thailand. Its inclusion in the local fauna rests on
 —

76 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

u feAv specimens from widely separated localities. Four specimens

collected in (he Tale Noi, September 28, 1927, agree well with the
descriptions of Bleeker and of Weber and de Beaufort, except that the
origin of the dorsal fin is a little farther in advance of the anal than
shown in Bleeker's plate. A specimen, 15.5 cm. long, taken in the
Chantabun River, May 25, 1925, has the origin of the dorsal fin very
slightly in advance of that of the anal.
A length of 20 cm. is attained by the species in the East Indies.
O. anomalura is The species is the only
the genotype of Oxygaster.
one mentioned in the description of the genus and is clearly entitled to
recognition over Leuciscus oxygaster^ described by Cuvier and Valen-
ciennes more than 20 years later.

OXYGASTER SIAMENSIS (Gunther)

Chela siamensis Gunther, 1868, vol. 7, p. 336 (Pacbebou).

Parulaubttca siamensis Sauvage, 1881, p. 164 (Pacbebon) 1883b, ; p. 153 (Menam
Chao Pbya).
Oxygaster siamensis Fowler, 1935a, p. 110, fig. 44 (Bangkok).

The typeof this species, 4 inches long, collected by the celebrated

traveler and explorer Mouhot, is in the British Museum; it was ob-
tained at Pachebon, or Pechabun, a town on the upper Pasak River,
on the eastern confines of Central Thailand. The British Museum has
three other specimens from the Siamese Museum collected in the upper
Bangpakong River, in the southeastern part of Central Thailand.
Sauvage from the "Menam." One other specimen, 83
listed the species
mm. long, taken at Bangkok, was cited by Fowler, whose description
is in none too exact agreement with Gunther 's.

OXYGASTER OXYGASTROIDES (Bleeker)

Leuciscus oxugasiroides Bleeker, 1852 (55), p. 431 (Prabukarta, Borneo; Palem-

bang, Sumatra; Batavia).
Chela oxygastroides von Martens, 1876, p. 403 (Bangkok). Webek and de Beau-
fort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 51 (Siam).— HoRA, 1923b, p. 152 (Bangkok) ; 1924a, p. 469
(Tale Sap).
Oxygaster oxygastroides Fowler, ]93r)a, p. 110 (Bangkok) ; 1937, p. 167 (Mepoou,
Bangkok) ; 1939, p. 44 (Krabi).

In the Indo-Australian Archipelago this is a common fish in Java,

Borneo, and Sumatra. It is the outstanding species of Oxijgastev in
Thailand, widely distributed and in places abundant. In Central
Thailand, the fish has been collected in the Menam Chao Phya through-
out its length from Bangkok to Paknampo; in the Menam Nan near
Paknampo; in the Menam Sak at Dha Luang; in the Menam Bang-
pakong; and in the Meklong at Rajaburi. In the Peninsular region it
has been taken in Klong Sao Tong, Nakon Sritamarat; in the Tale
Sap in the Tale Noi and at Krabi. In the Tale Noi the fish is very
; ;
 )

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF STAM, OR THAILAND 77

common and conspicuous in the commercial catch. The only record

for the eastern region is a typical specimen taken February 16, 1927,

in the Nam Pong, a tributary of the Mekong, at Pong.

While the fish reaches a length of 20 cm. in the Dutch islands, the
largest specimens in Thailand have been 14.3 cm. long.
measured
Examples 9 to 12 cm. long are common.
The pigmentation of the fins varies considerably with age and local-
ity. The pectoral fins in some specimens (as from Tale Noi) are black

almost throughout, and the dorsal, caudal, and anal fins may be black-
ish. In some examples the black in the caudal is concentrated into a
longitudinal band on each lobe. On the other hand, some specimens
show no black whatever on any fins.

Living colors in specimens taken in the Bangpakong River on June

27, 1933, were Back light green sides and below silvery white a lus-
: ; ;

trous golden band along the side (becoming silvery in alcohol) caudal ;

fin yellow-green above and below, with its central part white and its
posterior margin black; pectorals blackish.
The fish is well known to the Siamese under the name pJa paep (flat
fish). In the lower Nan River the name fla paep hhao {khao^ white)
has been noted. The name pla tong plu recorded by Hora (1923b) as
used in Bangkok is properly applied to Cultrops simnensis.

OXYGASTER POINTONI (Fowler)

Chela pointoni Fowler, 1934a, p. lOS, fig. 60 (Chiengmai).

Gulter pointoni Fowler, 1935a, p. 109 (Siam, incidental mention).

Known from a single specimen, 75 mm. long, taken at Chiengmai,

Northern Thailand, presumably from the Ping River, January 5, 1933.
It is a rather slender form, with comparatively large scales and with
the dorsal fin beginning well in front of the anal.
The fish is a typical Oxygaster, with nuchal scales extending above
middle of eyes. Through error it was later referred to Culter by
Fowler.

Genus MACROCHIRICHTHYS Bleeker

MacrocMrichthys Bleekek (261), Act. See. Sci. Indo-N6erl. (Cyprinorum), vol. 7,

p. 439, 1860. (Type, Macrochirichthys uranoscopus Bleeker.)

MACROCHIRICHTHYS MACROCHIRUS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Leuciscus macrochirus Cuviee and Valenciennes, 1844, vol. 17, p. 348 (Java).
Macrochirichthys uranoscopus Bleekeb, 1863 (301), vol. 3, p. 137 (Menam near
Bangkok) 1865 (356), p. 176 ( Siam ) .— Sauvage, 1881, p. 164 (Siam) 1883b,
; ;

p.153 (Menam Chao Phya).

Chela macrochir von Martens, 1876, p. 403 (Bangkok).
Macrochirichthys macrochirus Weber and de Beaufort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 54
(Siam).— Hora, 1923b, p. 149 (Bangkok, Nontaburi .—Fowler, 1937, p. 167
(Mepoon, Kemarat).
 )

78 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Macrocheiriclithys laosensis Fowuek, 1934a, p. 112 (Mekong at Chiengsen).

MacrocJiirichthys laosensis Fowler, 1935b, p. 510 (Old Chiengsen).

The range of this fish covers Java, Sumatra, Borneo, and French
Indo-China, as well as Thailand. While primarily an inhabitant of
the larger rivers, in Thailand it occurs also in lakes. It reaches its
greatest abundance in the large streams of the Central area. It is
known also from rivers in the Peninsula (the Tapi), and from the Tale
Sap and the Tale Noi.
This is the largest of the local abramid fishes, attaining a length of
more than half a meter.
In Bangkok it has some reputation for gameness and is sought by
anglers using a light rod.
It is believed that Macrochirichthys laosensis Fowler (1934a), from
the Mekong at Chiengsen, Northern Thailand, is this species. The
type and paratype are comparatively small (220 and 152 cm.), and the
differences from typical Macrochirichthys macrochirus may be due to
size or age. In Fowler's detailed description no comparison is made
with M. macrochirus except in the matter of dark spots in the predorsal
region and on the lateral line at the base of the caudal. The species
was described as having one or two dark saddle-like blotches on the
back behind the head, but the figure shows three blotches, and a later
specimen from the type region had none (Fowler, 1935b). The exact
position of the dark spot at the posterior end of the lateral line is
believed to be subject to variation.
Owing to its peculiar shape it is readily recognized and it has re-
ceived the distinctive vernacular name 'pla dab loo {dab lao^ Lao
sword). In the Tapi River, in the Tale Sap, and in other parts of the
Peninsular region the fish is known as pla pok pra {pak pra^ knife
sheath) . A name in use in the Bangkok region is pla tong plu, shared
with Gultrops.

Genus CHELA Hamilton

Chela Hamilton, Fishes . . . River Ganges, 1822, p. 383. (Type, Cyprinus

cachius Hamilton.

The fishes herein included in the genus Chela have been placed at
various times and by various authors in the genera Perilampus of Mc-
Clelland (1839), Laubuca of Bleeker (1860), and Cachius and Eustira
of Gunther (1868). Bleeker in 1863 (314, p. 215) restricted Hamil-
ton's name Chela to the Indian cachius^ the species first mentioned
by
Hamilton (1822 p. 384) and thus precluded the
, subsequent use of that
name for fishes that are properly placed in Oxygaster of van Hasselt.
For the composite genus Perilampus no type was indicated until
1863, when Bleeker (328, p. 258) gave P. devario McClelland ( = Cahdio
devario Hamilton) as the genotype; this species is a Danio (Hamilton,
 : ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 79

1822), and Perilampus is thus a synonym thereof. Bleeker in 1863

(314, p. 215) made Perilampus guttatus McClelland { = Chela laubuca
Hamilton) the type of Laubitca, which thus became a synonym of
Chela^ laubuca and cachius being congeneric. Giinther made Hamil-
ton's Chela atpar ( = <7. cachius) the type of Cachius^ which is also a
synonym of Chela as here defined.
These are small fishes of streams and ponds in India, Burma, Ceylon,
Thailand, and Sumatra. None reaches a greater length than 10 cm.,
and most of them are much smaller. The body is deep and greatly
compressed, the abdominal edge is cultrate, the mouth is terminal and
directed obliquely to vertically upward, the lateral line is deeply de-
curved and parallel with the ventral outline, the anal fin is many-rayed
and longer than the dorsal, the pectoral fins are long and pointed, and
the outer ray of the ventral fins is elongated. Three species have been
reported from local waters, differentiated as follows
la. Body very deep, its greatest depth 2.15 to 2.25 times in standard length ; anal
rays ii, 22 or ii, 23.
2a. Scales in lateral line 35, above lateral line 9, belovp lateral line to base of
ventrals 3 or around narrowest part of caudal peduncle 12; a con-
4,

spicuous bright blue spot on top of head, another in front of dorsal fin
4 to 9 short vertical blackish stripes above pectoral fin, a blackish-green
spot on shoulder caeruleostig'inata
26. Scales in lateral line 31, above lateral line 7, below lateral line to base of
ventrals 5, around narrowest part of caudal peduncle 14 no blue spots ;

On head and back no dark vertical stripes on side a conspicuous round

; ;

blackish spot on shoulder mouhoti

16. Body more elongate, its greatest depth 2.8 to 3.6 times in standard length;
scales in lateral line 32 to 37; in transverse line 6.5-1-2 or 3 to base of
ventrals anal rays ii, 17 to ii, 21 a blackish spot on shoulder, another at
; ;

base of caudal fin, these connected by a blackish line laubuca

CHELA CAERULEOSTIGMATA (H. M. Smith)

FIGUBE 3

Laubuca caeruleostigmata Smith, 1931a, p. 5, fig. 3 (Menam Chao Phya, Bung

Borapet).

This dainty and strikingly marked little fish has been observed only
in the Menam Chao and tributaries It first came
in Central Thailand.
on January 5, 1925, when, by the use of a short-
in for special notice
handled dip net under the muddy bank of the river, near Nakon Sawan,
the writer caught in a short time 10 specimens somewhat over 6 cm.
long. Placed in a bucket of turbid river water, the fish were nearly
invisible even when close to the surface except for a bright caerulean-
blue area on the top of the head and another on the median line of the
back in advance of the dorsal fin. Immediately after being placed in
formalin, the specimens exhibited 4 to 9 short vertical blackish stripes
 —

80 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Figure 3. Oula caeruleostigmata (H. M. Smith). Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy of

the Thailand Government.

on the side between the head and the dorsal fin, and the blue spots dis-
appeared. Specimens had previously been obtained in an outlet of
Bung Borapet near Paknampo in November 1923, and in the main river
near Chainad in December 1924,

CHELA MOUHOTI, new species

FIGUBE4

Description. —
Depth 2.25 in standard length; least depth of caudal
peduncle than 2 in head and about equal to length of peduncle;
less
dorsal profile nearly straight from tip of snout to point of middle of
back, thence a gentle convex curve to origin of dorsal fin ventral profile ;

markedly and regularly decurved from mouth to base of caudal, its

lowest part at ventral fins; head small, sharp, about 4 in standard
length; mouth very small, strongly oblique, tip of lower jaw on level
with pupil, posterior end of maxillary at lower level of pupil ej^e about ;

3 in head, equal to interorbital space and longer than snout.

Squamation: scales in lateral line 31 (including 3 or 4 non-tube-
bearing scales in pectoral axil), in transverse line 7-1-5 or 6, in pre-
dorsal region 20, around caudal peduncle 14.
Fins: Dorsal origin over anal origin, two-thirds distance from tip
of snout to last scales on caudal base, dorsal rays iii,10, first branched
ray shorter than head less snout, edge of fin straight caudal forked, ;

much longer than head anal rays iii,23, margin slightly incised, longest
;

branched ray about equal to longest dorsal ventrals more than half
;

length of head; pectorals equal to depth of body and 1.75 length of

head, reaching to anal.
 —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 81

Coloration: Bluish silvery; a glistening round black spot a little

larger than pupil immediately behind head ; a faint median dark stripe
on back from head halfway to dorsal fin; back at base of dorsal and
on upper part of caudal peduncle dark; dorsal and pectorals with
blackish dots distally, caudal lobes dusky.
Type. —
A specimen (U. S. N. M. No. 107959) 5.8 cm. long, was taken ,

in the Pasak River at Pechabun, Central Thailand, February 23,

1934, by Luang Masya Chitrakarn.
—
Remarks. This fish is much deeper in color than the Indian and
Burman species O. cacMus., which it resembles in plainness of coloration
and which, moreover, has 55 to 66 scales in the lateral line. It is like-

FiGURE 4. Chela mouholi, new species: Type specimen (U. S. N. M. No. 107959). Drawn
by Miss Jane Roller.

wise a much deeper colored fish than C. lauhuca and differs otherwise
in the features in the key. The closest relationship seems to
shown
be with C. caeruleostigmata., from which it may be easily distinguished
by its squamation (scales in lateral line 31 as against 35, scales on trans-
verse series 7-1-5 as against 9-1-3, scales around caudal peduncle 14
as against 12) and coloration.
Named for A. H. Mouhot, intrepid pioneer explorer and zoological
collector in the jungles of Eastern Thailand, 1858-60. He collected
fishes in the type locality of C
mouhoti^ including a new species of
.

Chela (i. e., Oocygaster) described by Giinther as siamensis.

CHELA LAUBUCA (Hamilton)

Cifprinus laubuca Hamilton, 1822, pp. 260, 384 (northern Bengal).

Laubtcca siamensis Fowleb, 1939, p. 64, fig. 14 (Trang).

The inclusion of this species of India, Burma, and Sumatra in the

present catalog depends in part on the existence of a typical specimen
82 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

collected by E. Havmoller in September 1926 in a tributary of the

Poom Duang River, in Chaiya Province, Peninsular Thailand; this
specimen was presented to the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries.
It is believed that Laubuca siamensis, based on three specimens 4.2
to 6 cm. long from a waterfall stream near Trang, is the present spe-
cies. In the comparison of L. siamensis with Chela laubuca made by
Fowler, stress was laid on the slender body of the former (depth 3.2
to 3.5, 3 in figure) as compared with Day's account of C. laubuoa from
India and Burma (depth 2.75 in figure, 3.5 to 4.25 in length with
caudal fin). Weber and de Beaufort (1916, vol. 3), however, gave
the depth in the standard length of G. laubuca as 3.2 to 3.6 and they ;

described the ventral and pectoral fins as noted by Fowler and showed
the squamation, fin rays, and coloration in almost perfect agreement
with L. siamensis.

Genus LONGICULTER Fowler

Longiculter Fowler, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 89, p. 162, 1937.
(Type, Longiculter siahi Fowler.)

In establishing the genus Longiculter to accommodate L. siahi,

Fowler wrote: "Differs from Culter and related genera in its well-
elongated and strongly compressed body." The genus must rest,
however, on other characters, because in neither of those mentioned
is it at all peculiar; a greatly compressed body being typical of the

cultrid fishes, and this particular fish being no more elongate than 4
or 5 local cultrid forms described by Fowler as new species. Appar-
ently the genus should be based chiefly on the biserial pharyngeal teeth
and the extremely numerous gill rakers (106 on the first gill arch)
together with a combination of characters shared with related cultrid
genera.
LONGICULTER SLAHI Fowler

Longiculter sialU Fowler, 1937, p. 162, fig. 100 (Mepoon).

This species was described from two specimens, 20 and 19.8 cm, long,
taken at Mepoon, Central Thailand.

Genus PARALAUBUCA Bleeker

Paralaubuca BlEekee (301), Atlas ichthyologique, vol. 3, p. 133, 1863. (Type,

Paralaulmca typus Bleeker.)

This genus was established for the accommodation of a new fish

Thailand by Dr. F. Bocourt. The genus dates from 1863,
collected in
when Bleeker (301) gave a brief diagnosis, with indication of the type
species, in a footnote involume 3 of the Atlas Ichthyologique. A
full description of the
genus and the species was published by Bleeker
(344) in 1865) from which Jordan (1919, pt. 3, p. 335) dated the genus.
 : ;.

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 83

Paralcmbuca is very close to Cultrops of H. M. Smith and may prove

which case the name would replace Cultro'ps. The
to be identical, in
general appearance of typical Pardlaubuca differs from that of Cul-
trops siamensis (Hora), and there seem to be certain definite char-
acters by which the genera may be separated, as indicated in the fore-
going key. It should be pointed out, however, that one of these char-
acters —the bipartite swim bladder in Paralaubuca—has not been veri-
fied for all the species herein placed in that genus. The Thailand
species are distinguished as follows

la. Scales in lateral line less than 50 (46) scales in transverse series between
;

midline of back and lateral line 8 predorsal scales 36 gill rakers on lower
; ;

arm of first arch 18; branched anal rays 28 barroni

1&. Scales in lateral line 50 to 66 scales in transverse series between midline of
;

back and lateral line 11 to 14 predorsal scales more than 40 gill rakers
; ;

on lower arm of arch 27 to 33 branched anal rays 25 to 30.

first ;

2a. Scales in lateral line 62 to 66; scales between lateral line and base of ven-
tral fin 3 predorsal scales about 45 origin of dorsal fin nearer to eye
; ;

than to base of caudal fin origin of anal fin well behind last dorsal rays
;

pectoral fin with large blackish or dark area stigmabrachium

26. Scales in lateral line 50 to 60 origin of dorsal fin nearer to base of caudal
;

fin than to eye origin of anal fin under last dorsal rays pectoral fin with
; ;

no large blackish or dark area.

3a. Scales between lateral line and base of ventral fin 4 or 5 predorsal scales ;

42 to 59 riveroi
36. Scales between lateral line and base of ventral fin 5 to 7 predorsal scales ;

27 to 30 typus
Ic. Scales in lateral line 75; scales in transverse series between midline of back

and lateral line 14; predorsal scales 45; gill rakers on lower arm of first
arch 30; branched anal rays 20 harmandi

PARALAUBUCA BARRONI (Fowler)

Chela barroni Fowleb, 1934a, p. 109, fig. 61 (Mekong at Chiengsen).

Culter harroni Fowlee, 1937, p. 164 (Pitsanulok, Kemarat).

The type specimen was 10.4 cm. long. Later numerous specimens
5.6 to 15 [Link] were obtamed from Pitsanulok, on the Nan in Central
Thailand, and from Kemarat, on the Mekong in Eastern Thailand.
Of all the local species of this genus, P. harroni has the largest and
fewest scales and fewest gill rakers. Fowler gives 46 scales in the lat-
eral line, 8 between the lateral line and the origin of the dorsal, and
38 in the predorsal region and 18 gill rakers on the lower arm of the
;

first arch.

PARALAUBUCA STIGMABRACHIUM (Fowler)

Chela stigmabrachium Fowler, 1934a, p. 109, fig. 62 (Mekong at Chiengsen).

Culter stigmabrachium Fowlee, 1937, p. 166 (Bangkok, Mepoon, Tachin, Kemarat)

Inhabiting the basins of both the Mekong and the JSIenam Chao
Phya, this species is now represented by numerous specimens in
collections. A length of 16 cm. is attained.
 .

84 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Fowler considers the species as "chiefly distinguished by the large,

dark, suffused blotch on the median part of the pectoral fin, its colora-
tion largely brilliant white with greenish yellow vertical fins." The
species is close to P. typus in which the pectoral fins are often wholly

or partly blackish, and like P. typus has the lateral line discontinuous,
with overlapping sections.

PARALAUBUCA RIVEROI (Fowler)

Culter riveroi Fowler, 1935a, p. 108, fig. 34 (Bangkok) ; 1937, p. 166 (Pitsanulok,
Mepoon )
The type, 15.3 cm. long, was taken at Bangkok in May 1934, and in
1936 specimens were obtained at Pitsanulok and Mepoon, all in the
basin of the Menam Chao Phya. The relationship to other local
species is brought out in the key.

PARALAUBUCA TYPUS Bleeker

ParalauMca typus Bleeker, 1863 (301), vol. 3, p. 133 (Siam) 1865 (344), p. 16 ;

(Siam) 1865 (347), p. 35 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. 176 ( Siam ) .— Hora, 1923b,
; ;

p. 148, pi. 10, fig. 2 (Baugkok, Nontaburi).— Fowler, 1934a, p. 108 (Bangkok).
Chela pardlaubuca Guntheb, 1868, vol. 7, p. 337 (Bangkok). ,

Pseudolautuca lateralis Sauvage, 1876, p. 98 (Mekong) 1881, p. 189 (noted as ;

synonym of P. typus).
Culter typus Fowler, 1935a, p. 109 (Bangkok) ; 1937, p. 164, fig. 102 (Bangkok,
Pitsanulok).

De Beaufort from Pahang River,

(1933, p. 33) recorded this fish
Malay Peninsula. It is one of the commonest cyprinoid fishes in
Central Thailand. Specimens have been collected throughout the
Menam Chao Phya, in Bung Borapet, in the Menam Nan, in the Mek-
long, and in connecting streams and canals. Fishes taken by the
writer at Chiengrai in the Mekok, a tributary of the Mekong, present
no apparent differences from specimens from the Menam Chao Phya.
In land-locked ponds of limited size the fish does well. A pond 25
meters in diameter in the writer's garden in Bangkok contained many
fishes of full size and evidently in good condition.
The British Museum contained eight specimens from the Mekong
representing Sauvage's Pseudolauhuca lateralis.
The fish reaches full maturity when 13 to 15 cm. long. The largest,
taken at the end of the dry season, have reached 17.5 to 18 cm., which
appears to be about the maximum size. Spawning occurs at the be-
ginning of the rains.
The species, although quite well marked, is somewhat variable. The
scales in the lateral line may number from 50 to 62. The scales in
transverse series to the base of the ventral fin are given by Hora
(1923b, pi. 10, fig. 2) as 11-1-2.5; Fowler (1935a) describes specimens
 !

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 85

from Bangkok with the linea transversa 14-1-3, while a figure pub-
lished by Fowler (1937) shows 11-1-5 or 6. Bleeker's original de-
scription gives 20 but does not show separately the parts of the trans-
verse line,
A normal but not invariable character in this species is the presence
of a disconnected lateral line, with the anterior part overlapping the
first 6 to 20 scales of the posterior part, which is one row below the
anterior part. The
variations consist in (1) a single lateral line
on one side, a double lateral line on the other; (2) a double lateral
line on botli sides ; (3) a single lateral line on both sides. Fish caught
at one time in one place may show all these variations ; and sometimes
all specimens in one haul of a seine or dip net may have double lines
on both sides or single lines on both sides. The interruption usually
comes at about the 18th to 20th scale, and the overlap covers 6 to 10
scales. In some specimens a large offshoot of the lateral line ele-
ments extends obliquely from the anterior part of each scale, upward
on the upper part of the lateral line and downward on the lower part.
Bleeker made no reference to the interrupted lateral line, and pre-
sumably his limited material did not show this feature; but Hora
(1923b) found it in his specimens from the Bangkok region.
Giinther (1868, vol. 7) took wholly unwarranted liberties with
Bleeker's Paralauhuca typus. He regarded Bleeker's genus as syn-
onymous with Chela and suppressed Bleeker's specific name, giving
the fish a new name of his own choosing, so that in his Catalogue this
species is recorded only from Bangkok and stands as Chela para-
lauhuca Giinther
The Thai name for this fish throughout its range is pla paep (flat
fish).

PARALAUBUCA HARMANDI Sauvage

Paralauhuca harmandi Sauvage, 1883b, p. 153 (Menam Chao Phya).

Owing by Sauvage, the exact status and
to inadequate description
relationships of this species have been somewhat uncertain. From the
only other species (P. typus) known at the time, this form appeared
to be distinguished chiefly by the increased niunber of scales in the
lateral line and the reduced number of branched rays in the anal fin.
Sauvage's statement "maxillaire s'etendant jusqu' au niveau des ven-
trales" is unintelligible. The type was 17 cm. long and was among a
collection of fishes from the Menam Chao Phya carried to Paris by
Harmand. No other specimens referable to this species have been
reported.
Through the courtesy of Dr. Jacques Pellegrin, professor in the Na-
tional Museum of Natural History in Paris, it has been possible to
590087—45 7
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:

86 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

obtain a description of the type specimen and to make an evaluation of

the species. Dr. Pellegrin kindly examined the type (which bears the
number A6427) and furnished the following information which, with
Sauvage's description, affords a clear idea of the specific characters
The number of scales reported in the lateral line, namely 75, is con-
firmed; the scales in transverse series are 14 above the lateral line, 7
below the lateral line to the middle of the abdomen, and 4 between the
lateral line and the base of the ventral the predorsal scales number 45
;

the gill rakers on the lower arm of the first arch are 30 the natatory ;

vesicle is bipartiteand the anal rays are iii, 20.

;

As will be seen from the preceding key, this species stands out quite
distinctly from the other local forms.

Genus CULTROPS H. M. Smith

Cultrops H. M. Smith, Journ. Washington Acad. Sci., vol. 28, p. 410, 1938. (Tyi)e,
Culter siamensis Hora.)

The genus Cultrops was established ( 1938c) for fishes that had previ-
ously been placed in the genus Culter of Basilewsky (1855), the latter
name being regarded as a synonym of Pelecus^ established by Agassiz
(1836) for the Linnaean species Cyprirms cultratus. It is the present
writer's view that Basilewsky intended to indicate and did indicate
Cyprinus cultratus as the type of his genus, this view being supported
by the opinion of numerous colleagues to whom this nomenclatorial
question w^as submitted. It is, of course, recognized that Basilewsky
did not in so many words designate Cyprinus cultratus as the genotype.
At that period it was not the practice to indicate the types of fish genera,
but itwas the obvious intent of that author, in devoting a full line to
^''Cypr. cultratus Linn." immediately after the first mention of the name
Culter^ to make it known that the new Asiatic fishes that he was describ-
ing were typified by a well-known European fish. If a different view is
held by some ichthyologists, the matter will no doubt in time be
referred to and adjudicated by the International Commission on
Zoological Nomenclature [when it functions again after the second
world war].
CULTROPS SIAMENSIS (Hora)

Gulter siamensis Hora, 1923b, p. 149, pi. 10, fig. 1; pi. 11, figs. 4, 5 (Menam Chao
Phya at Bangkok).—Fowler, 1935a, p. 109 (Bangkok) 1937, ; p. 163 (Bang-
kok). (Species by error credited to Giinther.)
Culter roolfli Fowuee, 1937, p. 163, flg. 101 (Pitsanulok, Mepoon).
Cultrops siamensis Smith, 1938c, p. 410 (Siam).
The type specimen came from the Menam Chao Phya at Bangkok.
The fish has now been found throughout that river from Paknampo to
near its mouth; in Bung Borapet and its outlets; in the Nan River
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 87

rear its confluence with the Chao Phya at Paknampo; in the Pasak
Ki ver both above and below the barrage at Dha Luang in the Nakon
;

Nay ok River; and at various places in the Meklong. It also frequents

the larger canals.
The maximum size represented in the collections and records of the
Thailand Fishery Service was 23.5 cm. over all, 20.5 cm. to the base
of the caudal fin. This was a specimen taken February 27, 1925, in
the Pasak River at Dha Luang. Fish 14 to 20 cm. long are common.
The fish may be rated as common to abundant. It often goes in
scattered schools, and when it comes to the surface may be readily
recognized by the narrow black margin of the posterior border of the
caudal fin.

G. siamensis is The species was described

the genotype of Cultrops.
in detail by Hora, and a good was given by him. Among the
figure
outstanding features are the strongly compressed body and head,
nearly straight and horizontal dorsal profile, trenchant abdominal
edge, subvertical mouth, strongly developed symphyseal hook on the
lower jaw and correspondingly deep emargination on the upper jaw,
triserial pharyngeal teeth (4, 4, 2), long setiform gill rakers number-
ing 23 to 26 on the lower arm of the first arch, tripartite natatory
vesicle, small scales (about 90 in lateral series, 12 to 15 above lateral
line, 5 to 7 between line and base of ventral fin, 55 to 60 predorsal),
lateral line often (perhaps usually) consisting of 2 or 3 disconnected
and overlapping parts, dorsal fin inserted over the space between the
ventral and aiial fins and consisting of 7 branched rays and 2 slender
nonosseous simple rays, and long anal fin with 23 to 25 branched rays.
In the arrangement of three overlapping lateral lines, as exhibited
by the type, the uppermost section beginning at the upper angle of the
gill opening may extend over 20 to 30 scales to a point in advance of
or over the base of the ventral fins the middle section, the shortest,
;

may cover 18 to 20 scales, beginning over the middle of the pectoral

fin and extending to the ventral, the anterior 15 scales overlapped by
the uppermost section the lowermost section, always the longest, be-
;

gins over the pectoral fin and extends to the base of the caudal fin, its
anterior 10 to 15 scales overlapped by the uppermost section.
As jjointed out by Hora (1923b) in the first account of Gutter siamen-
sis, his single specimen, 17.5 cm. long, without caudal fin differed in

several important features from the generally recognized definition

of GuUer, and he suggested that the differences were sufficient to dis-
tinguish thenew species generically from Gulter. At that time he
was dissuaded from establishing a new genus because of the paucity of
material for the study of individual variation.
It is believed that Gulter wolfii will prove to be this species. In
squamation, gill rakers, teeth, fin rays, and other features there is
 :

88 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

almost perfect agreement. The only character mentioned by Fowler

as distinguishing woliii from Cultro'ps siamensis is the length of the
pectoral iins. This feature, however, is variable, and the variation
seems to cover Culter woJfi. While in Hora's type specimens the pec-
torals were a little less than the head in length and in C. wolfli are
appreciably longer than the head, in many specimens from the type
locality of CuUrops sicumensis the pectorals have been found to be
longer than the head and reach the base of the ventrals, and in others
from the same place, taken at the same time, the pectorals have not
exceeded the length of the head.
The usual vernacular name given to this fish is pla tong plu. In
some parts of Thailand the fish shares with Paralauhuca the name pla
paep. On the Nakon Nayok Kiver a designation sometimes used is
pla paep kwai {kwai^ water buffalo), probably in allusion to its
larger size as compared with Paralauhuca.

Genus PARACHELA Steindachner

Parachela Steindachner, Sitzb. Akad. Wis. Wien. math-nat. CI., vol. 83, p. 404,

1881. (Type, Parachela ireitensteini Steindachner.)

PARACHELA WILLIAMINAE Fowler

Parachela vnlliaminae Fowlek, 1934a, p. Ill, fig. 63 (Mekong at Chiengsen).

The genus Parachela, characterized by the absence of ventral fins,

was known from a single species from Borneo until R. M. de Schauen-

see, on February 10, 1933, in the Mekong at Chiengsen, Northern Thai-
land, made the surprising capture of a specimen 10.8 cm. long, which
represented a species differing from Steindachner's type in such char-
acters as squamation and number of anal rays. Only a single speci-
men known. In addition to having no ventral fins, this species is
is

characterized by the insertion of the dorsal fin entirely over the anal,
by the very long anal (with 35 branched rays), and by the long pec-
toral, which extends past the origin of the anal.

Subfamily Rasborinae

This subfamily is rather numerously represented by both genera and

species in the fresh waters of Thailand, and individuals of various
species may
be abundant. In most of the genera the fish are too small
to have a direct economic value to man, but in several genera, and espe-
cially in Luciosoma, there are species whose size entitles them to con-
sideration in the markets. The following key will separate the genera
lepresented in Thailand
0. One pair or two pairs of barbels (rostral and maxillary) symphyseal knob
;

on lower jaw present or absent.

2a. No symphyseal knob; maxillary barbels very long, rostral barbels short;
branched anal rays 5 Esomus
 : ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 89

2b. Symphyseal knob present barbels well developed, short, or rudimentary.

;

3a. Branched anal rays 6 to 17 origin of dorsal fin far posterior to midlength
;

of fish.
4a. Mouth small or medium, maxillary not extending beyond vertical from
anterior border of eye branched anal rays 8 or more. Size small.
;

5a. Lateral line complete branched dorsal rays 8 to 12 pharyngeal teeth

;
;

in 2 rows a shelf extending backward from lachrymal bone.

;

Daniops
5&. Lateral line complete, incomplete, or absent branched dorsal rays ;

7 to 17 branched anal rays 10 to 17 pharyngeal teeth in 3 rows

; ;

no shelf on lachrymal bone Danio

4b. Mouth large, maxillary extending to below eye; branched anal rays 6.

Size rather large Luciosoma

36. Branched anal rays 5 origin of dorsal
; fin anterior to midlength of fish.

Filirasbora
16. No bai'bels; symphyseal knob present; branched anal rays 5 Rasbora

Genus ESOMUS Swainson

Esomus Swainson, The natural history of fishes, vol. 2, pp. 185, 285, 1839.
(Type, Esomus vittatus Swalnson=Cyprinus danrica Hamilton.)

Small fishes of minor fresh waters with profuse vegetation, easily

recognized by a pair of very long, slender maxillary barbels. The
pharyngeal teeth are in a single series. Three species are ascribed to
one of them doubtfully
local waters,

Ic. Lateral line piercing only 4 to 6 scales anteriorly rostral barbel extending
;

beyond eye a broad black band from eye to base of caudal fin
; danrica
16. Lateral line piercing 11 to 18 scales and extending to ventral or anal fin.

2a. Rostral barbel reaching well behind eye; a narrow dark gray line from
head to base of caudal fin goddardi
26. Rostral barbel reaching to middle of eye a black band from eye to base of
;

caudal fin, always distinct posteriorly metallicus

ESOMUS DANRICA (Hamilton)

Cyprinus danrica Hamilton, 1822, pp. 325, 390, pi. 16, fig. 88 (Bengal).

Fowler (1934a, 1935a) recorded this fish from Northern, Central,

and Southeastern Thailand, but he gave no description of his speci-
mens. The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, through
Mr. Fowler, courteously sent to the U. S. National Museum three
specimens collected by R. M. de Schauensee at Bangkok in May 1934,
which had been identified as this species. E. danrica is marked, among
other characters, by an incomplete lateral line that pierces only 4 to 6
of the anterior scales and by a broad black band extending from
behind the eye to the base of the caudal fin. In the three specimens
cited the lateral line is somewhat variable, extending over 12 to 18
scales, and reaches beyond the ventral fins or to a point over the anterior
part of the anal fin; and the longitudinal band is represented by a
narrow dark stripe most distinct posteriorly. It is believed that these
 — — — .

90 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

specimens do not represent E. danrlca but that they belong in E. god-

I
dardi.
Itis probable that the references of Bleeker and Karoli to this species

in Thailand are incorrect and should apply to E. metdllicus. The

writer's own very extensive collecting in all parts of Thailand yielded
no specimens that could be referred to danrica, a well-known Indian
species.
ESOMUS GODDARDI Fowler

Esomus danrica Fowler, 1934a, p. 113 (Chiengmai, Metaug) ; 1935a, p. 110 (Bang-
kok, Sriracha).
Esomus goddardi Fowlek, 1937, p. 170, fig. 106 (Mepoon, Pitsanulok, Tachin,
Bangkok, Kemarat).

This fish is common

in Central Thailand. In addition to the record
for Kemarat on the Mekong, there are in hand specimens from a road-
side pool at Kumpawapi, Udon, February 27, 1929. Identifiable as
this species are five specimens collected by the writer January 4, 1926,
from a pool at Angkor Wat, Cambodia.
A length of 8.5 cm. is attained. In a specimen 5.4 cm. long from
a ditch at Nontaburi above Bangkok, the lateral line terminates slightly
posterior to the midbase of the anal fin.
The characteristics of the species are an incomplete lateral line
which may extend only to the ventral fin but usually reaches the anal,
a long rostral barbel extending well behind the eye, a long maxillary
barbel extending to or beyond the origin of the anal fin, and a dark
gray line along the side from the head to the base of the caudal fin.
Examples from Bangkok referred to E. dannca by Fowler (1935a)
appear to belong to this species, having the lateral line extending to
the ventral or anal fin. Various specimens from Northern Thailand
collected by Deignan have the rostral barbel not extending beyond the
eye but are otherwise referable to E. goddardi.

ESOMUS METALLICUS Ahl

FiGITEE 5

'Nuria,danrica von Mabtens, 1876, p. 403 (nomen nudum) (Petchaburi).

?Sauvage, 1881, p. 164 (nomen nudum) ( Siam) .— KarolI, 1882, p. 180 ( Siam)
Esomus metallicus Ahl, 1924, p. 42 (Petchaburi). Hoka and Mttkeeji, 1928,
p. 54, fig. 4 (Nontaburi, Nong Khor). Smith, 1934a, p. 80, fig. (Siam).
FOWLEB, 1937, p. 170 (Rayong) 1939, pp. 40, 67 (Huey Yang, Trang).
;

Esomus danrica Bleekee, 1805 (347), p. 35 (Siam) ; 1805 (356), p. 176 (Siam).

Described from Petchaburi, probably from the Petchaburi River,

in theSouthwestern part of Central Thailand, this species has since
been found in various other parts of the Central region and in the
Peninsular and Southeastern area. It occurs throughout the Menam
Chao Phya and it is especially common in the Bangkok district.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 91

In the Southeastern district it is very common in Nong Khor and

has been collected in a small tributary of the Krat River on Kao
Seming and in rivulets on Kao Sabap.
The species shows considerable variation within certain limits.
Thus, the maxillary barbel may extend only to the base of the ventral
fins in some specimens, to the ventral opening in others, and to or
beyond the base of the anal fin in others; and the lateral line, which
does not usually continue as far as the base of the anal fin and may
not reach the base of the ventrals, in a specimen 7.1 cm. long from
the Menam Chao Phya, at Paknam, terminated on one side on a scale
above the origin of the anal fin and on the other side above the base
of the ventrals in a female T.2 cm. long from the Menam Chao Phya
;

at Paknam it terminated on one side on a scale above the origin of

Figure S. —Esomus metallicus Ahl. Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy

of the Thailand Government.

the anal fin and on the other side above the base of the ventrals ; and
in a female 7.2 cm. long, with ripe eggs, taken in a ditch in Bangkok
May 26, 1925, there was no lateral line on either side. The black
lateral stripe is usually quite distinct, extending from behind the eye
to the base of the caudal fin, but it may be indistinct anteriorly,
o This is one of the most abundant of the small cyprinid [Link].
' Its
favorite haunts are weedy and drains connected with large
ditches
streams. It makes an excellent aquarium fish, easily adapted to con-
finement in small vessels and remaining active and hardy on a diet
of mosquito larvae and small crustaceans.
The fish has received no special vernacular name and is apparently
not distinguished by fishermen from other small cyprinids.

DANIOPS, new genus

Similar to Danio in having a complete lateral line, but differs in

having a reduced number of branched dorsal rays, a shelf extending
backward from the lachrymal bone, and pharyngeal teeth in two rows.
92 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Mouth small, oblique; lower jaw with a moderately developed sym-

physeal knob rostral barbels well developed, maxillary barbels minute,
;

rudimentary, or lacking; pharyngeal teeth long, slender, uncinate,

biserial, with five teeth in main row and four in second row; gill
openings wide, extending under eye; gill membranes connected with
isthmus gill rakers short and comparatively few lateral line descend-
;
;

ing abruptly over basal part of pectoral fin and running thence near
the ventral profile to the lower half of the base of the caudal fin;
dorsal fin placed far backward, its origin in advance of anal and
nearer to caudal base than to tip of snout, branched dorsal rays 8;
caudal fin forked; anal rays usually 11 or 12, sometimes 8 to 10;
ventral fins short, inserted far in advance of dorsal.
—
Genotype. Daniops myersi^ new species.
This genus may be found to intergrade with Danio of Hamilton
and to have only subgeneric rank. Although Danio in the strict sense
as set off from Brachy danio by Weber and cle Beaufort (1916, vol. 3)
was credited with 12 to 16 branched dorsal rays, species are known
[Z>. dangila (Hamilton), D. aeqmpinnatus (McClelland), D. tnala-

harica Masya and Indrambarya, D. neilgherriensis (Day), D. regina

Fowler, etc.] in which the branched dorsal rays are 9 to 11. The
Indian species D. naganensis Chaudhuri, originally described as
having 10 dorsal rays, has 9 branched rays according to Chaudhuri's
figure,and Hora and Mukerji (1934) in an artificial key to Danio
give the dorsal rays for the species as iii, 8, thus agreeing with Daniops
in this respect.
An outstanding feature of this genus is the presence, in fully de-
veloped examples, of a backward-projecting shelf from the lachrymal
bone, corresponding with the spine seen inDanio regina Fowler and
other species. This most adults, may be of rec-
shelf, as existing in
tangular shape or may have the two free angles rounded or produced
into points.
Another diagnostic feature is the arrangement of the pharyngeal
teeth in two rows. Tliis number has been found to exist in all of
numerous specimens examined. All the references in the literature to
the pharyngeal teeth in Danio (Giinther, Weber and de Beaufort,
Day, etc. ) indicate that such teeth are triserial, and this arrangement
,

has been confirmed in various species represented in the collection of

the U. S. National Museum.

DANIOPS MYERSI, new species

FiGUKE 6

—
Description. Dorsal profile from snout to dorsal fin nearly straight,
ventral profile moderately convex; depth 3.5 in standard length; least
depth of caudal peduncle 1.2 in its length and somewhat less than 0.5
 — ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 93

length of head head 4.3 in length eye 3 in head, 1.5 in interorbital

; ;

space, and slightly longer than snout; a narrow bony shelf with
rounded ends extending backward from the lachrymal bone a sharp- ;

edged bony flange extending outward from the supraorbital bones and
involving about a fourth of the circumference of the orbital rim;
mouth small, very oblique, maxillary extending to vertical from an-
terior border of eye; symphyseal knob on lower jaw and emargination
on upper jaw moderately developed; rostral barbels about 0.5 eye,
maxillary barbels minute pharyngeal teeth in two rows, 5, 4-4, 5, long,
;

slender, hooked; gill rakers on first arch 3 + 12, short spinous points
0.2 length of gill filaments.

Figure 6. Daniops myersi, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 107961). Drawn by
Mrs. Aime M. Awl.

Squamation Lateral line complete, descending abruptly on first five

:

then dropping to the next lower row, running low over ventral
scales,
and anal fins and rising on caudal peduncle to a point below midbase.
of caudal fin ; tube-bearing scales 32 scales in transverse series 6.5-1-1.5
;

to base of ventral; predorsal scales 18; scales surrounding narrowest

part of caudal peduncle 12 base of anal covered with thin scales all
; ;

scales with conspicuous longitudinal striae.

Fins: Dorsal fin originating slightly before anal, midway between
posterior margin of eye and base of caudal fin ; dorsal rays ii, 8, longest
about 0.75 length of head caudal deeply forked, as long as head anal
; ;

rays iii, 12, the longest less than longest dorsal rays ventrals 0.5 head ;

pectoral raysi, 11, the longest equal to head less snout.

Individual variations affect the barbels, squamation, and fin rays.

The rostral barbels are fairly uniform in length, but the maxillary
barbels may be mere rudiments and have not been observable in some
specimens. number 32 to
Tiie tube-bearing scales in the lateral line
35. The scales in a transverse series from the midline of the back to
the origin of the ventral fin are very constant (6.5-1-1.5), as are the
 :

94 BXJLLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

scales surrounding the narrowest part of the caudal peduncle (always
12) The branched rays in the dorsal fin are always 8. The branched
.

rays in the anal fin number 8 to 12, with 11 or 12 predominating. The

pectoral rays are i, 10 or i, 11. The variational frequency of some of
these features is shown in the following tabulation covering 13 speci-
mens from Thailand and 8 from French Indo-China near the Thailand
border

Character
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 95

do not show the full coloration. All specimens, regardless of the spots
along the side anteriorly, have the black along the posterior part of
the side, with the pale band above it.
—
Tyye and paratypes. The type (U.S.N.M. No. 107961), a male
specimen 7.28 cm. long, was taken August 23, 1934, in Huey Me Lao, a
mountain stream on Doi Hua Mot, in Northern Thailand. Paratypes
bear the following U.S.N.M. numbers 107806, 107892, 107921, 108130,
:

108863, 117725-117728, 119448, 119449, 119525, 119526.

—
Other specimens. Five other specimens taken at the same time and
place are 5.9 to 8.5 cm. long, and seven others taken August 22 at the
same place are 6.9 to 7.7 cm. long. From Huey Nam Puat, a tributary
of the Mekong at Ban Nam Puat, in French Laos, just across the
boundary from Nan Province in Northern Thailand, H. G. Deignan
collected eight specimens on April 26, 1936; these are 6.7 to 8,2 cm.
long. This locality is about 140 kilometers east of the point in North-
ern Thailand where the type and other specimens were obtained.
Apparentlj'^ referable to D. myersi is a series of 25 specimens taken
by H. G. Deignan, in December 1936 and January 1937, from the
Menam Mao and various brooks tributary thereto and from the Huey
Median, in the Mekong Basin in Northern Thailand. All the speci-
mens are small and none shows the preorbital shelf. They are assigned
to the present species on scale and fin-ray characters, including the
possession of 8 branched rays in the dorsal fin, on the biserial
pharyngeal teeth, and on the general coloration.
—
Remarks, All the specimens from Huey Nam Puat taken in April
are females with the eggs approaching ripeness in those from Huey
;

Me Lae taken in August the sexes are about equally divided and some
of the females have well-developed eggs.
This species is named for Dr. George S. Myers, professor of biology
in Stanford University and formerly assistant curator of fishes in the
United States National Museum, in recognition of his valuable studies
of Oriental fishes.

Genus DANIO Hamilton

Danio Hamilton, Fishes * * * River Ganges, pp. 321, 390, 1S22. (Type,
Cyprinus clangila Hamilton.)

The daniids are small, attractively colored, active fishes of small

watercourses; in Thailand they are commonest in mountain rivulets.
In 1916 Weber and de Beaufort (vol. 3) proposed Brachydanio as a
subgenus of Danio for forms having 7 branched dorsal rays and in-
complete or absent lateral line, leaving Danio in the strict sense for
forms with 12 to 16 branched dorsal rays and complete lateral line.
Myers, Hora, and others gave Brachydanio full generic rank, a course
that was justified by material available to them. It is apparent now,
however, that a sharp line cannot be drawn between Danio and Bia-
 : :

96 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

chydamo and that there is intergradation in the two characters on

which the two genera or subgenera have been separated. Thus, Danio
naganeTims Chaudhuri, from India, may have 8 branched dorsal rays,
in combination with a complete lateral line; Danio {Brachydanio)
shanensis Hora, described from the Shan States of Burma, has 7
branched dorsal rays and normally an incomplete lateral line, but a
specimen with practically complete lateral line is recorded by Hora and
Mukerji (1934), and a specimen from Northern Thailand with fully
complete lateral line is figured by Fowler (1934a, fig. 65) without
comment. The species D. (B.) shanensis is aberrant in this respect
and seems to be the only one in the Bimchydanio group in which the
lateral line may be either complete or incomplete all the other Indian, ;

Burman, and Thailand species, about eight in number, conform with

the original subgeneric definition, having 7 branched dorsal rays and
the lateral line either incomplete {a^uticephaliis, alboUneatits,
sondhii) or entirely lacking, {choprae Hora, kerri H.
, M. Smith, nigro-
H. M. Smith)
fasciatus (Ddiy) ^ pulcher , or either incomplete or absent
(rerio [Hamilton]). Another species, hereinafter referred to, from
Northern Thailand, combines a complete lateral line with 7 branched
dorsal rays, and for convenience may be recognized as the type of a
new subgenus named below.
The Thailand species of Danio fall into three groups, or subgenera,
which may be indicated as follows
Danio in strict sense : Lateral line complete. Branched rays in dorsal fin 8
to 17; branched anal rays 11 to 17; barbels present (maxillary and rostral or only
maxillary) or absent; a preorbital spine present or absent.
Bra<;hydanio: Lateral line absent or incomplete. Branched dorsal rays 6 or 7;
branched anal rays 10 to 13; barbels present or absent no preorbital spine.
;

Allodanio (new subgenus) Lateral line complete. Branched dorsal rays 7;

:

branched anal rays 10; barbels (rostral and maxillary) present; no preorbital
spine.

The local species, numbering nine, may be identified by the use of

the following key
la. Lateral line complete.
2a. Branched dorsal rays 8 to 17 branched anal rays 11 to 17. Subgenus Danio.
;

3a. Rostral and maxillary barbels present; origin of anal fin well behind
origin of dorsal fin.
4a. A small backward-projecting spine on anterior orbital rim.
5o. Body deep, its depth 2.65 to 2.75 in standard length least depth of ;

caudal peduncle about 1 in its length; origin of anal fin 1 eye

diameter behind vertical from dorsal origin 1 scale between lateral
;

line and base of ventral fin general color light brown, with 5 pale
;

(blue or white) longitudinal bands on body regina

56. Body more elongate, its depth 3.75 to 4 in standard length; least
depth of caudal peduncle about 2 in its length origin of anal ;

fin 2 eye diameters behind vertical from dorsal origin; 1.5 or 2

 — — ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 97

scales between lateral line and base of ventral fin general color ;

yellow, with a broad blue median longitudinal band from head to

base of caudal fin and a narrower golden longitudinal baud on
each side of median one aequipinnatus
46. No backward-projecting spine on anterior orbital rim general color ;

silvery, with a blackish longitudinal stripe or band on side beginning

below dorsal fin and extending to base of caudal fin head 3.5 in ;

standard length mouth oblique, maxillary reaching vertical from

;

anterior margin of eye scales between midline of back and lateral

;

line 8.5 circumpeduncular scales 14

; branched dorsal rays 11,
;

branched anal rays 14 peninsulae

36. Only maxillary barbels present origin of anal fin opposite dorsal origin
;

no backward-projecting spine on anterior orbital rim 2 scales between ;

lateral line and base of ventral fin ; 4 to 6 dark longitudinal bands

on side suvatti
26. Branched dorsal rays 7; branched anal rays 10; both rostral and maxillary
Allodanio, new subgenus
barbels present. ponticulus
16. Lateral line absent or normally incomplete; branched dorsal rays 6 or 7;
branched anal rays 10 to 13. Subgenus Be^vchydanio.
6a. Lateral line incomplete.
7a. Lateral line extending beyond base of anal fin (exceptionally to base of
caudal fin) barbels entirely absent or reduced to a stumpy pair at
;

corners of mouth 5 to 10 dark cross bands on anterior part of body and

;

a dark longitudinal band thence to caudal fin shanensis

[Link] line ending before base of ventral fins two well-developed pairs
;

of barbels a scarlet band extending in brown of side from base of

;

caudal fin to a point under or before dorsal fin albolineatus

66. Lateral line entirely absent.
8a. Maxillary barbel extending slightly beyond gill opening; rostral barbel
reaching behind eye; back reddish; on side and opercle a broad dull
blue band within which are 4 bright scarlet narrow longitudinal stripes,
one from opening to caudal base dorsal and caudal fins dusky, with
gill ;

pale red edgesanal fin dusky, the rays pale red

; kerri
86. Maxillary barbel extending far beyond base of pectoral fin rostral barbel ;

reaching beyond preopercle back and sides with longitudinal bands

;

and stripes of and orange-red; dorsal fin green basally,

blue, orange,
chrome yellow with a broad vermilion margin caudal fin pale
distally, ;

green with central part and posterior margin scarlet anal fin scarlet ;

at base, distal half chrome-orange with a narrow sky-blue edge, a deep

green median band pulcher

DANIO (DANIO) REGINA Fowler

Danio malabarica Masya and Indrambakya, 1932, p. 280 (Koh Samui).

Danio regina Fowleb, 1934b, p. 342, fig. 6 (Nakon Sritamarat). Myers, in Herre
and Myers, 1937, p. 56 (Chong waterfall stream). Fowleb, 1939, p. 67
(Trang).

In a fish collection from the Trang district of Peninsular Thailand,

Fowler (1939) found over a hundred specimens of this species, the
largest 12.5 cm. long. Specimens taken in the same locality in 1932
have a conspicuous black spot as large as the pupil in a pale circular
area just behind the upper end of the gill opening; this spot, only
98 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

faintly suggested in Fowler's drawing, is not referred to in his der

scription.
Described from two specimens, 8 and Y.4 cm. long, taken in 1933 in
Nakon Sritamarat, Peninsular Siam, an outstanding feature of this
species is a preorbital spine that projects backward from the lach-
rymal bone. In general appearance it greatly resembles Z>. mala-
haHca of India and Ceylon but seems to have a somewhat different
pattern of longitudinal stripes. Fowler made the species the type of a
new subgenus, Rainhoihamia, distinguished by the presence of a pre-
orbital spine.
It seems probable that all specimens from Thailand formerly iden-
tified as D, malabarica in reality represent D. regina. These speci-
mens have come from a waterfall stream on Koh Samui in the Gulf
of Siam as noted by Masya and Indrambarya (1932) from a brook ;

in Ronpibun from Klong Sok, one of the upper branches of the Tapi
;

River southwest of Bandon; and from a waterfall stream on Kao

Chong near Trang. An examination of specimens from these local-
ities in the Thailand Bureau of Fisheries has disclosed in all of them

a preorbital spine, which is supposed to be a distinguishing character

in regina but lacking in malaharica^ although Vinciguerra (1889-90,
p. 303) reported the presence of this spine in Burmese fish that he
identified as malaharica but that may have been referable to regina.
From the information now available it is not possible to give D.
malabarica a Thailand habitat.
On Koh Samui this fish is called pla siew bai pai (bamboo-leaf slew
fish) and in the Trang-Patalung district pla chuh hi. Ordinarily the
fishermen do not distinguish between Danio and Rasbora in applying
names.
DANIO (DANIO) AEQUIPINNATUS (McClelland)
Perilampus aeguipinnatus McClelxand, 1839, p. 393, pi. 60, fig. 1 (Assam).
Danio aequipinnatus Hoea, 1923, p. 153 (Nakon Sritamarat).
This species, well distributed in India and known also from Burma
and Ceylon, has been found in Thailand in a mountain stream in
Nakon Sritamarat, whence Hora had two specimens. The writer's
collecting in the same general region failed to disclose this species.
It was first pointed out by Vinciguerra (1889-90, p. 304) and later
confirmed by Myers (in Herre and Myers, 1937, p. 57) that in this
species there is a preorbital spinous process as in D. (D.) regina.
DANIO (DANIO) PENINSULAE, new species

Figure 7
Description. —Depth 3.5 in standard length; least depth of caudal
peduncle 1.5 in its length and more than 2 in head ; head almost equal
to depth, its upper profile straight; eye 3 in head, exceeding snout
and 2 times interorbital space; posterior end of maxillary reaching
verticalfrom anterior margin of eye symphyseal hook of lower jaw
;
 —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 99

and emargination of upper jaw moderately developed rostral barbel ;

maxillary barbel 0.25 eye.

0.6 eye,
Squamation: Lateral line complete, covering 31 scales; 8.5 scales
above lateral line and 1 below lateral line to origin of ventral fin;
predorsal scales 14; scales surrounding caudal peduncle 14; 9 scales
between lateral lines counted over back in narrowest part of caudal
peduncle.
Fins Origin of dorsal
: fin about two-thirds eye diameter in advance
of vertical from origin of anal, rays iii, 11, longest branched ray 1.5 in

head caudal
; fin deeply emarginate, a trifle longer than head anal fin ;

emarginate, iii, 15, rays, the longest equal to dorsal; ventrals 1.5 in
head pectorals extending beyond ventral base,
;
0.8 length of head.

Figure 7. Danio (Danio) peninsulae, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 107962). Drawn
by Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

Coloration : Silvery ; back light green, caudal peduncle pale orange-

yellow; a narrow, well-defined blackish longitudinal band beginning
under dorsal extending to base of caudal, and continuing on middle
fin,

caudal rays otherwise plain.

; fins

(
Type and paratypes.—lho, type (U.S.N.M. No. 107962) is 4.7 cm.
long and was taken Jv\y 20, 1928, from a brook at an elevation of
300 meters at the base of Kao Luang, Nakon Sritamarat, Peninsular
Thailand. Two other specimens obtained at the same place and time
were 4.4 and 3.2 cm. long (paratypes, U.S.N.M. No. 108131).

DANIO (DANIO) SUVATTI Fowler

Danio suvatti Fowler, 1939, p. 67, fig. 16 (waterfall at Trang).

Li a waterfall stream on Koh Chong, near Trang, in Peninsular

Thailand, four specimens of a Danio taken in October 1936 were de-
scribed by Fowler as a new species, characterized by a single pair
 —
100 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

of short (maxillary) barbels, insertion of ventral fins practically

opposite the origin of the dorsal, and peculiar coloration.
The type is 5.9 cm. long and the paratypes are 2.8 to 4.4 cm. long.

DANIO (ALLODANIO) PONTICULUS, new species

FlGTJBE 8

Description. —
Body and head rather strongly compressed depth of ;

body standard length and 2.3 times its width at shoulder depth
4.2 in ;

of caudal peduncle about 0.5 its length and less than 0.5 length of
head; head pointed, its length equal to depth of body; eye about 3
in head; snout 0.8 eye; interorbital space 1.25 in eye; rostral barbels
0.6 eye, maxillary barbels 0.2 eye; maxillary reaching vertical from
anterior edge of eye; lower jaw slightly longer, its postsymphyseal
knob feebly developed.
Squamation Scales with prominent longitudinal
: striae ; tube-bear-
ing scales in lateral line 31; scales in transverse series from midline
of back to base of ventral fin 6.5-1-1 predorsal scales 14 circumpe-
;
;

duncular scales 12.

Figure 8. Danio (Allodanio) ponliculus, new species: Type (M.C.Z. No. 35524). Drawn
by Mrs. Aime M. Awl.

Fins : Origin of dorsal fin midway between posterior edge of orbit

and base of caudal fin, rays ii,7, longest ray 1.2 in head; caudal fin
longer than head, forked for half its length, the lobes pointed; anal
fin arisingunder base of fourth branched dorsal ray, its rays ii,10,
longest ray 1.8 in head; ventral rays i,7, 1.4 in head, reaching anal
opening; pectoral rays i,10, 1.3 in head, not reaching base of ventrals.
Coloration Silvery a black line along side from a point over pec-
: ;

toral fin to base of caudal; dorsal rays basally dusky green; other
fins plain.
Type.—The type (M.C.Z. No. 35524), 7.5 cm. long, was collected
by the Harvard Primate Expedition April 27, 1937, at Chiengmai,
presumably in the Meping, Northern Thailand.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 101

—
Remarks. This new species, Danio {Allodanio) ponticulits, type of
the new subgenus Allodanio, bridges the gap between Danio and
Brachydanio, having a complete lateral line and seven branched dorsal
rays.
{Ponticulus, a little bridge.)
DANIO (BRACHYDANIO) SHANENSIS Hora
Danio (Brachydanio) shanensis Hora, 1928, p. 38 (Namkhan, Kutaki, Laslilo,
Hsipaw, Northern Shan States).
Danio shanensi!^ Fowler, 1934a, p. 113, fig. 65 (Chiengmai, Metang).
This species was described in 1928 from the Northern Shan States
of Burma where it was found to be common in ricefields, in small
ponds, and in pools in the bed of hill streams. It was subsequent!}'
reported from the Southern Shan States, and in the same year Fowler
noted over 130 specimens from Chiengmai and the Metang north of
Chiengmai. The lateral line is variable. In the material from the
Shan States the lateral line is normally deficient posterior to the base
of the anal fin, although in one specimen Hora found the lateral line
practically complete. The figure jDublished by Fowler shows the
lateral line uninterrupted and extending to the base of the caudal
fin. The barbels are given as either entirely absent or a short, stumpy
maxillary pair.
The maximum length of Thai examples is 7 cm.
DANIO (BRACHYDANIO) ALBOLINEATUS (BIyth)

Nuria albolineata Blyth, 1860b, p. 163 (Tenasserim).

Danio aliolineata Masta and Indrambarya. 1932, p. 280 (Koh Samui).
Previously known from Sumatra and Burma, this species has been
found to occur in certainmountain brooks in Peninsular and South-
eastern Thailand. It was first collected by Luang Masya Chitrakarn
in 1927 in a pool below a waterfall on Kao Sabap, four specimens be-
ing taken. In 1931 two specimens were obtained by Masya and
Indrambarya below the Na Muang waterfall on Koh Samui. From
a brook on Koh Chong five specimens were obtained in 1933, the small-
est example, 2.1 cm. long, having the characteristic scarlet longitudinal
band extending from the base of the caudal fin to the head this band ;

usually extends only to a point under or slightly in advance of the

origin of the dorsal fin.

In Burma a length of 5 cm. is reported by Day. The largest Thai-

land examples have been 4.2 cm. long.
DANIO (BRACHYDANIO) KERRI H. M. Smith

Figure 9
Danio kerri Smith, 1931a, p. 6 (Koh Yao Yai).
This species, which is very strikingly colored, is known only from
the type, 4.2 cm. long, and three other specimens, 3.2, 3.5, and 3.6 cm.
590087—45 8
 — —
102 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

%
wm^.

^i^- \^"
Figure 9. Danio (Brackydanio) kerri H. M. Smith. Drawn by Nai Chote Suvatti;
courtesy of the Thailand Government.

long, collected by Dr. A. F. G. Kerr in 1929 on Koh Yao Yai, an island

in the Bay of Bengal off the west coast of Peninsular Thailand. The
two largest specimens are males, with a profuse development of pearl
organs on the head.

DANIO (BRACHYDANIO) PULCHER H. M. Smith

Danio pulcher Smith, 1931a, p. 8 (Chantabun Province). Fowler, 1937, p. 169,

fig. 105 (Pitsanulok, Mepoon).

Danio aliolineata Fowler, 1934a, p. 113 (Chantabun).

Originally taken in 1925 in the waterfall brook at Pliew, on Kao

Sabap, Southeastern Thailand, this fish has since been reported by
Fowler from Pitsanulok and Mepoon, Central Thailand, and also from
Chantabun (as Danio alholineata). In the upper part of the moun-
tain brook at Pliew the fish was found where the water flows over and
among boulders and between banks with dense vegetation.
The largest specimen obtained was a female with ripe eggs, 37.5 mm.
long; the others were males, 30 to 32.5 mm, long. Fowler reports
specimens up to 50 mm. long at Mepoon.

Genus LUCIOSOMA Bleeker

Luciosoma Bleekeb (136), Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Iiidie, vol. 9, pp. 258, 263, 1855.
(Type, Barbus sctigerus Cuvier and Valenciennes.)

Thesefishes, with a form suggestive of the pikes, are the largest

localmembers of the subfamily Rasborinae. They bear distinctive
vernacular names and are easily recognized by their elongate body,
straight dorsal profile, pointed head, large mouth, strong symphyseal
hook on the lower jaw, well-developed barbels, posterior position of
dorsal and anal fins, deeply forked caudal fin, coloration, and similar
 : —;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 103

characters. Three species are reported from Thailand, distinguished

as follows
la. Pectoral fins extending far beyond base of ventrals a longitudinal series of
;

blackish brown spots extending from head to base of caudal fin a dark band ;

across dorsal and anal fins median and submarginal dark longitudinal
;

bands on caudal fin spilopleura

1 &. Pectoral fins extending to base of ventrals ; a black or dark brown looigitudinal
band on side of body,
2a. A black band from snout to base of caudal fin (band may be made up of
spots in young) an inframarginal black band on each caudal lobe origin ;

of dorsal over twenty-third or twenty-fourth scale of lateral line base

fin ;

of last dorsal ray over base of fourth or fifth branched anal ray ; narrow-
est part of peduncle surrounded by 12 scales setigerum.
2&. A dark band from head to base of caudal fin, extending on median caudal
rays to their posterior end no inframarginal dark band on each caudal
;

lobe; origin of dorsal fin over twentieth or twenty-first scale of lateral

line base of last dorsal ray over base of first or second branched anal ray
;

narrowest part of caudal peduncle surrounded by 16 scales bleekeri

LUCIOSOMA SPILOPLEURA Bleeker

Luciosoma spilopleura Bleekeb 1855 (136), p. 265 (Lahat, Sumatra).

Luciosoma {Luciosoma) spilopleura Bleekek, 1865 (356), p. 176 (Siam),
Saxtvage, 1881, p. 164 (Siam and Sumatra).

Long known from Borneo and Sumatra, this species was recorded
also from Thailand by Bleeker There has been no other pub-
in 1865.
lished reference to the fish in Thailand except Sauvage's, probably
after Bleeker, and it must be very rare in that country. Two speci-
mens, 24.5 cm. long, taken February 15, 1928, in Tonburi, Bangkok, in
a pond connected with the Menam Chao Phya agree in most structural
characters with Bleeker's description but show some color differences
from his description and plate; th6y are noteworthy because of a
broad leaf -like expansion of the upper and lower lips.

LUCIOSOMA SETIGERUM (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Barbus setigerus Cuvieb and Valenciennes, vol. 16, p. 203, pi. 469, 1842 (P6bak
River, Java).
Luciosoma setigerum Hora, 1923b, p. 153 (Bangkok, Nontaburi).
fLuciosoma liarmandi Fowleb, 1935a, p. 110, fig. 45 (Bangkok).

This common species of Java, Borneo, Sumatra, and Malacca was

firstshown to be an iaihabitant of Thailand by Hora in 1923. The
writer's own collections, beginning in 1923 and continuing through
1934, showed this fish to be widely distributed and at certain places
and times abundant. Localities represented by the collections made
for the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries are Bangkok, Nontaburi, Hang-
kraben, and Paknampo in the Menam Chao Phya Chiengmai in the ;

Meping ; in the lower Menam Nan at Chiengrai in the Mekok and

; ;
 —

104 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

at Payao in the large swamp-lake of that name in north-central

Thailand.
A length of 25 cm. is attained.
The figure called L. harrmindi (Fowler, 1935a) based on an unde-
scribed specimen, 17.8 cm. long, from Bangkok, showing a lateral
stripe formed largely of dark spots and having a dark submarginal
band on each caudal lobe, strongly resembles examples of Z. setigerwm
and does not agree in these respects with Sauvage's imperfect de-
scription of L. harmaivdi; the figure furtheraiore shows 36 to 37 scales
in the lateral line against 45 given by Sauvage.
The fish shares with other species of the genus the name pJa ai ao.
In Northern Thailand, however, in the Chiengmai and Chiengrai dis-
tricts, the name is shortened pla ao. The term ai ao means a worthless
fellow, a scamp, and is applied to criminals.

LUCIOSOMA BLEEKERI Steindachner

Luciosoma hleekeri Steindachnee, 1879, p. 391 (Meuam Chao Phya at Bangkok).

Luciosoma harmandi Sauvage, 1880, p. 231 (Laos, ludo-China) 1881, p. 188, pi. 6,
;

fig. 4 (Laos, Indo-China). Fowler, 1934a, p. 115 (Bua Yai, Chiengmai) ;

1937, p. 173 (Pitsanulok, Kemarat).

This is a fish throughout the Menam Chao Phya, from

common
Bangkok Paknampo, and in various tributaries of that stream,
to
including the Meping at Chiengmai. In addition to many specimens
examined from the main stream, the collections include examples
from the Meyom in Prae Province, the Mesoi in Lampang Province,
and Bung Borapet and its outlets into the Menam Nan. Other streams
from which the fish has been examined are the Nakon Nayok and the
Meklong at Kanburi, in which latter river it is very abundant.
The usual length of adult fish is 15 cm. Examples up to 20 cm.
are sometimes taken, and a maximum of 25 to 26 cm. is occasionally
attained.
The British Museum collection contains various specimens of this
form (labeled L. harmandi) from Thailand: four specimens, from
the Menam Chao Phya, presented by the Siamese Museum one speci- ;

men received from the late Prince Chumporn; one specimen, from
"Western Siam," collected by C. Bock; and two specimens collected by
Arthur Vernay in the Mewang, Central Thailand.
Licciosonia haivnandi, described by Sauvage in 1880 from Laos,
Indo-China, seems to have no characters separating it from L. hleekeri,
described from Thailand in the previous year. Proportions, squama-
tion, and fin rays are the same in the two forms, the only differences
brought out in the descriptions being of a minor nature and affecting
chiefly markings on the caudal fin. With the information available
from the published descriptions, and with the material at hand, the
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 105

conclusion seems justified that L. harmandi is a synonym of L.

hleekeri. Steindachner wrote:
This species is very closely related to Luciosoma setigerum Blkr. from the

rivers of Java and Sumatra, but the lateral line extends through 46-47 scales
(43 in L. setigerum) and the fii'st ventral ray is considerably shorter than in
the last-named species. In L. bleekeri the dark band on the upper and lower
caudal next to the upper and lower margins is missing while a central band is
present as a direct continuation of the lateral band.

In the description of Weber and de Beaufort and in specimens at

hand the black lateral band is continued as the band on the upper
caudal lobe, but in the figure of L. setigerum in Bleeker (301) (1863,
vol. 3, pi. 142, fig, 2) the two bands are not connected and are on
different levels.
While the fish is usually known as fla ai ao among the Thai, that
name is frequently shortened to pla ao. Another variant, on the
Nakon Nay ok, is pla slew ao.

Genus FILIRASBORA Fowler

Filirasbora Fowler, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 89, p. 172, 1937.
(Type, Filbasbora rubripinna Fowler.)

FILIRASBORA RUBRIPINNA Fowler

Filirashora rubripimia Fowleb, 1937, p. 172, fig. 107 (Kemarat).

Known from a single specimen 8.5 cm. long, taken in the Mekong
at Kemarat. This is a rasboridlike fish but differs from all species
of Rasbora in having two pairs of short barbels. The original de-
scription made no mention of a symphyseal knob on the lower jaw;
this knob is assumed to be present in assigning the genus a place in the
key.
Genus RASBORA Bleeker

Rasbora Bleeker (261), Act. Soc. Sci. Indo-Neerl. (Cyprinormn), vol. 7,

p. 435, 1860. (Type, Cyprinus rasbora Hamilton.)

These are among the commonest of the minor fresh-water fishes in

many parts of Thailand. Although mostly small, they have a place
in the dietary of the country people, and several species are large
enough to be sent to the city markets. Their chief value, however,
is as food for the predatory fishes. Several of them, because of their
beauty and hardiness, have proved popular in small aquaria both in
Thailand and abroad.
The general vernacular name is pla sieio.
The Thai species may be distinguished as follows
la. Lateral line incomplete.
2a. Lateral line formed of 8 or 9 perforated scales circumpeduncular scales
;

9 origin of dorsal fin opposite base of ventrals a large black triangular

; ;

patch on side, its base between dorsal and ventrals, its apex toward
caudal base heteromorpha
106 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

2&. Lateral line formed of 10 to 23 perforated scales ; origin of dorsal fin behind
base of ventrals.
3a. Perforated scab s in lateral line 10 to 14 circumpeduncular scales 12, a
;

broad black band from head to base of caudal fin borapetensis

36. Perforated scales in lateral line about 23 circumpeduncular scales 14 a
; ;

narrow black band from ej-e to base of caudal fin palustris

16. Lateral line complete.
4a. Scales between lateral lines over narrowest part of caudal peduncle 9;
a broad silvery band from head to base of caudal fm.
5a. Origin of dorsal fin midway between tip of snout and base of caudal fin,
over eleventh scale of lateral line; circumpeduncular scales 12; caudal
fin with a diffuse dark edge posteriorly arg'yrotaenia
56. Origin of dorsal fin midway between tip of snout and posterior half or
tip of middle caudal rays, over fourteenth scale of lateral line; cir-
cumpeduncular scales 16 (or 14) caudal fin with a sharply defined
;

black edge posteriorly retrodorsalis

46. Scales between lateral lines over nari'owest part of caudal peduncle 7.
6a. Origin of dorsal fin before or at middle of line from tip of snout to
hindmost scales on caudal base and above or slightly behind origin
of ventral fins.

7c. Each caudal lobe with a black subterminal or terminal band a dark ;

or bluish silvery band from head to base of caudal fin a dark ;

median dorsal stripe; a dark line on each side over the base of
anal fin, the lines uniting behind fin and running medianly on lower
side of caudal peduncle trilineata
76. Caudal with a narrow, sharply defined black posterior edge which
fin
may be wider on tips of lobes; no dark longitudinal band but a
narrow dark longitudinal streak deficient anteriorly and most dis-
tinct opposite dorsal and anal fins; no dark line at base of anal
fin, no dark median stripe, and no dark spot on caudal
peduncle layangi
7c. Caudal lobes without a dark subterminal or terminal band a dark ;

band from head to base of caudal fin, becoming expanded into an

oval spot on caudal peduncle cromiei
66. Origin of dorsal fin behind or at middle of a line from tip of snout to
hindmost scales on caudal base and always behind origin of ventral
fins.

8a. A sharply defined black band from tip of snout to posterior end of
middle caudal rays dorsal and anal fins with a distinct black mark
;

anteriorly pectoral fins longer than head

; einthovenii
86. A blackish band from head to base of caudal fin ; pectoral fins shorter
than or equal to head.
9a. Dark longitudinal band rather broad and of uniform intensity
throughout; caudal fin posteriorly with a sharply defined black
edge widest on tips of lobes; pectoral fins shorter than
head rasbora
96. Dark longitudinal band of various extent ;
pectoral fins shorter than
head, rays i,14.
10a. Black longitudinal band may be continuous from head to caudal
base or may begin below dorsal a black median band on back
;

from nape to caudal fin; a round black spot above anterior

base of anal fin, may be faint or lacking; scales in lateral line
26 to 30 lateristriata lateristriata
 — ;

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SI AM, OR THAILAND 107

10&. Black longitudinal band narrower and sometimes reduced to a

mere line, ending in a round or oval patch on caudal peduncle
a dark spot above base of anal scales in lateral line in reduced
;

number, to 24 lateristriata sumatrana

lOc Black longitudinal band rather narrow and continuous from head
to base of caudal fin and expanded at its posterior end a black
;

median stripe on lower edge of caudal peduncle extending for-

ward on each side of anal base, the caudal stripe sometimes
faint or absent, the basal stripe sometimes reduced to an elongate
spot over anterior anal rays lateristriata trifasciata
9c. Black longitudinal band very faint anteriorly, followed by a round
black spot smaller than pupil at base of caudal fin no dark median
;

dorsal stripe no median dark stripe on lower edge of caudal

;

peduncle no stripe or spot above base of anal fin pectorals as

;
;

long as head, rays ii,ll cheroni

RASBORA HETEROMORPHA Dancker

Rasbora heteromorpha Dunckek, 1904, p. 1S2 (Kuala Lumpur). Hoka, 1924a, p.

469 (Tale Sap).— Smith, 1934b, p. 323 (Southeastern Siam),

The occurrence of this diminutive species in the local fauna was first
made known by Hora, who reported eight specimens, none over 17 mm,
long, from the inner lake of the Tale Sap. The only other known
Thailand locality is a mountain stream on Kao Sabap, where the writer
has reported specimens taken during 3 years, up to an elevation of 2,000
feet. These fish, 19 to 30 mm, long, show the characteristic colora-
tion. One of the specimens, 30 mm. long, presented to the British
Museum, was compared by J. R. Norman with Duncker's types from
the Malay Peninsula and found to agree. Males, 30 mm, long, taken
July 12, 1928, have nuptial tubercles on the head.
This is one of the most attractive of aquarium fishes and is now well
known in America and Europe from examples sent from Singapore,
RASBORA BORAPETENSIS H. M. Smith

Rasbora borapetensis Smith, 1934b, p. 302 (Bung Borapet).

This is a rather small, very abundant species that has been found
chiefly in Bung Borapet but may be looked for in the rivers adjacent
to the outlets of the [Link] is readily distinguished from other local
speciesby the incomplete lateral line (which never extends beyond the
anal fin and covers at the most 14 scales), by the 12 rows of scales
around the narrowest part of the caudal peduncle, by the origin of the
dorsal fin well behind the ventrals, and by the coloration: a broad
black lateral band bordered above by a narrower golden-green band
extending from head to base of caudal fin, carmine basal half of the
caudal fin, a dark median dorsal stripe from head to caudal fin, and a
black stripe on each side of the anal base continued as a single stripe
on the under side of the caudal peduncle. Single specimens taken
108 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

in the Menam Chao Phya at Nontaburi in September 1924, and in Nong

Samet near Chantabun in July 1928, agreed with examples from the
type locality.
The maximum size attained appears to be under 5 cm.
Fish taken from Bung Borapet to Bangkok proved active, attractive,
and hardy in small balanced aquaria, feeding on mosquito larvae and
minute crustaceans. The species should become a popular aquarium
fish.
RASBORA PALUSTRIS, new species

Figure 10

—
Description. Depth 3.6 in standard length; least depth of caudal
peduncle slightly less than its length and 2 in head head equal to body ;

depth snout blunt, rounded, gently decurved, 3.5 in head eye slightly
; ;

less than snout, 1.5 in interorbital space mouth small, maxillary not
;

extending to vertical from front margin of eye symphyseal knob of ;

lower jaw feebly developed.

Figure \0.—Rashora palustris, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 107956). Drawn by
Miss Jane Roller.

Squamation Tube-bearing scales in lateral line about 23, extending

:

over posterior base of anal fin; scales between midline of back and
lateral line 4,5, a single scalebetween lateral line and base of ventral
fin; predorsal scales 13, circumpeduncular scales 14; thin scales ex-
tending far on caudal fin.
Fins: Origin of dorsal fin over elcA^enth scale of lateral line, pos-
terior to base of ventrals, and somewhat nearer to base of caudal than
to tip of snout; dorsal rays ii, 8, longest equal to head less snout;

caudal about as long as head, deeply forked anal rays ii, 5, largest
fin ;

1.5 in head; ventrals rounded, shorter than pectorals, rays ii, 8; pec-
torals rounded, shorter than head, rays i, 13.
 — — . —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 109

Coloration Back and top of head pale greenish lower part of body
: ;

and head white lower part of opercle bright silvery a narrow sharply
; ;

defined black band from eye to base of caudal fin continued as a faint
stripe on median caudal rays; the black band bordered above by a
pale golden band from eye to caudal fin, its upper margin on level with
upper edge of eye; an indistinct brownish median dorsal stripe from
head to caudal base interrupted at dorsal fin all fins hyaline. ;

—
Type. The type and only known specimen (U. S. N. M. No. 107956)
is a male, 5.6 cm. long, with large gonads, taken in Bung Borapet,
Central Thailand, December 4, 1932.
Remarhs. —^With its incomplete lateral line and black longitudinal
stripe, this species resembles R. horapetensis] its differences, however,
are marked, including less pointed head, shorter lower jaw with its
tipon level with lower part of pupil (tip of lower jaw on level with
upper edge of eye in R. horapetensis) more scales around the nar-
,

rowest part of the caudal peduncle (14 instead of 12) more perforated ,

scales of lateral line (23 instead of a maximum of 14), extension of

the black longitudinal band to the eye (instead of its restriction to
body), and absence of black lines at base of anal and on underside
of caudal peduncle (these conspicuous in R. horapetensis)

RASBORA ARGYROTAENIA (Bleeker)

FiGtIRE 11

Leuciscus argyrotaenia Bleekee, 1850 (25), p. 21 (Banjnmas, Gombong, Pur-

woredjo, and Surabaya, Java).
Rasbora dusonensis Bleeker, 1859-60 (239), p. 102 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. 176 ;

(Siam).— Sauvage, (Siam) 1883b, p. 153 (Menam Chao Phya).

1881, p. 164 ;'

Rashora argyrotaenia von Martens, 1876, p. 403 (Bangkok). Karoli, 1882, p.

180 (Siam). Webee and de Beaufort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 61 (Siam). Hoea.
1923b, p. 152 (Koli Chang) 1924a, p. 469 (Tale Sap) .—Fowlek, 1934a, p. 113
;

(Chiengmai, Chiengsen) 1937, p. 169 (Bangkok, Tachin, Mepoon, Kemarat)

; ;

1939, p. 44 (Krabi).

In addition to its wide range East Indian Archipelago, this

in the
species is known from Malaya and Annam as well as Thailand. It
occurs over a large part of the country and in great abundance. Fowler
records it for the Meping Basin at Chiengmai and from points on the
Mekong on the northern and eastern borders of Thailand the writer's ;

collecting has disclosed it in the Mekong at Ban Tai, Province of

Udon, throughout the Menam Chao Phya from Paknampo to Bang-
kok, in Bung Borapet, in the Bangpakong, in the Kanburi near Kan-
buri, in Klong Sao Tong (Nakon Sritamarat), and in Tale Noi. The
collections made by Deignan extended the known range to the head-
waters of the Nan River. Specimens in the British Museum presented
by the Siamese Museum are from the Menam Chao Phya and the upper
Bangpakong.
 — ;

no BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

'
This is the largest of the local rasborids. For the Indo-Australian
Archipelago a length of 17 cm. is reported for Thailand the largest ;

secured are about the same. The females average larger than the
males.
Specimens from Thailand labeled Rasbora dusonensis obtained
from the Paris Museum are in the British Museum. Giinther and
Weber and de Beaufort considered R. dusonensis a synonym of R.
argyrotaenia.

V%''
f v<^ ^

ii^44

Figure 11. Rasbora argyrotaenia (Bleeker). Drawn by Nai Chote Suvatti; courtesy of the
Thailand Government.

Although Hora (1923b) identified as R. argyrotaenia two young

specimens collected by Dr. Malcolm Smith in a waterfall stream on
Koh Chang, the writer's own very extensive collecting in the streams
of that island yielded only R. lateristriata.
The common name for this fish throughout Thailand is pla slew.

RASBORA RETRODORSALIS, new species

Figure 12

—
Description. Depth 3.6 in standard length; least depth of caudal
peduncle 1.5 in its length and 0.5 depth of body head 4.5 in standard ;

length eye equal to snout, about 3.5 in head, 1.5 in interorbital space
;

mouth very oblique, its anterior end on level with upper edge of pupil,
itsposterior angle reaching 0.5 distance from tip of snout to eye sym- ;

physeal hook on lower jaw well developed and fitting into a deep notch
on upper jaw.
Squamation Scales in lateral line 34, in transverse line from middle
:

of back to base of ventral fin 4.5-1-1, in predorsal region 14, around

caudal peduncle 16, with 9 rows of scales between the lateral lines
counted over the back.
Fins: Dorsal rays ii, 7, longest less than head, origin of fin over
middle of a line from posterior margin of eye to terminal tube-bearing
scales of lateral line and over fourteenth scale of lateral line ; caudal
 — ; .

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 111

fin longer than head, deeply forked, longest rays 2.5 times the median
rays; anal rays iii, 5, longest less than 0,7 of longest dorsal ray;

ventral rays i, 7, longest about 1.2 in longest dorsal ray, origin of fin
under eleventh scale of lateral line and midway between tip of snout
and base of caudal fin pectoral somewhat longer than head, 1.4 times
;

length of ventral, rays i, 14.

Coloration: A silvery longitudinal band from head to caudal fin
overlain posteriorly by a dark stripe which begins as a narrow stripe
opposite the dorsal fin and exf)ands on the caudal peduncle; caudal fin
bright yellow, with a sharply defined black margin widest on the lobes
other fins hyaline.

Figure 12. Rat bora retrodorsalis, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 119520). Drawn by
Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

Type and paraty pes. —The type (U. S. N.M. No. 110520), 14.8 cm.
long,was taken March 18, 1924, from a pond in Bangkok conn£cted
with a canal and thence with the Menam Chao Phya. Paratypes are
U.S.N.M. Nos. 103279, 108119, 108120, and 118444.
—
Remarks. This form has been found to be common and widely
distributed in Central and Peninsular Thailand. Other specimens are
athand from Bung Borapet, the Menam Chao Phya, and the Menam
Tadi near Bandon.
The maximum length of available specimens is 15 cm.
When this fish swims at or near the surface in the turbid waters of
ponds, canals, and streams, it would often be practically invisible
except for the sharply marked black edge on the caudal fin.
This species is similar to R. argyrotaenia but differs therefrom in a
number of features. The most noticeable difference is in the position
of the dorsal fin which, in R. argyrotaenia, arises midway between the
tip of the snout and the posterior row of scales on the caudal peduncle,
opposite the eleventh scale of the lateral line (Weber and de Beaufort)
In the present form the origin of the dorsal fin in the type is midway
112 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

between the posterior margin of the eye and the last tubule-bearing
scale of the lateral line, and in several other specimens is midway be-
tween the preopercle and the terminal lateral-line scales; and the fin
arises over the fourteenth scale of the lateral line. The tubule-bearing
scales in the lateral line number 34 or 35, as against 29 or 30 in typical
R. argyrotaenia. The circumpeduncular scales are usually 16, some-
times 14, as against 12 in R. argyrotaenia.
This form is close to and may prove to be the same as Rasbora diiso-
nensis Bleeker from Borneo and Sumatra, synonymized with R. argy-
rotaenia by Giinther and by Weber and de Beaufort. Apparent dif-
ferences between R. argyrotaenia and R. dusonensis are in the more
advanced position of the dorsal fin (its origin in the latter form, ac-
cording to Bleeker's plate (301) (1863, vol. 3, pi. 120, fig. 1) being mid- ,

way between the front margin of the eye and the last scale of the lateral
line and over the fourteenth or fifteenth scale of the lateral line), in
the greater number of lateral-line scales (32 to 36 according to
Bleeker's description and 36 in his plate), and in the greater intensity
and sharper demarcation of the black edge of the caudal fin.

RASBORA TRILINEATA Steindachner

Basiora trilineata Steindachner, 1870, p. 637 (Johore; Pengulon Patie).—

HoBA, 1924a, p. 469 (Tale Sap).
Rasbora stigmatura Fowlek, 1934b, p. 341, fig. 5 (Krat).

Hora (1924a) added this species to the known fauna of Thailand by

reporting three specimens 25 mm. long taken in the inner lake of Tale
Sap. Prior to that time it was ascribed only to Borneo and Sumatra.
In 1929 the fish was found at 1,000 feet elevation in a mountain stream
on Kao Sabap, and in 1932 it was discovered to be common in Bung
Borapet, whence live specimens were taken to Bangkok in October.
A length of 15 cm. is reached by this fish in the Dutch East Indies,
but the largest Thailand specimens examined have been under 6 cm.
Color note on living specimens of R. trilineata taken in Bung Bora-
pet September 26, 1932: Back pale green, center of scales darker;
midside silvery, overlain by a broad diffuse blackish band from head
to base of caudal peduncle, with a narrow silvery stripe above it ab- ;

domen, lower side, and under part of head dusky dusky areas on side
;

of snout and upper half of opercle a jet-black line on each side above
;

the base of the anal fin, the two lines joining behind the fin and extend-
ing to the caudal along the lower edge of peduncle an incomplete very
;

thin black line before and behind the dorsal dorsal rays pale greenish
;

yellow, membranes hyaline basal two-thirds of caudal fin pale yellow,

;

a large subterminal blue-black spot on each lobe, edge of lobe white,

median rays black (as from extension of black lateral band) anal, ;

ventral, and pectoral fins hyaline, with a few minute black dots on the
membranes.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 113

The species will doubtless prove popular for home aquaria. In a

small balanced aquarium in Bangkok the fish lived and thrived for a
long time.
Fowler (1934b) described Rashora stigmatiMra from seven speci-
mens, 3.5 to 5.8 cm. long, taken at Krat in December 1933. The writer
happened to see these specimens in Thailand in January 1934, and
learned that their source was the Krat River, at Kao Saming. His
examination of these specimens, then in the possession of a local col-
lector, indicated that they agreed with specimens he had taken in
Bung Borapet. The description of R. stigmatura shows no essential
difference from R. triUneata. Fowler noted the resemblance but
thought the former differed from the latter "in the sub-terminal black
contrasted blotch on each caudal lobe, besides the other details of its
coloration." It may be pointed out, however, that R. trilinsafa is
always characterized by a black blotch on each caudal lobe and by other
markings shown in Fowler's figure and description. While R. tri-
Uneata typically has a subterminal black spot on each caudal lobe, in
R. caUmra Boulenger, which Weber and de Beaufort synonymized
with R, trilineafa, the caudal spots are terminal.

RASBORA LAYANGI Fowler

Rashora layangi Fowlek, 1939, p. 66, fig. 15 (Trang).

A
waterfall stream near Trang, in Peninsular Thailand, yielded two
specimens, 11.8 and 10.4 cm, long, on which this species is based.
It is very close to R. trilineata^ being in essential agreement there-
with in structural details. Color differences, as indicated in the pre-
ceding key, are in the extent and width of the dark longitudinal band,
in the absence in R. layangi of a black line on each side above the base
of the anal fin, and by the present species of a black
in the possession
posterior edge of the caudal while in R. trilineata the black mark-
fin,

ing is confined to the caudal lobes. The describer notes as a dis-

tinguishing color feature the absence of a round black spot on the
caudal; this spot, however, is variable, in R. triUneata. While it

may be present, Weber and de Beaufort do not mention it (unless it

isindicated as "a darkish hue" at the caudal base), and some Thailand
specimens otherwise typical have no spot whatever.

RASBORA CROMIEI Fowler

Rashora cromiei Fowlee, 1937, p. 167, fig. 103 (Mepoon, Rayong) ; 1939, pp. 39, 40,
66 (Khao Bhanaiu Bencha, Huey Yang, Ti-ang).

The type of this species, 8.9 cm. long, came from Mepoon, Northern
Thailand. Numerous other specimens 3.3 to 10.2 cm. long were taken
at Mepoon, and a large nmnber were reported also from Kayong, a
fishing village on the Gulf of Siam in Southeastern Thailand. A very
 — .

114 BULLETIN ISS, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

large series has recently been reported by Fowler from several places
in Peninsular Thailand.
Besides the characters shown in the key, the markedly decurved line
is separated from the origin of the ventral by 1.5 scales and from the
origin of the dorsal by 5 scales, and there is an oblique blackish bar

from the upper end of the gill opening to the base of the pectoral.

RASBORA EINTHOVENII (Bleeker)

Leuciscus einthovenii Bleekee (49), 1851, p. 434 (Sambas, Borneo).

Rasbora eintlioveni Sauvage, 1881, p. 164 (Siam) 1883b, p. 153 (Menam Chao
;

Phya). Weber and de Beaxtfout, 1916, vol. 8, p. 72 (Siam).

This appears to be a rare species in Thailand, not met with in recent

years. It was first reported from Thailand by Sauvage, but a speci-
men in the Mouhot collection from Pechabun, on the Pasak Kiver, is
in the British Museum (listed as B. daniconius). Several of the speci-
mens recorded under that name are in the British Museum, having
been sent by the Siamese Museum. R. daniconius seems to be an In-
dian species which Weber and de Beaufort differentiate from R. ein-
thovenii by characters that included pectoral fins much shorter than
the head (longer in R. einthovenii) and 9 rows of scales between
the lateral lines on the caudal pedimcle (7 in R. einthovenii)

RASBORA RASBORA (Hamilton)

Cyprinus rasbora Hamilton, 1822, p. 329, pi. 2, fig. 90 (Bengal).

Rashora rasbora Hoka, 1923b, p. 152 (Bangkok, Nontaburi).

This species, known from Burma and India, was identified by Hora
as represented by three adults and one young in a collection from the
Menam Chao Phya at Bangkok and Nontaburi. It is known other-
wise by five specimens sent to the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries in 1930
from Chantabun by a Boy Scout.
The outstanding characters of the species are the rather broad
caudal peduncle, complete lateral line with 26 or 27 scales, a dark
longitudinal band extending from the upper angle of the gill opening
to the upper half of the caudal base and usually a sharply defined
black edge to the caudal fin.

RASBORA LATERISTRIATA LASTERISTRIATA (Bleeker)

Figure 13

Leuciscus lateristriatus Bleekee, 1854 (106), p. 94 (Lakes Meninju, Pajacombo,

Telok, Sumatra; Batavia, Taudjongoost, Tjampea, Bandong, Garut, Java).
Rashora lateristriata Masya and Indrambaeya, 1932, p. 281 (Koh Samui and
Koh Pa-ngan).— FowLEB, 1934a, p. 113 (Bangkok, Chiengdao, Cliiengmai,
Chiengsen, Bua Yai, Chantabun, Nakon Sritamarat) 1934b, p. 339 (Ban
;

Thung Luang) 1935a, p. 110 (Bangkok).

;

The typical form of this species, abounding on various islands of the

East Indian Archipelago, is a common fish in parts of Thailand.
 —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 115

From various upper tributaries of the Nan River, Deignan collected

specimens in April and June 1936, all of them approaching the
spawning condition. Specimens from Huey Lom, an affluent of the
Nan, June 1 to 3, included a female, 5.1 cm. long, with well-developed
ovaries, which showed no black spot above the base of the anal fin,
while a male, 5.8 cm. long, had the characteristic black spot over the
anal. Other specimens obtained by Deignan were from the Meta, a
branch of the Meping in the Khun Tan Mountains, in February 1936,
the largest a female of 7.3 cm. with nearly ripe eggs, and from a lagoon
at Chiengmai in August 1935, of which the largest, 4, 4.5, and 5.4 cm.
long, were females with eggs nearly ready for deposition.
Another locality represented in the Deignan collection is the Menam
Mao, a branch of the Menam Fang, tributary of the Mekong; 3
specimens, 4.1 to 6 cm. long, were taken December 25, 1936, at a point
w^here the stream was a torrent at the base of mountains.

Figure 13. Rasbora lateristriata Lateristriata (Bleeker). Drawn byl Luang Masya;
courtesy of the Thailand Government.

The maximum length of this species, as given by Weber and de

Beaufort, is Fish
12 cm. of this size are quite unusual in Thailand.
A batch of IT specimens taken on Koh Chang in April measured from
3.4 to 8.7 cm. A lot of 19 specimens from Kao Sabap ranged from
3.4 to 11.5; the largest group, taken in April, averaged 8.7 cm. (range
7.2 to 11.5), the smallest group, taken in July, averaged 4.9 cm. (range
3.4 to 5.9).
Although reported as taken in abundance at Bangkok and other
lowland places, this species in Thailand is characteristically a fish of
cool, clear, swift water such as is met with in mountain streams, and
it is well represented on large islands on which it is usually the only

species of the genus. The first specimens noted in local waters ap-
pear to have been collected by the writer on the curious group of lime-
stone islands in the Tale Sap known as Koh Si Koh Ha, October 7,
116 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

1923. It is common in waterfall pools on Koh Chang, and in various

waterfall streams on Kao Sabap, near Chantabun. The first pub-
lished record of the fish for Thailand is that of Luang Masya Chitra-
karn and Boon Chuay Indrambarya, of the Siamese Bureau of Fish-
eries, who collected specimens in swift brooks on Koh Samui and Koh
Pa-ngan in May 1931. A further locality from which specimens have
been examined is a stream 20 miles west of the railway station of Ban
Hoi Toi in Chaiya Province, Peninsular Thailand. It is suggested
that the two very young specimens collected on Koh Chang and listed
by Hora as R. argyrotaenia may have represented this species, which
is the only one met with in extensive collecting on that island.

RASBORA LATERISTRIATA SUMATRANA (Bleeker)

Leuciscus sumatranus Bleekee, 1852 (67), p. 601 (Solok, Sumatra).

Rashora lateristriata sumatrana Hoea, 1924a, p. 469 (Tale Sap).

Previously known from Borneo, Nias, Sumatra, and the Malay

Peninsula, in 1924 this fish was reported by Hora from the inner lake
of the Tale Sap where several specimens, none over 25 mm. long, were
collected. There are no other local records.
This variety of R. lateristriata is poorly distinguished from the
typical form by a few less scales in the lateral line which "may de-
crease to 24" (as against 26 to 30 in the typical form) by the very
;

narrow blackish lateral band, sometimes reduced to a mere line, end-

ing in a roundish black spot anterior to the caudal base; in older
stages only the precaudal spot exists.

RASBORA LATERISTRIATA TRIFASCIATA Popta

Rasbora trifasciata Popta, 1905, p. 176 (The Bo, Central Borneo).

Examples of Rasbora lateristriata from Northern Thailand and

other parts of the country resemble the color phase called R. I. tri-
fasciata^ described from rivers of Borneo, in having on the median
lower edge of the caudal peduncle a black stripe, which divides at
the anal fin and continues forward on each side of the anal base, be-
coming wider anteriorly. In some specimens the stripe on the lower
caudal peduncle is very faint or altogether absent and the line at
the base of the anal may be reduced to an elongate spot anteriorly.
This spot corresponds with, but does not closely resemble, the round
spot met with in some specimens of typical R. lateristriata.

RASBORA CHERONI Fowler

Rasbora cheroni Fowler, 1937, p. 168, fig. 104 (Pitsanulok).

Described from a single specimen, 9.7 cm. long, this species is close to
R. lateristriata and may be a variant of that very inconstant species.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 188 PLATE 3

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m V.

J
 : ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 117

Subfamily Cyprininae: Typical Minnows and Carps

The subfamily Cyprininae contains the great bulk of the cyprinoid

fishes of There are 37 local genera besides the exotic carp
Thailand.
Gyprinus carpio Linnaeus,^ and the number of local species is 145.
The genera are for the most part well differentiated and may be
identified by the following key

la. Mouth anterior or subinferior.

2a. Lateral line running in lower part of caudal peduncle and terminating
below midbase of caudal tin dorsal fin with 7 or 8 branched rays and no
;

osseous denticulated simple ray,

[Link] of suborbital bones of moderate bi*eadth both lips developed lower ; ;

jaw with no sharp bony edge rostral and maxillary barbels present.
;

Leptobarbus
3&. Ring of suborbital bones broad no lower lip lower jaw with a sharp
; ;

crescentic bony edge; no barbels AEpidoparia

26. Lateral line running in middle or lower part of caudal peduncle and ter-
minating at midbase of caudal fin.
4a. Dorsal fin with less than 20 branched rays.
5a. A gelatinous or adipose eyelid branched dorsal rays 8 ; ; last simple
dorsal ray osseous and denticulated.
6a. Snout of moderate length, about equal to eye, not abruptly decurved ;

depth equal to or less than head; minute rostral and maxillary

barbels maxillary extending to vertical from front margin of
;

eye no postsymphyseal tubercle in lower jaw gill rakers long

; ;

cireumpeduncular scales 16 origin of dorsal fin anterior to origin

;

of ventrals branched anal rays 5

; Albulichthys
6b. Snout very short and blunt, 0.5 in eye, abruptly decurved; depth
greater than head; barbels absent; maxillary extending halfway
to vertical from front margin of eye; a small postsymphyseal
tubercle on lower jaw gill rakers rudimentary
;
cireumpedun- ;

cular scales 14 ; origin of dorsal fin posterior to origin of ventrals

branched anal rays 6 Sikukia
5&. No well-developed annular eyelids.
la. A procumbent predorsal spine barbels 4, 2, or none branched dorsal; ;

rays 8 to 10 last simple dorsal ray osseous and entire or denticu-

;

lated; branched anal rays 6 to 10 Mystacoleucus

76. No procumbent predorsal spine.
8a. Branched dorsal rays 7 to 10.
9a. Scales in lateral line 23 to 60 ; upper lip present.

» This species, the common carp of Asia, very successfully, perhaps too successfully,
transplanted to Europe and thence to America, has escaped from ponds into which it has
been introduced from China and is becoming more and more common in the rivers of Central
Thailand. It is recorded by Fowler (1937, p. 173) from Bangkok. The fish may be recog-
nized by its terminal mouth, 4 barbels, molarlike pharyngeal teeth in 3 series (3, 1, 1), long
dorsal fin (with 17 to 22 branched rays) with its last simple ray ossified and serrated, and
short anal fin with its last simple ray strongly ossified and serrated. The common gold-
fish (Carasaius auratus Linnaeus), which when escaped from cultivation ultimately reverts
to a dark olivaceous color resembling the carp, may be recognized by the absence of barbels,
fins essentially as in Cypritius carpio, and pharyngeal teeth in a single series of 4.

590087 — i5 9
 ;;;

118 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

lOa. Lips fringed scales in lateral line 37 or 38 branched dorsal

; ;

rays 8 last simple dorsal ray strongly ossified and denticu-

;

iated rostral and maxillary barbels

; Cosmocliilus
10&. Lips entire or only upper lip crenulated or fringed.
11a. Mouth large, maxillary extending to or beyond vertical
from anterior margin of eye.
12a. Pharyngeal teeth triserial; head of moderate size, 2 to
2.5 in body length a pair of maxillary barbels gill
;
;

rakers short, wide-spaced, about 12 on first arch

branched dorsal rays 8 last simple dorsal ray osseous
;

and finely denticulated; size medium (to 70 cm.).

Kampala
126. Pharyngeal teeth uniserial, 4 on each side; head very
large, 1.5 or less in body length; no barbels; gill
rakers long, close-set, very numerous (95 to 110 on
first arch) branched dorsal rays 9; last simple
;

dorsal ray nonosseous and smooth; size very large

(to 2 m.) Catlocarpio
116. Mouth smaller, maxillary not extending to vertical from
anterior margin of eye.
13a. A groove posterior to lower lip.
14a. Lowerlip with an uninterrupted posterior groove con-
tinuous around corners of mouth.
15a. Lateral line complete ; last simple dorsal ray
ossified.
16a. Median part of lower lip developed or not as a lobe
4 barbels; last simple dorsal ray nondenticu-
lated head with no parallel lines of pores
;

groups in Tor
106. Median part of lower lip not developed as a special
lobe; barbels 4, 2, or none; last simple dorsal
ray strongly denticulated head with numerous ;

lines of pores mostly parallel in groups.

Cyclocheilichthys
156. Lateral line incomplete, confined to 6 or 7 anterior
scales last simple dorsal ray nonosseous
; no ;

barbels bead with numerous lines of pores mostly

;

parallel in groups Oreichthys

146. Lower lip with posterior groove interrupted in middle.
17a. Pharyngeal teeth uniserial, 4 on each side only ;

maxillary barbels last simple dorsal ray osseous

;

and nondenticulated branched dorsal rays 9 ;

branched anal rays 5 body with dark longitudinal;

stripes Probarbus
176. Pharyngeal teeth biserial mouth very large maxil- ; ;

lary extending beyond vertical from posterior

border of eye; lower jaw with a postsymphyseal
knob third suborbital bone large and entirely
;

behind eye no barbels last simple dorsal ray

; ;

osseous and nondenticulated scales in lateral line ;

88 to 94; branched dorsal rays 7 or 8; branched

anal rays 10 Eaiamas
 ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 119

17c. Pharyngeal teeth triserial last simple dorsal ray

;

osseous or nonosseous and denticulated or non-

denticulated.
ISo. Lower lip closely adnate to lower jaw or separated
by a superficial sulcus barbels 4, 2, or none.
;

19«. Body deep, strongly compressed scales in lateral ;

line 44 to 80 (45 in Siamese species) origin ;

of dorsal fin behind origin of ventrals;

branched dorsal rays 8 last simple dorsal ray
;

osseous and denticulated branched anal rays ;

11 to 33 (about 30 in Siamese species) ;

barbels rudimentary or absent in local species.

Rohtee
196. Body mostly moderately elongate and moder-
ately compressed.
20a. Lower jaw with a postsymphyseal knob more
or less developed; last simple dorsal ray
nonosseous and nondenticulated.
21a. Mouth large, maxillary reaching to or
beyond vertical from eye; lower lip well
developed; barbels 4 or none (excep-
tionally 2) ; scales in lateral line 31 to 50
origin of dorsal fin posterior to origin of
ventrals; branched dorsal rays 7 or 8;
branched anal rays 9 to 13 Barilius
21 ft. Mouth small, maxillary not reaching ver-
tical from anterior border of eye; lower
lip very thin or deficient barbels 4, 2, or ;

none; scales in lateral line 32 to 60;

origin of dorsal fin in advance of ven-
trals; branched dorsal rays 7 to 12;
branched anal rays 5 Cirrhinus
20&. Lower jaw with no postsymphyseal knob.
22ff. Snout entire; snout and cheeks without
horny tubercles; gill rakers numerous,
usually lanceolate branched dorsal rays
;

7 to 9 branched anal rays not elongated

;

in male.
23a. Last simple anal ray weak or strong,
nondenticulated barbels 4, 2, or none.
;

Puntius
23b. Last simple anal ray stout, osseous,
strongly denticulated; barbels absent.
Puntioplites
22b. Snout with a median and lateral lobes;
snout and cheeks beset with horny tuber-
cles gill rakers few, triangular branched
;
;

dorsal rays 8 ; last anal rays elongated in

male, normal in female; barbels rostral
and maxillary Chagunius
18b. Lower lip conspicuously separated from lower jaw,
which has a horny sheath; snout and cheeks
beset with horny tubercles; barbels rostral and
maxillary Acrossocheilus
 ;;;;;

120 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

14c. Lower lip with posterior groove forming a pocket that

opens backward upper lip crenulated no barbels
; ;

last simple dorsal ray stout, osseous, strongly

denticulated; dorsal, caudal, anal, and ventral fins
black-edged Balantiocheilos
13&. No groove posterior to lower lip, which is continuous with
skin of throat; no barbels; last simple dorsal ray
osseous and denticulated.
24a. Body moderately elongate, depth 2.8 to 3.25 in standard
length; caudal peduncle longer than deep; snout
broad mouth wide, transverse, and slightly inferior
;

pharyngeal teeth triserial; gill rakers short spines,

about 25 on first arch scales in lateral line 36 to 40
;

branched anal rays 5 Scaphiodonichthys

246. Body short, depth 2 in standard length caudal peduncle ;

deeper than long snout contracted mouth small,

; ;

terminal lower lip confined to sides of jaw, median

;

part of jaw a slender, sharp-edged bony scoop

pharyngeal teeth biserial gill rakers slender, wide-
;

spaced, 12 on first arch scales in lateral line 28 or

;

29 branched dorsal rays 14 branched anal rays 6.

; ;

Scaphognathops
9&. Scales in lateral line 58 to 65 ; upper lip, barbels, and gill rakers
absent branched dorsal rays 8 to 10 last simple dorsal ray
; ;

nonosseous and nondenticulated Thynnichthys

86. Branched dorsal rays 11 to 18.
25a.. Pharyngeal teeth triserial last simple dorsal ray nonosseous
;

and nondenticulated; barbels rostral and usually maxillary;

branched anal rays 5 Osteochilus
256. Pharyngeal teeth uniserial, 5 on each side; last simple dorsal
ray osseous and nondenticulated barbels maxillary or none ;

branched anal rays 11 to 14 Acanthorhodeus

46. Dorsal fin with 21 to 30 branched rays last simple dorsal ray nonosseous
;

and nondenticulated snout usually with pores which may bear horny
;

tubercles; rostral and maxillary barbels; lips fringed; lower lip sepa-
rated by a sulcus from lower jaw, which has a sharp edge.
Labiobarbus
16. Mouth conspicuously inferior.
26a. A
well-marked annular eyelid last simple dorsal ray osseous and denticu-
;

lated branched dorsal rays 8 or 9.

;

27a. Snout obliquely truncate, with a small median lobe mouth below lower ;

level of eyes; nostrils nearer to tip of snout than to eyes; lips

continuous Amblyrhynchichthys
276. Snout evenly rounded, with a large median lobe mouth above lower ;

level of eyes; nostrils nearer to eyes than to tip of snout; lips joined
by a frenulum Xenocheilichthys
266. Annular eyelid, if present, not well marked branched dorsal rays 8 to 18.
;

28a. Last simple dorsal ray osseous and denticulated branched dorsal rays 8 ;

lips fully papillate Papillocheilus

286. Last simple dorsal ray nonosseous and nondenticulated lips not ;

papillate.
 ;;

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 121

29a. Suborbital bones enlarged, covering most of cheek; a small post-

symphyseal tubercle on lower jaw, mouth wide, with longitudinal
folds on palate; lower lip laterally papillate; branched dorsal
rays S Barbichthys
29 &. Suborbital bones not enlarged no postsymphyseal tubercle on lower
;

jaw.
30o. Lower lip consisting of a deep part continuous with upper lip and

a superficial part continuous with skin of isthmus; branched

dorsal rays 8 or 9.

31a. Superficial part of lower lip thin and covering deep part medianly.
32a. Lateral present; upper lip entire, barbels rostral and
line
maxillary or only maxillary in Siamese species (absent in
one local species) Tylognathus
326. Lateral line absent ; upper lip plicate ; barbels rostral.
Holotylognathus
pad which
316. Superficial part of lower lip consisting of a thick fleshy
completely covers the deeper part both medianly and laterally
barbels rostral and maxillary, only maxillary in some Siamese
species Lobocheilus
306. Lower lip entirely separated from isthmus by a deep groove snout ;

with a lateral lobe lips fringed barbels rostral and maxillary

; ;

branched dorsal rays 15 to 18 Morulius

30c. Lower lip joined to isthmus by a bridge snout with or without a
;

lateral lobe; lips fringed, lobate, or entire; barbels rostral or

maxillary or both.
33a. Rostral fold not crenulated and not medianly incised one or both ;

lips with a transverse inner fold branched dorsal rays 10 to 15.

;

Labeo
336. Rostral fold crenulated and medianly incised no transverse inner
;

labial fold ; branched dorsal rays 8 Henicorhynchus

Genus LEPTOBARBUS Bleeker

Leptoiarhus Bleekee (261), Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 20, p. 435, 1859-60.

(Type, Barbus hoevenii Bleeker.)

Fishes of this genus, inhabiting fresh waters of Borneo, Sumatra,

and Thailand, may be recognized by their broad head, four well-
developed barbels (rostral and maxillary), moderate-sized mouth with
maxillary reaching vertical from front of eye, spoon-shaped pharyn-
geal teeth in three rows (5, 3, 2), medium-sized scales, continuous
running in lower part of caudal peduncle, and short dorsal
lateral line
and anal fins with seven and five branched rays respectively. Of the
two species ascribed to Thailand (keyed below), one is common and
the other is of somewhat doubtful status.
la. Scales in transverse series from midline of back to midline of abdomen
4.5-1-3.5; a black longitudinal band on body in young, disappearing in
adult hoevenii
16. Scales transverse series from midline of back to midline of abdomen
in
5.5-l-i.5 a black longitudinal band on body at all ages
;
melanotaenia
 — — ,

122 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

LEPTOBARBUS HOEVENII (Bleeker)

Plate 3

Barbus hoevenii Bleekek, 1S51 (45), p. 207 (Bandjermassing, Borneo).

Lcptoharhns hoevenii Bleekek, 18C5 (3-17), p. 35 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. 17G
;

(Slam).— Sauvage, 1881, p. 164 (Siam) 1883b, p. 152 (Menam Chao Phya).—
;

Webek and de Beaufort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 96 (Siam). Hora, 1923b, p. 153

(Bangkok).— ViPULYA, 1923, p. 226 (Bangkok).—Fowler, 1935a, p. 112 (Bang-
kok) 1937, p. 174 (Bangkok).
;

Barbus (Leptobarbus) hoevenii Fkterg, 1S6S, p. 272 (Siam).

This river fish of Sumatra and Borneo is common throughout the

length of the Menam Chao Phya and is known also from Bung Bora-
pet and the Menam Nan, as well as from various streams connecting
with the Menam Chao Phya in the great central plain of Thailand.
The fish has been taken in the Menam Mun east of Korat and is thus
an inhabitant of the Mekong basin.
A length of half a meter is attained, and at all sizes the fish is
beautiful. In small and medium-sized examples there is a sharply
defined broad black lateral band from head to base of caudal fin. This
band, intensified in the young, becomes obscure or altogether dis-
appears in the larger fish. A male specimen 30 cm. long taken from the
Menam Chao Phya above Bangkok on September 1, 1923, had in life
the following coloration Scales of back and sides light green with
:

dark green centers belly white top of head rich grass green with rosy
; ;

reflections; opercles lustrous golden or brassy yellow; a black blotch

behind opercle iris yellow dorsal fin hyaline green, ventrals and anal
; ;

blood red, caudal red distally and dull green at base wdth the interven-
ing part light gray, and pectorals hyaline.
This fish is often caught by anglers using as bait prawns, paste,
pieces of various succulent leaves, etc. When hooked it puts up a
rather good fight.
Among the Thai this fish is known as pla ha or pla ai ha {ha, mad)
in allusion to its peculiar behavior at times. When large fruit cap-
sules of the chaulmoogra-tree {Hydnocarpus) fall into the streams,
either directly from the by being washed in from the banks
trees or
by rains, the fish gorges itself on the parenchyma and seeds and is
reported to become intoxicated and to behave in a peculiar manner.
Its flesh then is said to be poisonous to human beings. As a food fish,
however, its reputation is not high at any time.

LEPTOBARBUS MELANOTAENIA Boulenger

Leptobarbus melanotaenia Boulenger, 1894a, p. 249 (Bongon, N. Borneo).

Webeb and de Beaueoet, 1916, vol. 3, p. 97 (Siam).
This species, otherwise known only from Borneo, is listed by Weber
and de Beaufort as occurring in Thailand on the strength of a speci-
men from that country said to be in the British Museum. There seems
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 123

to be some error, however, as J. R. Norman, of the British Museum ( in

a letter to the writer dated October 2, 1933), stated that there is no
specimen of Z. imlanotaenia from Thailand in the British Museum,
which has only the types, although there is an example of L. hoevenii
from Bangkok.
These two forms are very similar, differing almost entirely in the
number of scales in transverse series. The black lateral band, which
seems to characterize L. tnelanotaema at all ages, is present in L.
hoevenii up to a length of 15 to IT cm, or sometimes longer.

Genus ASPIDOPARIA Heckel

Aspidoparia Heckel, in Fenzl, Abblld. Thiere Pfl. Syr., Fische, p. 186, 1&43.
(Type, Aspidoparia sardina Heckel.)

The fishes of this genus may be readily recognized by the peculiar

mouth (absence of lower lip, lower jaw with a sharp, crescentic bony
edge), absence of barbels, broad ring of suborbital bones, greatly de-
curved lateral line running in the low^er half of the caudal peduncle,
dorsal fin arising well behind the ventrals and having no osseous rays
and 7 or8 branched rays, anal fin with 9 to 12 rays of which 7 to 10 are
branched, and pharyngeal teeth plow-shaped and in 2 or 3 rows.
The first references to these fishes in scientific literature appear to
have been by Hamilton (1822), who placed one of the two Indian
species in the composite genus Chela and called it mora?% and the
other in the composite genus Cdbdio and called it jay a. Bleeker ( 1863
[314]) made morar the type of his genus Morara (1859) and at the
same time recognized Aspidoparia of Heckel (1843) and indicated A.
sardiTia as the type, unaware that Morara was a synonym of Aspido-
paria and sardina a synonym of morar. To add to the confusion, Jor-
dan (1917, pt. 1, 115) apparently intended to validate Gabdio and desig-
nated i(2y«, "the first species named," as the type, although it had long
been known that jaya is an Aspidoparia. Jordan's action may, how-
ever, have served the useful purpose of making Gabdio unavailable for
any of the other mixed lot that Hamilton included under this name.
In addition to the single species known from Thailand, another has
been ascribed to that country and is here considered, although it is
quite obviously not entitled to a place in this genus, and its exact
status remains to be determined.

ASPIDOPARLA. MORAR (Hamilton)

Cyprinus morar Hamilton, 1822, p. 264, pi. 31, fig. 75 (Yamuna and Tista Rivers).

This common species of Burma and India, not previously reported

from Thailand, was to be expected in parts of Thailand contiguous
to Burma. A
specimen 7.8 cm. long was taken by Deignan in the
Salwin at Ta Ta Fang, October 14, 1936. It agrees with Day's descrip-
124 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

tion, having 38 scales in the lateral line and 5 scales above and 5 below
the lateral line to the base of the ventral, with dorsal rays ii, 7 and

anal rays ii, 9.

A length of 17 to 18 cm. is attained in India.

ASPIDOPARIA SIAMENSIS (Sauvage)

Morara siamensis BLEEKEai, 1865 (347), p. 35 (nomen nudum) (Siam) 1865 ;

(356), p. 175 (nomen nudum) (Siam).— Sauvage, 18S1, pp. 164, 187
(Bangkok).

In 1865 Bleeker (347) gave a list of fishes examined by him in the

Miisee du Jardin des Plantes a Paris, collected in the Menam Chao Phj^a
by Bocoiirt, and mentioned ''''Morara siannensis Blkr, nov. spec." but
without description, including it with a number of species "restent a
decrire." Later in the same year (356), Bleeker listed without de-
scription ''''Morara siamensis Blkr."
It was not until 1881 that Sauvage gave a description of Morara
siamensis^ based on a specimen, 11 cm. long, from Bangkok in the
Paris Museum. Sauvage improperly credited the species to Bleeker.
Anexamination of Sauvage's description at once suggests an
error in the allocation of this fish to the genus Morara or Aspidoparia,
as shown by the references to the position of the lateral line, to the
origin of the dorsal tin, and to the number of anal rays.

In January 1939, at the request of the U. S. National Museum, Dr.

Jacques Pellegrin, of the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in
Paris, courteously examined the specimens in that museum on which
Morara siamensis had been based and communicated the results of his
examination. The specimens, 4 in number, collected at Bangkok in
1862 by F. Bocourt, are 118, 90, 90, and 85 mm. long. The scales in the
lateral line are 33 to 35, in the transverse series 5.5-1-5.5, with 4 scales
between the lateral line and the base of the ventral fin, the predorsal
scales number and the circumpenduncular scales 16; the lateral
11
line runs in the middle of the caudal peduncle; dorsal rays iii,8,
anal rays iii,5, ventral fins arising under the second or third branched
ray of the dorsal. Dr. Pellegrin wrote that this species is "far removed
from Morara morar and without doubt of a different genus," a con-
clusion fully justified by the origin of the dorsal fin in advance of the
A^entrals, by the number of branched anal rays, and by the position of
the lateral line on the caudal peduncle, all of which features conflict
with the generic definition.
The present reviewer is unable with any degree of certainty to de-
termine the generic position of this fish or to state whether it is
specifically valid.

Genus ALBULICHTHYS Bleeker

Albulichthys Bleekee (261), Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 20, p. 430, 1860.
(Type, Systomus albuloides Bleeker.)
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 125
ALBULICHTHYS ALBULOIDES (Bleeker)

Systomus alhuloides Bleeker, 1855 (139), p. 425 (Kapuas River, Pontianak,

Bandjermassing, Borneo).
AlbuUchthys alhuloides Smith, 1931d, p. 186 (Menam Chao Phya, Menam Nakon
Nayok) 1931f, p. 138 (Siam) 1931f, p. 138.— Fowler, 1935a, p. 112 (Bang-
; ;

kok) 1937, p. 174 (Bangkok).

;

Previously recorded only from Borneo and Sumatra, this species

was added to the known fauna of Thailand in August 1923, when five
small specimens were collected by the writer in the Menam Chao Phya
at Paknam. Since then the fish has been met with in various parts of
that river below Ayuthia and also in the Nakon Nayok.
In the East Indies the fish attains a length of 36 cm. In Thailand
the largest example preserved was 28 cm. long. A specimen, 22.5 cm.
long, taken in the Nakon Nayok on June 6, 1928, was a female with
large ovaries.
An example, 28 cm. long, from the Menam Chao Phya at Koh
Yai, March was lustrous silvery, with the dorsal fin pale
23, 1928,
yellowish except for a black line from the middle of the first simple
ray to the tip of the serrated spine and a dusky posterior edge, and
the caudal fin orange, with a broad black posterior margin.

Elsewhere (Smith, 1931d, 1931e) the writer has drawn attention

to the fact that all local specimens of Alhulichthys alhuloides have
small but distinct rostral and maxillary barbels, although Bleeker,
who described the genus, and Weber and de Beaufort, who have
brought Bleeker's work up to date, state that there are no barbels.
Whether barbels are actually lacking in fish from Borneo and Sumatra
or have been overlooked remains to be determined. In any event, a
modification of the definition of the genus AlbuUchthys is necessary.
The only vernacular name recorded for this fish is pla takoJc, shared
with various species of Gyclocheilichthys from which it is apparently
not always distinguished by fishermen.

Genus SIKUKIA H. M. Smith

Sikuldu H. M. Smith, Copeia, 1931, No. 3, p. 138. (Type, Sikukia stejnegeri

H. M. Smith.)

The genus Sikukia^ established for S. stejnegeri^ resembles the

genera Amblyrhynchichthys^ Xenocheilichthys^ and AlbuUchthys.
Resemblance- to Aniblyrhynchichthys, its closest relative, is in the
short, blunt snout; large eye with adipose eyelid; absence of barbels;
and denticulated simple dorsal ray. Differences are in the mouth
(small and terminal in S/'kukia, larger and inferior in AmMyrhynch-
ichthys), rostral fold (triangular, partly covering the upper lip, and
in reality so distinctly separated from the rest of the snout as to
constitute a median lobe AmMyrhynchichthys^ entire and covering
in
the upper lip in Sikukia), and nostrils (at front of snout and partly
 126 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

inferior in Anihlyrhynchichthys^ high on snout and superior in

Sikukia).
SIKUKIA STEJNEGERI H. M. Smith

Sikukia steinegcri Smith, 1931e, p. 138 (Sikuk River).

The type specimen of this species, 11 cm. long, taken in the Sikuk
River, Central Thailand, November 26, 1923, remains unique, except
for a specimen, 6.9 cm. long, from tlie Pasak River, Central Thailand,
August 20, 1923.

Genus MYSTACOLEUCUS Gunther

Mystacoleucus Gunther, Catalogue of the fishes in the British Museum, vol. 7,

p. 206, 1868. (Type, Sysiomus (Capocta) padangensis Bleeker.)

Although Giinther established this very distinct genus, he failed to

mention or recognize its most outstanding character, namely, the
presence of a procumbent predorsal spine and he listed in the com-
;

plex genus Barbus^ under the name Barbus obtusirostris^ a species

[marginatus) that properly belongs in Mystacoleucus.
The essential features and limitations of Body mod-
this genus are :

erately elongate, more or less strongly compressed; abdomen rounded;

head small; eye comparatively large, pupil or entire eye in advance
of midlength of head snout poriferous, overhanging small, strongly
;

arched subterminal or slightly inferior mouth; lips thin, continuous

around corners of mouth, upper lip separated from skin of snout by
a deej) groove, lower lip closely adnate to jaw, a postlabial groove
on each side; barbels four (rostral and maxillary), two (maxillary),
or none pharyngeal teeth 4, 3, 2, uncinate gill membranes narrowly
; ;

joined to isthmus at or slightly behind vertical from posterior border

of eye ;
gill rakers few, short, wide-spaced, spinous or conical ; scales
of moderate size, extending on nape approximately over anterior
border of opercle; lateral line complete, extending along middle of
caudal peduncle; a procumbent predorsal spine which may perforate
first,second, or third f>redorsal scale, or may be concealed by scales;
dorsal fin arising about opposite base of ventrals, its last simple ray
osseous and denticulated or non-osseous and simple, branched rays
eight or nine branched anal rays six to ten.
;

Because of important nomenclatural and taxonomic questions in-

volved, it seems desirable to refer in this place to a paper l3y Dr. Hora
(1937f ) in which, in a discussion of cyprinoid fishes with a procumbent
predorsal spine, he placed the well-lmov/n Indian fish Rohtee og'tlhii
Sykes (1839) in the genus Mystacoleucus for the reason that he found
in a number of specimens in the Indian Museum a procumbent pre-
dorsal spine, which in some of them was obvious, in others was con-
cealed by scales. Of the half dozen species of Rohtee, only og'dbii
was involved in this reallocation. In a subsequent paper Hora ( 1939,
 : ;

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 127

p. 402) reaffirmed the assignment of E. ogilhii to Mystacoleiicus. This

matter may be briefly considered I'rom the nomenclatural and the
morphological viewpoints.
The genus Rohtee was established by Sykes in 1939, with three new
Indian species included, ogilhii, vigorsi, and pangut. No species was
singled out as the type by anj^ indication, designation, or implication;
but nevertheless Jordan (1919, pt. 2, p. 210) stated, apparently with-
out warrant, that R. vigorsi is the orthotype, which term is defined
as "the type of a genus as indicated or distinctly implied by the origi-
nal author." The first designation of a type in Rohtee was by Bleeker
(1863 [314] ) when "/?. ogilhyi'''' was definitely selected.
Rohtee ogilhii really belongs
It is evident therefore that if the species
in the genus Mystaxsoleucus, as claimed by Hora, then Rohtee is the
proper generic name for the various species now called Mystacoleiicus,
the latter being a synonym. It also follows that the various species,
other than ogilhii, now known as Rohtee must take another generic
name.
These changes in nomenclature, however, would be very unfortu-
nate and are believed to be unnecessary. While R. ogilhii has a pro-
cmnbent predorsal spine, the writer holds the opinion (1) that this
feature alone does not justify the separation of the species from its
congeners with which it is otherwise in complete agreement and (2)
that the general facies, the backward origin of the dorsal fin with
reference to the ventral fins, the more numerous scales (55 in lateral
line in R. ogilhii as against a maximum of 39 in any species of Mystaco-
leucus), the longer anal fin (with 13 or 14 branched rays as against 6
to 10 in Mystacoleucus) and similar features should be given greater
,

weight collectively than the procumbent spine.

Of the four local species of Mystacoleucus, two have been known for
a long time and two have recently been described as peculiar to Thai-
land, They may be differentiated as follows

la. Branched anal rays 6 ; last simple dorsal I'ay osseous and denticulated
barbels 4 ; scales in lateral line 33 to 35 ;
predorsal scales 12 or 13 circum-;

peduncular scales 16 dorsal fin ; yellow to red, with a sharply defined

black edge; caudal fin with no black edge argenteus
15. Branched anal rays 7 to 10.
2a. Last simple dorsal ray nonosseous and nondenticulated ; no barbels ; scales
in lateral line 31 or 32 predorsal scales 8 or 9 a large black spot
;
;

occupying apex of dorsal fin free margin of dorsal and caudal fins not
;

sharply edged with black atridorsalis

2&. Last simple dorsal ray osseous and denticulated 4 barbels scales in ; ;

lateral line 24 to 29 free margin of dorsal and caudal fins with sharply
;

defined black edge front edge of dorsal fin black.

;

3a. Predorsal scales 6 to 8; some scales of back and side with a dark basal
crescent chilopterus
3&. Predorsal scales 9 or 10; each scale of back and side with a black basal
crescent marginatus
128 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
MYSTACOLEUCUS ARGENTEUS (Day)

Acanthonotus argenteus Day, 1888, p. 807 (Tenasserim). (After Tickell's MS.)

Matsya urgcntai Day, 1889, p. 293, fig. 102 (Tenasserim). (New generic name.)
Mystacoleucus aryenteus Smith, 1933a, p. 79 (Salwin and tributaries in Siam
and Burma).—HoRA, 1939, p. 401, fig. (Burma).

Under the manuscript name Acanthonotus argenteus of Tickell,

Day (1888) published a description of a small cyprinoid fish (largest
5.4 inches) said by Tickell to be "very common in the streams of the
interior of the Tenasserim district" of Burma. As the generic name
Acanthonotus had been thrice preoccupied in ichthyology, Day later
established the genus Matsya for the accommodation of the fish that
for many years was known as Matsya argentea. The genus Matsya
was inadequately characterized, the chief distinctive feature being a
small forwardly directed spine anterior to the dorsal fin; but from
the description and figure of the species it appears that the dorsal
fin had 8 branched rays preceded by a single strong serrated spine,
the anal fin had 7 simple and branched rays, there were 30 scales in
the lateral line, no barbels were referred to in the text or shown in
the figure (although barbels were subsequently shown to be present),
and the brilliant silvery of the body and head was relieved by lilac
and blue shades and a tinge of olive-yellow on the back, with the
dorsal fin orange-scarlet, its edge bordered with black except on the
last two rays, the other fins lemon-yellow.
A series of nine specimens in the U. S. National Museum were col-
lected by Deignan at Ta Ta Fang in October 1936. These are 6.9 to
8.2 cm. long. The tube-bearing scales in the lateral line are 33 to
35, the scales in the transverse line from the midline of the back to
the base of the ventral fins are 7.5-1-3 or 3.5, the predorsal scales are 12
or 13, and the circumpeduncular scales are 16; the dorsal rays are
ii,8 or iii,8, with the last simple ray osseous and strongly denticulated,

and the anal rays are ii,6; the rostral barbels are somewhat shorter
than the maxillary and both are shorter than the eye; the sharply
defined jet-black margin of the dorsal fin becomes very narrow or may
be practically deficient at the last two rays. A specimen from Huey
Mekong Kha, a brook tributary to the Salwin west of Mesarieng,
Western Thailand, is 10.5 cm, long and is a female with well-ripened
eggs.
Day does not appear to have seen the fish, the Indian Museum and
the British Museum had no specimens, and the species remained
something of an ichthyological mystery until many specimens col-
lected by H. G. Deignan and the writer in the Salwin and its tribu-
taries in Thailand and Burma in 1932, 1933, and 1936 proved to be
Day's species.
 .

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 129

In 1931 (Smith, 1931d, p. 185), from an examination of Day's de-

scription and figure, the writer expressed the opinion that "no char-
acters are ascribed to Matsya by Day that are not possessed by
Mystacoleucus^ and it is altogether probable that the two are identical."
The principal difficulty in recognizing Matsya as a synonym of
Mystacoleucus arose from the assumption by Indian ichthyologists
that Matsya argentea possessed only 5 branched rays in the anal fin,
an assumption that Day's figure did not seem to justify, and which
was later shown to be incorrect.
Under the caption Mystacoleucus argenteus^ the writer (1933a)
published a note on numerous specimens that he obtained in December
1932, and January and February 1933, in the Salwin at Ta Ta Fang,
Thailand, and in five branches of the Salwin in Thailand and Burma;
following the original defect in the description and figure, these speci-
mens were incorrectly referred to as having no barbels, whereas they
show two well-developed pairs of barbels.
The most recent contribution to the taxonomy of this species is a
detailed paper by Dr. Hora (1939) in which he reconsiders his former
,

(1937e) view that Matsya is a genus distinct from Mystacoleucus. In

view of his statement (1939, p. 402) that "besides Day and the writer,
Vinciguerra is the only ichthyologist who has commented on the
systematic position of Matsya argentea^'' it may be assumed that Dr.
Hora overlooked the preceding citations, which were supplemented
by a number of letters indicating that Matsya is not a tenable genus.

MYSTACOLEUCUS ATRIDORSALIS Fowler

Mystacoleucus atridorsulis Fowler, 1937, p. 176, figs. 112, 113 (Kemarat).

This species is known from two specimens, 6.6 and 6.7 cm. long,
from the Mekong at Kemarat, Eastern Thailand. It has no barbels
and is distinguishable by a large jet-black area on the distal part of
the dorsal fin.

MYSTACOLEUCUS CHILOPTERUS Fowler

Mystacoleucus chilopterus Fowleb, 1935a, p. 112, fig. 40 (Si'isawat) ; 1937, p. 176

( Mepoon )
Originally described from three specimens, 9.5 to 10.4 cm. long, from
Srisawat, Central Thailand, this fish was later noted by Fowler from
Mepoon, Central Thailand. Two specimens, 12 cm. long, from the
Mekok at Chiengrai were taken by the writer on March 2, 1924.
The species is very close to M. marginatus, differing apparently in
fewer predorsal scales and body coloration. The free margins of the
dorsal and caudal fins have a sharply defined narrow black edge, as in
M. marginatus, and each caudal lobe has a dark submarginal longi-
tudinal streak.
 .

130 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

MYSTACOLEUCUS MARGINATUS (Cuvicr and Valenciennes)

Barhus marginatus Cuvieb and Valenciennes, 1842, vol. 16, p. 164 (Tjicanigui
River and Sijira, Java).
Mijstacoleucus marginatus Smith, 1931d, p. 185 (Siam generally). Fowlee, —
1934a, p. 115 (Chiengmai) 1934b, p. 342 (Ban Thnng Luang) 1935a, p. 114
; ;

(Srisawat, Khao Nam Poo) 1937, p. 176 (Mepoon, Kemarat)

;
1939, pp. 41,
;

68 (HueyTang, Trang).

This species, known from Java, Borneo, Sumatra, and Malaya, has
a wide distribution in Thailand. In the basin of the Menam Chao
Phya, no specimens appear to have been obtained south of Paknampo.
It has been found in the upper part of the Menam Nan in the Mewang
;

at Lampang and in the Mesoi, a tributary of the Mewang and in the ;

Meping and a number of its tributaries, including the Mekham. In

the Meklong the species is known from both branches, the Kwe Yai
at Kanburi and the Kwe Noi at Saiyok. In Peninsular Thailand, the
fish has been ascertained to inhabit the Tapi River near Bandon;
various streams at or near the towns of Nakon Sritamarat and Ron-
pibun; a small hill stream near Patalung; and the Patina River, a
specimen from the last, collected by Annandale and Robinson, being
in the British Museum (listed as Barbus obtusirostris)
The fish was first found to be an inhabitant of the Mekong Basin by
the taking of specimens in the Mekok at Chiengrai in March 1924.
On February 16, 1929, a specimen was collected at Pong, on the Nam
Pong, a branch of the Nam Chi, which, in turn, flows into the Menam
Mun, the principal tributary of the Mekong in Thailand. At Pak-
jong, on headwaters of the Menam Mun, a specimen obtained on June
21, 1934,was typical except for the absence of rostral barbels. More
recentlyFowler reported it from the Mekong itself at Kemarat, East-
ern Thailand, and from the Peninsular region in Huey Yang and in
the Trang waterfall stream.
The largest example met with in local waters was 20 cm. long,
taken in Klong Tadi, Nakon Sritamarat. Full maturity is attained
at half that size. Examples over 17 cm. long are uncommon.
The development of the barbels varies with size, sex, and other con-
ditions. The maxillary barbels are usually about twice the length
of the rostral, and may equal the diameter of the eye or be only one-
third that size. Of two specimens from the headwaters of the Menam
Nan at Muang Ngop, April 23, 1936, one, a male 10.5 cm. long, had
maxillary barbels one-third the diameter of the eye the other, a female
;

14.2 cm. long with well-developed ova, had maxillary barbels two-
thirds the diameter of the eye. In five specimens 6.3 to 7.6 cm. long
from the Menam Nan, March 31, 1936, these barbels are half the
diameter of the eye, while in various specimens 9.3 to 12 cm. long from
the Mekok in July and August the maxillary barbels equal the diameter
of the eye.
 —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 131

The usual shape of the anal fin is truncate, as stated by Weber and
de Beaufort (1916, vol. 3) There is, however, considerable variation.
.

Thus, a female, 14.2 cm. long, from the Menam Nan, has the free mar-
gin of the anal fin strongly convex, while a male 10.5 cm. taken at the
same place and time has a markedly emarginate anal.
The occurrence of this species in lower Burma (Tenasserim) was re-
ported by Mukerji (1932, p. 285). The single specimen available, 7.5
cm. long, from the Kyenchaung River in the Mergui district, was fig-
ured and was said to "agree in all essential details" with the description
of Mystacoleucus marginatus given by Weber and de Beaufort; but
the figure shows only 7 branched rays in the dorsal fin and 7
branched anal rays, numbers that are excluded from the definition of
the genus as stated by Weber and de Beaufort. Mukerji compared
the Burmese fish with a specimen of M. margmatus collected by the
writer in Peninsular Thailand, and noted that whereas in the form^er
specimen the procumbent predorsal spine perforates the first predorsal
scale, in the Thailand example the spine perforates the third pre-
dorsal scale. The identity of the Burmese fish must be regarded as
unsettled. Inasmuch as M. marginatus is otherwise unknown from
Burma, and the place of capture of this particular specimen is in-
cluded within "the interior of Tenasserim" where Tickell reported
Acanthonotus argenteus as very common, the possibility that Mukerji's
specimen represents M. argenteus is to be considered, and a reexamina-
tion and full description are desirable.
Vernacular names borne by this species in different parts of Thai-
land are distinctive. Throughout the Peninsula the fish is called
2}la ya. In the valley of the Nan River the name pla nam hi is in gen-
eral use. Along the Meping and its branches the usual vernacular
designation is pla hiyoh^ which is heard also on the Mekok at
Chiengrai.

Genus COSMOCHILUS Sauvage

Cosmochilus Sauvage Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, sev, 7, vol. 2, p. 240, 1878. (Type,
Cosmochilus harmandi Sauvage.)

COSMOCHILUS HARMANDI Sauvage

Cosmochilus harmandi Sauvage, 1878b, p. 240 (Laos, Indo-China). Hora, 1923b,

p. 158 (Bangkok).— FowLKB, 1935a, p. 120, figs. 58, 59 (Bangkok) 1937, p.
;

183, figs. 149, 150 (Bangkok).

Described from Indo-China in 1878, this species has been found

Menam Chao Phya and some
to be not rare in the lower courses of the
of the connecting streams. commonest in the stretch of river
It is
between Ayuthia and Bangkok, and many examples therefrom caught
with cast net, seine, or pongpang have been preserved. At Pakret
on December 24, 1924, the use of cast nets indicated that this was one
 —

132 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

of the commonest species, and six specimens were preserved for the
Siamese Bureau of Fisheries; in life the back had a rich, pale blue
color, and the dorsal and caudal fins were black-edged. In some
specimens there is a black tip to the anal fin. The type specimen was
37 cm. long.
The largest local examples have been 19 cm. long, with many 10 to
14 cm.
In the Thai vernacular the fish shares with Cycloclieilichthys the
names pla nam lang and pla takok; a local name used at Bang Sai is
pla takok dok chok.

Genus KAMPALA van Hasselt

Hampala van Hasselt, Alg. Konst. Letterbode, vol. 2, No. 35, p. 132, 1823. (Type,
Eampala macrolepidota van Hasselt.)
One may follow Bleeker name to van
in crediting this generic
Hasselt, rather than to Bleeker, as has been done by Weber and de
Beaufort. Of the two local forms, keyed below, one has a wide Orien-
tal distribution, the other is restricted to Eastern Thailand and Cam-
bodia.
la. Adnlt with body marked by a blackish cross band or blotch between anterior
dorsal rays and ventral fin each caudal lobe with a sharply defined black
;

marginal longitudinal band maxillary barbel about equal to or longer than

;

eye; caudal lobes of equal length macrolepidota

16. Adult with body marked by a roundish blackish spot above lateral line between
dorsal and ventral fins no sharply defined black marginal band on caudal
;

lobes, which are distally diffused blackish maxillary barbels less than half
;

eye; caudal lobes unequal, the lower longer dispar

KAMPALA MACROLEPIDOTA van Hasselt

Figure 14

HanipaJa macrolepidota van Hasselt, 1823. p. 132 (Bnitenzorg, .Java). Bleekeu,

1865 (347), p. 35 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. 176 (Siam).— Sattvaqe, 1881, pp.
;

163, 186 (Siam) 1883b. p. 152 (Menam Chao Phya ) .— Webee and de Beau-
;

fort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 1-13, fig. 60 (Siam.).— HoBA, 1923b. p. 154 (Bangkok).—
VipULYA, 1923, p. 226 (Bangkok).— Hora, 1924a, p. 470 (Tale Sap) .—Fowler,
1934a, p. 119 (Bangkok, Chiengmai, Chiengsen, Bua Yai) 1935a, p. 120 ;

(Keng Sok) 1937, p. 184, figs. 128-139 (Bangkok, Tachin, Mepoon, Kema-
;

rat) 1939, pp. 39, 70 (Khao Bhanam Bencha, Trang).

;

Barbus (Hampala) hampal von IMartens, 1876, p. 402 (Bangkok).

The range of this species includes Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Malaya,
r>iirma, French Indo-Cliina, and Tliailand. In Thailand it is found
throughout the length and breadth of the country in streams and
lakes. In some places and during certain seasons it may be very
abundant and constitute an important part of the commercial catch.
Specimens have been examined from the Patani River and Tale Sap
in the Peninsula from numerous places in the central plain, includ-
;

ing Bung Borapet; from the Meping in the Northern area; from the
 —

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 133

IMekong and Meiiam Mun in the Eastern region; and from various
streams in the Chant abiin-Krat district of Southeastern Thaihmd.
Under the influence of freshets in coastal rivers, this species may
go into the Gulf of Siam. Thus, on October 30, 1923, in a trap well
off mouth of the Tachin River, a number of examples of this fish
the
were taken, and two, 12.6 and 13.6 cm. long, were preserved.
Examples in excess of 50 cm. long have been met with in Thailand,
hut with the increase in fishing activity such large fish are becoming
scarcer. The usual size of adult specimens in recent years has been
20 to 30 cm. A length of 70 cm. is reported for the Indo-Australian
Archipelago by Weber and de Beaufort.

Figure 14. Hampala macrolepiaota van Hasselt. Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy
of the Thailand Government.

This one of the most strikingly colored and most readily recog-
is

nized of the local cyprinoids. Adult or nearly full-grown speci-

all

mens always show, on a silvery background, a blackish band or blotch

extending from the base of the anterior dorsal rays nearly or quite to the
base of the ventrals, and a conspicuous blue-black band along the upper
and lower margin of each caudal lobe, the remainder of the caudal
fin as well as the dorsal being bright red. The mouth is large, the
maxillary reaching to or somewhat beyond a vertical from the front
border of the eye, and there is a maxillary barbel as long as the diam-
eter of the eye. A
male fish, 22.5 cm. long, taken in the inner lake of
the Tale Sap October 9, 1923, had, in addition to orange-red caudal and
lower fins, the entire head and all the body scales thickly beset with
minute pearllike excrescences.
The young exhibit a number of dark markings not seen in the adult.
The dorsoventral blotch is always present but may be reduced to
an oblong or round spot across or above the lateral line; tliere are
590087—45 10
134 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

also a curved black bar immediately behind the head, a black cross
band in the middle of the caudal peduncle, and a narrower one at the
base of the caudal fin, together with a roundish black spot on the

body at the anterior base of the anal fin. In a series of 24 specimens,

3 to 5.2 cm. long, obtained by Deignan from the Meping at Chiengmai,
April 22, 1935, all the marks except the dorsoventral band had become
vague or had altogether disappeared at a length of 5 cm., and the char-
acteristic adult markings on the caudal lobes began to be obvious at
about 4.7 cm. The size at which the young continue to bear their
juvenile markings varies with the locality or other conditions; thus
a specimen, 6 cm. long, from a brook on Kao Sabap, November 2, 1927,
retained the cross band on the caudal peduncle, and three fish, 7.5
to 8.3 cm. long, from the mouth of the Menam Chao Phya, November
13, 1927, had the same band, although it was becoming faint.
The normal formula for the pharyngeal teeth is 5,3,1-1,3,5. Some
variations are shown in a few local specimens whose teeth have been
examined. The single tooth in the third row is sometimes in such close
alignment with the teeth in the second row that one could easily read
the formula as 5,4-4,5. In some cases the third row is altogether
absent, and the formula is then 5,3-3,5. In one specimen from the
Menam Chao Phya below Bangkok the teeth are 5,3,2-2,3,5.
This fish is always given a distinctive vernacular name which, in
most places, is pla kasoop or kasooh. This name is frequently con-
tracted or corrupted into ;^Z« soop or /;/« sooh^ and in some sections
into pla soot and pla sood. Among the Malay people of Patani
Province the fish is called ikan tubo or ikon tuhu.

KAMPALA DISPAR H. M. Smith

FlGTJRE 15

Hampala dispar Smith, 1934b, p. 309, pi. 11 (Monaui Mun, Nong Han; Seamreap
River, Cambodia).

The type M. No. 103366) came from the

of this species (U. S. N.
Menam Mun Ubon, Eastern Thailand, and all the other specimens,
at
four in number, that have been examined likewise came from the
basin of the Mekong, three from the large lake, Nong Han, at Sakon
Nakon, and one from the Seamreap Kiver, an aflluent of the Tonle
Sap or Grand Lake in Cambodia, French Indo-China.
The largest preserved specimen was a female 17.3 cm. long. The
species, however, reaches a length of at least 20 cm.
Wliile closely related to Hampala form may be
tnacrolepidota^ this
distinguished by the shorter caudal fin, the enlarged lower lobe of the
caudal, the short maxillary barbel (less than one-third the diameter
of the eye, while in H. umcrolepidota it is about equal to or much
longer than the diameter of the eye), the absence of a well-marked
 — —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 135

marginal blackish band along each of the caudal lobes, which are
diffused blackish distally, and a round black spot about the size of
the eye above the lateral line between the dorsal and ventral fins.
Some young examples of H. macrolepidota exhibit a round black spot
on the side in addition to other juvenile markings, all of which dis-
appear before the adult shape is reached. The round spot in dispar
is characteristic of the mature fish.

At Ubon and Sakon Nakon the vernacular name for this fish is
])la soot, apparently a contraction and variant of pla ka^soop, the

general name for Hampala in most parts of Thailand.

.-^'fe,.

Mi^iruT-

Figure IS. Hami>ala dispar H. M. Smith. Dravvn by Luang Masya; courtesy of the
Thailand Government.

Genus CATLOCARPIO Boulenger

Callocarpio Boulengeb, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 7. vol. 1, p. 450, 1S98. (Type,
Catlocurpio slamensis Boulenger.)

CATLOCARPIO SIAMENSIS Boulenger

Catlocarpio sia^nensis Boui^nger, 1898, p. 450 (Menam Cbao Phya). Smtth,

1931d, p. 181 (Siam, Cambodia).
Catla catla Hoha, 1923b, p. 158 (Nontaburi).—Vipulya, 1923, p. 226 (Bangkok,
Menam Chao Phya).
Catlacurpio siamensis Fowlkr, 1937, p. 179, figs. 116, 117 (Bangkok).

This is a fish of the large streams, but it enters ponds and canals
connected with those streams. It occurs throughout the length of
the Menam Chao Phya and is known from the Meklong at Eajaburi,
theBangkam at Lopburi, and the Pasak at Dha Luang. It breeds in
Bung Borapet and other bungs into which the flood water from the
rivers flows. In the Menam Chao Phya when the high water comes
down from the north the fish go with it as far as Paknam and are
often caught there in nets.
This is the largest cyprinoid fish in Thailand and one of the largest
in the world. One taken at Bangkok on November 3, 1923, was 2.5
136 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL mUSEUM

meters long, and there are other definite records of examples of this
size. Fish up to 3 meters have undoubtedly been caught in the Menam

Chao Phya in earlier years. A

dried head, 42 cm. long, in the collec-
tion of the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries was from a specimen taken
at Paknam, August 24, 1924. A
scale from the side of this fish was
6.8 cm. long and 5.7 cm. wide; a scale from the back near the head
was 8.5 cm. long and 8 cm. wide.
By some people the flesh of this fish is considered fairly good to eat
and by others it is first pickled. Examples in most demand in
the markets are those 1 or 2 feet long. On the roof of the mouth
just in front of the esophagus there is a large mass of adenoid tissue,
and one of the earlier Siamese kings was very fond of this sub-
stance as a food morsel.
Some may be gathered
idea of the abundance of the fish at times
from the fact that at one one Bangkok
stall in market on December
10, 1926, 50 fish about 20 cm. long were on sale, and in one Bangkok
market on November 5, 1929, over 200 fishes, the largest 22 cm. long,
were on display. These fishes in both instances had come from nets
in the river below Bangkok and were the young of the year.
Anglers seek large examples of this fish in the Bangkok region,
using a ball of cooked rice as bait. If very large fishes are hooked,
the fishermen allow their boats to be dragged around until the fishes
are tired out, which may take several hours, as the fishes are strong
and hardy.
All the earlier references to this fish, following Boulenger's original
description, were under the name Catla catla (Hamilton) . This error
was due to the extraordinary superficial resemblance of C atlocarpio
and Catla, more especially in the enormous head, which exceeds half
the length of the body. Catla inhabits India and Burma and has not
been found in Thailand but may be looked for in the Salwin Basin,
from which C atlocarpio has not been reported. C atlocarpio is known
from Indo-China but it is called Catla in the iclithyological literature
of that country. A
mounted specimen about a meter long, presumably
from the Mekong or the Tonle Sap in Cambodia, exhibited in the
Economic Museum in Pnom-Penh, Cambodia, is a C atlocarpio but is
labeled Catla.
Among the outstanding differences between C atlocarpio and Catla
are: The former has 14 to 16 branched dorsal rays, the latter only
9 ; and the former 4 pharyngeal teeth in one row on each side, the latter
10 teeth arranged in three rows on each side. Other characters of
Catlocarpio are a very broad dermal fold bordering the gill cover,
numerous gill rakers (110 on the first arch), eyes invisible from above,
mouth extending as far back as eye, lower lip thick and with the
postlabial groove interrupted medianly, absence of barbels, and com-
plete lateral line with 39 to 40 scales.
 — ;

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 137

The fish has a distinctive vernacular name by which it is always

known as fla kaho.
Genus TOR Gray

Tor Gray, The illustrations of Indian zoology, vol. 2, p. 9G, 1833-34. (Type,
Cyprinus tor Hamilton=Tor hamilton Gray.)

The fishes of this genus are of medium to large size, with elongate,
moderately compressed body, rather small head, long rostral and max-
illary barbels, slightly inferior strongly curved mouth, thick continu-
ous lips, low^er lip with an uninterrupted posterior fold and with or
without a median lobe, large scales, complete lateral line, gill mem-
branes united to the isthmus, spoon-shaped pharyngeal teeth in three
series, and dorsal fin with a scaly sheath at its base and 8 or 9 branched
rays, the last simple dorsal ray osseous and nondenticulated.
The generic name Tor, with Cyprinus tor Hamilton as its haplotype,
was used by Gray in 1833, thus antedating Riippell's Labeobarhus
(1837) by which name these well-marked fishes of the Asiatic main-
land and the Indo-Australian Archipelago have been designated by
Bleeker, Weber and de Beaufort, and others. Giinther (1868, vol. 7)
and Day (1878) retained these fishes in the multicomposite genus
Barby^.
Four species are known from the rivers of Thailand, none peculiar
to the country, as follows:

la. Lower lip with a median lobe.

2a. Lobe of lower lip reaching a line connecting corners of mouth upper lip ;

with a median lobe tambroides

2b. Lobe of lower lip shorter, not reaching a line connecting corners of mouth
upper lip without a median lobe.
3a. Depth of body 3 to 3.2 in standard length length of last simple dorsal ray
;

about equal to head douronensis

36. Depth of body 3.75 in standard length length of last simple dorsal ray
;

much shorter than head stracheyi

Ift. Lower lip without a median lobe soro

TOR TAMBROIDES (Bleeker)

Figure 16

Labeolartus tambroides Bijeeker, 1854 (106), p. 92 (Padang, Pajakombo, Solok,

Lacus Meninju, Sumatra; Tjampea, Buitenzorg, Tjipannas, Java). Smith.
1931d, p. 183 (Petchaburi River, Tapi River).
Barhus {Labeobarhus) tambroides Hora, 1924a, p. 471 (Tale Sap).
Long known from Java, Borneo, and Sumatra, this fish in recent
years has been found in widely separated parts of Thailand, It seems
to be rare or imcommon wherever found in this country and is best
known in Petchaburi River, where it enjoys a high reputation as a
food fish, similar to that of Probarbus jullieni Sauvage in the Meklong.
 —

138 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

During the dry season the fish is found in the river as far up as Ban
Sarahet, which in the flood season is 5 days by poling boat or 16 hours
by motor launch from Petchaburi. The adult fish descend as the
floods come and go to the mouth of the river but not into the sea, re-
maining there 4 to 8 weeks. The fish then ascend the river and stay for
several months in the section above the town of Petchaburi, laying their
eggs in July near the mouths of small branches up which the young
subsequently go. Other streams in which tlie fish has been collected
for the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries are the Tapi, in the Peninsula, and
the Meping at Chiengdao, in the Northern district. The British Mu-
seum contains an adult specimen collected in the Mewang in Central
Siam, by Arthur S. Vernay. Hora doubtfully referred to this species
the skin of a fish several feet long from the inner lake of the Tale
Sap.

Figure 16. Tor tambroides (Bleeker). Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy of the
Thailand Government.

The fish reaches a length of 70 cm. in the East Indies. The largest
reported in Thailand have been about 50 cm. long, and the largest
examined by the present writer have been 35 cm. long.
The flavor of the flesh of this fish is delicious and superior to that
of any other fish known to the people on Petchaburi River. The sup-
ply is very limited, and in recent years not more than 20 adult fish
have been caught annually at Petchaburi. The largest fish are reputed
to have the best flavor, and the price obtained by the fishermen has
been 6 to 8 ticals (about $2.40 to $3.20) per fish. Fishing is done with
a line armed with small hooks baited with a cake made from the fruit
of the sugar palm mixed with rice flour this cake is prepared and used
;

only for this purpose. The large scales are sometimes eaten after
being cooked in boiling lard and rendered puffy.
 —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 139

The vernacular name on the Petchaburi River is /;?« wien, applied

only to this species on the upper
; Meping the fish is called pla yard.

TOR DOURONENSIS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Barhus douronensis Cuvier and Vauenciennes, 1842, vol. 16, p. 187 (Java).
Barius duoronensis Boulenger, 1903, p. 303 (Patani River).
Labeobarbus duoronensis Smith, 1031d, p. 185 (Patani River).
Labeobarius douronensis Fowlke, 1935a, p. 120 (Srisawat). Koumans, 1937a,
p. 63 (Tale Sap).

This species, previously known from Sumatra, Java, and Borneo,

was added to the Thailand fauna by Annandale and Robinson, who
collected three specimens in the Patani River that are now in the
British Museum. These specimens, recorded by Boulenger under the
name Barhus duoronensis., came from the Patani River between
Biserat and the town of Patani. Most unexpectedly, the fish was
found by the writer in the Mekhan, a tributary of the Meping, in the
Northern district, a specimen 31.5 cm. long being taken February 6,
1932. Another record is for Srisawat, where R. M. de Schauensee took
a specimen of 14 cm. in July 1934. A
specimen about 15 cm. long is re-
corded by Koumans from the inner lake of the Tale Sap at Patalung.
The fishermen along the Mekhan know this fish and give it a special
name, fla ngien.
TOR STRACHEYI (Day)

Barbus stracheyi Day, 1871, p. 307 (Akyab, Moulinein).

This fish, recorded from Akyab and Moulmein in Burma, occurs

in the Salwin Basin in Thailand. An example, 22.5 cm. long, taken

by the writer in the Mepai near Mehongsorn, June 27, 1932, agreed
well with Day's description and plate.
The fish is not rare in the Mehongsorn district and is called pla yard
by the local fishermen.

TOR SORO (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Figure 17

Jiarhvs soro Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1842, vol. 16, p. 191 (Bantam).
Labeobarbus soro Smith, 1931d, p. 184 (Southeastern Siaui). Fowler, 1934a, p.
119 (Metang River, Cliiengmai) ; 1935a, p. 120 (Keng Sok).

A fish of Java and Sumatra, this species was first detected in Thai-
land in 1925 when a small example was taken in the waterfall stream
at Pliew, on Kao Sabap.
A specimen. 15 cm. long, from the Meton on Doi Nang Ka, Northern
Thailand, in Moy 1931, had a diffuse dark band formed by spots at
tlie base of the two rows of scales along and above the lateral line, but
was othervv'ise typical ; lateral line 26, transverse line to base of ventral
140 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

fin 35-1-2,predorsal scales 9 circumpedimcular scales 12 rostral bar-

; ;

bel equal to diameter of eye, maxillary barbel a third longer.

Fowler reported a specimen, 5 cm. long, from the Metang, north of
Chiengmai, presumably from the Meping; and two, 29 and 31.5 cm.
long, from Keng Sok, in the Southeastern division.

Figure 17. — Tor soro (Cuvier and Valenciennes). Drawn by Nai Chote Suvatti; cour-
tesy of the Thailand Government.

A single specimen, 8.2 cm. Deignan on October 22,

long, obtained by
1936, from Huey Mekong Kha, a tributary of the Salwin at the base of
Doi Mekong Kha, is referred to this species, otherwise not known from
the Salwin. In the absence of a median lobe on the lower lip, in
squamation, fin formulae, and in other characters it cannot be other-
wise allocated. A double row of low, widely spaced tubercles extends
from snout along cheek to under middle of eye.
In the East Indies a length of nearly 1 meter is attained.
Among the people on Kao Sabap, this fish bears the name pla pluang
hin.
Genus CYCLOCHEILICHTHYS Bleeker

Cpclocheilichthys Bleekee (201), Nat. Tljdschr. Netlerl. -Indie, vol. 20, p. 431,
1859-60. (Type, Cy cloche iliclithys armatus Bleeker.)

The fishes of this genus are numerously represented as to species in

Thailand and some are abundant and an important element in the food
supply of the people living along the larger rivers. The outstanding
generic characters are: Mouth small, subinferior; lips entire and con-
tinuous around corners of mouth; a continuous groove posterior to
lower lip; barbels 4, 2, or none; head with numerous sensory folds in
parallel groups; lateral line with less than 50 scales; 8 branched dorsal
and strongly denticulated. Some of the
rays, last simple ray osseous
and are based on a combination
species are not sharply differentiated
of minor characters rather than on outstanding features such as are
 — — —
: ;

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 141

seen in G. JieteroneTJia^ C. enoplos^ and C. apogon. The species re-

corded from Thailand may be distinguished as follows
la. Barbels absent apogon
1&. Barbels present.
2a. Barbels maxillary.
3a. Barbels multifid heteronema
3b. Barbels simple.
4a. Circumpeduncular scales 16 scales in transverse series 6.5-1-6.5.
;

5a. Depth 3.6 pectorals not reaching ventrals a round blackish spot
; ; in
bumei-al region and another at posterior end of lateral line.
siaja
56. Depth 2.4 ;
pectorals reaching to ventrals ; a large round blackish
spot at base of caudal fin armatus
[Link] scales 18 scales in transverse series 5.5-1-4.5
;

pectorals not reaching ventrals a blackish blotch on caudal peduncle.

;

near caudal fin coolidg'ei

26. Barbels maxillary and rostral.
6a. Lateral line with all or some of tubules bifid or trifid a well-marked ;

annular gelatinous eyelid enoplos

66. Lateral line with all of tubuses simple no annular gelatinous eyelid.
;

la. Scales in transverse series to base of ventral fin 7-1-4 least height of ;

caudal peduncle 0.5 length of head circumpeduncular scales 20 ;

origin of dorsal fin nearer to base of caudal fin than to end of snout.
repasson
76. Scales in transverse series to base of ventral fin 6-1-4 or 6-1-5 least ;

height of caudal peduncle less than 0.5 length of head circumpedun- ;

cular scales about 16.

Sa. Scales in transverse series 6-1-4.
9a. Origin of dorsal fin midway between end of snout and base of
caudal fin.
10a. Gill rakers on first arch 6+11 no ; oblique dark bar behind gill
opening dumerilii
on first arch 4-f 5 an oblique dark bar behind gill
106. Gill rakers ;

opening mekongensis
96. Origin of dorsal fin nearer to end of snout than to base of caudal fin.
amblyceps
86. Scales in transverse series 6-1-5 tapiensis

CYCLOCHEILICHTHYS APOGON (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Barhus apoffon Cuvieb and Valenciennes, 1842, vol. 16, p. 392 (Java).
CyclocheiUchthys (Ancmatichthys) apofjonidcs Bleekek, 1805 (347), p. 35
(Siam) 1865 (356), p. 175 (Siam).
;

Barhus {Puntitis) apogon von Martens, 1876, p. 402 (Petchaburi).

CyclocheiUchthys apogon Sauvage, 1881, p. 163 (Siam). Weber and de Beaxi-
FORT, 1916, vol. 3, p. 153 (Siam).— HoRA, 1923b, p. 155 (Bangkok).— Fowler.
1934b, p. 343 (Ban Thung Luang) 1935a, p. 121 (Bangkok)
; 1937, p. 184 ;

(Bangkok, Mopoon, Tachin). Koumans, 1937a, p. 63 (Kapa). Fowler, 1930,

pp. 40, 41 (Khao Bhanam Bencha, Huey Yang).
CyclocheiUchthys ruhnpinnis Fowler, 1934b, p. 343, fig. 7 (Ban Thung Luang) ;

1939, p. 70 (Trang).

The range of this species includes Java, Borneo, Sumatra, and

other islands of the East Indies, Malaya, Burma, and Thailand. In
 ;

142 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

local waters it is the commonest and most widely distributed species of

Cyclocheilichthys. found in the basin of the Menam Chao
It lias been
Phya as far north as Mepoon (Fowler) at Chantabun, Krat, in a
;

mountain stream on Kao Sabap in upper waters of the Menam Tapi

;

in the Menam Tadi; in the Tale Noi; in the Menam Patani at the
town of the same name and on the western side of the peninsula near
;

Takuapa.
Many of the fully grown males of C. apogon are strikingly colored
in life. At a trap at Hangkraben, off the Menam Chao Phya north
of Ayuthia, this fish was being caught in large numbers on December
11, 1924, the size ranging from 11.5 to 14.2 cm.; as they came from
the water they were generally silvery, with 10 or 11 very conspicuous
black longitudinal stripes from the pectorals to the caudal, the stripes
formed by a spot on each scale, and with a large round black spot on
the caudal peduncle at the end of the lateral line; the iris was blood
red; all fins were pale reddish; and the peritoneum was black. A
breeding male in high coloration taken in the upper Chantabun River
on June 11, 1926, was of a golden color, with the entire body marked
by jet black longitudinal stripes formed by a spot on each scale, a
large black spot on the caudal peduncle, dorsal and caudal fins deep
rich red, anal and ventral fins pale red, pectoral fins pale green;
numerous pearl organs were on the head, back, and sides.
There is little room to doubt that Fowler's C. rubripinnis is this
species. Fowler compares it with G. repasson^ a species with four
barbels, but makes no comparison with C. apogon^ with which it is in
perfect agreement. Even the "fins all with red tinge," on which the
species appears to have been largely based, is a normal feature of
C. apogon.
Vernacular names borne by the fish are plu nam lang^ pla sai tan^ and
pla tapien sai in Central Trailand pla sai tan in Southeastern Thai-
;

land and pla chang hra, pla ya, pla tadeng, and pla nom in the Penin-
;

sular district.
CYCLOCHEILICHTHYS HETERONEMA (Bleeker)

FiGUKB 18

Barhus heteronema Bleeker, 1853 (85), p. 446 (Sambas, Borneo).

This little species, formerly known only from Borneo and Malacca,
was added to the list of known Thailand fishes in 1927 when, on Sep-
tember 26, the writer collected specimens in the Tale Noi. In July
1929 the fish was found to be very abundant there, some of the seine
fishermen having large catches in their boats, and many specimens were
collected. Although the Tale Noi is connected with the inner lake of
the Tale Sap by several narrow canals, this species has not yet been
recorded for the Tale Sap, where considerable collecting has been done.
 —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 143

-tJiiiif

Figure 18. Cyclocheilichthys heteronema (Bleeker). Drawn by Nal Chote Suvatti;

courtesy of the Thailand Government.

The species may at once be recognized by the multifid maxillary

barbels, a feature not possessed by any other member of the genus.
The maximum length attained is under 12 cm.
The local name for the fish is pla ha ti.

CYCLOCHEILICHTHYS SIAJA Bleeker

Cyclocheilichthys siaja Bleeker, 1860 (265a), p. 375 (Borneo; Sumatra).

This species has heretofore been recorded from Sumatra, Borneo,

and Malacca. Its inclusion in this catalog depends on a specimen 24
cm. long, taken in the Menam Chao Phya at Bangkok, October 9, 1933,
which is thus identified. The specimen has a pair of maxillary barbels
whose length is less than half diameter of eye, eye 3.5 in head, 39 scales
in lateral line and 11 in transverse series to base of ventral (6 above
and 4 below lateral line), 13 predorsal scales, 15 scales around nar-
rowest part of caudal peduncle, caudal peduncle longer than deep with
its least depth less than 0.5 length of head, a strong fourth dorsal ray

whose length exceeds head, pectorals as long as and not reaching

ventrals, 1.4 in head, the rays i,18, and a large dark spot on the caudal
peduncle. There is thus agreement in essential features with O. siaja
as described by Weber and de Beaufort (1916, vol. 3), with several
points of difference which may be attributed to individual variation.
Incidentally, although Weber and de Beaufort specify that the pectoral
fins do not extend to the ventrals, in both of Bleeker's figures of this
species (301) (1863, vol. 3) the pectorals are represented as reaching
well behind the ventral origin.
 —
144 BULLETIN 188, tJNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
CYCLOCHEILICHTHYS ARMATUS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Barbus armatus Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1842, vol. 16, p. 163 (Java).
CyclocheUichfhijs aitnatusWeeer and de Beaufort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 103 (Siam).
Fowler, 1935a, p. 121 (Khao Nam Poo) 1937, p. 186 (Pitsanulok, Kemarat).
;

In the East Indies this species is known from Java, Borneo, and
Sumatra. It is not abundant but it has a wide distribution in Thai-
land. The first specimen from local waters seems to have been one that
reached the British Museum from "Western Siam," collected by Bock.
This is the specimen on which Weber and de Beaufort based tneir
Siamese record. Other specimens have come from Central Thailand
(Paknampo, Khao Nam Poo, and Pitsanulok) from the Mekong at ;

Kemarat (Fowler) and from the Tale Noi, where it is common but
;

of small size (up to 11 cm.).

In small examples (9.5 to 11 cm. long) the least depth of the caudal
peduncle is less than 0.5 length of head. The fish reaches a length of
23 cm., and large specimens have the depth of the caudal peduncle more
than half length of head.
This species is most readily recognized by the single pair of short
maxillary barbels combined with 6.5 or 7 rows of scales above the lat-
eral line, 4 or 5 rows of scales between the lateral line and the base of
ventrals, and 15 to 18 branched rays in the pectoral fins, which extend
on the ventral base.
Three additional specimens from the upper Nan River, April 19,
1930, the largest, 18 cm. long, the others about 15 cm. long, have the
bases of the scales of back and sides with a black crescentic spot which
is sharply contrasted.
This species at Nan is known as pla pak Hem.

CYCLOCHEILICHTHYS COOLIDGEI, new species

Figure 19

—
D'escHption. Upper profile of head nearly straight, profile from
nape to dorsal fin slightly arched; depth 3 in standard length; least
depth of caudal peduncle 1.3 in its length and slightly more than 2
in head; head 4 in length; eye 3.5 in head, equal to snout and inter-
orbital space; maxillary reaching vertical from nostrils; maxillary
barbels less than 0.25 eye; gill rakers thick, fleshy, with obtuse ends,
1 + 5 on first arch.
Squamation Scales in lateral line 35, in transverse line from mid-
:

line of back to base of ventral fin 5.5-1-4.5, in predorsal region 13, cir-
cumpeduncular 18 well-developed scaly sheaths along the base of the
;

dorsal and anal fins.

Fins Dorsal origin over eleventh scale of lateral line, slightly behind
:

ventral origin, midway between tip of snout and last scale of lateral
line, dorsal rays iii, 8, last simple ray rather strong, finely serrated, and
 — ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 145

as long as head caudal

; as long as head, deeply forked, lobes pointed,
anal rays iii, 5, longest equal to head less snout ; ventrals arising under
eighth or ninth scale of lateral line, rays i, 8, longest ray 1.3 in head
pectorals equal to ventrals, not quite reaching ventral base, rays i, 15.
Coloration : Upper parts reddish brown, below silvery white ; each
scale of back and side with a round, dark brown spot at base, the spots
forming faint longitudinal lines of which three or four along middle
of side are the most distinct an obscure dark blotch on caudal peduncle
;

near base of caudal fin dorsal fin with blackish edge and blackish mem-
;

branes caudal fin dusky other fins plain.

; ;

v/.'

""^S;^..
s^^^"

Figure 19. Cyclocheilichthys coolidgei, new species: Type (M.C.Z. No. 35519). Drawn
by Mrs. Aime M. Awl.

Type and paratypes. —The type, an ovigerous female, 10.6 cm. long,
collected April 27, 1937, by the Harvard Primate Expedition at
Chiengmai, Northern Thailand, is in the Museum of Comparative
Zoology (M. C. Z. No. 35519). Sixteen other specimens, 6.8 to 10.8
cm. long, taken at the same time and place, are paratypes. Those in
the U. S. National Museum are U. S. N. M. Nos. 118452, 118453.
—
Remarks. This is a very small species, reaching full maturity and
spawning when less than 7 cm. long. The maximum size among the
specimens in hand is 10.8 cm. The smallest is a male 6.8 cm. long with
well -developed gonads.
This species is close to C. armatiis. Agreement is seen in the number
of scales in the lateral and transverse series, in the single small maxil-
lary barbel, and in the fin formulae. Differences are chieflj^ in the body
proportions and in the number of circumpeduncular scales. In C.
arinatus the body is deeper and the head is longer, the caudal peduncle

is deeper, and there are always 16 circumpeduncular scales as against

an invariable count of 18 in the present species.

Named in honor of Harold J. Coolidge, Jr., leader of the Harvard
Primate Expedition, who made the interesting collection of fishes in
 — —
146 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Northern Thailand, of whicli the excellent series of this species forms

a part.
CYCLOCHEILICHTHYS ENOPLOS (Bleeker)

Figure 20

Barbus enoplos Bleeker, 1850 (25), p. 16 (Kalimas River, Surabaya, Java).

Cyclocheilichthys nuicracanthtis Bleeker, 1865 (347), p. 35 (Siam) 1865 (356),
;

175 (Siam).
p.
Cyclocheilichthus enoplos Weber and de Beaufort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 158 (Siam).
Fowler, 1935a, p. 121 (Bangkok) 1937, p. 184 (Bangkok).
;

The range of this species covers Java, Sumatra, and Thailand. It

is known from the entire length of the Menam Chao Phya, the Pasak
and other lar^e tributaries, and the Meklong.

Figure 20. Cyclocheilichthys enoplos (Bleeker). Drawn by Nai Chote Suvatti; cour-
tesy of the Thailand Government.

It is the largest member of the genus. A length of 45 cm. is at-

tained in Sumatra, and examples of that size are not uncommon in the
Menam Chao Phya. A
specimen -taken in the head of that river at
Paknampo January 7, 1925, was 57 cm, long.
What may be regarded as typical specimens have all the lateral-line
tubes bifid. There is considerable variation in this character, how-
ever. Some examples may show only a single scale with a bifid tube,
and some may have the bifid tubes only or mostly on the anterior
scales. In two specimens 22 cm, long taken by me in the Menam Chao
Phya at Nontaburi on December 28, 1925, some of the tubes were bifid
and some trifid.
It is called pla takok throughout its local range.
This fish is considered excellent eating.
 — . — —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 147
CYCLOCHEILICHTHYS REPASSON (Bleeker)

BarMs repasson Bleekee, 1853 (76), p.295 (Panguabang, Sumatra).

Cyclocheiliclitlins repasson Wedeb and de Beaufort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 160 (Siam).
FowuJB, 1937, p. 186 (Tachin, Mepoon, Pitsanulok).

The range of this species covers Java, Borneo, Sumatra, and Thai-
land. widely distributed in Central Thailand (Menam Chao
It is
Phya and tributaries, Meklong), Northern (Mekok at Chiengrai), and
Peninsular Thailand (upper Tapi, Tale Sap, and Patani River).
The prominent distinguishing features are strongly arched dorsal
profile, deep body (about 2.6 times in standard length), flat inter-
orbital space exceeding diameter of eye, 4 small barbels, postlabial
groove on lower jaw not interrupted medianly, 7 scales above lateral
line and 4 below lateral line to base of ventral, 20 scales around the
narrowest part of caudal peduncle, very strong osseous fourth simple
dorsal ray, origin of dorsal fin nearer to base of caudal than to tip of
snout, conspicuous longitudinal black stripes formed by spots on the
scales, and a large round black spot on the caudal peduncle.
While in the Dutch East Indies the fish reaches a length of 28 cm.,
the largest met with in Thailand have been only 16 cm. long.

CYCLOCHEILICHTHIS DUMERILII Sauvage

Cyclocheilichthys (CyclocheilichtJiys) dumerili Bleekee, 1865 (347), p. 37

(nomen nudum) (Siam) ; 175 (nomen nudum) (Siam).
1865 (356), p.
CyclocheiUchthys dunierilii Sauvage, ISSl, pp. 163, 182 (Banglvolv). Hora, 1923b,
p. 154 (Bangkok, Nontaburi). Fowler, 1937, p. 188 (Bangkok, Mepoon,
Tachin, Kemarat).

In the Pakret section of the Menam Chao Phya this fish was very
common December 1924, the bulk of the cast-net catch at that time
in
consisting of it and C osmochilus harmandi Sauvage,
The type was 16 cm. long. The largest fish observed in recent years
were 18.5 cm. long.
While this species has sometimes been ascribed to Bleeker, it was
first described by Sauvage in 1881, 16 years after Bleeker had thus
labeled a specimen in the Paris Museum collected at Bangkok by Dr.
Bocourt.
Fowler (1937), in referring to numerous specimens in his posses-
sion from Central and Northern Thailand, was in error in stating
that "this interesting species does not seem to have been seen since
originally described in 1881." In addition to the specimens from the
Menam Chao Ph3^a at Bangkok and Nontaburi examined by Hora
(1923b), the fish has been collected for the Siamese Bureau of Fish-
eries at various places in the Menam Chao Phya between Bangkok
and Ayuthia, and also in the Samrong Canal (connecting the Menam
Chao Phya with the Menam Bangpakong)
148 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

The characters on which Sauvage separated this species from G.

armatus^ namely, "les ecailles un peu plus petites, le profil rostro-
dorsal mois incline," in reality do not exist. Sauvage gave 38 scales
in the lateral line of his one example of C. dumerilii as against 33 to
36 in annatios, a difference of little significance, which disappears en-

tirely when put against the presence of 30 to 36 scales in the lateral

line of Thailand examples of C. dumerilii (Fowler). The steepness
of the rostrodorsal profile, which would determine the depth of the
body, varies with age although in specimens of O. armatus of the ap-
;

proximate size of the type of C. dimierilii the body is somewhat

deeper.
If O. duTnerilii is separable from C. armatus^ its distinctive features
would seem to be the constant possession of two pairs of well-devel-
oped barbels (as against a single pair of maxillary barbels normally
in C. ai^iatus^ with a rudimentary pair of rostral barbels occasionally
present), and the slenderer caudal peduncle, its least depth contained
2.35 to 2.75 times in head (as against 1.75 to 1.85 times in C. armatus).
Furthermore, while C. dimierilii has no large round spot on the caudal
peduncle and no longitudinal rows of dark spots (one on each scale of
back and sides), these markings are always present in 0. armatus.
The usual indigenous name for this fish is pla nam lang {nam lang,
back spine), but in places one hears the name pla takok^ both applied
also to other species of Cyclocheilichthys.

CYCLOCHEILICHTHYS MEKONGENSIS Fowler

Cyclocheilichthys meJcongensis Fowler, 1937, p. 187, figs. 126, 127 (Kemarat,

Pitsanulok).

This species is based on numerous specimens from the Mekong at

Kemarat. Additional material was from the Nan River at Pitsanulok.
There are 4 short barbels, 34 or 35 scales in the lateral line, close-set
transverse sensory folds covering the entire surface of the head, an
oblique dark bar along the upper part of the gill opening, no con-
spicuous longitudinal dark lines on the back and side, and no dark
blotch on the caudal peduncle.
A length of 15 cm. is attained.

CYCLOCHEIUCHTHYS AMBLYCEPS Fowler

Cychlocheilichthys aniblyceps Fowler, 1937, p. 187, figs. 140, 141 (Bangkok).

Known from two specimens, apparently young, 10.4 and 9 cm. long,
from Bangkok. The snout is relatively short and the eye is relatively

young cyprinoid fishes. With only two

large, as is characteristic of
specimens. Fowler makes an enigmatic remark about the barbels:
"Barbels minute to vestigial or even absent, rostral always smaller or
shorter, maxillary barely ^4 of eye."
The species is very close to C. armatus.
 —

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 149

CYCLOCHEILICHTHYS TAPIENSIS H. M. Smith

FiGUBE 21

CpclochelUchthys tapiensis Smith, 1931a, p. 11, fig. 5 (Tapi River, Bandon Bight).
This fish is known from
six specimens collected in September 1923 at
several places on theTapi Kiver and in Bandon Bight off the mouth of
that river in the Gulf of Siam.
The type is 13 cm. long, and the largest of the examples examined is
16 cm., which represents about the maximum size attained, according
to the local fishermen.

Figure 21. Cyclocheilichthys" tapiensis H. M. Smith. [Link] by Luang Masya; courtesy

of the Thailand Governmet.

The species is not very strongly separated from C. dumerilii as inade-

quately described by Sauvage and as described in greater detail by
Fowler with a number of points of difference. The two forms may
perhaps be separated by the following characters A depression i\t the :

nape in C. tapiensis, none in C. dv/merilii; interorbital space concave

and equal to diameter of eye in former, convex and 1.3 to 1.5 times di-
ameter of eye in latter; lines of sensory pores include conspicuous
longitudinal groups on snout and cheek in former, while in latter all
the lines are said to be transverse 5 rows of scales between the lateral
;

line and the ventral base in G. tapiensis, 4 in C. duTnerilii; fourth sim-

ple dorsal ray scout and with 13 antrorse teeth in former, slender
with 24 antrorse teeth in latter and caudal peduncle with a more or
;

less conspicuous round dark spot in former and none in latter.

The names by which the fish is called are pJa Icamprad (slippery
fish) ,
pla fa, and pla fa hin.
590087—45 11
150 BULLETIN ISS, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Genus OREICHTHYS H. M. Smith

Oreichthys H. M. Smith, Journ. Siam Soc, Nat. Hist. Suppl., vol. 9, p. 63, 1933.

(Type, Oreichthys parvus H. M. Smith.)

The genus Oreichthys was established (Smith, 1933a) for the recep-
tion of a a small brook on Kao Sabap, an exten-
little fish collected in

sive mountain mass near Chantabun. The genus is close to Cyclo-

cheilichthys but differs in having the last simple dorsal ray nonosseous
and nondenticulated (as against strongly osseous and denticulated in
Cyclocheilichthys), the scales much fewer than in any species of
Cyclocheilichthys (only 23 in lengthwise series and 7 in transverse
series) and the tube-bearing scales of the lateral line restricted to the
,

first 6 or 7 scales anteriorly (as against a complete lateral line in

CyclocheilichtJiys) . marked by numerous fine rows of
The head is

pores, mostly in parallel groups on snout, cheeks, interorbital space,

and opercles, which are so markedly developed in Cyclocheilichthys.
There are no barbels.

OREICHTHYS COSUATIS (Hamilton)

Cyprlnus cosuatis Hamilton, 1822, p. 338 (Kosi River).

Oreichthys parvus Smith, 1933a, p. 63, pi. 2, fig. 1 (Ban Ang).
Oreichthys cosuatis Hoka, 1937e, p. 321, fig. 1 (India).

Of 26 specimens November and

of Oreichthys cosuatis taken in
December 1927 and January was 3.4 cm. long, which
1929, the largest
is about the maximum size known to the local mountain people.

This is a widely distributed Indian species and apparently reaches

a maximum size of 7.5 cm. in that country. Very exceptionally in
Indian examples the lateral-line tubes extend to the twentieth scale
with several interruptions; but the usual number of tube-bearing
scales is four or five.
Hora from a study of 6'2/;>"W'?^5 {Cahdio) cosuatis
(1937e) concluded
Hamilton and an examination of paratypes of Oreich-
(1822, p. 338)
thys parvus that the latter is the young. (Paratypes in the U. S.
National Museum collection are U.S.N.M. No. 108050.) Hora's judg-
ment in this matter is unreservedly accepted.

Genus PROBARBUS Sauvage

I'robarbus Sauvage, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, ser. 7, vol. 4, p. 232, 1880. (Type,
Probarbus jullieni Sauvage.)

The genus Proharhue was described as new by Sauvage in 1880 and

was again described as new in almost identical language in 1881, the
latter account having a somewhat amplified description of the geno-
type and being accompanied by a plate. The type specimen was cited
as 34 and 53 cm. long in the two papers. The genus was rather inade-
quately defined and was not differentiated from related genera, but is
 FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SI AM, OR THAILAND 151

undoubtedly quite distinct. An outstanding feature is the presence

of a single row of four pharyngeal teeth this is combined with a pair
;

of short maxillary barbels, a dorsal fin having nine branched rays, and
a stout, osseous, undenticulated simple ray.

PROBARBUS JULLIENI Sauvage

Figure 22

Proharbus julUeni Sauvage, 1880, p. 232 (Laos, French Indo-China) 1881, pp. 163,
;

185, pi. 5, fig. 1 (Laos, French Indo-China).— Smith, 1931d, p. 182 (Menam
Chao Phya, Meklong).
After Proharhus jullieni was first brought to notice, presumably
from the Meklong, the fish seems to have been met with rarely, if at
all, until 1923, when the writer discovered it in Thailand. It is inter-
esting to note that the known range has recently been extended to the
Malay Peninsula. Herre and Myers (1937) record a specimen 38.5
cm. long from Perak, one of the Federated Malay States.

Figure 22.— Probarbus jullieni Sauvage. Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy of the
Thailand Government.

This has a peculiar local distribution, being known only from

fish
the Menam Chao Phya and one of its tributaries (the Pasak) and the
Meklong, It has always been more numerous in the Meklong, which
is a stream with much sandy bottom, while the Menam Chao Phya has

mostly muddy bottom. Not much information has been gathered in

regard to early abundance, but for at least 65 years the fish has been
comparatively scarce. At the present time probably the deep, clear
waters of the Kwe Noi, or west branch of the Meklong, are its favorite
haunts.
In the Meklong the fish reaches a length of a meter. The largest
actually seen by the writer was 86 cm. long; this, examined alive at
Tvajaburi, had been caught on a hook baited with a ball of cooked rice,
and was offered for sale at 10 ticals. Another fish, 60 cm. long, seen
at Sai Yok while still alive, had been taken on a worm-baited hook.
 ;

152 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Usually, however, the examples that reach the markets are obtained
with set lines, cast nets, and other nets. The usual size of those caught
is 25 to BO cm. The smallest fish seen by tlie present author, taken in
.

the Meklong at Ban Pong on November 25, 1924, was 18.2 cm. long.
The life colors are distinctive and attractive. A specimen, 60 cm.
long, taken near Sai Yok on the Kwe Noi on September 23, 1929, had
the body a rich creamj^ yellow with 7 narrow, longitudinal black
stripes, the head bright greenish yellow, the iris red, the dorsal, anal,
ventral, and pectoral rays pink and membranes blackish, and the cau-
dal blackish.
Not much is known of the habits of this
fish. Its mouth is very
protractile like a sucker's, food is chiefly water plants. The
and its
intestines of one, about 35 cm. long, taken in the Meklong at Rajaburi
December 4, 1925, were filled with vegetable material. Although the
fish is found near the mouths of the two large rivers mentioned, it
never enters salt water. It is said to spawn near Eajaburi, but there
is no definite information on this point.

In Thailand this fish is very highly esteemed as food, and on the Mek-
long it is the most celebrated local species, yielding the fishermen two
to three times the price commanded by Lates calcarifer (Bloch) which ,

is the standard high-grade fish. In 1923 a government official at

Eajaburi paid 17 ticals for a large fish, at the rate of a tical per 1.2
km. (a tical at that time being worth about 40 American cents). The
fish is always in such demand that the fishermen quickly dispose of
their catch.
Wherever this fish is known in Thailand it is called ^Za eesoh^ a name
given to no other species.

Genus RAIAMAS Jordan

Ralamas Jordan, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 70, p. 344, 1919. (Type,
Cyprinus bola Hamilton.)

RAIAMAS BOLA (Hamilton)

Cyprinus lola Hamilton, 1822, pp. 274, 385 (the Brahmaputra).

BarlUus 1)01(1 Fowler, 1934a, p. 141 (Chiengsen).

This species was reported by Fowler from the Mekong at Chiengsen,

three specimens 22.2 to 31 cm. being available. This is the only local
record. The previously ascribed range is Burma, Assam, Bengal,
Orissa, and the Northwest Provinces of India. In Assam a weight of
5 pounds has been reported, and the fish there ranks high for its gamy
qualities.
It may
be pointed out that whereas the lateral-line scales are stated
by Day as 88 to94, Fowler gives 48. If the latter figure is not an error,
another species must be involved, probably Barilkis guttatm (Day)
and B. bola must be considered a very doubtful Thailand species.
 ; :

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 153

In general appearance, coloration, structure, and habits this fish is

a Barilius. Its scales are finer than in any known species of Barilius;
its mouth is larger and extends farther backward than in any bariliid

species except possibly guttatus; there are no barbels; and the large,
broad third suborbital bone is placed entirely behind the eye. These
differences, however, are of specific rather than generic significance.
The most distinctive feature, and the one justifying separation from
Barilius^ is the presence of only two rows of pharyngeal teeth, with
5 teeth in the outer row and 2 in the inner row, as against three rows
of teeth in all the species of Barilius for which information on this
point is available.
Bola for the accommoda-
Giintlier (1868, vol. 7) established the genus
Hamilton in
tion of this species, overlooking or ignoring the fact that
1822 had used the name Bola in another connotation. Jordan (pt. 2,
1919, p. 344) proposed the name Raiamas.

Genus ROHTEE Sykes

RoMee Sykes, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1838, pt. 6, p. 161, 1839. (Type, RoUee
ogilbyi Sykes.)

The citation of this genus in Jordan's Genera of Fishes (1919a, pt. 2,

p. 210) is inaccurate in every respect. As the matter is of more than
academic interest, this opportunity will be taken to give correct ref-
erences. The paper by Sykes is listed by Jordan among papers pub-

lished in 1841, and the reference is as f ollow^s

Sykes (1840). The Fishes of Dukliun. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., IV, William
Henry Sykes
RoJitee Sykes, II, 364; orthotype R. vigoesi Sykes. Replaces Osteobrama
Heckel.

The first publication of a paper in which the name RoMee appears

was by Sykes London,
in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of
1838, pt. 6, p. 161, meeting of November 27, 1838, issued in
1839,
May 1839 {fide Sherborn, Index Animalium). The title of the paper
was not as cited but was "On the Fishes of the Deccan" (in table of
contents). Jordan's reference to "Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., IV" is
incorrect, as the Annals and Magazine of Natural History had not
been established at the date shown. The Annals of Natural History,
vol. 4, for 1840, contain (pp. 5^62) the identical paper that had
appeared in Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1838, pt. 6, but the internal
evidence indicates that it was published in September 1839. Jordan's
reference to "II, 364" is to Transactions of the Zoological Society of
London, 1841, vol. 2, pp. 349-378, where the article appeared under
the title "On the Fishes of the Dukliun." In none of the three papers
is there an indication or suggestion that Rohtee vigorsi is the ortho-

type. The Bleeker (1863 [314]), made "i?. ogilhyp the

first reviser,

genotype. Rohtee cannot "replace" Osteobrama because it appeared

four years earlier.
 ;;

154 BULLETIN 1S8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

ROHTEE ALFREDIANA (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Leuciscus alfredianus Citpier and Valenciennes, vol. 17, p. xvi, pi. 488, 1844.
Leuciscus duvaucelii Cv\ier and Valencien^^es, vol. 17, p. 77 (not p. 95), 1844
("Nepaul").

This widely distributed fish of India and Burma has not heretofore
been recorded from Thailand but was, of course, to be expected in the
Salwin Basin. Two specimens 7.5 and 7.7 cm. long were taken by
the writer January 23, 1933, at Mesarieng, in the Meyuam, a tributary
of the Salwin.
Day (1878) gave the lateral-line scales as 55 to 70 in E. cotio, of
which he regarded alfrediana as a variety, but his plate of the latter
shows 45 scales as in the Thailand specimens at hand. ,

In India the fish attains a length of 15 cm. or more.

Genus BARILIUS Hamilton

Barilius Hamilton, Fishes . . . River Ganges, p. 384, 1822. (Type, Cyprinus

barila Hamilton.)

The bariliids are conspicuous in the fauna of India, Burma, and

Thailand but are lacking in the Indo-Australian Archipelago. They
are for the most part fishes of hill or mountain streams, although some
species inhabit lowland w^aters. In life they are silvery and usually
have dark spots or bands on the body.
Eight species, as keyed below, are definitely recognized in Thailand
several others have an uncertain status.

la. Two pairs of barbels (rostral and maxillary).

2a. Scales in lateral line 31 ; scales between midline of back and lateral line
6.5 or 7.5 ; scales between lateral line and origin of ventral fin 3 ;
predorsal
scales 17; circumpeduncular scales 12origin of dorsal fin well in advance
;

of anal barbels less than 0.5 eye body with 6 or 7 irregular blue-black
; ;

cross bands, a large black blotch on caudal peduncle at base of fin, a

black spot on midlength of anterior dorsal rays bernatziki
2b. Scales in lateral line 32 to 37.
3a. Scales in lateral lines 32 to 34 scales between midline of back and lateral
;

line 6.5; scales between lateral line and base of ventral fin 2.5; pre-
dorsal rays 17 or IS circumpeduncular scales 14 rostral barbel 0.75
; ;

diameter of eye origin of dorsal fin slightly in advance of anal fin,

;

midway between tip of snout and posterior end of central caudal rays
dorsal rays iii, 7; about 9 black spots along side of body, the anterior
spots taking form of vertical stripes nanensis
36. Scales in lateral line 35 to 37; scales between midline of back and lateral
line 7.5 scales between lateral line and origin of ventral fin 1 predor-
; ;

sal scales 10; circumpeduncular scales 12; rostral barbel 0.2 diameter
of eye origin of dorsal fin far in advance of anal, midway between
;

tip of snout and base of caudal fin dorsal rays iii, 7 or iii, 8 12 to 14
; ;

narrow blackish vertical stripes crossing a black stripe extending from

head to base of caudal fin huahinensis
 . ;

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 155

2c. Scales in lateral line 38 to 43 ; scales between midline of back and lateral
line 7.5 or 8.5 ; scales between lateral line and origin of ventral fin 2.5 or
3; circumpeduncular scales 14.
4a. Origin of dorsal fin very slightly in advance of anal ;
predorsal scales
21 to 25 body with 7 to 10 blackish transverse bands becoming round-
;

ish on caudal peduncle and often extending across lateral line anteri-
orly membranes of dorsal fin almost entirely black caudal fin un-
; ;

marked pulchellus
4b. Origin of dorsal fin far in advance of anal predorsal scales 10 body ;
;

with 10 to 12 blackish transverse bands becoming roundish on caudal

peduncle and extending across lateral line membranes of dorsal fin ;

blackish along edges of rays in middle part of fin caudal fin with 3 ;

obscure dark cross bands infrafasciatus

1&. No barbels, or a pair of maxillary barbels sometimes present in one species.
5o. Barbels absent origin of dorsal fin well in advance of anal fin.
;

Ga. Scales in lateral line 34 maxillary extending under anterior border of

;

eye 2 blackish cross bands on anterior part of body

;
koratensis
6&. Scales in lateral line 45 maxillary extending under center of eye 12
; ;

steel-blue cross bands on body ornatus

56. A pair of short maxillary barbels present or absent drtrsal fin entirely in ;

advance of anal fin; scales in lateral line 44 to 48; maxillary extending

well beyond eye several more or less irregular lengthwise rows of small
;

dark spots on back and side lower lobe of caudal fin with a broad dark
;

submarginal longitudinal band guttatus

BARILIUS BERNATZIKI Koumans

Barilius ternatzihi Koumans, 1937a, p. 61, fig. 1 (Kapa)

The only species of Barilius thus far recorded from Peninsular

Thailand is this one from the western part of the Peninsula north of
the island of Pucket.
The type and only known specimen is 10.7 cm. long.
The species seems well differentiated, having as an outstanding
feature only 31 scales in the lateral line, a lower number than in any
other species. The figure in Kouman's paper does not agree with the
description in the number of scales in the transverse series, the relative
length and depth of the caudal peduncle, the length of the barbels,
the point of origin of the dorsal fin, and the length of the anal rays.

BARILIUS NANENSIS, new species

FlGTJBE 23

Descriptioyi. —Dorsal profile from snout to dorsal fin nearly straight

and but little inclined; ventral outline moderately and regularly de-
curved from mouth to caudal peduncle depth 3.3 in standard length ;

least depth of caudal peduncle 1.5 in its length and somewhat less than
0.5 head head 4.2 in length eye about 3.2 in head, slightly less than
; ;

interorbital space; snout 0.8 eye;mouth very oblique, maxillary ex-

tending to a point under anterior edge of eye, tip of lower jaw when
 —
15G BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

mouth closed on level with middle of pupil, postsj^mphyseal knob and

corresponding emargination moderately developed; 4 barbels, the
rostral 0.75 eye, the maxillary 0.25 as long as rostral gill rakers 1 + 7, ;

short, widely spaced pharyngeal teeth 5, 4, 2, long, slender, uncinate.

;

Squamation Tube-bearing scales in lateral line 33, scales between

:

lateral line and origin of dorsal fin 6.5, scales between lateral line and
origin of ventral fin 2.5 or 3 ; predorsal scales 18, scales surrounding
narrowest part of caudal peduncle 14; all scales with numerous con-
spicuous horizontal striae.

Figure 23. Barilius nanensis, new species: T3'pe (U. S. N. M. No. 107940). Drawn by
Mrs. Aime M. Awl.

Fins Origin of dorsal fin midway between tip of snout and posterior
:

end of central caudal rays, over fourteenth scale of lateral line; free
edge of fin truncate dorsal says iii, 7, longest branched ray 1,4 times in
;

head; caudal forked for about half its length, lower lobe longer and
about equal to head; anal fin beginning under fourth branched dorsal
ray, its edge slightly emarginate, anal rays iii, 10, longest branched
ray somewhat more than 0.5 head; ventral fin 1.5 in head, the rays i,7;
pectoral fin 1.2 in head, the rays i, 9,

Coloration: Generally silvery; nine black spots along side between

head and base of caudal, the first two most distinct and persistent and
having the form of short, narrow, vertical stripes, others more or
less rounded; dorsal membranes hyaline, the rays below a horizontal
line from middle of first ray to tip of last ray blackish green caudal ;

green, rays narrov»'ly margined with black; other fins plain.

—
Type and paratypes. The type (U.S.N.M. No. 107940) is a mature
female, 7.2 cm. long, taken by H. G. Deignan on March 31, 1936, in
the Nan [Link] at Ban Pa Khwang, Northern Thailand. Four other
specimens (paratypes, U.S.N.M. Nos. 107939, 119474-119476) from 6.2
to 7.1 cm. long were taken in the same place as the type. All are
females with eggs well developed.
 FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 157

Other speci7ne7u. —A further lot of specimens collected by Deignaii

in the Menam Kon, abranch of the Menam Nan, April 21, 1936, con-
sists of six fish 8.3 to 8.8 cm. long. They are typical in showing two
to three sharply defined black vertical stripes anteriorly, with the
posterior spots more or less indistinct.
Referable to this species are specimens in the Deignan collection,
5.5 and 4.8 cm. long, taken in the gorge of the Mechem in Northern
Thailand, July 1935, by A, K. Buchanan and P. D. Harrisson, of
Chiengmai.
—
Remarks. This is one of the smallest of the known species of
Barilius of Thailand, Burma, and India, the females reaching full
sexual maturity when only 6.2 cm. long.
Its relations with other local species are shown in the preceding
key. It is distinguished by a combination of characters shared by
other species and by several peculiar features, including the colora-
tion of the dorsal fin with each branched ray black basally, the extent
of the blackish coloration increasing from before backward, so that
the last ray almost entirely blackish.
is

The paratypes agree very closely with the type in all details of
structure, with slight variations that are to be expected. Thus, the
tube-bearing scales of the lateral line number 32 to 34, the predorsal
scales 17, the scales surrounding the caudal peduncle uniformly 14,
and the branched anal rays uniformly 10.

BARILIUS HUAHINENSIS Fowler

Barilius MahineMsis Fowler, 1934b, p. 347, figs. 9, 10 (Ban Thuiig Luang).

Known from many specimens, the largest 9.1 cm. long, from Ban
Thung Luang, near the seaside resort of Hua Hin, on the west coast
of the Gulf of Siam.
The coloration of young and adult is peculiar in showing 12 to 14
narrow black vertical stripes along side, a straight black median
stripe from head to base of caudal fin, and, in the adult, about 4
curved, parallel dark lines on the back formed by a spot at the base
of each scale. The adult has both rostral and maxillary barbels; the
young appears to lack the maxillary pair.

BARILIUS PULCHELLUS H. M. Smith

Barilius pulchellus Smith, 1931a, p. 17, fig. 8 (Mekang).

Barilius buddhae Fowler, 1934a, p. 142, fig. 116 (Chiengdao, Chiengmai).

Described from four specimens taken from the Mekang at Pang

Chao, on Doi Angka, Northern Thailand, on December 1, 1928, this
species has been found to be abundant in various other waters in the
drainages of the Menam Pino; and the Menam Kong. The collection
 158 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

of the National Museum contains over 100 specimens obtained by H. M.

Smith and H. G. Deignan in 1934, 1935, and 1936. These came from
Huey Melao, a brook on Doi Hua Mot Menam Lu and other branches
;

;'

of the Mechem (tributary to the Meping) collected by A. B,. Buchanan

,

the Menam Kok, an affluent of Menam Mao and small affluents of the
Menam Fang (tributary to the Mekong) and Huey Nam Puat, a tribu-
;

tary to the Mekong in French Laos.

In a lot of four specimens 5.1 to 6.4 cm. long from Huey Melin, a
brook flowing into the Menam Mao, the two largest fish show a narrow
black edge on the outer ventral rays but apparently differ in no other
way from typical examples.
This a small fish, apparently getting little larger than 10.5 cm.
is

One of the topotypes was a female 7 cm. long with well-developed

ova.
The have four barbels, of which the rostral
species seems normally to
pair are always the longer. The
barbels are, however, subject to varia-
tion. The length of the rostral barbels ranges from one-half to one
eye diameter. In some series the maxillary barbels are invariably
present; in other lots (as in a series of three specimens from Huey
Nam Puat, just over the border of Siam in French Laos) the maxillary
barbels are absent; and in a series of 5 specimens taken by Deignan
in the Huey Nam Hu Puang, an affluent of the Menam Mao, December
25, 1936, the maxillary barbels are absent on either one side or both
sides.
It would appear that Barilim huddhae Fowler is this species. The
body proportions, squamation, fin formulae, origin of the dorsal fin
slightly posterior to origin of anal, etc., are in agreement. The colora-
tion is not essentially different, and among a large series of specimens
of B. pulchelliis some are found that closely approach or entirely con-
form with the markings described in B. huddhae.
Among the mountain people of Thailand this fish shares with others
of the genus the name pla nam Tnuh (ink fish), probably in allusion to
the black blotches on the sides and the jet-black interradial membranes
of the dorsal fin.

BARILIUS INFRAFASCIATUS Fowler

BariUus infrafasciatus Fowleb, 1934a, p, 141, figs. 114, 115 (Metang),

Known from a number of specimens taken in the Metang, a tribu-

tary of the Meping, in Northern Thailand.
The type and longest example is 10 cm. long.
Fowler suggests that this form may be Sauvage's most inadequately
described B. ornatus (q, v,), but the differences are too marked to
warrant the union of the two.
 —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 159
BARILIUS KORATENSIS H. M. Smith

Figure 24

BariUus koratensis Smith, 1931a, p. 16, fig. 7 (Menam).

Kiiown from a single specimen, 6 cm. long, from the Menam Mun
at Ta Chang, in Korat Province, this fish is easily recognizable by the
absence of barbels, the insertion of the dorsal fin almost wholly in

advance of the anal, and the presence of two black vertical bars on
the side, one over the pectoral, one under the dorsal.

Figure 24. Barilius koraUnsis H. M. Smith. Drawn by Nai Chote Suvatti; courtesy
of the Thailand Government.

BARIUUS ORNATUS Sauvage

Barilius ornatus Satjvagb, 1883b, p. 153 (Menam Chao Phya).

Described from a specimen, 11 cm. long, collected in the Menam
Chao Phya by Dr. Harmand, this species does not appear to have been
met with again. The description is imperfect, and a number of fea-
tures of diagnostic value are not referred to. There are no barbels,
the body is comparatively deep (3 in length), the maxillary extends
to a linedrawn vertically from the pupil, the scales in the lateral line
number 45, the origin of the dorsal fin is midway between the pupil
and the base of the caudal, the origin of the anal fin is opposite the
termination of the dorsal base, and the body is marked with 12 trans-
verse steel-blue bands.

BARILIUS GUTTATUS (Day)

Opsarius guttatus Day, 1869, p. 620 (Burma).

Bola harmandi Sauvage, 1880, p. 231 (Cambodia) ; 1881, p. 188, pi. 6, fig. 6 (Cam-
bodia).
Barilius harmandi Fowlee, 1934a, p. 141, figs. 112, 113 (Chiengmai) ; 1935a, p. 130
(Sriracba) ; 1937, p. 212 (Mepoon).

Originally described from Burma, this species was added to the local
fauna when specimens were collected in 1924 by Dr. Malcolm Smith
from a hill stream near Kaheng on the Meping in Central Thailand.
160 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Through the courtesy of Dr. Sunder Lai Hora, of the Indian Museum in
Calcutta, the writer was able to compare the Raheng fish with a speci-
men of B. guttatus from Prome, on the Irrawaddy in Burma, one of the
lot from which Day described the species the agreement was complete.
;

Other waters from which the fish has been obtained are the Meklong
at Tambol Na Muang, September 1, 1930 and the Meyuam at Mesa-
;

rieng, January 23, 1933, the last in the Salwin drainage system. Addi-
tional specimens, in the Deignan collection, were obtained from the
Salwin at Ta Fang, October 15, 1936, and from the Mekong at Chieng-
sen Kao, January 9, 1937.
In local waters it reaches a known length of 27.5 cm.
Under the name of Barilius hurirhmuU, Fowler reported the fish from
the Meping, the Metang, and the Mepoon in Northern Thailand and a;

specimen in the British Museum thus labeled was collected by Vernay

in the Mewang, near Lampang in the Central area.
There seems little doubt that Bola harmxindi Sauvage, described in
1880 from the Grand Lakes in Cambodia, is the present species. Sau-
vage compared it with the Indian Barilius hola^ which is a very dis-
similar form, but made no comparison with B. guttatus^ which Day had
described in 1869. Sauvage's account is incomplete and in some re-
spects at variance with his figure published a year later, the artist
showing features that the author overlooked, such as the presence of a
small but very distinct maxillary barbel, while the description defi-
nitely states there are no barbels. Fowler's description and figure of a
specimen 26.5 cm. long from the Meping at Chiengmai indicated a
fish very different in body coloration from Sauvage's account which,
however, did not agree with his figure. Fowler (1934a) noted that in
B. harmandi "the dark bar in the lower caudal lobe is usually an un-
failing character of distinction," but the same dark bar is present in
B. guttatus.
To indicate the similarity in the fish described under the names
B. guttatus and B. harmandi^ the following comparison has been pre-
pared. The only difference worthy of note in the three sets of data
is in the number of scales between the midline of the back and the
lateral line; the fewer scales shown in Sauvage's figure would have
some importance if this feature had been referred to in the text or if
full reliance could be placed in the accuracy of the drawing.
This species may be recognized easily by its very large mouth, the
maxillary extending far beyond a vertical from the posterior margin
of the eye and being about two-thirds the length of the head. Com-
bined with this feature is the presence of rows of dark spots on the
side and the broad dark submarginal longitudinal band on the lower
lobe of the caudal fin.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 161

Character
 ;

162 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

26. Maxillary barbels one-fourth diameter of eye ; body with 5 narrow, well-
defined blackish longitudinal stripes following rows of scales of back and
side ; a dark elliptical spot on caudal peduncle edge of dorsal
; fin black
interradial membranes of dorsal fin blackish medianly lineatus
16. Barbels absent.
3o. Scales in lateral line 53 to 60 ; scales in transverse series 12-1-8 or 9 ; scales
ai'ound caudal peduncle 28 or 30 ; ventral fins with no dark edge.
microlepis
36. Scales in lateral line 32 to 34; scales in transverse series 6-1-5; scales
around caudal peduncle about 14; ventral fins with a sharply defined
dark edge marginipinnis

CIRRHINUS JULLIENI Sanvage

Cirrhina jullieni Sauvage, ISTSb, p. 237 (Cambodia, French Indo-China) ; 1881,

p. 174, pi. 6, fig. 2 (Laos, French Indo-China).
Cirrjiimis Fowler, 1934a, p. 115 (Bangkok, Chiengmai, Chiengsen)
jullieni ;

1935a, p. 122, 64 (Bangkok) 1935b, p. 510 (Old Chiengsen) 1937, p.

figs. 63, ; ;

173 (Bangkok, Mepoon, Pitsanulok, Kemarat).

Described in 1878 from the Mekong in Laos, this species has been
found in various parts of Central, Northern, and Eastern Thailand,
being especially common in tributaries of the upper Menam Chao
Phya.
This fish reaches a length of 20 cm. A specimen 17.2 cm. long taken
September 8, 1934, in a canal in front of the writer's residence in Bang-
kok, was a female with ripe eggs; the lateral-line scales were M, the
transverse scales to ventral base 5.5-1-4, the predorsal scales 10, and
the circumpeduncular scales 20 there were no barbels the lips were
; ;

not fringed the free edge of the dorsal rays was black and the inter-
;

radial dorsal membranes had dark areas.

Apparently no specimens have been taken in local waters that agree
fully with Sauvage's descriptions, which called for a pair of rostral
barbels, fringed lips, and 4.5 or 5 rows of scales between the lateral line
and the base of the ventral fin. In Thailand the species normally has
a pair of short maxillary barbels, which are concealed in the postlabial
grooves. Specimens are met with, however, in which the barbels are
altogether absent or are represented by mere rudiments. The original
description referred only to superior, that is, rostral barbels, shorter
than the eye, but no barbels are shown in Sauvage's plate accompany-
ing his 1881 report, and no rostral barbels have been found in Siamese
specimens. A
fringed margin of the lips is mentioned in Sauvage's
supplementary account, but this seems a variable feature as it has not
been observed in local specimens. half-grown specimen of Cir~ A
rhinus jullieni in the British Museum from the Bangpakong examined
by Dr. Ethelwynn Trewavas was ascertained to have no barbels and
no fringes on the lips.
 —
FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SI AM, OR THAILAND 163
CIRRHINUS LINEATUS, new species

FiGUEE 25

Description. —Depth 3.6 in standard length; depth of caudal

peduncle 1.5 in its length and 2.5 in depth of body ; head 4.3, its width
depth and 1.7 in its length; snout 3 in head; eye 4.5 in head,
1.25 in its
1.5 in snout,and 2.5 in interorbital space snout and top of head with ;

numerous minute pores and low papillae; width of mouth somewhat

greater than diameter of eye, lips thin and entire a pair of maxillary ;

barbels 0.25 length of eye concealed in postlabial groove.

Squamation : Scales (tube-bearing) in lateral line 33, in transverse
series 5.5-1-3 to base of ventral, in predorsal region 10, surrounding
caudal peduncle 20 ventral axillary scale 2.5 in length of fin.
;

Fins Origin of dorsal fin far in advance of ventrals, over ninth scale
:

of lateral line; dorsal rays iii, 8, first branched ray as long as head;
caudal fin longer than head, equal to depth of body, deeply forked, lobes
pointed ; anal rays iii, 5, longest more than 0.5 head ventral fins ; 1.2
in pectorals, which are slightly shorter than head, pectoral rays i, 13.

%^'

Figure 25. Cirrhinus lineatus, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 107960). Drawn by-

Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

Coloration: Generally silvery white, back and top of head light

olive; fivenarrow, sharply defined blackish longitudinal stripes on
body, three above lateral line most distinct; a dark elliptical spot on
caudal peduncle at base of caudal fin edge of dorsal fin black, dorsal
;

membranes medianly blackish in their posterior half caudal fin dusky ;

green ; other fins pale greenish.

—
Type and paratype. The type (U.S.N.M. No, 107960), a specimen
14.9cm. long, was taken in Lam Ton Lang, a tributary of the Menam
Sak, Central Thailand, July 19, 1925. U.S.N.M. No. 119484 is a para-
type.
164 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

—
Other sfecimens. This species is known from the type, the paratype,
and a third specimen. 12.5 cm, long, in the Deignan collection, taken
in the Mefang, tributary of the Mekok, July 12, 1936.
—
Remm-ks. The species may fall within the limits of variation of
the imperfectly described C. julUeni Sauvage, but in the absence of
information thereon it seems best to describe the present form, which
is characterized by short maxillary barbels, entire lips, scales of mod-
erate size (with 20 surrounding the caudal peduncle), and sharply
defined narrow blackish longitudinal stripes that are possessed by no
other species, although in several species there are broken lines made
up of dark spots at the bases of the scales.

CIRRHINUS MICROLEPIS Sauvage

Cirrhina microJepis Sauvage, 187Sb, p. 236 (Mekong, Cambodia) ; 1881, p. 173,

pi. 8. fig. 2 (Mekong) ; ISSSb, p. 1-52 (Menam Chao Phya).— Hoka, 1923b,
p.158 (Bangkok).—ViPULY A, 1023, p. 22.5 (Bangkok).
Cirrhina aura fa Sauvage, 1878b, p. 236 (Mekong, Cambodia) ; 1881, pp. 163, 173
(Mekong).
Cirrhiims aurafus Fowler, 1935a, p. 122, figs. 61, 62 (Bangkok).

The small scales of this species serve to make its identification easy.
There are up to 60 scales in the lateral line and 10 to 12 rows between
the lateral line and the midline of the back before the dorsal fin.

Described from the Mekong in Cambodia, the fish has been found to
range throughout the Menam Chao Phya, and is especially common
in the Bangkok region. One specimen from Chantabun was collected
in the Bangkok market March 5, 1925.
The fish is essentially a vegetarian but it eats also insects, shrimps,
and worms. It reaches a large size. Examples weighing 3 to 5 pounds
are common. Prince Vipuiya (1023) reports the taking of a fish of 8
pounds on a rod and one of 15 pounds in a net in the Bangkok area.
Under the vernacular name of />?« nuan chan this fish is recognized as
one of the best of the local fresh- water food fishes. In Bangkok it is
extensively grown in ponds and canals, and always meets with ready
sale because of its attractive coloration and graceful lines as well as its
food qualities.
Neither the original description of Cirrhina aurata by Sauvage nor
any subsequent description seems to bring out any essential features
separating that species from C. microlepis. The latter name has
priority over C. aurata by being first on the page.

CIRRHINUS MARGINIPINNIS Fowler

Cirrliinus marginiplnniH Fowler, 1937, p. 173, fig.s. lOS, 109 (Pitsanulok, Mepoou,
Bangkok).

Described from very numerous specimens from the basin of the

Menam Chao Phya, this species, according to Fowler, is "always dis-
 ;
:

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SI AM, OR THAILAND 165

tinguislied from Girrhinus julUeni by its ventrals terminally edged

dark gray to diisky," also referred to as dark brown. There appear
to be no other distinctive characters. Tlie waters from which it is
listed are occupied also by 0. jullieni; and the presence of a narrow
dark margin to the ventral fins may come within the limits of variation
in the variable species jullieni. C
margmipinnis has no barbels, and
Fowler reports specimens of C. jullieni without barbels.
The fish reaches a length of 17 cm.

Genus PUNTIUS Hamilton

Puntius Hamilton, Fishes . . . River Ganges, p. 310, 1822. (Type, Cyprinus
puntio Hamilton.)

The Old World fishes falling within the wide

classification of the
limits of the genus Barhus as proposed by Cuvier (1817), w^ith
Cyjpriniu^ harhus Linnaeus as its type, has been highly unsatisfactory
to systematic workers. After the elimination of a dozen or more per-
fectly distinct genera that Giinther, Day, and others placed in Barhus.,
there remains a large group whose exact relations and nomenclature
await elucidation.
For the present purposes, it is convenient to adopt for a section of
the Thailand barbs the generic name Puntius., first used by Hamilton
in 1822 for a number of Indian species. Bleeker (1863 (301), vol. 3,
p. 27) designated Hamilton's P. sophore as the type of Pwntius, and
proposed three subgenera, as follows, based on the number of barbels
Barhodes, 4 barbels type, Bar'bodes belinka Bleeker
;

Capoeta, 2 barbels; type, Capoeta amphibia Valenciennes

Puntius, no barbels type not indicated
;

Bleeker's course does not appear to have been sound. The subgenus
Puntius should have represented the genus in sensu stricto' that is, it
should have agreed with the genotype in the special character (number
of barbels) on which the genus was divided. Inasmuch as sophore has
four barbels, the name Puntius was left without appropriate status
the fish called Borhodes^ with four barbels, should properly have been
designated Puntius.
Under the International Rules of Zoological Nomenclature, the type
species of Puntius., in the absence of any indication or designation by
its author,was automatically determined by tautonymy (Article 30,
Id) and Hamilton's puntio must be considered the genotype Puntius ;

puntio., a small fish of Bengal and Burma, has no barbels.

The puntiid fishes are the most numerous as to species and among
the most abundant as to individuals among the fresh-water fishes of
Thailand. It is hardly an exaggeration to state that in any haul of a
seine or trap in any part of the country these fishes are almost certain
t9 be represented.
590087—45 12
 ;

166 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

They exhibit a wide range in size, the smallest species being only
an inch in length, the largest more than a foot. Regardless of size,
they are eaten by the local people, and, on account of their general
abundance and ease of capture, constitute an important element in
the food supply.
While most of the species are plain silvery without distinguishing
marks, some are brilliant golden, some are strikingly spotted or cross-
banded, and some have beautiful red, blue, and other colors on head,
body, and fins. In addition to the 31 species shown in the following
key, there have been ascribed to Thailand a few others of invalid or
doubtful status that are noted at the end of the regular series. Some
of the local species are unfortunately known from sparse material, in
some cases from single specimens, so that intraspecific variability
cannot be determined.
la. No barbels.
2a. Last simple dorsal ray osseous and denticulated, much longer than head;
last simple anal ray osseous and strong; scales in lateral line 37;
scales in transverse series to base of ventral fin 7-1-4.5 body marked ;

by oblique blackish bands; size medium bulu

2b. Last simple dorsal ray nonosseous and nondenticulated, much shorter than
head last simple anal ray nonosseous and weak scales in lateral line
; ;

22 to 25 scales in transverse series to base of ventral fin 4 or 5-1-3 a

; ;

round or vertically elongate spot at third scale of latei'al line, another

such spot on caudal peduncle at posterior end of anal base size ;

small stoliczkae
1&. Two barbels (maxillary).
3a. Last simple dorsal ray nonosseous and smooth lateral line incomplete
;

only first G scales bearing tubules; scales around caudal peduncle 12; a
black spot on caudal peduncle, another black spot on basal part of
dorsal fin masyai
36. Last simple dorsal ray osseous and smooth ; lateral line complete ; scales
in lateral line 23 to 26.
4a. Noblack spot on dorsal fin a black spot on caudal peduncle scales
; ;

around caudal peduncle 12, 14, or 16 leiacanthus

4b. Usually a black spot on basal part of soft dorsal rays and a black spot
on caudal peduncle.
5a. A dark median band and a dark margin on dorsal fin a narrow dark ;

longitudinal stripe on body scales around caudal peduncle 12.

;

spilopterus
5&. No dark median band and no dark margin on dorsal fin ; no dark
longitudinal stripe on body ; scales around caudal peduncle 16.
sophoroides
3c. Last simple dorsal ray osseous and denticulated ; lateral line complete or
incomplete.
6a. Lateral line incomplete; body deep (depth 2.12 to 2.2) maxillary barbel ;

about 0.5 eye; head and body marked by 5 black cross bands.
partipentazona
66. Lateral line complete; depth 2.3; maxillary shorter than eye; no dark
spots on dorsal fin; sides without bars or spots; base of dorsal and
anal with a few scales dorsal fin origin over ninth scale of lateral line,
;

midway between tip of snout and base of caudal fin viehoeveri

 ;; ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 167

6c. Lateral line complete; body more elongate (depth 2.6 to 3.2) ; maxillary
about equal to or shorter than eye; body marked by a longitudinal
row of dark spots a dark spot on back
; at base of dorsal fin anteriorly.
la. Dorsal fin origin over eighth scale of lateral line a small black spot ;

on body above base of anal fin.

8a. Origin of dorsal fin much nearer to tip of snout than to base of
caudal fin; branched dorsal rays 8; depth of body 3.2 in standard
length depth of caudal peduncle 1.5 in its length 4 roundish
; ;

black spots on side of which 3 anterior are above lateral line. 1

on caudal peduncle on each side of lateral line stig'matosomus
8&. Origin of dorsal fin midway between tip of snout and base of caudal
fin branched dorsal rays 7 depth of body 2.8 in standard length
; ;

depth of caudal peduncle equal to its length 4 black vertical ;

bands on body all extending below lateral line; a round black spot
on caudal peduncle on each side of lateral line a black spot on ;

back under posterior doi^sal raj'S sametensis

7b. Dorsal fin origin over tenth scale of lateral line, midway between tip
of snout and base of caudal fin 6 vertically elongated black or dark ;

brown spots on side above lateral line pessuliferus

Ic. Four barbels (rostral and maxillary).
9a. Last simple dorsal ray osseous, uondenticulaled.
[Link] in lateral line 22 scales in transverse series above lateral line
;

3.5 predorsal scales 7 circumpeduncular scales 12 mouth moderate,

; ; ;

maxillary extending opposite anterior margin of eye barbels shorter ;

than eye dorsal fin well forward, its origin over sixth scale of lateral
;

line, nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal fin dorsal and ;

caudal fins plain paucisquamatus

10&. Scales in lateral line 29 to 33 scales in transverse series above lateral
;

line 4.5 or 5.5 predorsal scales 9 to 12 circumpeduncular scales 14.

; ;

11a. Scales in lateral line 29 scales in transverse series above lateral line
;

4.5 predorsal scales 9 or 10 mouth moderate, maxillary extending

; ;

opposite anterior margin of eye barbels shorter than eye dorsal ; ;

fin well forward, its origin over seventh scale of lateral line, midway

between tip of snout and posterior base of anal fin dorsal and ;

caudal lobes black-tipped colemani

116. Scales in lateral line 33 scales in transverse series above lateral line
;

5.5 predorsal scales 12 mouth small, maxillary extending opposite

; ;

nostrils; barbels equal to eye; dorsal fin well backward, its origin
over tenth scale of lateral line midway between tip of snout and
base of caudal fin dorsal rays and membranes blackish distally
;

caudal fin with posterior edge dusky faucis

96. Last simple dorsal ray osseous, denticulated.
12a. Always 28 or fewer scales in lateral line (including all tube-bearing
scales) anal rays iii, 5.
;

13a. Scales in lateral line 23 or 24 predorsal scales 8 scales around caudal

; ;

peduncle 12.
14a. Scales in transverse series from midline of back to base of ventral
fin 5.5-1-2 or 2.5 last simple dorsal ray with 8 coarse serratures
;

coloration plain wetniorei

146. Scales in transverse series from midline of back to base of ventral
fin 4.5-1-2 or 2.5 last simple dorsal ray with numerous fine
;

serratures body marked by 2 black cross bands anteriorly, and

;

1 black longitudinal band posteriorly lateristriga

 ;;;

1G8 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

13&. Scales in lateral line 23 to 28; scales in transverse series to base of

ventral fin 4.5 or 5-1-2.5 or 3
predorsal scales 8 to 10.
;

loa. Scales around caudal peduncle 14rostral barbels about equal to ;

eye, maxillary barbels somewhat longer coloration golden, each ;

scale of back with a dark brown base ; ventral fins orange ;

pec-
toral fins bright yellow daruphani
15&. Scales around caudal peduncle 12 rostral barbels longer than eye ;

maxillary barbels twice diameter of eye or less coloration silvery, ;

body with a black spot on back at base of dorsal fin, a black spot
on caudal peduncle, young otherwise spotted binotatus
15c. Scales around caudal peduncle 12; rostral barbels slightly shorter
than maxillary, which are equal to or longer than eye.
16a. Caudal lobes much longer than head; lateral line with tubules
deficient on a few anterior scales; length of caudal peduncle
1.16 to 1.5 times its depth scales of back with dark brown edges
;

forming a network vernayi

16&. Caudal lobes equal to head lateral line with tubules on all scales
;
;

length of caudal peduncle equal to its depth scales of back with ;

dark brown basal pockets beasleyi

12?>. About 29 to 33 scales in lateral line scale;^ between midline t>f back and
;

lateral line 4.5 to 6.5.

17a. Ajial rays iii, 5 (exceptionally lii, 6 or iii, 7) ; barbels well developed.
18a. Scales around caudal peduncle 12; scales in transverse series to base
of ventral fin 6-1-3 ;
predorsal scales 12 ; a large black spot on
dorsal fin f oxi
18&. Scales around caudal peduncle 14 scales in transverse series to base ;

of ventral fin 5.5-1-2.5 or 3 predorsal scales 10 to 12 lateral line

;
;

complete, incomplete, or absent coloration plain huguenini ;

18c. Scales around caudal peduncle 16.

19a. Scales above lateral line 4.5 scales between lateral
line and base
;

of ventral fin predorsal scales 10 or 11 snout short,

3 or 3.5 ;
;

1.3 in eye maxillary extending under anterior edge of eye

;

maxillary barbel 0.8 eye caudal fin longer than head a jet
; ;

black spade-shaped spot on caudal peduncle ; a blackish stripe

from upper end of gill opening to base of caudal fin [Link]
19&. Scales above lateral line 5.5 to 6.5 scales between lateral ; line and
base of ventral fin 8.5 to 4.5 [Link] scales 10 to 13 no black
;
;

spot on caudal peduncle no black stripe from upper end of gill

;

opening to base of caudal fin.

20a. Eyes nearer to dorsal profile than to ventral profile of head.
21a. Snout shorter than eye serrations on last simple dorsal ray
;

about 20 all fins red

; bramoides
216. Snout longer than eye ; serrations on last simple dorsal ray
12 to 15 fins whitish, each caudal lobe
; may have a black
horizontal edge sarana
20&. Eyes nearer than to dorsal profile of head
to ventral profile
snout shorter than eye; serrations on last simple dorsal
ray 12 jolaniarki
17&. Anal rays iii, 6; barbels minute or rudimentary, coloration silvery.
gonicnotua
12c. About 32 to 38 scales in lateral line annl rays iii, 5. ;

22a. Scales between midline of back and lateral line 8 or 9.

23a. Scales in lateral line 32; predorsal scales 9; depth 1.8 to 2.12 in
standard length; maxillary barbel equal to or shorter than eye;
 —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 169

last simple dorsal ray with coarse serratiires (5 to 12) a black

;

blotch on apex of dorsal fin;caudal lobes plain altus

23&. Scales in lateral line 35 or 36; predorsal scales 13; depth 2.3 to 2.5
in standard length; maxillary barbel longer than eye; last simple
dorsal ray with fine serratures (15 to 20) a black blotch on apex
;

of dorsal fin a broad black submarginal band on each caudal

;

lobe schwanenfeldii
226. Scales between midline of back anil lateral line 5 or 5.5; predorsal
scales 10 or 11.
24a. Depth of body 3.4 to 3.75 in standard length; barbels less than 0.3
diameter of eye about 8 serratures on last simple dorsal ray a
; ;

black spot on outer half of dorsal fin ashmeadi

246. Depth of body 2.5 to 3 in standard length barbels equal to or longer
;

than diameter of eye about 30 serratures on last simple dorsal

;

ray a broad black marginal horizontal band on each caudal

;

lobe orplioides
Id. Status uncertain bocourti, laoensis, balleroides, siamensis, pinnauratus

PUNTIUS BULU (Bleeker)

Systom^s hulu Bleeker, 1851 (45), p. 207 (Bandjermassiug, Borneo).

Puntius iPmitiiis) hulu Bleekek, 1863 (301), vol. 3, p. 110 (Siam) 1865 (356),
;

p. 176 (Siam).
Barbus {Puntius) hulu Hoka, 1924a, p. 470 (Tale Sap).
Puntius hulu KouMANS, 1937a, p. 62 (Tale Sap).

Bleeker wrote in 1863 "The bulu-bulu inhabits not only the large
:

rivers ofSumatra and Borneo, but also those of Siam, where M. the
Count of Castelnau found it during his visit to Bangkok." This
statement was apparently partly incorrect as regards Thailand. The
fish isnot known from the large rivers but seems to be peculiar to lakes
in Peninsular Thailand, that is, in the inner part of the Tale Sap and
in the Tale Noi, and in the small, short streams connected therewith.
The recent finding of this species in Perak by Herre and Myers
(1937) is interesting and, taken in conjunction with other records by
these authors, suggests that the assumed disconnected distribution of
various fresh-water fishes that have heretofore been known from
Borneo and Sumatra on the one hand and Central Thailand on the
other may disappear when more intensive collecting shall have been
done in the Malay Peninsula.
The full-grown fish are strikingly marked with oblique black cross
bands shown in Bleeker's plate in the Atlas but not referred to in the
description by Weber and de Beaufort.
This is one of the common fishes of the Tale Noi, where a special
form of gill net is set for it and examples up to 25 or 30 cm. long are
taken.
The local fishermen and those of the Tale Sap have a special name
for it q)la turn.
 170 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
PUNTIUS STOLICZKAE (Day)

Danio stoliczkae Day, 1869, p. 621 (Burma).

This is a small species heretofore known only from Burma. Its

status as a Thai fish rests on a specimen taken by the writer in the
Meyuam at Mesarieng, Western Thailand, January 23, 1933; on 25
specimens from the Mechem, a tributary of the Meping, Northern area,
taken by A. R. Buchanan of Chiengmai in October 1935, and forwarded
to the U. S. National Museum by H. G. Deignan; and five specimens
from the Sal win at Ta Fang, Western district, collected by Deignan
October 14, 1936.
In Burma this species is credited with a length of 10 cm. The maxi-
mum length of the Thai specimens in hand is 5.5 cm. in a male from
the Salwin. Two and 4.8 cm. long, from the same river
females, 4.2
contain well-developed eggs. In the smallest specimens, 1.9 to 2.5 or
3 cm. long, the spot on the caudal peduncle shows a tendency to extend
toward the upper median line, and in some the spots of the two sides
almost meet.
Through the courtesy of the Indian Museum in Calcutta, the U. S.
National Museum has received a specimen of Puntius stoliczkae from
Sandoway, Lower Burma this specimen is one of a lot referred to in
;

a paper by Dr. Sunder Lai Hora (1937f). The figure given by Ilora
is a great improvement over the one in Day's Fishes of India. The
Thai specimens agree with the Burmese example, exhibiting such
differences as represent individual variation in squamation and in size
and denticulation of the last simple dorsal ray. There is a short
vertical black blotch on the lateral line involving the third and fourth
scales, together with several scales above and below, and there is a
round black spot about the size of the eye on the lateral line just pos-
terior to the base of the anal fin the dorsal fin has a narrow black edge
;

and irregular black spots on the basal two-thirds of the raj's and mem-
branes.
Puntius stoliczkae is very similar to P. ticto Hamilton from India
and may prove to be identical. The supposed differences may dis-
appear when sufficient material is available for study. Day distin-
guished stoliczkae from P. ticto by its possession of a lateral line com.-
plete instead of more or less incomplete, and 9 instead of 11 predorsal
scales. Hora (1037f, p. 330) has shown, however, that in P. stoliczkae
the lateral line isvariable, and may be complete or limited to as few as
7 scales. Hora says "the most important difference between the two
species, however, lies in the number of the predorsal scales 8 to 9 in —
B. stoliczkae and 11 in B. ticto,''^ but Thai specimens have the predorsal
scales numbering 8, 9, or 10, with 8 the predominant number.
 — ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SUM, OR THAILAND 171

PUNTIUS MASYAI. new species

FiGUBE 26

Description. —
Moderately elongate, strongly compressed, depth of
body standard length, depth of caudal peduncle slightly less than
2.8 in
its length and 2.5 in head length of head equal to depth of body eye
; ;

about equal to snout, 3.5 in head and less than the flat interorbital space
mouth terminal, strongly arched, maxillary extending to a point under
anterior edge of eye; a pair of maxillary barbels 0.25 diameter of eye.
Squamation scales of lateral line 26, of which only the anterior 6
:

are tube-bearing; scales in transverse series from midline of back be-

fore dorsal fin to base of ventral 9.5; predorsal scales 9; circum-
peduncular scales 12.
Fins Dorsal fin emarginate, its origin over origin of ventrals, much
:

nearer to base of caudal than to end of snout, dorsal rays iii, 8, last
simple ray nonosseous, without serratures, 0.75 length of head caudal ;

fin about length of head, deeply forked, lobes sharply pointed; anal
emarginate, rays iii, 5, longest simple ray about 0.5 head ventral fins ;

extending on anal base, 1.5 in head, a small axillary scale; pectoral rays
i, 12, longest about length of ventrals and reaching to ventral origin.

Ty^^^^

Figure 26. Puntius viasyai, new species. Type (U.S.N.M. No. 107954). Drawn by
Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

Coloration Silvery a diffuse brownish area on shoulder a round

: ; ;

black spot, smaller than eye, on middle of caudal peduncle a sharply ;

defined ovate jet-black spot on basal part of anterior branched dorsal

rays ; fins otherwise hyaline.
Type and paratype.—ThQ type (U.S.N.M. No. 107954) is 2.5 cm.
long, taken July 12, 1928, in a mountain brook at Ban Ang on Kao
Sabap, Southeastern Thailand. The paratype and only otlier speci-
men (U.S.N.M. No. 107955) is of the same size and was obtained at
the same time and place.
 — — —;

172 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Rennarks. —A diminutive species, known only from a small brook on

Kao Sabap. It is easily distinguishable by its single pair of barbels,
uonosseous last simple dorsal ray, and incomplete lateral line, only
the first 6 scales having tubules, together with the conspicuous black
spot on the caudal peduncle and the large, very sharply defined black
spot on the dorsal fin. It is the only local species of Puntius except
P. pan^tifentazona having an incomplete lateral line.
The species is named for Luang Masya Chitrakarn, of the Siamese
Bureau of Fisheries, whose activities have added much to the knowl-
edge of the fresh-water fishes of Thailand.

PUNTIUS LEIACANTHUS (Bleeker)

Systomus (Capoeta) letacanihus Bleekee, 1860 (265a), p. 356 (Java).

Barbtis hrevis von Martens, 1876, p. 402 (nomen nudum) (Petchaburi).
Fowler, 1931b, p. 316 (Ban Tliung Luang) 1937, p. 198, figs. 165, 166 (Tachin,
;

Bangkok, Rayong).
Puntiuti leiacaiithus Sauvage, 1881, p. 163 (' Petscbaburi, en Siam") lSS3b, p. 153
;

(Menam Chao Phya).

Puntius hrevis Webeb. and de Beaufort. 1916, vol. 3. p. 176 (Siam). Koumans,
1937a, p. 64, fig. 2 (Peninsular Siam). Fowler, 1939, p. 41 (Huey Yang).
Barhus (Funtius) hrevAs Hora, 1923b, p. 156 (Bangkok).

Outside of Java, from which island the species was described b}'
Bleeker in 1850, this fish seems to be known only from Thailand, where
it is widely distributed. It has been collected in the Patani River, the

Tale Sap, and the Tale Noi in the Peninsula from the Lower Menam
;

Chao Phya, the Nakon Nayok, and tlie Tachin in Central Thailand
from the Meping in the Northern area; from tributaries of the Menam
]\lun in Eastern region and from several localities in the Southeastern
;

district, including the Chantabun River and a mountain brook on Kao

Sabap. In some places and at certain times it may be very abundant.
Fish with fully ripe ovaries taken in the Patani River in October
were 8.5 to 11 cm. long. The maximum length recorded from Thailand
is between 11 and 12 cm.

Some of the normal characters of this species are indicated in the

preceding key. There is a single pair of (maxillary) barbels shorter
than the eye. The lateral-line scales number 23 to 26, the scales in
transverse series to the base of the ventral fin 4.5 or 5-1-2.5 to 4, the
predorsal scales 9, and the scales around the narrowest part of the
caudal peduncle 12. The last simple dorsal ray is osseous but non-
denticulated. There is a well-defined round black spot, smaller than
eye, about the middle of the caudal peduncle.
The Weber and de Beaufort indicates
description of the species by
no variation in the scales surrounding the narrowest part of the caudal
peduncle which are stated to number 12. However, Thailand examples
otherwise indistinguishable from typical P. leiacanthus may have 12,
14, or 16 circumpeduncular scales, the predominant number being 16.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 173

The following record of specimens of P. leiacanthus in the U. S.

National Museum will illustrate the variation in this character:

Locality
 :

174 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

and the presence of a narrow dark stripe extending forward from

the peduncular spot nearly to the head, as brought out in Fowler's
figure, which has not been met with in any specimens of P. leiacanthus.
This feature, together with obscure markings on the dorsal fin, leads
to the identification as P. spiloptenis of six specimens, the largest 6.7
cm. long, taken by Deignan in a pond in Chiengmai, April 1935.

PUNTIUS SOPHOROIDES (Gunther)

Barbus sophoroides Gunther, 18G8, vol. 7, p. 144 (Bengal).

Three specimens in the British Museum, presented by the Siamese

Museum and attributed to the Menam Chao Phya, are listed under the
name Barhu.s sophoroides Gunther, described from Bengal and Assam.
GiJnther wrote (1868, vol, 7, 144) "This species, though very closely
:

allied to B. sophore, appears to be distinct, not only on account of the

presence of barbels, but of the smaller size of the scales." The question
of the relationship of P. sophoroides and Barhus sophore (the latter
attributable to Hamilton, 1822) is complicated by the fact that whereas
in the original description of B. sophore the presence of four minute
barbels is This led Day (1878)
noted, Hamilton's figure shows none.
to conclude that Hamilton had confused B. sophore with Day's B.
stigma^ the latter having no barbels.
A reexamination of the types of sophoroides and a comparison there-
with of the Thai specimens so identified have been courteously made by
Dr. Ethelwynn Trewavas, of the British Museum, who writes
All our specimens labelled B. sophore correspond to Day's B. stigma. I have
examined a number of them, including some named B. by Day, and none
stignui
has the least trace of a barbel. They all have the coloration described and figured
by Hamilton, and I have counted in several 22-24 scales in the lateral line, 41/2
above and 4% below it, 12 (one specimen 14) around the caudal peduncle. The
types of B. sophoroides (61 and 48 mm. st. 1.) have smaller scales, but have lost
too many to make a count possible, except around the caudal peduncle, where there
are 16. There is only one pair of barbels, less than %
diameter of eye. The blotch
on the dorsal fin is on the first three or four soft rays (in Day's B. stigma and
in all our "B. sophore" on the third to sixth soft ray). The three specimens from

the Menam R. agree perfectly with the types; scales 24-26 ^^^ around caudal
4^'
peduncle 16 a single pair of barbels less than
; %
diameter of eye dorsal spot as
;

in types (2) or absent (1). The specimen without the dorsal blotch also has none
on the caudal peduncle. One of the types has the caudal blotch, the other has not.
The fish that Day took to be the true B. sophore is certainly very much like these.
The chief difference is in the number and length of the barbels. He gives 3^
scales above the lateral line but figures more.
These are the facts and I must leave the conclusion to you. Personally I think
Giinther's interpretation of B. sophore, agreeing as it does with the bulk of Ham-
ilton's description and perfectly with his figure, has at least as much justification
as Day's, and as Gunther's B. sophoroides does not agree perfectly with Day's
"B. sophore" I should retain B. sophoroides and give that name also to the
Siamese .specimens.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 175
PUNTIUS PARTIPENTAZONA (Fowler)

Puntius smnatramis Weber and de Beiaufort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 191 (Siam).

Barius (Puntius) sumatranus Hoka, 1924a, 470 (Tale Sap).
Barbus partipentazona Fowler, 19'34b, p. 344, fig. 8 (Krat).

A most attractive that formerly was confused with P.

little fish
simiatranus Bleeker. Described from Southeastern Thailand, it is
known also from Central and Peninsular regions and Malaya. The
type, credited by Fowler to "Kratt," really came from the Krat River at
Kao Seming. The fish is abundant in various brooks on Kao Sabap,
up to 600 meters elevation, and numerous specimens were collected
there in January, July, November, and December. In addition to the
record for the inner lake of the Tale Sap given by Hora, the Siamese
Bureau of Fisheries obtained the fish there in 1927. Farther north
in the Peninsula, the present writer in 1928 collected specimens in
Klong Nakon Noi, town of Nakon Sritamarat. The range of
in the
the fish in Thailand was further extended in 1934 when numerous
specimens were collected in Bung Borapet, Central Thailand. The
British Museum has specimens, presented by the Siamese Museum,
from Krabin, a town on the upper Bangpakong River in Central
Thailand.
A length in excess of 4.5 cm. has not been found in this country.
The type was of that size. Most of the specimens measured have been
3 to 3.7 cm. long.
For small aquaria this fish is hardy and most attractive. In Bang-
kok it thrived on mosquito larvae and Entomostraca.
Duncker (1904, p. 180) recorded this fish from Negri Sembilan, one
of the Malay States, and figured and described it briefly as Barbus
sumatranus var.
In Southeastern Thailand, where this little fish is well known to the
local mountain people, it is called fla hang Jai (stripe-sided fish) and
pla sua (tigerfish) the former name is applied also in Tale Sap.
;

PUNTIUS VIEHOEVERI Fowler

Puntius viehoeveri Fowi-er, 1943, p. 26 (Bangkok).

[This species was described after Dr. Smith's death. It is known

only from the original description.
No data on its local vernacular name are available. L. P. S.] —
PUNTIUS STIGMATOSOMUS H. M. Smith

Figure 27

Puntius stigmatosomus Smith, 1931a, p. 13, fig. 6 (Kao Sabap).

This is a small species known from six specimens taken in April and
December 1927 from Pliew stream on Kao Sabap, near Chantabun,
 —

176 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

in Southeastern Thailand, by Luang Masya Chitrakarn, of the Siamese

Bureau of Fisheries. The hxrgest specimens are 5.5 cm. long. The
species is characterized by a pair of maxillary barbels, 26 scales in
the lateral line, ossified and serrated last simple dorsal ray, origin of
the dorsal fin over the eighth scale of the lateral line and much nearer
to tip of snout than to base of caudal fin, and four rounded black spots
along the side of the body, the first near the head, the last on the caudal
'peduncle, together with a small black spot on the back under the
anterior dorsal rays and a small black spot above the base of the
anal rays.

,.<<"

ia»f

Figure 27. Puntius siigmaiosomus H. M. Smith. Drawn by Nai Chote Suvatti; cour-
tesy of the Thailand Government.

This species is close to Puntius binofatus, differing in the absence

of rostral barbels and in several other features.

PUNTIUS SAMETENSIS, new species

FiGUBE 28

Description. —Body and head strongly compressed ; dorsal and ven-

tral profiles similar; depth 2.8 in standard length; length of caudal
peduncle equal to its depth, 1.5 in head head 3.6 in length eye 2.5 in
; ;

head, 1.5 times snout and interorbital space mouth terminal, strongly ;

arched, lips thin, maxillary not extending to vertical from anterior

edge of eye a pair of maxillary barbels 0.6 eye.
;

Squamation : Lateral line complete, slightly decurved; scales in

lateral line 24, in transverse line from middle of back to base of ven-
trals 4.5-1-2.5, in predorsal region 9, circumpeduncular 12; a scaly
sheatli to dorsal and anal fins.

Fins Origin of dorsal fin about midway between tip of snout and
:

base of caudal fin, over eighth scale of lateral line and over origin of
 — ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 177

ventrals; dorsal rays iii, 7, last simple ray osseous and bearing about
12 fine denticulations on its posterior edge, longest branched ray
slightly shorter than head caudal
; fin longer than head, deeply forked,
lobes pointed; anal rays ii, 5, longest about 0.5 head; ventral rays i, 7,
reaching origin of anal fin, 1.3 in head pectoral rays ;
i, 9, as long as
ventrals but not reaching ventral origin.
Coloration Silvery a narrow blackish cross band on body halfway
: ;

between eye and dorsal fin, the band extending below the lateral line
and nearly meeting its fellow on opposite side across back; a second
similar band under origin of dorsal fin a third shorter, double blackish
;

band extending under posterior end of base of dorsal fin below lateral
line; a fourth blackish band over posterior end of anal fin, still shorter
and reaching below lateral line a round black spot on caudal peduncle
;

on each side of lateral line a round blackish spot on each side of the
;

dorsal fin anteriorly, partly on the fin and partly on the scaly base;
a less distinct blackish spot at the base of the last 2 or 3 dorsal rays
a round blackish spot on side immediately above the anterior base of
the anal fin fins otherwise hyaline.
;

i^^
/

Figure 28. Puntius sametensis, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 117755). Drawn by
Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

Type.—A. specimen (U.S.N.M. No. 117755), 3.3 cm. long, collected

July 19, 1928, in Nong Samet, a small lake in Southeastern Thailand
near Chantabun.
Remarks. —This species belongs in the group of small puntiid fishes,
peculiar to Thailand, characterized by a single pair of barbels, a com-
plete lateral line, large scales, and an osseous, denticulated simple
dorsal ray, with the body marked by a single lengthwise row of dark
 —
178 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

spots or by a few dark narrow cross bands. The other members of the
group are P. stigmatosomus and P. fessulifer-us^ which may be dis-
tinguished from the present species by the features indicated in the key.

PUNTIUS PESSULIFERUS (Fowler)

Barhus pessuUferus Fowler, 1937, p. 196, figs. 157, 158 (Kemarat).

This fish, described from numerous specimens 3.4 to 5.4 cm. long
from the Mekong at Kemarat, is distinguishable by the single pair
of long barbels, relatively few scales (23 or 24) in the lateral line,
ossified and denticulated last simple dorsal ray, and a series of six or
seven short blackish vertical bars on the side above the lateral line,
with a round black spot on the back near the base of the dorsal fin
anteriorly.

PUNTIUS PAUCISQUAMATUS, new species

FiGtJEE 29

—
Description. Body and head very strongly compressed; depth of
body 3 to 3.25 in standard length; least depth of caudal peduncle
2 in head and 1.75 in its own length head 3.5 in standard length eye
; ;

3 to 3.25 in head and equal to snout and interorbital space; mouth

nearly terminal, strongly arched, lips thin, maxillary extending to
opposite anterior edge of eye maxillary barbel 0.8 eye, rostral barbel
;

somewhat shorter.

^a-*!"^^,"""'

^^^
)
^' )
V ^ ^(j^i-^^^^^^^B^:>-.
^ .\)

Figure 29. Puntius paucisquamatus, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 119713). Di
by Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

Squamation: Lateral line complete, scales in lengthwise series 22

from midline of back to lateral line 3.5 and from
in transverse series
lateral line to base of ventral fin 2, in predorsal region 7; circum-
peduncular 12, all scales on back and side with conspicuous longitu-
dinal parallel ridges numbering 12 to 16.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 179

Fins Dorsal
: fin. arising over sixth scale of lateral line, nearer to tip
of snout than to base of caudal fin ; dorsal rays iii, 9, last simple ray
osseous, slender, nondenticulated, its length less than head; caudal
fin longer than head, forked for 0.5 its length ; anal rays iii, 5 ; ven-
trals arising under seventh scale of lateral line, reaching anal opening,
0.5 length of head, rays i, 8; pectorals extending to base of ventrals,
0.75 length of head, rays i, 14.
Coloration Silvery scales of back and side with a dark basal cres-
: ;

cent ;body otherwise plain fins hyaline. ;

Tyye and paratypes.—T\\e type (U.S.N.M. No. 119713) 5.5 cm.

long, and 3 paratypes (Nos. 119501, 119502) 4.5 to 5.3 cm. long, were
collected on July 20, 1928, on Kao Luang, Nakon Sritamarat.
—
Remarks. This little fish has been met with only in a brook near
the base of the lofty Kao Luang, at a point about 1,000 feet above
sea level, and in the gorge of the jSIechem, in Northern Thailand.
From the later locality a single specimen, 5.1 cm. long, was obtained
by A. E. Buchanan and P. D. Harrisson in July 1935.
The fish is easily recognizable by the possession of only 22 tubule-
bearing scales in the lateral line and only 6.5 scales in transverse series
to the base of the ventral fin, with 7 predorsal and 12 circumpeduncular
scales, in combination with two pairs of well-developed barbels and
an osseous but nondenticulated last simple dorsal ray.
Among local species P. colemani (Fowler) from Mepoon, in Cen- ,

tral Thailand, is the closest relative. In that species the scales with
lateral-line-bearing tubules number 29, the scales in cross series num-
ber 9, and the predorsal number 9; and the tips of the dorsal
scales
and caudal lobes are sharply defined in black. Among species known
from surrounding found
countries, the closest resemblance seems to be
in P. stracheyi (Day), described from Burma, in which the lateral-
line scales are given as 23 although Day's figure shows 25, the dorsal
fin has 9 branched rays, the barbels are longer than the diameter
of the eye (the maxillary about twice the eye diameter), the body
and head are larger, and the eye is smaller (5 in length of head, 1.5
in snout, and 2.5 in interorbital space) ; some of these differences,
however, might be due to age, and a comparison of specimens of
P. stracheyi and P. faucisquamatus of similar size is desirable in
order to establish the validity of the latter.

PUNTIUS COLEMANI (Fowler)

Barhus colemani Fowleb, 1937, p. 197, figs. 159, 160 (Mepoon).

The type and only specimen known to the describer was 8 cm. long,
from the Mepoon, Central Thailand, with 2 pairs of barbels, shorter
than eye, 29 scales in the lateral line, last simple dorsal ray osseous and
nondenticulated, and tips of dorsal fin and caudal lobes black. A
 — ;

180 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL mUSEUM

single specimen, 5.2 cm. long, in the Deignan collection was taken in
the gorge of the Mecliem by A. R. Buchanan and P. D. Harrisson in
July 1035. Ditt'erences from the type are explainable by diti'erence in
size; lateral line scales 29, scales in transverse series to base of ventral
fin 5.5-1-2.5or 3, predorsal scales 10, circumpeduncular scales 14;
pectorals reaching to ventrals; barbels equal to or slightly longer
than eye, tip of dorsal and tips of caudal lobes blackish. The re-
cording of the pharyngeal teeth in the type as 5, 3, that is, in two
rows, indicates a defect or an abnormality, as the teeth in this genus
are normally triserial.

PUNTIUS FAUCIS, new species •

Figure 30

Description. —Both head and body strongly compressed; depth 3.4

in standard length; least depth of caudal peduncle about 2 in head
and 1.5 in its length; head equal to depth of body; eye 3 in head,
equal to interorbital space, and slightly more than snout; mouth
small, oblique, lower jaw shorter, maxillary reaching opposite nos-
trils; rostral and maxillary barbels subequal and about diameter of
eye.

Figure 30. Puntius faucis, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. 119497). Drawn by
Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

Squamation Scales in lateral line 33, in transverse series 5.5-1-3.5,

:

between lateral line and base of ventral fin 2.5, predorsal 12, circum-
peduncular 14.
Fins: Dorsal rays iii, 8, last simple ray osseus and nondenticulated
first branched ray somewhat shorter than head; origin of dorsal a

little closer to base of caudal than to tip of snout, over tenth scale of

lateral line; caudal longer than head, deeply forked, lobes pointed;
anal rays iii, 5; ventrals not reaching anal opening; pectorals slightly
longer than ventrals, not reaching ventral base, 0.75 head.
 — —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 181

Coloration Plain, silvery white ; rays and membranes of dorsal fin

:

blackish distallycaudal fin with a narrow black posterior edge, lobes

;

dusky other fins plain.

;

—
Type. A specimen in the Deignan collection (U. S. N. M. No.
119497), 5.6 cm. in total length, taken in July 1935 by A. R. Buchanan
and P. D. Harrisson, of Chiengmai, in the gorge of the Mechem, trib-
utary of the Meping in Northern Thailand.
—
Reinarks. This species belongs in the small group of local puntiids
characterized by 4 barbels and an osseous simple dorsal ray without
serrations, the other members of the group being P. paucisquamatus
and P. colemani. From the former the present species may be readily
separated by the more numerous scales (33 in lateral line as against
21, 12 predorsal scales as against 7, and 14 circumpeduncular scales as
against 12). From P. colemani, to which the resemblance is closer,
differences are in the much smaller mouth, shorter maxillary, more
numerous predorsal scales much less advanced position of the dorsal
;

fin as compared with Fowler's figure, markings on the dorsal and

caudal fins, etc.

PUNTIUS WETMOREI H. M. Smith

Puntius wetmorei Smith, 1931a, p. 12 (Menam Chao Phya).

Known from a specimen, 12.5 cm, long, collected in the Menam Chao
Phya at Chainad, Central Thailand, January 5, 1925. The relations
of the species are shown in the preceding key. The principal features
are the large scales (23 or 24 in the lateral line), 12 scales around the
narrowest part of the caudal peduncle, 2 pairs of short barbels, last
simple dorsal ray osseous and bearing 8 large teeth on its posterior
edge, a conspicuous round green spot on each side above the base of
the pectoral fin, dark-edged greenish-yellow dorsal fin, and anal,
ventral, and pectoral fins bright orange.

PUNTIUS LATERISTRIGA (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

FIGUBE 31

Barhus lateristriga Cuviee and Valenciennes, 1842, vol. 16, p. 161 (Java).
FowLEE, 1934a, p. 122 (Nakon Sritamarat).
Puntius lateristriga Koumans, 1937a, pp. 63, 64 (Peninsular Siam). Fowleb,
1939, p. 72 (Trang).

While long known from Java, Borneo, Sumatra, and other islands of
the Indo-Australian Archipelago as well as from Malacca, this fish
was first ascertained to inhabit Thai territory' in 1926, when R. Hav-
moller presented to the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries specimens col-
lected by him in October in a waterfall stream near Tung Song,
Peninsular Thailand. Subsequent collecting showed that the fish was
590087—45— — 13
182 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

generally distributed in Peninsular Thailand in brooks near the —

border of Kedah, in waterfall streams on Kao Chong near Trang, in
the Tadi River as far west as Ban Kiriwong, and in headwaters of the
Tapi River in the district of Bandon.
The largest examples met with in Tliailand have been 13.5 cm. long.
A length of 18 cm. is reported for the East Indies.

Figure 31.—PuJitius lateristrigdliCuviet 'and Valenciennes). Drawn [by Luang Masya

'^^^^''" '

courtesy of the Thailand Government.

The species is strikingly marked in a pattern different from that in

—
any other local cyprinoid a black blotch on the top of the head, two
broad black cross bands on body, a black longitudinal band which may
extend between the cross bands, and a small black spot above the base
of the anal fin.

The Thai vernacular name for this fish is plaikong.

PUNTIUS DARUPHANI H. M. Smith

Puntius (Barbodes) daruphani Smith, 1934b, p. 312 (Meping at Raheng, Meklong

at Ban Pong).
Barbus daruphani Fowler. 1937, p. 190, figs. 145, 147 (Mepoon, Kemarat).

In addition to the specimens referred to in the original description,

2 from the Meping at Raheng and 1 from a lake near the Meklong at
Ban Pong, there have been examined 2 from the Meklong at Kanburi,
1 from the Menam Nan, 5, from the gorge of the Mechem, and 2 from
the Melong, a tributary of the Mechem, which in turn is an affluent
of the Meping, these last specimens collected by A. R. Buchanan, of
the Borneo Co., Ltd. Fowler reports over 80 specimens from the
localities cited.
A length of 18 cm. is attained.
 —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 183

As shown in the foregoing key to the local species of Puntius, this'

form may be recognized by the combination of characters comprising
denticulated last simple dorsal ray, 4 barbels, about 27 scales in the
lateral line, and 14 scales around the narrowest part of the caudal
peduncle.
The general color, varying with age and locality, ranges from golden
yellow to silvery green, with a dark brown base to the scales of back
and sides the dorsal and caudal fins are usually hyaline green the anal
; ;

fin may be milky white anteriorly and bright orange posteriorly; the
ventrals and pectorals are orange or yellow.
The fish seems to be distinguished by the local fishermen from related
species and it is called pla tapak at Eaheng and Ban Pong, while on
the Nan River it bears the name pla peek.
PUNTIUS BINOTATUS (Cnvier and Valenciennes)

Barbus binotatus Cuviee and Valenciennes, 1S42, vol. 16, p. 168 ( Java).
Fowler,
1934a, p. 122, 80 (Chiengmai, Chiengsen, Chiengdao, Bua Yai, Bangkok,
figs. 79,

Nakon Sritamarat, Chantabun) ;1935a, p. 121 (Khao Nam Poo, Bangkok) ;

Mepoon, Pitsanulok, Rayong).

1937, p. 198 (Tachin,
Barbus (Ptrntius) binotatus Hoea, 1923b, p. 156 (Koh Chang).
Punthis binotatus Masya and Indeambaeya, 1932, p. 280 (Koh Samui, Koh Pa-
ngan).— KouMANS, 1937a, p. 63 (Kapa).— Fowler, 1939, pp. 40, 72 (Huey
Yang, Trang).

Of wide distribution in the Indo-Australian Archipelago and

Malaya, this little fish is likewise found abundantly over a large part
of Northern, Central, Southeastern, and Peninsular Thailand but it
has not been reported from Eastern and Western Thailand. A favor-
ite resort is the mountain streams on islands; and the fish may be said
to be a characteristic element of tlie fresh-water fauna of Koh Chang,
Koh Samui, and Koh Pa-ngan, large islands in the Gulf of Siara.
Other mountain streams inhabited by the fish are on Kao Sabap and
Kao Bantad, Southeastern area on Kao Chong and other mountains
;

in the Peninsula and various rivers and brooks in Northern Thailand,

;

including some tributary to the Mekong. In the Central district the

fish descends as far as Bangkok.
A length of 20 cm. or somewhat over is attained.
The species is subject to considerable variation in markings depend-
ent on age. Young specimens always show a round black spot on the
back at the base of the anterior dorsal rays and another on the caudal
peduncle near the base of the caudal fin; these spots persist with
growth and are often the only markings shown, but in large specimens
they may be absent. In the young there is an irregular series of small
black spots along the longitudinal axis these spots later become con-
;

fluent and form a band that in larger examples grows faint and may
184 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

entirely disappear. In the young there is at the base of the anal fin
a small black spot that disappears with growth.
Two figures showing variations in Puntius hinotatus are given by
Fowler (1934a) his figure 79, however, representing a male fish 18
;

cm. long, does not seem to be this species, as it shows a sharply defined
black submarginal band on each caudal lobe, a peculiarity of coloration
hot otherwise known in P. hinotatus. It is suggested that this example,
together with those from Chiengmai described as having a "spot on
gills cherry red. Fins all like sealing wax, dorsal and caudal edged
Avith black" may be Puntius orphoides^ a species characteristically
marked as stated and moreover having 31 to 34 scales in the lateral line
(33 in Fowler's figure), while P. hinotatus has 23 to 27 lateral line
scales (26 in Fowler's figure).

PUNTIUS VERNAYI (Norman)

HarhuH rcrnaiii Nokman. 1925, p. 315 (Mewong).

Described from two specimens, 13.5 and 18.5 cm. long, collected by
Arthur S. Vernay in the Mewong east of Umpang in west-central
Thailand, this species has not since been recognized.

PUNTIUS BEASLEYI (Fowler)

Btirbus leasleyi Fowleb, 1937, p. 194, figs. 153, 154 (Kemarat).

This species is known from from the

a single speciaiien, 6.2 cm. long,
Mekong at Kemarat. and plain coloration, but
It has four barbels
Fowler states that it resembles P. pessulifei^us^ a species with a single
pair of barbels, a series of short black vertical bars on the side, and a
black spot on the back at the anterior base of the dorsal fin. The closest
relationship appears to be with P. vemayi.

PUNTIUS FOXI (Fowler)

Barbus foxi Fowler, 1937, p. 188, figs. 144, 145; (Keniarar).

Described from two specimens, 5.2 and 5.7 cm. long, from the
Mekong at Kemarat, Eastern Thailand, and known only from that
point, this species is described as characterized by a large black apical
blotch on the dorsal fin, with a narrow pale margin anteriorly and
distally.
PUNTIUS HUGUENINI (Bleeker)

Barbus huguenini Bleeker, 1853 (76), p. 294 (Ombiling River, Sumatra).

Described by Bleeker in 1853 from a specimen from the Ombiling

River in Sumatra, this species has proved to be very rare. In addi-
tion to possessing the type, the British Museum has a specimen from
Lake Korinche, Sumatra, collected by Robinson and Kloss, and an-
other from the Palom River, Pahang, Federated Malay States, col-
 ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SI AM, OR THAILAND 185

iected by Vernay; the last specimen, however, is doubtfully referred

to this species. The onlj' other specimens known appear
to be two
by Deignan in Northern Thailand, one from the Mekong
collected
at Chiengsen Kao, January 9, 1937, the other from the Mekok at
Chiengrai, Januarj'^ 25, 1937.
Characters by which this species has been distinguished are:
Rather deep body, the depth contained standard length
2.4 to 2.75 in
30 or 31 scales in lateral line, 5.5 scales above lateral line, 2.5 or 3
scalesbetween lateral line and origin of ventral fin, 10 predorsal scales
(11and 12 Thai specimens), 14 scales around the caudal peduncle;
in
well-developed rostral and maxillary barbels; and last simple dorsal
ra}'^ osseous and denticulated.

The siDccimen from the Mekong, 26.5 cm. in total length, was sent
to the British Museum and compared by Dr. Ethelwynn Trew^avas
with the t3^pe and other material in that institution. The specimen
was found to "agree rather well with the type, differing mainly in
the longer barbels, deeper body and incomplete lateral line." Both
rostral and maxillary barbels in the type are 0.75 the diameter of the
eye; in the second Sumatran specimen the rostral barbel equals the
diameter of the eye, and the maxillary barbel is 1.3 times the diameter
of the eye, while in the Thai example both barbels are 1.75 times the
diameter of the eye. The depth of the body in standard length is
2.75, 2.4, and 2.3 in the three specimens. The lateral line varies
markedly in the material available, being complete in the type, absent
in the second example from Sumatra, incomplete in one of the Thai
specimens and complete though rather w^eak in the other. The gill
rakers on the lower arm of the first arch number 5 and 6 and 7 and 10,
respectively, in the Sumatran and Thai specimens.

PUNTIUS SIMUS, new species

FlGXJEE 32

Description. —Comparatively short, moderately compressed, dorsal

and ventral profiles similar depth of body 3 in standard length depth
; ;

of caudal peduncle 1.3 in its length and 2 in head head about 3.5 in
;

length, its width 1.6 in its length ; snout short, blunt, 4.3 in head, 1.3

in eye; eye far in advance of midlength of head, 3.3 in head, 1.6 in

interorbital space; nasal flap expanded into a nearly circular shape;
maxillary barbel 0.8 diameter of eye mouth terminal, oblique, strongly
;

arched, wide as eye, maxillary extending under anterior margin of eye.

Squamation: Lateral line complete, with 31 tube-bearing scales;
scales in transverse series from midline of back to base of ventral fin
4.5-1-3 predorsal scales 10 circumpeduncular scales 16.
;
;

Fins Origin of dorsal fin midway between tip of snout and base of
:

caudal fin, over eighth scale of lateral line, opposite origin of ventrals;
 — .

186 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

dorsal slightly emarginate, rays iii, 8, last simple ray feebly denticu-
lated on its posterior edge; last branched dorsal ray 3.3 in head;
caudal slightly longer than head, forked for half its length, the lobes
pointed; anal rays iii, 5, longest 0.6 head; ventrals i, 8, somewhat
shorter than pectorals pectorals ;
i, 14, 1.6 in head, not reaching ventrals.
Coloration Silvery back and top of head olive scales of side with
: ; ;

an obscure dark basal spot a dusky-green area on opercle a narrow

; ;

blackish stripe immediately behind the head extending from upper

angle of gill opening to base of pectoral fin a jet black spot on caudal
;

peduncle involving the twenty-sixth to the twenty-ninth scales of

lateral line, about size of eye and shaped like the spade of playing-
cards, witli the stem directed forward fins plain. ;

Figure 32.^ Puntius sivius, new species: Type (U.S.N. M. No. 119452). Drawn by
Mrs. Aime M. Awl.

—
Type. The type and only know specimen (U.S.N.M. No. 119452),
5.9cm. long, was taken by H. G. Diegnan on December 25, 1936, in the
Huey Melin, a branch of the Menam Mao, Northern Thailand.
—
Remarks. The Huey Melin at Ban Muang Sum where this fish was
taken is a tiny, clear brook. \

The species belongs in the section of Pimtius having as local mem-

bers hramoides., jolamarki^ and sarana, characterized by 4 barbels,
complete lateral line with about 28 to 32 scales, 16 scales around the
caudal peduncle, last simple dorsal ray osseous and denticulated, and
5 simple rays in the anal fin.
From all these, as well as from similar Burman and Indian species,
the present form is separable by its small, broad head and short, blunt
 — — —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 187

snout, combined with the jet black spot, of peculiar shape, on the
caudal peduncle.
{jSimus, snub-nosed.)

PUNTIUS BRAMOIDES (Cnvier and Valenciennes)

Bartus tramoides Cu\'Ies and Valenciennes, 1842, vol. 16, p. 160 (Java).
Puntius (Barbodes) erythropterus Bleekee, 1865 (347), p. 35 (Siam) ; 1865
(356), p. 176 (Siam).
Barbus {Puntius) Iramoides Peters, 1868, p. 272 (Siam). von Martens, 1876,
p. 402 (Bangkok).
Puntius erythropterus Sauvage, 1881, p. 163 (Siam).
Puntius tramoides Sauvage. 1883b, p. 153 (Menam Chao Phya). Weber and
DE Beaufort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 195 (Siam). Fowler, 1934a, p. 125 (Chiengrai,
Chiengsen) 1935b, p. 510 (Old Chiengsen).
;

This species of Borneo and Java has long been known from
Thailand from collections made by Jagor in 1861, reported on by
Peters in 1868. Recently Herre and Myers (1937) have bridged the
gap between Borneo and Thailand by reporting the species from two
of the Malay States. In Thailand the fish is uncommon and has a
rather limited distribution in the lower Menam Chao Phya. The
presence of the fish in the Meping drainage was disclosed by a speci-
men collected by Deignan in a small pond in the grounds of the
leper asylum near Chiengmai; this pond, densely overgrown with
aquatic vegetation, is connected with the Meping but is usually shut
off by a flood gate; at the annual drainage of the pond in June 1935,
a Puntius hramoides 23.5 cm. long was taken. Fowler (1934a) ex-
tended the range to the Mekong basin.
Specimens examined in Thailand have been 15.7 to 22 cm. long, the
largest from a pond in Bangkok connected with the Chao Phya River.
A length of 30 cm. is recorded for the East Indies.
Weber and de Beaufort {loo. eit.) credit this species with having
three simple and only 5 branched rays in the anal fin. The specimen
at hand from Chiengmai shows seven branched anal rays, a larger
number than previously noted, but is otherwise in agreement with
the published description. Bleeker (301) (1863, vol.' 3, p. 95) gives
five and six branched anal rays for the species, and his plate shows
six.
The fish shares with related forms in Thailand the vernacular name
of pla tapien khao.

PUNTIUS SARANA (Hamilton)

Cyprinus sarana Hamilton, 1822, pp. 307, 388 (India).

A specimen of Puntius sarana collected by Vernay in the Mewong,

Central Thialand, is in the British Museum. It is the only known in-
stance of the finding of this fish in that country. The species has a
 — — —

188 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

wide range in India and Burma and may be looked for in the Salwin
drainage in Thailand.
It bears a strong resemblance to P. orpholdes and seems to differ
mostly in coloration The opercles are not referred to as having a red
:

area, the fins are not red, and typical P. sarana has no dark marginal
bands on the caudal lobes. Day (Fishes of India) however, notes that
,

the young may have a dull blotch on the lateral line just below the
caudal base, that there are mostly some dark spots behind the opercle,
and that specimens from Burma sometimes have a black upper and
lower edge to the caudal lobes.
A length of 30 cm. or more is reached.

PUNTIUS JOLAMARKI H. M. Smith

Puntius (Barbodcs) joJamarki Smith, 1934b, p. 310 (Menam Chao Phya).

Barhus jolaniarkl Fowler, 1937, p. 194, figs. 155, 156 (Pitsanulok).

Originally known only from two specimens, 12.5 and 14.2 cm. long,
from the Menam Chao Phya at Bangkok, this species will no doubt be
found throughout that river. Fowler records 51 specimens, 6 to 10.9
cm. long, from Pitsanulok.

PUNTIUS GONIONOTUS (Bleeker)

Barbus gonionotus Bleekeb, 1850 (25), p. 15 (Surabaya, Java). Gunthek, 1868,

vol. 7, p. 119 (Siam).
Puntius (Barbodes) javanicus Bleekek, 1865 (347), p. 35 (Siam) 1865 (356),
;

p. 176 (Siam).
Barbus (Puntius) javanicus von Martens, 1876, p. 402 (Petchabiiri). Hoba,
1924a, p. 470 (Tale Sap).
Puntius javanicus Sauvage, 1881, p. 163 (Siam). Webeb and de Beaufoet, 1916.
vol. 3, p. 197 (Siam).
Barbus (Puntius) javanicus Hoba, 1923b, p. 155 (Bangkok).
Puntius gonionotus Sauvage, 1881, p. 163 (Siam).
Barbus javanicus Fowler,, 1934a, p. 125 (Chiengmai) 1934b, p. 346 (Bangkok)
; ;

1935a, p. 121 (Bangkok) 1937, p. 196 (Bangkok, Mepoon, Pitsanulok, Ke-

;

marat).

This species of Java and Sumatra occurs throughout the length of

Thailand but is commonest in rivers of the Central region, especially
the Menam Chao Phya, the Nakon Nayok, the Pasak, the Sikuk, and
the Meklong. It is not an outstanding species in Northern Peninsular,
and Eastern Thailand, and appears to be absent from the Southeastern
district.
The largest example met with was a female taken in the Pasak below
the barrage at Dha Luang February 26, 1925 it was 32.5 cm. in total
;

length, 25.5 cm. to the caudal base, and 11.5 cm. deep.
The name gonionotiis (Bleeker, 1850 [25] ) seems to have clear prior-
ity over javanicus (Bleeker, 1855 [138], p. 403), but the latter has been
used by most of the recent authors.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN If

z
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 188 PLATE S

X "-v
 . —
FEESH-WATER FISHES OF SUM, OR THAILAND 189

The caught in large quantities for domestic consumption and

fish is
sale and is known to fishermen and the general public under the
well
name pla tapien khao {khao, white)
PUNTIUS ALTUS (Gunther)

? Puntius (Burbodes) hocotirti Bleekee, 1865 (347), p. 35 (nomen nudum)

(Siam) 1865 (356), p. 176 (uomen nudum) (Siam). (Fide Sauvage.)
;

Barhus alius Gunther, 1868, vol. 7, p. 119 (Siam).— Fowler, 1937, p. 198, figs. 163,
164, 167, 168 (Bangkok, Parkman, Kemarat).
Barbus (Puntius) alius von Martens, 1876, p. 402 (Petchaburi).
Puntius alius Sauvage, 1881, p. 163 (Menam Chao Phya). Fowlek, 1939, p. 45
(Krabi).

This species was established by Giinther from three specimens, 3 to

3.5 inches long, contained in the Thai collections of Mouhot and Jam-
rach in the British Museum, which institution has also numerous other
specimens from the Menam Chao Phya, received from the Siamese
Museum.
With the exception of one specimen, 5.8 cm. long, listed by Fowler
from Kemarat on the Mekong in Eastern Thailand and two specimens
in the British Museum collected by Bock and assigned to "Western
Siam," the species has been known only from Central Thailand. Fow-
ler (1939), however, recorded from Krabi in the Peninsula a number
of full-sized specimens that differ from any previously observed in
having a dark longitudinal band on each caudal lobe.
A specimen from Bangkok figured by Fowler is 15 cm. long.
The characters that distinguish this species are the deep body (equal
to about half the standard length), two pairs of barbels equal to or
shorter than eye, short and obtuse snout shorter than eye, 8 rows of
scales between the origin of the dorsal fin and the lateral line, well-
developed scaly sheaths of the dorsal and anal fins, origin of the dorsal
fin posterior to a verticalfrom the origin of the ventrals, strongly
simple dorsal ray with 8 to 12 antrorse serrae, deeply
ossified last
forked caudal fin, and plain coloration, with the anterior distal part
of the dorsal fin blackish.
Bleeker, in 1865 [347], in a mere list of names of fishes collected in

Thailand by Bocourt, gave Puntius {Barhodes) hocourti, new species.

No description was ever published. In another list of Thai fishes issued
in the same year, Bleeker simply recorded the species as Pv/ntius
{Barhodes) hocourti Bleeker. While the fish in question doubtless
represented an undescribed species, the name given to it by Bleeker
had no standing, and the only clue to the identity of the fish is afforded
by Sauvage (1881) who, in a list of fishes found in Indo-China,
Thailand, and the East Indies, indicated in a footnote to Puntius altus
that Puntius hocourti was the same fish.
 , —— —
190 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
PUNTIUS SCHWANENFELDII (Bleckcr) 1 oiIT
11-1 , , r ,. ^,i ..

Plate 4

Barhus schicanenfcldii BusiiKEii, 1853 (86), p. 517 (Sumatra).

Barhus (Puntius) mlnmnefeldi von Martens, 1876, p. 402 (Bangkok). Hoba,
1923b, p. 156 (Bangkok, Nontaburi).—Vipulya, 1923, p. 226 (Bangkok).
Puntius schwanefeldi Weber and de Beaufort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 178 (Siam).
KouMANS, 1937a, pp. 63, 64 (Peninsular Siam).
Barhus scJiwanefeldii Fowler, 1934a, p. 122 (Chiengmai) 1935a, p. 121 (Sri-
;

, ,7c)I A-l)'.
sawat).

A common and widely distributed species of Thailand, known also

from Malaya, Sumatra, and Borneo. Specimens have been examined
from the Patani River, the Tale Sap, the Tale Noi, and the Tapi River
in Peninsular Siam; the Meklong, Tachin, Chao Phya, and Sikuk
Rivers in Central Thailand; the Chantabun River in Southeastern
Thailand; the Mun River in Eastern Thailand; and the Mekok at
Chiengrai, Northern Thailand.
The fish reaches a length of 35 cm. The largest observed in Siam,
taken in the Chantabun River, was 29 cm. long. The usual length of
fully mature fish is 15 to 20 cm.
This is a beautiful fish, with the body silvery or golden yellow, the
dorsal fin red, with a large black blotch anteriorly, the caudal fin
orange or blood-red, with a submarginal black or dark bluish band on
each lobe, the anal and ventral fins bright orange or blood red, the
pectoral fins greenish yellow, the opercle brassy, and the iris yellow.
Over most of its range in Thailand the fish is called pla kahae. In
Peninsular Siam, where there is a large Malay element in the popula-
tion, the fish bears the name pla lampani, lampam or pampan being the,
Malay designation. ...,:>

\mi0he PUNTIUS ASHMEADI (Fowler)

Barius ashmeadi Fowler, 1987, p. 193, figs. 151, 152 (Kemarat).

Three specimens, cm. long, from the Mekong at Kemarat

5.3 to 7.7
are the basis for this species. It is similar to P. foxl in having a large
black blotch at the apex of the dorsal fin, but differs in being slenderer
and having shorter barbels. ,
d bniiliBfll'

PUNTIUS ORPHOIDES (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Plate 5 Q^tn^)
Barbus orphoides Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1842, vol. 16, p. 193 (Java). FowLeb,
1934a, p. 125 (Metang, Chiengmai) 1937, p. 192, fig. 148 (Bangkok, Pitsanulok,
;

Mepoon, Tachin).
Puntius (Barbodes) ruhripinna Bleeker, 1865 (347), p. 35 (Siam) 1865 (356), ;

p.176 (Siam).
Barbus {Puntius) rubripinnis Peters, 1868, p. 272 (Siam).
Puntius rubripinna Sauvage, 1881, p. 163 (Siam).
 —
FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 191

Puntius orphoides Webee and de Beaufort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 193 (Siam). Fowler,
1939, pp. 45, 72 (Peninsular Siam).

Although this fish is known from Borneo and Java it has apparently
not been detected in Malaya. It covers all of Thailand except the
waters tributary to the Salwin and others in the western drainage. It
is not numerous in the Tale Sap but is very common in streams in and

near the town of Nakon Sritamarat. It reaches its greatest abundance

in Central Thailand and in waters of Northern Thailand tributary to
the Menam Chao Phya, including the upper Menam Nan where Deig-
nan collected numerous specimens in 1936. The fish abounds also in
Thailand waters of the Mekong watershed and is known from Lake
Payao and its connecting streams and lakes the Menam Mao (a branch
;

of the Menam Fang) where in December 1936 Deignan obtained this

,

made in that area, and throughout

species in the first fish collections
the Menam Mun from headwaters near Pakjong. It occurs in
its

Chantabun Eiver and other streams in the Southeastern regions, and

pushes its way up the brooks on Kao Sabap. In the Khun Tan
Mountains, Northern area, it has been taken in Huey Luk at an eleva-
tion of 2,000 feet. ,^
This fish reaches a length of 25 cm. The largest actually examined
in Thailand were 22 cm. long. Full maturity may be attained and
spawning take place at 8 cm. or somewhat less. A specimen 9.5 cm.
long from Huey Lom, an affluent of the upper Menam Nan, June
1936, was greatly distended with nearly ripe eggs another 8 cm. long
;

taken at the same time and place had well-developed ovaries while ;

two males from the same lot were 6.5 and 7 cm, long.
This is perhaps the most beautiful local member of the genus. In
a mature example the body and head are bright silvery, with the back
brownish or bluish there is a blood-red area on the opercle, the barbels
;

are green, and the upper part of the iris is blood-red; a transverse
black bar marks the posterior margin to the gill opening the dorsal, ;

anal, and vertical fins are blood-red; the caudal is red, with a longi-
tudinal black marginal band on each lobe, and the pectoral is salmon
color. Some specimens show longitudinal dark lines on back and
sides following the rows of scales. In young up to 8 to 10 cm. long
there may be a very distinct roimd black spot on the back under the
anterior part of the dorsal fin (not referred to in any descriptions),
and there is a black spot on the caudal peduncle at the base of the
caudal fin. The markings may under certain conditions be faint or
lacking. Thus in eight bright silvery specimens taken in the clear,
shallow Meping at Chiengdao, Northern Thailand, January 28, 1932,
there were no red area on the cheeks, no black band along the gill
opening, and no dark bands on the caudal lobes, but the black spots
under the dorsal fin and on the caudal peduncle were present.
192 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Some specimens from the headwaters of the Menam Mun at Pakjong

have shown only 14 scales surrounding the narrowest part of the
caudal peduncle (16 the typical number). One specimen from a lot
taken in the Meping at Chiengmai had only 7 branched dorsal rays
(all the others 8). A curious abnormality in a specimen 8.3 cm. long
from a waterfall brook on Kao Sabap, Southeastern Thailand, was
in the lateral line of the right side which, instead of being continuous
as on the left side, dropped to the next lower row of scales after the
fifth scale. Still another aberrant specimen from Nong Yang, a lake
back of Sriracha in Southeastern Thailand, has on one side 5.5 rows of
scales between the midline of the back and the lateral line and on
the other side 4.5 rows.
Eight specimens, the largest 11.2 cm. long, collected by the writer
from the Meping near the base of Doi Chiengdao, Northern Thailand,
January 20, 1932, are in general agreement with P. orphoides^ with
16 scales around the narrowest part of the caudal peduncle.
The singularl}^ apt name of pla ham cham (bruised-cheek fish) is
borne by this fish in most parts of Central Thailand. In Nakon
Sritamarat the fish is called pla labok. Along the Meping, at Chieng-
mai, and at Chiengdao, the people know this species as pla pok or
pla sa pok^ while on the Meyom a variant name is pla pok som. Still
another name, heard along the Menam Mun near Korat in Eastern
Thailand, is pla hax) smoh muk.

DOUBTFUL OR INVALID SPECIES OF PUNTIUS ASCRIBED TO

THAILAND
PUNTIUS BOCOURTI Bleeker

Puntius (Barbodes) bocourti Bleeker, 1865 (347), p. 35 (Siam) ; 1865 (356), p.

176 (Siam).

In the first paper cited, Bleeker simply named this fish as a new
species,and elsewhere in the text he mentioned it and others as "restent
a decrire." In the second paper the species is listed without comment.
No description has ever appeared, and the species has no standing.
Sauvage (1881) in a mere footnote without any explanation cites
Puntius hocourti as the same as P. alius (Giinther). As Sauvage had
access to the material that Bleeker so named, his course may be fol-
lowed. See Puntius altus^ p. 189.

PUNTIUS LAOENSIS (Gunther)

Barbus laoensis Gunthee, 1868, vol. 7, p. 115 (Laos Mountains, Cocliin China).
Puntius laoensis Saxjvage, 1881, p. 163 ('"LaGS, Petscliabnri, en Siam.")

This fish was described by Giinther from a specimen 3.75 inches

long, collected by the explorer Mouhot in the Laos Mountains of the
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 193

present Province of Laos of French Indo-China, although Giinther

assigns it to The species would require no notice in the
Cochin China.
present connection Sauvage had not mentioned it incidentally as
if
coming from "Petschaburi" as well as from Laos. Petchaburi is a
town in the southwestern part of Central Thailand. Pechabun or
Pachebun is a small community on the Pasak River on the eastern
border of Central Thailand, a region in which Mouhot made fish
collections. The fish was described as having 4 barbels, an ossified
and serrated simple dorsal ray, 30 scales in the lateral line and 3 rows
of scales between the lateral line and the base of the ventral, and the
depth of body one-third the standard length (a feature of little signifi-
cance in a specimen so small as the type). Giinther's description
would be more or less applicable in part to several Thai species recently
named, and the status of this species as a Thai fish is doubtful.

PUNTIUS BALLEROIDES (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Barhus halleroides Cuvier and [Link], 1842. vol. 16 (?Siirinara).

Barbtis (Puntius) halleroides von Martens, 1S76, p. 402 (Bangkok).
Puntius halleroides Sauvage, 1881, p. 163 (nomen nudum) (Bangkok).

The original description of Barhus 'balleroides^ although quite full

for the time, did not bring out characters by which the species might
be distinguished from related forms. Recent collecting in Thailand
has yielded no specimens that could be referred to this species, said to
have the depth 5 in standard length, 4 well-developed barbels, lateral-
line scales 30, transverse line scales 13, dorsal rays iv, 8, the last simple
ray strong and denticulated, and anal rays iii, 5. Giinther (1868, vol.
7, p. 115), copying the description of Cuvier and Valenciennes, placed
the species between Bar-bus laoensis (Giinther) and B. sarana (Ham-
ilton).
The species is listed from Bangkok by von Martens (1876) and by
Sauvage (1881) but without description, Sauvage simply mentioning
the fish as having been collected by Bocourt. Although the collector
of the type reported it as coming from Surinam (Dutch Guiana),
Valenciennes questioned the locality, and the habitat of the species
remains as uncertain as its relationships.

PUNTIUS SIAMENSIS Sauvage

Puntius siwmensis Sauvage, 1883b, p. 152 (Menam Chao Phya).

This species was based on a specimen, 11 cm. long, collected in the
Menam Chao Phya by Dr. Harmand. It was characterized by 4 bar-
bels,comparatively large scales (28 in lateral line), and a strongly
simple dorsal ray. The ventrals are said to be
ossified denticulated last
below the middle part of the dorsal. The edge of each scale and the
tip of the dorsal were black.
 —

l94 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

The has not since been collected or recognized, and its status is
fish
uncertain. The anal rays were said to number 11. If it is assumed
that the simple rays number 3, the maximum recorded in this genus,
there would be 8 branched rays, more than in any known species of
Puntius. Sauvage's reference to pores on the snout ("des pores au
museum") further suggests that the fish is not a Pimfiiis, as the defi-
nition of this genus excludes fish with pores or tubercles on the snout.

PUNTIUS PINNAURATUS (Day)

Cyclocheilichthys pinnauratus Day, 1865, p. 300 (Cochin, India).

Barltus pinnauratus KXeoli, 1882, p. 179 (Siam).

Doubt must be thrown on the reported occurrence of this species in

Thailand. It is definitely known only from India and Ceylon.

Genus PUNTIOPLITES H. M. Smith

Puntioplites H. M. Smith, Jouru. Siam Soc, Nat. Hist. Suppl., vol. 8, p. 11, 1929.
(Type, Puutius (Puntius) proctozysron Bleeker.)

This genus was established in 1929 for puntiid fishes having a large,
strongly ossified, serrated anal spine. In no other puntiid fish is the
anal spine serrated, although in several species of Pimtius that spine is
large and ossified. The subgenus AdaTnacypris was proposed for the
same fish by Fowler (1934a) but was later suppressed as a synonym of
Puntioplites,

PUNTIOPLITES PROCTOZYSRON (Bleeker)

Puntius (Puntius) proctozysron Bleeicee, 1865 (347), p. 35 (nomen nudum)

(Siam) 1865 (356), p. 176 (nomen nudum) (Siam) 1865 (360), p. 200, pi.
; ;

(Bangkok, Ayuthia).
Barbus (Puntius) proctozysron von Maetens, 1876, p. 402 (Petchaburi).
Puntius proctozysron Sauvage, 1881, pp. 163, 184 (Siam, Cochinchina, Grand
Lakes of Cambodia).— Smith, 1927c, p. 195 (Siam); 1929, p. 11 (Siam).
(New generic name Puntioplites proposed.)
Barbus proctozysron Weber and de Be.\ufort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 200 (footnote)
(Siam).— FowLEK, 1934b, p. 346 (Bangkok) 1935a, p. 121 (Bangkok).
;

Puntius smithi Hora, 1923b, p. 156, pi. 11, fig. 1 (Bangkok).

Puntius falcifer Smith, 1929, p. 11 (Mekong basin).
Puntioplites proctozysron Chevey, 1932b, p. 32, fig. 6, pi. 9 (Siam, Cochinchina,
Cambodia). Fowler, 1937, p. 198 (Bangkok, Mepoon, Pitsanulok, Kemarat) ;

1939, p. 45 (Krabi).
Barbus (Adaniacypris) proctozysron Fowler, 19S4a, p. 125, fig. 82 (Chiengmai,
Chiengsen, Bangkok).

This fish is fairly common and has a wide range in Thailand. It is

recorded from the extreme north, in the Meping and Mekong drain-
ages; throughout Central Thailand; from the Mekong and various
tributaries in Eastern Thailand and from the Peninsula.
; The only
regions from which it has not been reported are Southeastern Thai-
land and from the Salwin basin and other waters tributary to the
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 195

Bay of Bengal. The only other habitat is the Mekong in Cochinchina

and Cambodia, and, inferentially, in Laos.
In recording this species from Thailand as well as from Cochinchina
and Cambodia, Sauvage (1881) described a specimen 20 cm. long and
noted that the type of the species, in the Museum of Natural History
in Paris, was collected at "Pexabury" by Bocourt. It is not a matter
of great importance, but it may be pointed out that the five specimens
that Bleeker (1865 [360]) had in hand when he first described and
named the species were stated to be from Bangkok and Ayuthia.
The usual length of adult fish taken in Central Thailand is 13 to
15 cm,, but examples up to 20 to 21 cm. are not rare, and a number
22 to 22.5 cm. have been observed, representing about the maximum
size known to be [Link] the Mekong basin in Eastern Thailand
this fish regularly reaches a larger size than has been met with else-
where. Examples over 30 cm. long are common, and in such the
anterior dorsal rays are greatly elongated and falciform. This fea-
ture was once thought by the writer (Smith, 1929) to be of specific
significance and the name Puntioplites falcifer was given to the fish
so characterized. At the present time, however, with the information
available, it is not possible to consider the greatly developed dorsal
fin as more than an age or size character.
Fishermen are able to recognize this fish at once by its large,
serrated anal spine, and in most places give it a special name, pla
kamang^ heard throughout Central Thailand and also along the Mun
River in Eastern Thailand, sometimes shortened to yla mang (as in
Bung Borapet) Vernacular names of rather local usage are pla Ham
.

(angular fish) at Paknami^o, pla wi at Chiengrai, and pla pae at

Bandon.
Genus CHAGUNIUS H. M. Smith

Chagunius H. M. Smith, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 51, p. 157, 1938. (Type,
Cyprimis chagunio Hamilton.)

CHAGUNIUS CHAGUNIO (Hamilton)

Cyprinus chagunio Hamilton, 1822, pp. 295, 385 ("The Yamuna, and in the nprth,-
'"*' ''' ";'^'^''
ern rivers of Behar and Bengal").
Chagunius chagunio Smith, 1938a, p. 157 (India, Burma, Siam). '
' '

This very interesting and strongly characterized species, first given

a definite scientific status by Hamilton in 1822 and later recognized as
having a wide range over northern India, was added to the Thai fauna
by collections made by H. G. Deignan in October 1936, in the Salwin
at Ta Fang and in the Huey Mekong Kha, a tributary of the Salwin,
at the base of Doi Mekong Kha. The Thai specimens, three in num-
ber, have been compared with specimens collected by Dr. S. L. .Hora at
''"'"^
Dehra Dun, in the Punjab, India, and found to agree. '"'^
 ;

196 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

In India the fishes reach a length of 45 cm. or more. The Indian

specimens in hand are 20 to 22 cm. The largest Thai examples are up-
ward of 12 cm., at which size the fish is immature.
This fish was for many years carried in the composite genus Barbus.
In 1938 the genus Chagunius was established by the writer for its ac-
commodation. Outstanding characters are the compressed head with
flat sides; well-developed rostral and maxillary barbels; division of
the overhanging snout into a central and two lateral lobes by a groove
extending upward and forward from the base of each rostral barbel
narrow suborbital bones; gill openings extending well forward, gill
membranes narrowly joined to the isthmus; gill rakers on lower arm
of first arch represented by 9 triangular plates; pharyngeal teeth in 3
rows snout and cheeks in male thickly beset with short, horny tuber-
;

cles, which are smaller and fewer in females; dorsal rays iii, 8 or iv. 8,

last simple ray osseous and coarsely serrated anal fin with 5 branched
:

rays of which the last 2 rays in the adult male are greatly elongated
rows of papillae along the pectoral, ventral, anal, and caudal rays in
male.
Both the generic and specific names are based on the native vernac-
ular chagn/ni, borne by this fish in the state of Bihar.

Genus ACROSSOCHEILUS Oshima

Acrossocheilus Oshima, Ann. Carnegie Mus.. vol. 12, p. 206, 1919. (Type,
0-ymnostomus fortnosanus Kegan.)

The generic name Oshima to a Formosan

Acrossocheilus, given by
species (formosanus) characterized by the separation of the lower lip
into two lateral parts, leaving the median portion of the lower jaw
exposed, is here used with some hesitation for the group of fishes of
Southeastern Asia formerly called Lissochilus. The genus Lissochilus,
as defined by Weber and de Beaufort (1916, vol. 3), had nine branched
rays in the dorsal fin preceded by an osseous nondenticulated simple
ray, together with large scales, upper and lower lips continuous, upper
lip separated from the snout by a deep groove, lower lip medianly con-
nected with the isthmus and markedly separated from the lower jaw,
which is covered with a horny sheath, well-developed rostral and
maxillary barbels, and preorbital and suborbital regions with hori-
zontal rows of pores often surmounted by tubercles.
The genus Poropuntius was proposed by the writer (Smith, 1931a)
for fishes similar to Lissochilus but with 8 branched dorsal rays and
denticulated last simple dorsal ray. The limits of the genus Lissochi-
lus were subsequently extended by de Beaufort, Myers, and others so
as to include fishes with the characters of Poropuntius.
The name Lissochilus is unavailable for use in ichthyology because
it was first employed by Zittel (Handbuch der Palaeontologie, 1882)
 : ;
;;;

FRESH-W^TER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 197

for a genus of fossil mollusks. Of the possibly available names,

Acrossoc/ieilvs the most promising, although as originally defined
is

it does not apply to any of the species, formerly placed in Lissochihis,

known from India, Thailand, Malaya, and the Indo-Australian Arch-
ipelago. depends on the acceptance of the view that
Its availability
the various types of lower lip in this group (whether entire, slightly
notched, or completely divided with the two halves moderately or
widely separated) represent simply intergrading stages of the same
structural feature.
These fishes inhabit mountain streams of India, Burma, Thailand,
Indo-China, China, Malaya, and Sumatra. Seven local species herein
recognized may be identified by the following characters
la. Dorsal fin with 8 branched rays; last simple dorsal ray denticulated; origin
of dorsal fin anterior to, over, or slightly behind origin of ventrals.

2a. Scales in lateral line 24 to 26 predorsal scales 8 or 9.

;

3a. Depth 3.7 in standard length scales in transverse series from midline
;

of back to base of ventral fin 3.5-1-2.5; circumpeduncular scales

12 origin of dorsal fin somewhat in advance of ventrals a black band
; ;

from head to base of caudal fin; a dark submarginal stripe on each

caudal lobe vittatus
3&. Depth 2.75 in standard length scales in transverse series from midline
;

of back to base of ventral fin 5.5-1-2.5 circumpeduncular scales 14

;

oi'igin of dorsal fin directly over base of ventrals each scale of back ;

and sides with a green basal crescent caudal lobes plain; malcolmi
26. Scales in lateral line 29 to 38, scales in transverse series from midline of
back to base of ventral fin 4.5 to 6.5-1-2.5 to 3 predorsal scales 11 to 14;

circumpeduncular scales 14.

4a. Scales in lateral line 29 to 33 least depth of caudal peduncle 1.5 times
;

in '.ts length origin of dorsal fin over about tenth scale of lateral line
;

general color lustrous golden or bronze each caudal lobe with a black
;

Diarginal longitudinal stripe deauratus

46. Scales in lateral line 84 to 38; least depth of caudal peduncle 2 times
in its length origin of dorsal fin over about thirteenth scale of lateral
;

line general color silvery caudal lobes plain

; ; bantamensis
1&. Dorsal fin with 9 branched rays.
5a. Last simple dorsal ray strongly denticulated origin of dorsal fin over origin
;

of ventrals scales in lateral line 34, scales in transverse line from mid-
;

line of back to base of ventral fin 5.5-1-2.5 predorsal scales 11 circum-

; ;

peduncular scales 6 schroederi

5&. Last simple dorsal ray nondenticulated origin of dorsal fin before ventrals
;

scales in lateral line 23 to 29 scales in transverse line from midline of

;

back to base of ventral fin 3.5-1-2 or 2.5 predorsal scales 7 to 9 cir-; ;

cumpeduncular scales 12.

6a. Scales in lateral line 23 to 25 predorsal scales 7 or 8 depth of body 3.1
; ;

to 3.2 in standard length distal part of caudal lobes usually black.

;

sumatranus
6&. Scales in lateral line 26 to 29 predorsal scales 8 or 9 depth of body 3.4
; ;

to 3.6 in standard length ; caudal lobes without black markings dukai

590087—45 14
 — ;

198 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

ACROSSOCHEILUS VITTATUS, new species

FiGUEE 33

Deseription. —Depth 3.7 times in standard length; least depth of

caudal peduncle 1.4 in its length and 2.7 in head; head about 3.6 in
length; eye 3.5 in head, slightly less than interorbital space and
slightly greater than snout; two pairs of barbels, the maxillary ones
about equal to eye and somewhat longer than the rostral ones; four
or five irregular horizontal rows of tubercles extending from rostral
barbel to a point under posterior margin of eye, front of snout without
tubercles gill rakers on first arch 3 + 0.
;

Squamation: Scales comparatively large; 24 in lateral line, 3.5-1-

2.5 in transverse line from midline of back to base of ventral fin, 9 pre-
dorsal, 12 circumpeduncular.

Figure 33. Acrossocheilus vittatus, new species: Type (U.S.N. M. No. 117749).
Drawn by Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

Fins: Origin of dorsal fin definitely in advance of ventrals, over

eighth scale of lateral line, midway between tip of snout and base of
caudal fin dorsal rays iii, 8 last simple ray weakly ossified, its length
; ;

1.3 in head; caudal fin shorter than head, deeply forked, the lobes
pointed; anal rays ii, 8, the longest, the second simple ray, equal to
ventral; ventral rays i, 8, extending to vent; pectoral rays i, 15, reach-
ing base of ventrals, somewhat less than height of dorsal.
Coloration Back and top of head light brown, some of the scales
:

of the back with dark bases a black band from head to base of caudal
;

fin, involving lateral-line scales and one row above; underside of head;

and body pale yellow membranes of dorsal fin with minute dark spots
;

and lines a submarginal longitudinal dark, stripe on eaclj caudal lobe

;

anal, ventral, and pectoral fins plain..

 FRESH-WATSJR fishes of STAM, or THAILAND 199

Type. —The type and only known specimen (U.S.N.M. No. 117749),
10 cm. long, was collected by H. G. Deignan October 18, 1936, in Huey
Mekong Kha, a mountain brook tributary to the Salwin, at a point
between Mesarieng and Ta Ta Fang, Western Thailand.
—
Remarks. The combination of large scales with a black longitudinal
band on the side of the body, serves to distinguish this species from
other local forms and from other described species. From A. suma-
tranus, a species with similar squamation, the differences are in having
one less branched dorsal ray and in coloration; from A. deauratus, the
species with similar dorsal rays, the differences comprise fewer scales
and peculiar coloration. The relations with the other local species
are brought out in the key.

ACROSSOCHEILUS MALCOLMI, new species

FiGUBE 34

Description. —Moderately elongate, rather

compressed; strongly
profile from snout to dorsal fin strongly arched
depth 2.75 in stand- ;

ard length least depth of caudal peduncle 1.5 in its length and about
;

0.5 length of head; head 3.6 in standard length; snout 3.4 in head

Figure 34. —Acrossocheilus malcolvii,new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 117748). Drawn
by Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

and 1.25 in the moderately convex interorbital space; eye equal to

snout, mostly in anterior half of head maxillary and rostral barbel
;

subequal, about 0.75 diameter of eye; mouth small, slightly inferior,

maxillary extending to anterior margin of eye; a few pores on side
of snout gill rakers on first arch 5 + 14, those on upper arm and on
;

lower arm near angle short spinous filaments, those on lower arm
becoming lower and blunter, and finally reduced to a mere ridge.
 —

200 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSlSUM

Squamation : Scales in lateral line 2G, in transverse series to base

of ventral fin 5.5-1-2.5, in predorsal region 8, around caudal peduncle
14 ; a scaly sheath at base of dorsal and anal fins.

Fins: Dorsal fin arising directly over base of ventrals, nearer to

tip of snout than to base of caudal, over eighth scale of lateral line;
dorsal rays iii,8, the last simple ray stout and strongly denticulated
on its posterior side; caudal deeply forked, its lobes pointed, and
longer than head; anal rays iii,5, the longest branched ray 1.3 in
head ventrals extending to anal opening, rays i,8 pectorals equal to
;
;

and reaching base of ventrals, shorter than head, the rays i,16; ventral
axillary scale less than 0.5 length of fin.

Coloration : Silvery ; each scale of back and sides with a dull green
basal crescent fins plain.
;

Type.— ThQ type (U.S.N.M. No. 117748), 13.3 cm. long, apparently
a female, was collected in the Meping at Raheng, Central Thailand,
in July 1924, by Dr. Malcolm Smith.
Reinai'hs. —The comparatively deep body, rather large scales, posi-
tion of the dorsal fin with reference to the ventrals, dorsal fin with 8
branched rays and a denticulated simple ray, together with the colora-
The nearest relative among
tion, serve to differentiate this species.
members of the genus is A. vittatus^ which has a slenderer
the local
form, two less rows of scales above the lateral line, 12 instead of 14
circumpeduncular scales, origin of dorsal fin in advance of, instead
of directly over, ventrals, and different coloration.
This species is named for Dr. Malcolm Smith, formerly of Thailand,
now of the British Museum, in appreciation of his efforts to promote
knowledge of Thai zoology, especially of the fishes and reptiles.

ACROSSOCHEILUS DEAURATUS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Barbus deauratus Cuvieb and Valenciennes, 1842, vol. 16, p. 188 (Cochiiichina).
Saxjvage, 1881, 5 (Cochinchina).
p. 183, pi. 6. fig.
Barbus (Lissochilus) deauratus Hoea, 1923b, p. 155 (Koh Chang).
Poropuntius normani Smith, 1981a, p. 14 (Kao Sabap).

This fish has been found to be distributed widely in Thailand and

common in various parts of the country. On Koh Chang, the large,
mountainous, wooded island in the Gulf of Siam off Southeastern
Thailand, this is tlie commonest fish in the upper parts of the several
streams. Its favorite haunts are the clear, deep, rocky pools below
waterfalls. Numerous specimens were collected during half a dozen
years. Other localities from which specimens have come are streams
on Kao Bantad, Province of Krat, Southeastern district; headwaters
of the Menam Sak, Central area; and Huey Mekong Kha, a tributary
of the Sal win west of Mesarieng, Western Thailand. In the Menam
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 201

Kon, an upper tributary of the Menam Nan, H. G. Deignan obtained

a specimen 7.5 cm. long in April 1936, and just over the boundary from
Nan Province, in French Laos, Mr. Deignan collected a good series in
Huey Nam Puat, a mountain brook whose waters eventually reach the
Mekong. In the gorge of the Mechem, in Northern Thailand, A. R.
Buchanan and P. D. Harrisson obtained a series of specimens in July
1935 ; these are from
4.4 to 5.7 cm. long. All show rostral tubercles,
and one is a male with well-developed gonads.
In the British Museum are many specimens collected in the Patani
River, Peninsular Siam, by Annandale and Robinson. These were
examined by the writer in December 1927.
Of the numerous specimens at hand, the largest is 18.6 cm. long.
When first taken from the water this fish had the back and sides like
burnished bronze, the underparts white, all the fins green, and the
caudal with a black longitudinal stripe in each lobe.
This species was inadequately described by Cuvier and Valenciennes
in 1842 from Cochinchina under the name Barbus deauratus. No
reference was made to the peculiar features of the lips and jaws and to
the pores or tubercles on the rostral and suborbital regions, and the
dorsal spine was described as slender and smooth. In 1881 Sauvage
gave a fuller description from a specimen, 12.5 cm, long, from Cochin-
china and he brought out the presence of large pores on the snout and
of denticulations on the last simple dorsal ray.
The material now available indicates that the fish called Poropuntius
normani is the present species.
A vernacular name for the fish has been recorded only on Koh Chang,
where it is called pla kayao, a name shared by no other species.

ACROSSOCHEILUS BANTAMENSIS (Rendahl)

Barbus hantamensis Rendahl, 1920, p. 1, fig. 1 (head) (Northern Siam).

The type, 13 cm. long without the caudal fin, was collected by Count
Nils Gyldenstolpe at Ban Tarn, apparently on the Meping, at the
eastern base of Doi Chiengdao, Northern Thailand. Through the
courtesy of Dr. Hjalmar Rendahl, of the Royal Natural History
Museum in Stockholm, this specimen was sent to the U. S. National
Museum for examination, and it is now possible to state that the fish
falls within the limits of the present genus and is closely related to
A. deauratus.
In the original description, the species was credited with six
branched anal rays; the type specimen, however, has only five such
rays, as in all other species of the genus. Other features disclosed
by examination of the type are triserial uncinate teeth (2, 3, 5-5, 3, 2)
202 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

and four very short spinus gill rakers on the lower arm of the first

arch on each side.

gill
Referred to this species are 21 specimens collected by Deignan Sep-
tember 2 and 4, 1935, in Meklang Pla, a tributary of the Meklong, on
Doi Angka, Northern Thailand. These specimens range in size from
9.4 to 17.5 cm., the largest a male with strongly developed sharp
tubercles on the snout; a female with large ovaries and also bearing
large tubercles on the snout is 14.4 cm. long. In the important char-
acter of number of scales in the lateral line, these specimens are about
equally divided into lots with 34, 35, 36, 37, and 38 scales, a greater
number than in any of the numerous specimens of A. deauratus exam-
ined. Associated with this character is the possession by 16 of the
21 specimens of a greater number of predorsal scales than is found
in A. deauratus. Other distinctive features in A. hantamensis are the
relatively more slender caudal peduncle and the absence in the fully
adult fish of the black longitudinal bands on the caudal lobes.
The scale characters in A. hantamensis compared with those in
A. deauratus are brought out in the following table based on 21 speci-
mens of the former and 39 specimens of the latter from five Siamese-
Indo-Chinese localities, namely, Koh Chang, in the Gulf of Siam;
the Mun Eiver in Eastern Thailand, and Huey Nam Puat in Laos,
both tributary to the Meklong the Pasak River in Central area and
; ;

Huey Meklong Kha, a tributary of the Salwin in Western region.

 ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 203

ACROSSOCHEILUS SCHROEDERI, new species

FlQtmE 35

Description. —Moderately elongate and compressed depth of body ;

3.4 in standard length; least depth of caudal peduncle 1.5 in its length,
1.9 in length of head; eye 3.5 in head, slightly less than snout and
bony interorbital space mouth small, slightly overhung by snout, its
;

width at base about equal to diameter of eye lips rather full, postlabial
;

grooves of lower jaw approaching rather closely to each other and

leaving an isthmus 0.3 diameter of eye; maxillary not extending
beyond vertical from nostrils; barbels subequal, 1.5 times diameter
of eye.
Squamation: Scales in lateral line 34; scales in transverse series
from midline of back to base of ventral fin 5.5 — 1—3 ;
predorsal scales
11 ; circumpeduncular scales 16.

--^-^^

Figure 35.—Acrossocheilus schroederi, new species: Type. Drawn by Mrs. Aime M. Awl

Fins Origin of dorsal fin over base of ventrals and nearer to tip of
:

snout than to base of caudal fin dorsal rays iii, 9 last simple dorsal
; ;

ray rather short and coarsely denticulated, its length less than head
caudal fin forked for more than 0.5 its length, about as long as head
anal fin small, rays iii, 5, longest ray 0.5 head; ventral fins 1.7 in
length of head, not reaching anal opening; pectoral rays i, 15, some-
what longer than ventrals.
Plain; each scale of back and sides with a
Coloration (in alcohol) :

narrow black basal crescent; a narrow but well-defined black line

from upper angle of gill opening to upper base of pectoral fin outer ;

part of dorsal rays and membranes blackish, giving the appearance

of a black spot when fin is partly flexed ; other fins plain.
Type.—The type, 11 cm. long, taken in the Mekang on Doi Angka,
^iorthern Thailand, in April 1937, by the Harvard Primate Expedi-
 —
204 BULLETIN 18S, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

tion, is in the collection of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. No

other specimen is available.
—
Remarks. This species may be distinguished from other known
forms by the combination of a very small mouth, 34 scales in lateral
line, 16 circumpeduncular scales, 9 branched rays in dorsal fin, and
coloration.
The fish is named for William C. Schroeder, associate curator of
fishes in the Museum of Comparative Zoology.

ACROSSOCHEILUS SUMATRANUS (Weber and de Beaufort)

LissocMlus smnatratius Weber and de BEAtTFOKX, 1916, vol. 3, p. 169, figs. 68, 69
(Bandar Baru, Sumatra). Suvatti, 1936, p. 55 (Sichon, Tadi, Trang,
Nakon Sritamarat).
Lissochilus hutchinsoni Fowlek, 1934a, p. 120, figs. 76, 77 (Nakon Sritamarat).
Acrossocheilus hutchinsoni Fowler, 1939, pp. 41, 70 (Huey Yang, Trang).

Otherwise known only from Sumatra, this species was ascertained

to inhabit Thailand in July 1928, when the writer collected 11 speci-
mens in 3 different localities in Nakon Sritamarat, Peninsular Thai-
land Klong Pong, Klong Tadi, and a mountain brook at about 300
:

meters elevation on the base of Kao Luang. These specimens, from

5 to 14 cm. long, have 23 scales in the lateral line, 3.5 1 2 in the ——
transverse line to the base of the ventral fin, 7 in the predorsal region,
and 12 around the caudal peduncle, with dorsal rays iii, 9 or iv, 9.
The general color is silvery, with the scales of back and upper sides
having a dark base. A fish 14 cm. long from Klong Tadi was
strikingly beautiful when just taken from the water, the back and
sides rich silvery green, the belly white, the dorsal fin dark green, the
caudal yellow-green, with black tips on the lobes, the anal dusky
green, and the ventrals and pectorals orange. In examples of 6 cm.
or larger there are tubercles on pores on the preorbital and suborbital
areas smaller fish usually lack the tubercles.
;

Thirteen additional specimens were taken in September 1929 in a

mountain stream at Sichon, and in September 1933 below a waterfall
on Kao Chong, near Trang, both these places in Nakon Sritamarat;
in these the dorsal interradial membranes are black. In August 1934
one specimen 8.2 cm. long was collected in Huey Melao, on Doi Hua
Mot, Northern Thailand,
Examples sent to Dr. L. F. de Beaufort were found by him to exhibit
only minimal differences from fishes from Sumatra.
The fish described by Fowler (1934a), as Lissochilus hutchinsoni
from Nakon Sritamarat is undoubtedly this species. Fowler's single
specimen, 14.8 cm. long, agrees well with the description of 4. 5w??ia^ran-
us as regards proportions, squamation, and fin rays. The only points
 .

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 205

of difference mentioned by Fowler are the black ends of the caudal

lobes, the uniform coloration, and the ventral fins nearly reaching anal
fin inA. sumatranus, whereas in L. hutchiiisoni the ends of the caudal
and sides have a narrow, dark
lobes are not black, the scales of the back
basal crescent, and the ventrals extend about two-thirds of the distance
to the anal fin. It may be pointed out, however, that the caudal lobes
do not always have black ends in A. sumatranus, as Dr. de Beaufort
stated in a letter and as specimens collected by the writer show and ;

the length of the ventrals in the Thai specimens at hand varies with
sex and size. In the figure of L. hutchinsoni a large, round, sharply
defined black spot on the middle of the anal fin is present. This is not
observed in the specimens under consideration, but Fowler's descrip-
tion does not mention this feature and reads: "Anal whitish, mem-
branes mediall}^ and anteriorly dusky to blackish." In a series of 17
specimens from a waterfall stream near Trang, Fowler (1939) found
none with the large black blotch on the anal fin as shown in the figure.
Vernacular names given to this fish are pla lourd on Kao Chong,
pla hae (probably a contraction of kahae) on Klong Tadi, pla hai at
Sichon, and p7a chae on Doi Hua Mot.

ACROSSOCHEILUS DUKAI (Day)

Barbus dukai Day, 1878, vol. 2, p. 564 (Darjeeling River, India)

Barius (LissocMlus) dukai Hora, 1923b, p. 155 (Nakon Sritamarat mountains).
Lissochilus dukai Stjvatti, 1936, p. 55 (Nakon Sritamarat).— Fowler, 1937, p. 188
(Mepoon).

With its wide distribution —

India, Shan States of Burma, Malaya,
—
and probably Sumatra the presence of this fish in Thailand is not
unexpected. Since the first specimens were recorded by Hora from
mountains west of Nakon Sritamarat, the fish has been collected in
various other mountain streams in the province of that name (south-
east of Tung Song, at Klong Chawang east of Bandon, at Sichon, and
at Kao Chong), in the Bajo waterfall stream in Patani, in Central
Thailand at Mepoon, and in Huey Melao, on Doi Hua ^lot, northern
region. The specimen taken at Huey Melao, 15.5 cm. long, was taken
August 23, 1934, at an elevation of 1,000 meters. Young specimens
have a conspicuous black spot at the base of the caudal fin.
In Patani this fish is called pla tung nga. A local name in the Doi
Hua Mot region is pla pang chae.
Genus BALANTIOCHEILOS Bleeker

Balantiocheilos Bleekeb (261), Nat. Tijdsclir. Nederl-Indie, vol. 20, p. 430.

1859-60. (Type, Balantiocheilos melanopterus Bleeker.)
 : —
206 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
BALANTIOCHEILOS MELANOPTERUS (Sleeker)

Barius melanopterus Bleeker, 1851 (26), p. 11 (Bandjermassing, Borneo).

Balantiocheilus melanopterus Bleeker, 1865 (347), p. 35 (Siam). Weber and
DE Beaufort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 206, fig. 76 (Siam).—Hora, 1923b, p. 159
(Nontaburi).—FowLEK, 1934a, p. 127 (Chieiigmai) ; 1937, p. 200, figs. 185,
186 (Bangkok, Kemarat).
BaktJitiochilus melanopterus Bleeker, 1865 (356), p. 176 (Siam).
Puntius melanopterus Sauvage, 1881, p. 163 (Siam).

Outside of Thailand this species appears to be known only from

Borneo, Sumatra, and Malaya. The species must, however, occur in
Indo-China, as it is reported from Kemarat, on the Mekong, where
it forms the boundary between Thailand and Cambodia.
This fish ranges throughout the basin of the Menam Chao Phya,
being recorded from Bangkok to Paknampo, the Meping at Chieng-
mai, the lower Menam Nan and Bung Borapet, and the Menam Sak
below the irrigation barrage at Dlia Luang. Its principal center
of abundance is the Paknampo region, where at times it is very
numerous.
While a length of 35 cm. is reported for Borneo and Sumatra, the
largest examples met with in Thailand have been about 20 cm.
B. melanoptetnis may be recognized readily by its peculiar horse-
shoe-shaped mouth, with a pocket behind the lower lip, and the jet-
black distal parts of the dorsal, caudal, anal, and ventral fins.
The fish has the ability to leap high out of the water. sheer A
jump of 2 meters was once observed in the lower Menam Nan.
The local vernacular names have reference to its striking colora-
tion. Those heard in different parts of Central Thailand are pla
hang niai (burnt-tail fish), pla hang yio or iew^ and pla nam lang
hung dam.
Genus SCAPHIODONICHTHYS Vinciguerra

Scaphiodoniclithys Vinciguerra, Ann. Mus. Civ. Storia Nat, Genova, ser. 2, vol. 9,

p. 285, 1889-90. (Type, ScaphiodonicJith^s iurmanicus Yinciguevra..)

The genus Scaphiodonichthys is very close to the genus Seniiplotus

of Burma and India. The principal difference is in the number of
branched dorsal rays, which in the present genus range from 9 to 12,
while in Sevniplotus the minimum number is 20. In a letter Dr. Sun-
der Lai Hora, of the Indian Museum in Calcutta, wrote
The nature of the mouth in Semiplotiis and ScapJiiodonichthys suggests their
very close affinity. In fact, the latter is distinguished from the former by the
possession of fewer rays in the dorsal fin. The Siamese form [8. acanthopterus]
with increased number of branched rays [as compared with 8. bunnamcusl
sliows that 8emiplotus may have given rise to forms with fewer rays. It is
quite possible that there may be some other forms yet to be discovered with a
number of branched rays intermediate between 12 and 20. When svich forms are
found, Semiplotus and Scaphiodonichthys will have to be regarded as congeneric,
with possibly subgeneric rank.
 — :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 207

The two known species may be distinguished as follows

la. Scales in lateral line 37 or 38 branched dorsal rays 9 or 10
; burmanicus
1&. Scales in lateral line 41 or 42 branched dorsal rays 11 or 12
; acanthopteriis

SCAPHIODONICHTHYS BURMANICUS Vinciguerra

Scaphiodonichthys btirmunicus Vincigueeka, 1889-90, p. 285, pi. 11, fig. 11

(Burma). Smith, 1933a, p. 79 (in part) (Northern Siam).
This strongly marked species, which Dr. Vincigiierra described
from lower Burma near the Thai border in 1890, seems to have re-
mained vmnoticed by others until the writer reported it from Thailand
in 1933. Numerous specimens were obtained in Northwestern Thai-
land in December 1932 and January 1933 in the Mepai at and near
Muang Pai, in the Mekong Noi north of Mehongsorn, and in a brook
west of Mesarieng, all Specimens
of these tributaries of the Salwin.
in the Deignan from the Huey Mekong Klia, at the foot
collection are
of Doi Mekong Kha, between Mesarieng and the Salwin. The British
Musem contains specimens collected by Major Stockley on the boun-
dary between Thailand and Tenasserim.
In Thailand this fish is restricted to mountain streams in the west-
ern drainage into Burma. The species is separated from the form in-
habiting the headwaters of the Meping and tributaries of the Me-
kong by high mountain ranges. This separation has permitted the
development of certain differential features, which are pointed out in
the account of the following species.
A length slightly in excess of 18 cm. is attained.
SCAPHIODONICHTHYS ACANTHOPTERUS (Fowler)

Scaphiodonichthys burmanicus Smith, 1933a, p 79 (in part) (Northern Siaiu).—

FowLEB, a935a, p. 120 (Slian States and Northern Siam).
ScapModontopsis acanthopterus Fowleb, 1934a, p. 119, figs. 74, 75 (Shan States,
Burma; Metang River, Chiengmai).
A critical examination of an ample series of specimens indicates
that this species, known from Meping in Thailand
the basins of the
and the Mekong in Thailand and the Shan States of Burma, is dis-
tinct from S. burmanicus (q. v.), known from the basin of the Salwin
in Thailand and Burma and from minor streams in Tenasserim. The
differences, while not marked, are constant and involve the number of
scales in the lateral line and the number of branched rays in the
dorsal fin. Thus, in jS. acanthopterus the lateral-line scales number
41 or 42 against 37 or 38 in S. turrnanicus, and the branched dorsal
rays are always 11 or 12 in the former species as against 9 or 10 in the
latter. Further comparison of specimens may bring out other
differences.
The largest specimens examined from Thai waters have been 21
to 22 cm. long.
 —
208 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Examples up to 6.5 to 7 cm. long show very distinct black vertical

blotches or stripes irregularly distributed over the silvery side. In
specimens 8 cm. long or more the black markings have usually com-
pletely disappeared. In adult males the snout is thickly beset with
ttout prickly tubercles in adult females the tubercles are less devel-
;

oped, have a rounded top, and may not project above the surface.
Full maturity is attained by males at a length of about 11 cm., and
many males exhibit lines of pearl organs on the anal rays. Its bril-
liant silvery body, extremely wide transverse mouth, and strong,
denticulated last simple ray make the fish easily recognizable.
Among the mountain people of Northern Thailand this fish is
everywhere called pla iiviiin^ a name borne by no other species.

SCAPHOGNATHOPS, new generic name

Scapho(/natJb02>s,new generic- name to replace Scaphognathus H. M. Smith, pi-e-
occupied in reptiles {Scaphognathus Waguer, Sitz. Ber. Akad. Miinchen, vol. 1,
pp. 519,531,1861).

Genotype. —Scaphognathus stejnegeri H. M. Smith.

SCAPHOGNATHOPS STEJNEGERI (H. M. Smith)

Figure 36
Scaphognathus stejnegeri Smith, 1931a, p. 22, figs. 10, 11 (Mekong).

Of this strongly marked species only the type specimen is known.

It is 22.5 cm. long and was taken in the Mekong, Eastern Thailand,

Figure 36. Scaphognathops stejnegeri (H. M. Smith). Drawn by Luang Masya;

courtes)^ of the Thailand Government.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 209

February '24:, 1929. It is apparently very rare. The outstanding

characters are the deep, strongly compressed body ; narrow scooplikc
lower jaw with lip confined to the sides; absence of barbels; branchial
membranes broadly joined to the isthmus; pharyngeal teeth 5,3-3,5,
the first 4 teeth in the first row blunt, molarlike, the last being much
smaller and clavate, tlie teeth in the second row much smaller and
clavate; gill rakers very short, conical, 10+4 on first arch; long, high
dorsal fin with its last simple ray osseous and denticulated and its
branched rays numbering 14 and anal fin with 6 branched rays and
;

its last simple ray stout and osseous.

Genus THYNNICHTHYS Bleeker

Tliynnichthys Bueekee (261), Nat. Tijdschr. Neflerl.-Iiidie, vol. 20, p. 433, 1860.
(Tyi)e, LeucisGus thynnoides Bleeker.)

THYNNICHTHYS THYNNOIDES (Bleeker)

Leuciscus thynnoides Bleekek, 1852 (67), p. 599 (Palembang, Sumatra).

Thynnichthys thynnoides Hoka, I923b, p. 154 (Nontaburi).
Thynnichthys thai Fowlek, 1937, p. 177, figs. 114, 115 (Mepoon, Pitsanulok).

In the East Indian Archipelago this fish appears to be confined

to Borneo and Sumatra. It is recorded also from Indo-China (Sau-
vage, 1881, p. 164) and was to be expected in the Malay States where
,

Herre and Myers (1937) found it in Pahang and Perak. Its range
in Thailand covers the entire length of the country from north to
south. In the north, however, the fish is known only from the Mekok
at Chiengrai; that is, it seems to be absent from the Meping and its
tributaries. It has been taken in the Tale Sap, the Tale Noi, and the
Patani River in the Peninsula. It does not seem to be present in the
waters of Southeastern Thailand. At least, the collections therefrom
have failed to yield it. The fish seems rare in the Eastern area and ;

the collection contains a single specimen, 5 cm. long, taken from the
Menam Mun in November 1926. The great center of abundance is the
basin of the Menara Chao Phya.
This fish may
be recognized readily by its silvery sheen, minute
scales, deficient upper lip, and tumiylik^ shape.
Adult fish are from 12 cm. long upward. A
specimen with ripe
eggs, taken in the Patani River on October 15, 1923, was 15.5 cm. long.
The maximum size given by Weber and de Beaufort for Sumatra is
23 cm. The largest examples met with in Thailand were in a canal
in Bangkok; many collected with a cast net May 3, 1923, were 25 cm.
long.
Many of the fresh-water fishes in the lower reaches of the coastal
rivers are very susceptible to a low degree of salinity of the water,
which comes at the end of the dry season, and this species is no excep-
tion. Fish in a small pond in Tonburi, Bangkok, connected with the
 :

210 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Menam Chao Phya were killed on May 7, 1926, by the encroachment

of brackish water from the river ; 15 dead fish were picked up on the
surface of the pond.
Fowler's Thynnichthys thai is clearly this species, agreeing perfectly
therewith in proportions, fin formulae, scales in lateral and trans-
verse series, etc. The only point of difference that Fowler mentions
is the number of predorsal given as 21 or 22 in T. thai and 30 in
scales,
T. thynnoides on the authority of Weber and de Beaufort. These
authors, however, say "about 30 irregular rows." As a matter of fact
the predorsal scales are not easy to count, owing to their crowded,
irregular arrangement, and different persons may obtain different
figures for the same fish. Specimens in the U. S. National Museum
show a range from 22 to 28.
In Thailand, fishermen, with their usual aptitude, call the fish pla
Met tee (small-scale fish), a name that is almost everywhere in use.
A variation on the Pasak River is pla nang Met. On some sections
of the Menam Chao Phya the name pla 'pi^om is heard. At Patalung
and on the Tale Sap in Peninsular Thailand the fish is called fla ling.

Genus OSTEOCHILUS Gunther

OsteocMlus GiiNTHEK, Catalogue of the fishes in the British Museum, vol. 7, p. 40,
1868. (Type, OsteocMlus melanopleurus (Giinther) ^=Rohita melanopleura
Bleeker.)

The common in the streams, canals, and lakes in

osteochilids are
most of Thailand, and in some places and at certain times may be
abundant. All species form part of the local food consumption, and
some are regularly sent to the larger markets.
Recognition of these fishes is effected easily by examination of the
fringed lips, the broad confluence of the lower lip with the isthmus,
the sharp bony edge of the lower jaw, and the long dorsal fin with 10
to 18 branched rays.
A
basis for differentiation and classification adopted by Weber and
de Beaufort is the presence or absence of large rostral pores, which may
contain horny tubercles. In some species there are only three such
pores, situated at the front of the snout in other species there are two
;

to four rows of pores on the front and sides of the snout and in addi- ;

tion there may be minute pearl organs promiscuously disposed on head

and body. In some species there is no vestige of pores at any stage of
growth in any of the material at hand.
Fifteen species are recorded for Thailand
la. Maxillary and rostral barbels present.
2a. Scales in lateral line 45 to 54.
3o. Scales in lateral line 47 to 49; scales between midline of back and base of
ventral fin 8.5-1-7 ; predorsal scales 15 or 16 circumpeduncular scales
;

20 to 24 ; 3 pores in a transverse row on front of snout a large black;

blotch on caudal peduncle borneensis

 ;

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 211

3&. Scales in lateral line 45 to 54 scales between midline of back and base of
;

ventral 11 or 12-1-8 predorsal scales about 20 circumpeduncular

fin ; ;

scales 24 or 26; no pores on front of snout; a large black transverse

blotch on the side anteriorly melanopleura
26. Scales in lateral line 29 to 36.
4a. Circumpeduncular scales 14.
5a. No large pores or tubercles on front of snout branched dorsal rays ;

12; scales in lateral line 35 or 36; scales between midline of back

and lateral line 6.5 or 7; a black longitudinal band from head
to base of caudal fin, thence extended to tip of median caudal
rays waandersii
56. Three large pores on snout branched dorsal rays 12 scales in lateral
; ;

line 31 scales between midline of back and lateral line 6 each scale
; ;

of back and side with a black basal spot body with a black longi- ;

tudinal band most distinct posteriorly a black bar on body along ;

upper edge of gill opening scapularis

46. Circumpeduncular scales 16.
6a. No pores on snout.
la. Branched dorsal rays 12
to 18 scales in lateral line 33 to 36 depth
; ;

contained 3 times or less in standard length least depth of ;

caudal peduncle about equal to its length each scale of back and ;

side with a black spot forming longitudinal lines a round black ;

spot on caudal peduncle hasseltii

76. Branched dorsal rays 14 to 16; scales in lateral line 29 to 33;
depth contained 3 times or less in standard length least depth of ;

caudal peduncle two-thirds its length each scale of back and ;

side with a yellow, orange, or red spot forming longitudinal lines

a round black spot on caudal peduncle duostigma
66. Pores on snout.
Sa. Front of snout with a large central pore and a smaller pore on each
side in a horizontal row a black band along lateral line from
;

head to caudal fin or to tip of middle caudal rays vittatus

86. Front of snout with 2 or 3 irregular horizontal rows of pores; no
black longitudinal band a black crescentic spot at fifth scale of
;

lateral line and scale immediately above and below lini

4c. Circumpeduncular scales 20; no pores on snout schlegeli
16. Only maxillary barbels present pores on snout in several rows.
;

9a. Scales in lateral line 35 scales from midline of back to base of ventral fin
;

8-1-5 predorsal scales 11 gill rakers on lower arm of first arch about 38
; ;

branched dorsal rays 13 tatumi

96. Scales in lateral line 40 scales from midline of back to base of ventral fin
;

8-1-5 pedorsal scales 11 gill rakers on lower arm of first arch about 38
; ;

branched dorsal rays 13 ochrus

Ic. Only rostral barbels present.
10a. No pores on snout lips entire gill rakers on lower arm of first arch about
; ;

50; last simple dorsal ray greatly elongated, 3 in standard body

length macrosemion
106. Pox'eson snout in 2 horizontal rows gill rakers on lower arm of first arch
;

about 30 to 44 last simple dorsal ray not especially elongated.

;

llo. Predorsal scales 10 to 12 lips entire gill rakers about 44

; branched ; ;

dorsal rays 15 spilopleura

116. Predorsal scales 13 or 14 ; lips papillate ;
gill rakers about 30 ;branched
dorsal rays 11 or 12 prosemion
](f. Position uncertain simus
 — —
212 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
OSTEOCHILUS BORNEENSIS (Blecker)

Rohita horneemts Eleekee, 1&37 (162), p. 17 (Borneo); 1859-60 (239), p. 102

(Siam [after Castelnau]).
Rohita {Rohita) horneensis Bleekee, 1865 (356), p. 175 (Siam).
Osteochilus horneensis Webee aud de Beatxfokt, 1916, vol. 3, p. 126 (Siam [after
Bleeker]).

This species was identified by Bleeker from a drawing by Castelnau

contained in an album of Thai fishes. No collection in Thailand
has yielded this fish. One may suggest that the drawing was in-
iiccurate, that it was not based on a Thai specimen, or that Bleeker mis-
identified it. Several species represented in Castelnau's drawings as
listed by Bleeker were certainly not Thai one of them was Acantho-
:

hranva simoni from China and another was Pseudoxipho'phorus himac-

iilatus (Heckel) from Mexico. In view of the occurrence in Thai-
land of many Bornean sijecies, the finding of 0. horneensis in Thailand
is not impossible, and it is retained in this catalog in view of that con-

tingency.

OSTEOCHILUS MELANOPLEURA (Bleeker)

Rohita melunoplenra Bleeker, 1852 (55), p. 430 (Bandjermassing, Borneo;

Palembang, Sumatra).
Rohita (Rohita) melanopleura Bieeker, 18G5 (356), p. 175 (Siam).
Osteochilus melon opleurus von Maetens, 1876, p. 401 (Bangkoli). Sau\'Age, 1881,
p. 163 (Bangkoli) 1883b. p. 152 (Meuam Chao Phya).— Fowler, 1934a, p.
;

116 (Bangkok) 1934b, p. 343 (Bangkok)

; ;1935a, p. 115 (Bangkok) ; 1937.
p. 179 (Bangkok).
Osteochilus melanopleura Weber and de BEAtJFORT, 1910, vol. 3, p. 127 (Siam).
HoRA, 1923b, p. 154 (Bangkok, Nontaburi).— Vipxjlya, 1923, p. 226 (Bangkok).

From Borneo and Sumatra, the range of this fish extends to the
Malay States and Peninsular Thailand, Central region, and Eastern
area, but there are no available records for the moimtain regions of
Northern and Western Thailand. Specimens have been examined
from the Tale Noi, the Tapi River near Bandon, the Meklong,
throughout the Menam Chao Phya, the Mewang at Lampang, and the
Menam Mun east of Korat.
This is the largest of the local species of Osteochilus. A length of
37 cm. is assigned for the East Indies. In Thailand, examples 27
to 30 cm. long are frequently met with; a specimen of 38 cm. was
taken in the east branch of the Kanburi River in September 1928 and
fish fully 40 cm. long have been observed.
The fish is easily recognizable by its abruptly ascending mouth,
fringed lips, long dorsal fin, generally grayish -green color of body,
with numerous irregularly disposed small silvery spots and a large
blackish transverse blotch on the anterior part of the body.
Anglers using dough, prawns, and insects as bait catch this fish
in the Menam Chao Phya and other large rivers.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 213

Throughout its range in Thailand the fish bears the vernacular

name of fl^a p^rom or pla prom hua men, the last two words meaning
smelly head.
OSTEOCHILUS WAANDERSII (Bleeker)

Rohita waandersU BLEEKtai, 1852 (70), p. 733 (Toboali Province, Banka.)

Osteochilus waandersi Boui^nger, 1903, p. 303 (Patani River).

The only Thailand record for this fish of Sumatra and Bangka is
that of Boulenger, who found the species represented by a half-
grown specimen in a collection made by Annandale and Robinson in
the Patani River, between Biserat and the town of Patani. The
differential characters are absence of pores or tubercles on the snout,
6.5 or 7 series of scalesbetween the midline of the back and the lateral
line, 7 series of scales below the lateral line, 12 branched rays in the
dorsal fin, and a black band from the head to the tips of the median
caudal rays. There is a strong resemblance to O. vittatus, in which
there is always a large median rostral pore or horny tubercle with a
smaller one on either side, the three being in a straight liorizontal row.
A length of about 20 cm. is attained.
OSTEOCHILUS SCAPULARIS Fowler

OsteocJiilus scapularis Fowleb, 1939, p. 69, figs. 17, 18 (Trang).

Known from a single specimen, 13.8 cm. long, from a waterfall

stream near Trang in Peninsular Thailand, this species has a combi-
nation of features by which it may be distinguished from related
forms: Rather deep body (depth 2.8), large head (3.5 in standard
length) two pairs of barbels, 31 scales in the lateral line, 6-1-5 scales
,

in transverse series to base of ventral fin, 10 predorsal scales, 14 circum-

peduncular scales, 44 short gill rakers, 12 branched rays in the dorsal
fin, a blackish longitudinal band most distinct on the posterior half

of the body and extending on the base of the central caudal rays, a
black bar on the body along the upper edge of the gill opening, each
scale of theback and sides with a black basal spot, and all fins reddish.
The edged all around with row of
lips are described as "broad, thin,
papillae, inner surfaces strongly striate, outer less so, medial and
symphyseal region well papillated or fringed," and the coriaceous
mandible has "5 cutaneous folds each side." The description makes
no mention of rostral pores, but the figure indicates 3 large pores at
the front of the snout.
The species is rather close to 0. vittatus, with which it agrees in
squamation, rostral pores, fin rays, and falcate vertical fins. Differ-
ences are in body proportions, in fewer circumpeduncular scales, in
origin of the anal fin under the last rays of the dorsal fin (anal aris-
^^-
5900S7 —45 15
 — —
214 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

ing far behind the dorsal fin in O. mttatu^s) , in the more complicated
lips, and in coloration.
OSTEOCHILUS HASSELTH (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Figure 37
Rohita hasseltii Ctjvieb and [Link], 1842, vol. 16, p. 274 (locality not
given).
Rohita (Rohita) hasaelt i Blekker, 18G5 (347), p. 35 (Slam).
Rohita (Rohita) hasseltii Bleekek, 1865 (356), p. 175 (Siam).
Osteochilus hasseltii Sauvage, 1883b, p. 152 (Meuam Chao Phya ) .^Fowlek,
1934a, p. 115 (Chiengmai, Chautabun) 1935a, p. 115 (Bangkok) 1939, pp. 41,
; ;

45 (Huey Yang and Krabi).

Osteochilus hasselti Weber and de Beaufort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 135 (Siam). Hoba,
1924a, p. 470 (Tale Sap).

One of the commonest and most widely distributed osteochilids in

the rivers and lakes of the large islands of the East Indies (Java, Bor-
neo, and Sumatra), this fish occurs also in Jahore, Malacca, Pahang,
and other Malay States, and it is found throughout the length and
breadth of Thailand with the exception of the waters of the Mekong
drainage and of the Bay of Bengal watershed, from which no speci-

FiGURE 37. Osteochilus hasseltii (Cuvier and Valenciennes). Drawn by Luang Masya;
courtesy of the Thailand Government.

mens have as yet been reported. Inasmuch as the writer found the
fish very abundant in the Seamreap River, Cambodia, an atiluent of
tliB' Tonle Sap, it undoubtedly occurs in the Mekong and will even-

tually be reported from the Thialand side of that great boundary

river. Definite records for Peninsular Thialand are the Patani River,
Bajo Avaterf all, and Bukit in Patani Province the inner lake of Tale;

Sap and various streams in Nakon Sritamarat; and the Tapi River
near Bandon. In the Central area the fish is known from the Mekling,
Menam Chao Phya, and other streams, and Bung Borapet. The fish
as been taken in the Meping at Chiengmai in Northern Thialand,
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF STAM, OR THAILAND 215

and from the Chantabun and Krat Rivers in the Southeastern region.
From all of these waters specimens have been examined.

A length in excess of 30 cm. is attained, but in Thailand examples

as large as 25 cm. are rare and the usual length of fully mature fish is
from 15 to 20 cm.
The species is strikingly colored. In life the back may be rich
green, the sides creamy, the belly white,, with six to eight longitudinal
lines of black spots following the rows of scales, a spot on each scale,
the black lines sometimes extending to the ventral fins; the caudal,
anal, and ventral fins are red, the dorsal is pale yellow or red, and the
pectorals are white or greenish.
Throughout its range this fish is esteemed as food, meeting with
ready sale at good prices.
Several distinctive colloquial names are given to hasselfu. In
.

most parts of Central Thailand, as well as in Southeastern Thailand,

it is known as pla soi khao^ in fancied resemblance to a dove {Strepto-

pelia) called nok khao, which has an area of small black and white
spots on each side of the neck; this name is frequently shortened to
2)la nok khao. Throughout Peninsular Thailand the name in common
use is pla khi khom {bitter-dregs fish), but in several places, as at the
J>ajo waterfall in Patani Province, the name pla tu l>o is applied; p7a
ill is the extremely abundant and commer(?ially important little mack-

erel of the Gulf of Siam, and ho is the bo tree, associated with the
Buddha.
OSTEOCHILUS DUOSTIGMA Fowler

Osteochilus duostigma- Fowler, 1937, p. 182, figs. 120, 121 (Keiuarat, Bangkok) ;

1939, p. 41 (Huey Yang).

This species, described from the Meklong, with paratypes from the
Menam Chao Phya, resembles O. hasseltii in squamation, absence of
pores on snout, barbels, fins, large black spot on caudal peduncle, and
longitudinal lines of small spots following the rows of scales, and dif-
fers therefrom only in having a small cluster of black spots above
the pectoral fin, two spots being on the fourth scale of the lateral

line, and one spot on the scale above and one spot on the scale below
No descriptions of O. hasseltii refer to these spots.
Four specimens 7 to 8 cm. long were caught with a dip net along
the bank of the Menam Chao Phya near Nakon Sawan, Central Thai-
land, January 5, 1925. In these the minute pearl organs, in addition
to thickly besetting the top of the head, occur on practically every
scale, even the most posterior scales on the caudal peduncle. The
round black spot on the caudal peduncle, larger than the eye, is sharply
defined, as are the black spots anteriorly on the lateral line and the
lines of dark spots following the rows of scales.
A specimen, 9.2 cm. long, taken April 29, 1927, in Pliew waterfall
stream on Kao Sabap, Southeastern Thailand, agrees with the de-
 —
216 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

scription and figures of this sjiecies and does not fit into the account
of any other species.

OSTEOCHILUS VITTATUS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Plate 6

Rohita vittata Cuvieb and Valenciennes, 1842, vol. 16, p. 267 (Java).
Osteochilus vittatus Fowler, 1934a, p. 116, figs. 68-73 (Chiengsen, Chiengmai) ;

1935b, p. 510 (Old Chiengsen) 1937, p. ISO, figs. 122, 123 (Bangkok, Kem-
;

arat) 1939, pp. 39, 69 (Khao Bhanam Bencha, Trang).

;

This species abounds in rivers and lakes in Java, Borneo, Sumatra,

and the Malay States, and in Thailand it is one of the commonest
and most widely distributed members of the genus Osteochilus. It
has been found in all parts of the countrj'^ except the western drainage,
and it is particularly numerous in the basin of the Menam Chao Phya,
which river it regularly descends as far as Paknam.
A length in excess of 20 cm. is normally attained. The largest local
specimen actually measured was 23.5 cm long, from the Pran River
May 29, 1928; this was a female, with ripe eggs. Full maturity, how-
ever, is attained at a much smaller size. Thus, a number of fishes
under 6 cm. long taken in Borapet Swamp in November 1923 were
females with large ovaries.
This is a strikingly marked species. The adults have a broad black
band from the eye to the caudal fin, and usually the black band extends
to the posterior end of the middle caudal rays. In some examples
the back may be dark purplish or purplish black, and the lateral band
then stands out less prominently.
Among the vernacular names borne by this fish is pla rong mai tab
in common use in the Nakon Sritamarat province. In Southeastern
Thailand the fish is called jyla hang lai.
to 'iOJj
OSTEOCHILUS LINI Fowler

Osteochilus lini Fowler, 1935a, p. 118, figs. 54, 55 (Khao Nam Poo).

The principal features of this species, 6.5 to 8.4 cm. long, known
from numerous specimens from Khao Nam Poo in northern Central
Thailand are the fringed lips, 2 pairs of barbels, 2 or 3 irregular rows
of pores on the front of the snout, 33 or 34 scales in the lateral line,
and a black blotch on both sides of the lateral line above the pectoral
fin.
OSTEOCHILUS SCHLEGELI (Bleeker)

FiGxniE 38

Rohita schlegeli Bleeker, 1851 (49), p. 432 (Bandjermassing, Borneo).

Rohita (Rohita) schlegeli Bleeker, 1865 (356), p. 174 (Siam).
Osteochilus schlegelU Sauvage, 1881, p. 163 (Siam) lS83b, p. 152 (Menam Chao
;

Phya). Weber and de Beaufort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 129 (Siam).

The range of this fish includes Borneo and Sumatra as well as
Thailand. In the Thai rivers the fish is neither widely distributed
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN U
 — ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 217

nor abundant. Menani Chao

Definite locality records are for the
Phya and The British Museum contains several speci-
the Meklong.
mens from the Menam Chao Phya received from the Siamese Museum.
(Jne of a lot collected at Angtong, on the Menam Chao Phya, in No-
vember 1923, was compared with Bleekerian material by Dr. de Beau-
fortand found to agree.

Figure 38. OsUochilm schlegeli (Bleeker). Drawn by Nal Chote Suvatti; courtesy
of the Thailand Government.

A 15 cm. long, from the Meklong at Ban Pong, in December

fish,

1925, had 18 scales around the narrowest part of the caudal peduncle
the normal number is 20.

OSTEOCHILUS TATUMI Fowler

Osieochilus tatiimi Fowler, 1937, p. 180, figs. 118, 119 (Bangkok).

Only the type, ll.T cm. long, from the Menam Chao Phya
at Bang-
kok, is known. The species is described as having only a maxillary
barbel, in this respect agreeing with O. ochncs. The barbel is 0.4

diameter of eye and does not appear in the figure of the whole fish but
shows in the view of the underside of the head. There are "at least
4 series of pores on the snout, evidently scars of pearl organs," to
quote the original description; in the figure three rows are repre-
sented on the snout and one row, of about six pores, on the upper lip.

i
OSTEOCHILUS OCHRUS Fowler

OsteocMlus ochrus Fowleb, 1935a, p. 118, figs. 56, 57 (Bangkok) ; 1937, p. ISO
(Kemarat).
The species is peculiar in having only maxillary barbels, which are
very short and nearly concealed in the supralabial groove. The snout
is described as having "3 or 4 irregular close-set pearl organ scars,"

but the fioure shows over 30 such scars on one side of the head.
218 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
OSTEOCHILUS MACROSEMION Fowler

Osteochilus macrosemion Fowleb, 1935a, p. 116 (Srisawat).

This species is regarded by Fowler as "apparently distinct" from

O. spilopleura, having no pores on the snout and a prolonged third
simple ray of the dorsal fin. "which Avhen depressed reaches nearly to
the end of the last branched ray. There is a tendency of the anterior
dorsal rays to become elongated in some large individuals of 0.
vittatits (Cuvier and Valenciennes), O. tHporii-s (Bleeker), and other
species of Osteochilus^ and this feature may have no specific im-
j)ortance.
The type and only known specimen, from the Kwe Yai of tlie

Meklong at Srisawat in Central Thailand, is 18.5 cm, long,

OSTEOCHILUS SPILOPLEURA Fowler

Osteochilus spilopleura Fowlek, 193oa, p. 115, figs. 52, 58 (Srisawat).

Only a single specimen of this fish was known at the time the species
was described; it was 21.3 cm. long and came from the [Link] branch of
the Meklong at Srisawat in Central Thailand. The species is char-
acterized by rostral barbels, large pores in two rows on the front of
the snout, entire lips, about 44 short gill rakers on the lower arm of
the first arch, and a black blotch at the fifth and sixth scales of the
lateral line extending partly above but mostly below the line.
A specimen in hand 17.7 cm. long was collected by Phya Daruphan
Pithaks, chief conservator of forests, from the ]Mesoi, a tributary of
the Mewang, north of Lampang; it agrees fairly well with the descrip-
tion of the type. All the scales of the back and side have a dark basal
spot. The circumpeduncular scales, not mentioned in the original
description, number 20.
The collector gave the local vernacular name for the fish as p7a
pik deng.
OSTEOCHILUS PROSEMION Fowler

Osteochilus prosemion Fowler, 1934a, p. 110, figs. 66, 67 (Chiengmai) ; 1937,

p. 1S3 (Kemarat).

This fish is known from 4 specimens, 10.6 to 14.8 cm, long, from
the Meping at Chiengmai and the Mekong at Kemarat,
Resemblance to O. spilopleura is seen in the presence of only rostral
barbels, 2 rows of large pores on the front of the snout, and a black
blotch across the lateral line above the pectoral fin. The principal
differences are entire instead of papillate numerous gilllips, less
rakers (about 30 as against 44), fewer predorsal scales, and 3 or 4
fewer branched rays in the dorsal fin.

.bBsri
 .

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 219

OSTEOCHILUS SIMUS (Sauvage)

Rohita sima Sauvage, 1878b, p. 238 (Mekong, Indo-China) ; 1881, p. 177 (Mekong,
Indo-China )
? Osteochilus sima Fowler, 1935a, p. 117 (Srisawat).

The original description of this species from Pnom-Penh, on the

Mekong in Cambodia, differs considerably from that of 3 years later.
Thus, the fish was first credited with strongly fringed lips, 2 pairs
of barbels, 48 scales in the lateral line, and dorsal rays 19 (including
simple rays). With additional material, also from the Mekong,
Sauvage reported the species as having an entire upper lip and fringed
lower lip, only rostral barbels, 38 scales in the lateral line, and 17
dorsal rays. These differences can hardly be reconciled, and doubt
must exist as to the real peculiarities of the species. The fish re-
mained unnoticed until 1935 when Fowler gave a description of two
specimens, 16.1 and 18 cm. long, from Srisavrat, Central Thailand;
these specimens, however, differ in essential features from one or
both of the descriptions of Sauvage, having the upp«r lip entire and
the lower lip papillate but not fringed, a single pair of barbels
(rostral), 36 scales in the lateral line, 7 scales between the lateral
line and the base of the ventrals (as against 5 or 5.5 scales according
to Sauvage), end of snout with 2 horizontal rows of pores (as against
2 or 4 large pores in some specimens according to Sauvage), and
dorsal fin with 5 simple and 15 branched rays. A further difference
is that whereas the Thai specimens have the back and side olive,

with a dark basal spot on each scale, and a conspicuous blackish

crescent on the side above the pectoral fin, Sauvage assigns to his
fish a brilliant, uniform coloration.
Determination of the true status of 0. simus and of the Thai
material so identified must await comparison with Sauvage's speci-
mens if they are still existent.

Genus ACANTHORHODEUS Bleeker

Accmthorhodeus Bleekee (411), Versl. Meded. Akad. Wet. Amsterdam, ser. 2, vol.
4, p. 252, 1870. (Type, Acanfhorhodeus macropterus Bleeker.) r!--i. Ji oii i

ACANTHORHODEUS DEIGNANI, new species

FiGXJEE 39

—
Description. Dorsal outline a regular curve from snout to caudal
peduncle; ventral profile somewhat more strongl}^ arched; depth 2.4 in
standard length least depth of caudal peduncle equals its length and
;

1.5 in head head 4.2 in length eye 2.5 in head and 1 in interorbital
; ;

space snout less than eye mouth very small, subterminal, maxillary
; ;

extending about 0.5 distance between tip of snout and eye; a small

maxillary barbel.
 —
220 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Squamation Lateral line slightly decurved, running to lower half

:

of caudal peduncle scales in lateral line 35, in transverse series to base

;

of ventrals 6-1-5, in predorsal region 15, surrounding narrowest part

of caudal peduncle 14.
Fins: Origin of dorsal fin slightly posterior to ventrals, over the
twelfth scale of the lateral line, about midway between tip of snout and
base of caudal fin ; dorsal rays ii, 11, second unbranched ray stiff and
stout, first branched raj^ shorter than head
caudal well forked, longer ;

than head anal rays ii, 11, second simple ray stiff, first branched ray
;

1.5 in head; ventrals 1.5 in head; pectorals slightly longer than

ventrals.

...^

Figure 39. Acaiithorhodeus dcignani, new species: Paratype (U.S.N.M. No. 107892).
Drawn bv Mrs. Aniie M. Awl.

Coloration (in preservative) A light band about two scales in

:

width extending from head to caudal base in this band posteriorly a ;

narrovv' blackish stripe beginning over anal and continuing nearly to

base of caudal fin fins plain, but with faint indications of dark spots on
;

the dorsal and anal rays.

—
Type and paratypes. A specimen 6.4 cm. long (U.S.N.M. No.
107938), the type, was collected by H. G. Deignan April 26, 1936, in
Huey Nam Puat, a tributary of the Mekon, at Ban Nam Puat, French
Laos. Paratypes are U.S.N.M. Nos. 107892, 107893.
—
Other spechnens. Taken at the same place and time were three
other specimens 4.3, 5.5, and 6.2 cm. long, in which the dorsal rays
were ii, 12 and the anal rays ii, 11.
—
Remarks. This species has been compared with specimens of A.
asinussi (Dybowski) from Siberia and China in the U. S. National
Museum and with specimens of A. guichenoti Bleeker and A. tonh'm-
ensis Vaillant from China lent by the American Museum of Natural
 FRESH-WATER fishes of SlAM, OR THAILAND 221

History. From the first -named species a difference of cardinal impor-

tance is in the number of branched dorsal rays (16 to 18 in A. a-smussi^
11 or 12 in A. deignani). Although Dybowski credited no barbels to
his form, specimens in the National Museum otherwise agreeing very
closely with A. asm/ussi and coming from the same waters as Dybow-
ski's material have a small but distinct maxillary barbel. Similarly,
A. guichenoti has 16 to 18 branched dorsal rays and other points of
difference.
Of the various species of Acanthorhodeus recorded from Indo-
china and Siberia, the present form appears to be closest to Vaillant's
imperfectly described species A. tonkmensis from the river Noi in
upper Tonkin, which is known also from Hainan. In that form, how-
were given as iii, 15 and in a specimen about 8.9
ever, the dorsal rays ;

cm. long from Hainan the branched dorsal rays number 15, although
Nichols and Pope (1927) give the rays as 13 to 15 specimens from that
island. Other differences shown by the Chinese form are the dorsal
profile more arched than the ventral, the nuchal concavity, and the
extension of the ventral fins on the anal.
Named for H. G. Deignan, who collected these first representatives
of the genus Acanthorhodeus found west of the Mekong.

Genus LABIOBARBUS van Hasselt

Labiobarbus van Hasselt, Alg. Konst. Letterbode, vol. 2, p. 132, 1823. (Type,
Labiobarbus leptocheilus van Hasselt.)

The fishes of this genus have for about a hundred years been re-
ferred to the genus Dangilu Cuvier and Valenciennes (1842). An
earlier name, Lahioharbus^ which has been generally overlooked or
ignored, was given by van Hasselt in 1823, with two Javan species^
leptocheilus and Upocheihis, mentioned thereunder. These two names,
adopted by Cuvier and Valenciennes, are acknowledged to be those of
van Hasselt. The genotype of Dangila was fixed by Bleeker in 1863
as leptocheilus. The generic name Labeoharbus of Riippell (1836),
which has usually been applied to cyprinoid fishes of an entirely dif-
ferent kind, was thus a synonym of Labiobarbus van Hasselt and was
otherwise unavailable, having been antedated by Tor of Gray.
These fishes are common in the rivers of Thailand and are recognized
easily as to genus by the extremely long dorsal fin, which in local
species has from 21 to 27 branched rays, combined with fringed upper
lip, lips continuous at the corners of the mouth, sharp edge of the lower

jaw, well-developed rostral and maxillary barbels, and small scales.

Some of the species are very similar to each other, and are separated
by a combination of minor features rather than by outstanding single
characters.
A length of 30 cm. is rarely exceeded.
 : — ;

222 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

While the various species enter into commerce, none of them has
a noteworthy food vahie.
The general vernacular name is fla set. According to some informa-
tion from Thai sources, sa may be an onomatopoeic name, repre-
senting the sound made by the fish when they come to the surface and
take in and blow out water and bubbles as a part of their respiratory
function.
Seven species are known in the fauna of Thailand
la. Circumpeduncular scales 16.
2a. Head small, 5.5 in standard length; maxillary barbel equal to eye; pores
on snout not described longest dorsal ray less than depth of body
;

I)ectoral fins as long as head; body with dark longitudinal streaks fol-
lowing rows of scales burmanicus
26. Head larger, 4.4 to 4.5 in standard length.
3a. Maxillary barbel much longer than eye; numerous small pores or tuber.--,
cles on pores on front of snout longest dorsal ray equal to depth of
;

body pectoral fins longer than head a dark band along side of body
; ;

a dark band along middle of back sumatranus

3&. Maxillary barbel equal to or shorter than eye 2 transverse rows of large ;

pores or tubercles on pores on front of snout longest dorsal ray much ;

less than depth of body pectoral fins as long as head body with
; ;

6 to 9 black stripes following lines of scales no dark median dorsal ;

band lineatus
16. Circumpeduncular scales 20; scales in lateral line 43 to 45; scales in trans-
verse line to base of ventral fin 7.5 or 8-1-5 or 5.5 ; maxillary barbel longer
than eye.
4a. Several rows .of large pores on front of snout pectoral fin shorter than
;

head ; a black diamond-shaped spot on side over middle of pectoral

fin, center of spot uncolored a large round black spot on caudal
;

peduncle spilopleura
46. A single row of pores on front of snout as long as head a
;
pectoral fin ;

black spot on each scale of back and side forming interrupted longi-
tudinal lines no mark on side over pectoral fin a round black spot
; ;

on caudal peduncle siamensis

Ic. Circumpeduncular scales 18 to 22 ; scales in lateral line 39 to 41 scales in ;

transverse line to base of ventral fin 6.5 to 8.5-1-5 to 6 several series of ;

pores on front of snout; body with longitudinal dark lines following rows
of scales ; usually a round dark spot on caudal peduncle.
"
5a. Length of head 4.7 to 5.2 in standard length leptocheilus
56. Length of head 4.2 to 4.3 in standard length kuhlii

LABIOBARBUS BURMANICUS (Day)

Dangila burma^iica Bay, 1878, vol. 2, p. 516 (Moulmein, Tanoy). Smith, 1933a,
p. 80 (Patani River).

The only Thailand record for this Burmese species is for the Patani
River at Patani, in the Peninsula, where a male specimen 14.5 cm.
long was taken in a cast net October 15, 1923. The specimen agreed
closely with Day's description and figure.
In describing this fish from Tanoy and Moulmein from specimens
up to 10 inches in length. Day stated that it was closely allied to
 — —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 223

Dangila kuhli (now Labiobarbus kuhlii) but that it appeared to

differ therefrom in having a shorter head and fewer scales between
the dorsal fin and the lateral line. In a recent examination of speci-
mens from Tanoy in the Indian Museum in Calcutta. Dr. Sunder Lai
Hora determined the number of circmnpeduncular scales as 16 and
the pharyngeal teeth as 5,4,2-2,4,5, thus agreeing with Weber and
de Beaufort in the formula for the teeth in their generic definition,
rather than with the formula 5,4,3-3,4,5 noted by Day.
The Malay name given to the fish at Patani is ikan tubu.

LABIOBARBUS SUMATRANUS (Bleeker)

Dangila sumatrana Bleeker, 1852 (67), p. 506 (Solok, Sumatra).

There are a few Thailand records for this fish, otherwise known
only from Borneo and Sumatra. The species was first observed in
the Chantabun River, Southeastern Thailand, April 10, 1925, and
three specimens were preserved. A specimen was taken in the Men am
Wang at Lampang November 17, 1928. A third locality is Klong
Chawang, east of Bandon in Peninsular Thailand, where the late
R. Havmoller collected a specimen in February 1929.
'"'The length of the fishes examined has ranged from 12 to 16 cm.
In the vicinity of Lampang the name for the fish is pla huk lien.

LABIOBARBUS LINEATUS (Sauvage)

DtiiigilaImeafn Sauvage, 187Sb. p. 287 (Stung-Strang, Laos). Smith, 1933a, p.

80 (Tapi River, Chantabun River). Fowler, 1934a, p. 115 (Chiengmai,
Chiengsen).

Originally known only from what is now French Indo-China, this

species in recent years has been found in Peninsular Thailand (Tale-
Sap and Tapi River near Bandon), Southeastern area (Chantabun
River), and Northern district (Chiengmai and Chiengsen). In the
Tale Sap the fish is common, reaching a length of 15 cm. A specimen
from the Tapi River was courteously examined by Dr. L. F. de Beau-
fort at the Zoological Museum in Amsterdam and foiuid to be in agree-
ment with Sauvage's description.
In the Chantabun River in May 1929 the fish was very abundant
and in spawning condition two ripe males 17 and 17.5 cm. long had
;

iarge rostral tubercles and minute pearl organs on top of head and
predorsal region. Many small buckets of ripe or nearly ripe eggs,
lightly salted, were exposed for sale in theChantabun market.
This species may be recognized by two transverse rows of rostral
pores or tubercles on pores, and six to nine dark longitudinal stripes
following the rows of scales.
In the Tale Sap this fish shares with other members of the genus the
name p?a ta deng {ta deng, red eye). In the Bandon district the ver-
nacular name is jda lao tong {Jao fong, golden spear). At Chantabun
 —

224 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

the fish bears the name generally given to Lahiobarhus throughout

Thailand, pla sa.

LABIOBARBUS SPILOPLEUKA (H. M. Smith)

Figure 40

Dangila spilopletira Smith, 1934b, p. 307, pi. 10 (Menam Ohao Phya, Menam
Taeliiu, Menam Nakon Nayok).
Dangila siamensis Fowler, 1934a, p. 115 (Nakon Sritamarat, Bangkok, Chieng-
mai, Chiengsen) 1935a, p. 114, figs. 48-51 (Khao Nam Poo) 1935b, p. 510
; ;

(Old Chiengsen) 1937, p. 177 (Bangkok, Mepoon, Pltsanulok, Kemarat).

;

At the time this species was described seven specimens besides the
type were available for examination The type came from Hangkra-
:

ben, a stream celebrated for the abundance of fishes and the impor-
tance of its commercial fisheries, lying off the Chao Phya Kiver north
of Ayuthia; six specimens came from Klong Don Lao, also a cele-
brated fishing ground tributary to the Tachin River and one speci- ;

men came from the Nakon Nayok River, all these rivers being in
communication through canals. No other specimens have been met
with, although the species is probably not rare, and on the Tachin
River it is known to fishermen and dealers by a distinctive vernacular
name.

Figure 40. Labiobarbus spilopleura (H. M. Smith). Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy
of the Thailand Government.

The principal characters are the rather elongate form (depth of

body 3.6 times in standard length), 44 scales in the lateral line, 7.5-1-
7.5 scales in the transverse line from midline of back to midline of
abdomen, 6 between the lateral line and the base of the ventral
scales
fin, 20 scales around the narrow part of the caudal peduncle, the maxil-

lary baibel more than twice the length of the rostral barbel, and 1.5
times the diameter of the eye, dorsal fin with 25 branched rays, of
 .

FRESH- WATfiR FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 225

Vvhich the longest is equal to or slightly shorter than the head and

somewhat lessthan the depth of the body, and pale green back and
sides with whitish abdomen, a silvery sheen on body and head, each
scale of back and upper sides with a dark brown spot at its base, a large
hollow black spot of irregular diamond shape on the lateral line above
the midlength of the pectoral fin, a round black spot the size of the
eye on the caudal peduncle, and pale green or pale yellow fins.
The type of this species was a female, 12 cm. long, with well-
developed ovaries taken December 11, 1924. Other specimens were 12
to 16 cm. long.
The diamond -shaped spot over the pectoral fin seems to be a diag-
nostic feature of this species, althoughFowler (1935a) has shown for
specimens he identified as L. siamensis (q. v.) variable clusters of
black spots on the lateral line above the pectoral, and chiefly on this
feature he suggests that L. spilopleura is a synonym of L. slaniensis.
It may be pointed out, however, that the lateral spot in the present
species is quite different in shape and composition from that described
and figured for the specimens assigned by Fowler to L. siamensis, and
that there are other differences that make it difficult to consider the
two forms as the same species. One of these differences is the presence
in Z. spilopleura of 44 scales in the lateral line, while in several lots
of specimens of "Z>. siamensis^'' Fowler records the lateral line scales
as 31 to 34, 33 to 36, and 34 to 37 another difference is that L. spilo-
;

pleura has 20 circumpeduncular scales and L. siamensis of Fowler

only 16 such scales.
Fowler (1939, p. 64) says: "It appears quite likely that the speci-
mens I have recorded as Dangila siame7isis in 1934, 1935, and 1937 are
mostly, if not entirely, Dangila spilopleura H. M. Smith. That
species should therefore remain validated, and replace the ^siamensis''
of my synopsis."
On the Nakon Nayok River this fish shares with others of the
genus the colloquial name pla sa. On the Tachin River the fish is
called pla soi luh Jcluey {luh hluey, banana)

LABIOBARBUS SIAMENSIS (Sauvage)

Dangila siamensis Bixekek, 1865 (347), p. 35 (nomen nudum) (Siam) 1865 (356),
;

p. 175 (nomen nudum) (Siam).—von Maetens, 1876, p. 401 (nomeu

nudum).
(Bangkok).— Sauvage, 1S81, pp. 162, 176 (Petchaburi, Bangkok) lS83b, p. 152
;

(Menam Chao Phya).— Hora, 1923b, p. 153 (Bangkok).— Fowler. 1939, pp. 45,
68 (Trang, Krabi).

The first mention of this species was in a paper by Bleeker (347),

published in 1865, followed by another (366) in the same year, in
both of which the species was named but not described, Bleeker hav-
ing had before him specimens collected by Bocourt at Petchaburi and
Bangkok in 1862. The species was mentioned by von Martens in
 ;:

226 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

1876, but here, too, thename only was cited. It was not until 1881
that a description was published, this description by Sauvage based
on the same specimens, in the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris.
Although Sauvage credited the species to Bleeker, the credit belongs
to Sauvage himself, for he wrote: "This species was named but not
described, by Bleeker in his Nouvelle notice sur la faune ichthyologique
de Siam,. The description is made from the specimens labeled in the
hand writing of the learned ichthyologist."
The original description is not wholly satisfactory and it is inap-
plicable in some particulars to specimens that in later years have
been referred to the species. Thus, Sauvage described the upper lip
as not fringed, but as a fringed upper lip is a generic character in
Lahioharhus it is to be inferred that this feature was overlooked.
In October 1939 Dr. Jacques Pellegrin, of the National Museum of
Natural History in Paris, very courteously responded to a request
from the United States National Museum, and made a special exam-
ination of the types of Dmiglla siamensh, consisting of two specimens
from Petchaburi. He gave the following information regarding them
They measure 137 + 30 and 130 + 30 mm. respectively; the scales
in the lateral line are 43 to 45; the scales around the caudal
peduncle number 20; the dorsal rays are 3 simple and 24 branched;
there is a single row of pores on the front of the snout, as stated by
Sauvage; and the upper lip in reality has a few fringes which, how^»^
ever, are not very distinct and are difficult to see. Other features
brought out in the original description and not repeated by Dr.
Pellegrin are Depth of body contained 3.6 times and length of head
:

nearly 5 times in the standard length 8 scales above the lateral line
;

and between the lateral line and the base of the ventral fin
5 scales
interrupted longitudinal lines on the body formed by a black spot
on each side; and an indistinct black spot at the base of the caudal
fin.

The reference to this species in recent years was by Hora

first
(1923b),who noted that a specimen 14.2 cm. long from the Menani
Chao Phya at Bangkok agreed fairly closely with Sauvage's descrip-
tion; its upper lip, hidden beneath the rostral fold, was distinctly
fringed.
A specimen taken in the Meping at Chiengmai March 10, 1924, was
in general agreement with Sauvage's account and could not be made
to fit the descriptions of any of the species recorded for India, Burma,
and the Indo-Australian Archipelago. In the absence in Thailand
of adequate material for comparison at that time, this specimen was
sent to Dr. L. F. de Beaufort who, in June 1925, confirmed this identi-
fication.
As vernacular names of this fish, Hora (1923b) recorded pla sa for„
Bangkok, while at Chiengmai pla sol uk was heard.
 — —
,
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 227
LABIOBARBUS LEPTOCHEILUS (van Hasselt)

Dangila leptocheila van Hasselt, 1823, p. 132 (Batavia). Smith, 1933a, p. 80

(Menam Chao Phya at Bangkok, Noutaburi, Ayuthia, Chautabun Rivei-,
Tale Sap, Patani River).~FowLEi!, 1937, p. 176 (Pitsanulok).
Dunglla cuvieri Boulengek, 1903, p. 303 (Patani River, Patani Bay). Koumans,
1937a, p. 64 (Peninsular Siam).
Dangila leptoclieilus Fowlek, 1934a, p. 115 (Bangkok) 1935a, p. 115 (Bangkok).
;

The range of this species in Thailand inchides the Peninsular, Cen-

tral,and Southeastern sections, and extends thence to Malaya, Su-
matra, Borneo, and Java.
The maximum length attained by Thai examples examined has
been 25 cm., with many specimens up to 20 cm. long.
The comparatively short head (4.7 to 5.2 in standard length) is
associated with a maxillary barbel much longer than the eye, a rostral
barbel often as long as the eye, several transverse rows of pores on the
fin, which
front of the snout, 39 to 41 scales in the lateral line, a dorsal
in local examples may have up to 27 branched rays, normally ill-
defined dark longitudinal streaks along the rows of scales, and some-
times a large dark spot on the caudal peduncle near the base of the
caudal fin. Occasionally the dark lines along the side are strongly
marked, and there may be an obscure humeral spot.
According to Weber and de Beaufort, 16 or 18 scales surround
the narrowest part of the caudal peduncle in this species. In Thai-
land 18 or 20 is the usual number, with 22 not infrequently present.
Thus, of three specimens 10 to 11.5 cm. long taken in the Meklong at
Ban Pong in October 1926 one had 20 and two had 22 circmnpedun-
cular scales, and one specimen, 19.5 cm. long, collected at the same
place in November 1924 had 22 such scales. In no other local species
has a similar variation been found.
A specimen, 21.5 cm. long taken in the Menam Chao Phya near
Ayuthia December 9, 1923, had the left rostral barbel bifurcated at
half its length.
'^^'"
The spawning season varies with the region and lasts most of the
year. In Peninsular Thailand (Nakon Sritamarat) a fish 20.5 cm.
long taken July 4, 1928, had well-developed eggs; in the Southeastern
region (Chantabun Kiver) a fish 20.5 cm. long taken March 30, 1925,
contained nearly ripe eggs; in Central Thailand (Menam Chao Phya)
fish are found with eggs up to the end of the rainy season in October.
In different parts of its range this fish has different vernacular
names. In the Bangkok region and in other sections the usual des-
ignation is pla sol, often with qualifying words. The common dove
{StreptopeUa chinensis figrina), with an area of conspicuous small
black spots on the side of its breast, is known as noh Mao, and th^
fish, with its black spots on the side, is called pla soi nok Jchao in

fancied resemblance to the dove. The cotton tree or kapok {Bomhax)

228 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

known as mai mm, bears pods called luk mm (or nun-tree fruit), the
shape of which has suggested pla soi luk mm as a name for this fish.
In the province of Nakon Sritamarat the fish is generally known as
pla lao tong (golden-spear fish).

LABIOBARBUS KUHLII (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Dangila kuJiUi Cuviee and Valenciennes, 1842, vol. 16, p. 231 (Java).

There is no published reference to the occurrence in Thailand of

this species of Java and Sumatra. It has been collected at Bangkok,
in the Menam Chao Phya above Bangkok, in the lower Menam Nan,
and in Bung Borapet. Because of its similarity to L. leptocheilMs it
is undoubtedly often misidentified, and L. kuhlii is probabl}' more

common than preserved material would indicate.

This fish was first met with in Thailand in the upper Menam Chao
Phya at Bangtang on November 17, 1923, when a specimen 15 cm. long
was caught with a cast net. The next day, in the lower Menam Nan,
a specimen 18.8 cm. long was obtained with a yokyaw (large dip net).
In March 1931 specimens were collected in Bung Borapet by Luang
Masya Chitrakarn, of the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries.
On May 21, 1926, a fish about 20 cm. long with well-developed ova
was found dying in a klong in Tonburi, a part of Bangkok. In life
the lustrous sheen of the body and head was relieved by black longi-
tudinal stripes on the back and sides following the rows of scales the ;

dorsal and caudal fins were dusky green, with a row of black spots on
the middle of the dorsal membranes; the anal and ventral fins were
pale salmon-pink the pectorals were pale green. This specimen was
;

taken to the Zoological Museum in Amsterdam and compared with a

specimen of L. kuhlii from Gunung Sahilan, Sumatra, and found
to be in close agreement therewith; it was found to differ from speci-
mens of L. cu'vicH Boulenger (i. e., L. leptocheilus) from the River
Batang Hari, Sumatra, in the conspicuously larger head.
In specimens 19 to 20 cm. long in the U. S. National Museum from
Bung Borapet, the head is about 4.3 in standard length; the eye is
3.5 in head, 1 in snout, and 1.8 or 1.9 in interorbital space the maxil- ;

lary barbel is about twice the diameter of the eye; the tubule-bearing
scales in the lateral line number 38 to 41, the scales in transverse series
to the base of the ventral fin are 7.5 or 8.5-1-5.5 or 6, the circumpe-
duncular scales number 22 there are dark longitudinal streaks follow-
;

ing the rows of scales, and there is a diffuse round black spot larger
than eye on the caudal peduncle.
In squamation, barbels, fins, and coloration the fish bears a< close
resemblance to L. leptocheilus and may be found to intergrade there-
with, but was considered distinct by Bleeker, Giinther, and Weber and
de Beaufort chiefly on account of its larger head, which is contained.
 — . —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 229

four times or a little more in the standard length as compared with a

head 4.7 to 5.2 times in the length in Z. leptocheiliis. This difference
was insisted on by Bleeker and is well shown in the plates in his Atlas.

Genus AMBLYRHYNCHICHTHYS Bleeker

ArnblyrJiynchichthys Bleeker (261), Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl. Indie, vol. 20, p. 430,
1859. (Type, Barhus truncntus Bleeker.) •

AMBLYRHYNCHICHTHYS TRUNCATUS (Bleeker)

Figure 41

Barbus truncatus Bleeker, 1851 (26), p. 13 (Bandjermassing, Borneo).

AmltlyrTiynchichthys truncatus Bleeker, 1865 (356), p. 176 (Siam). Weber and
de Beaufort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 105 (Siam).— Hora, 1923b, p. 153 (Bangkok).—
Fowler, ll»34a, p. 115 (Chiengsen) 1937, p. 174 (Bangkok, Mepoon, Kema-
;

rat) ; 1939, p. 44 (Krabi).

AmUyrhynchithys truncatus Sauvage, 1883b, p. 152 (Menam Chao Phya).
This species, occurring in Borneo and Sumatra, is fairly common in
streams in Central Thailand. It has been noted in the Menam Chao
Phya from Bangkok to Paknampo, in the lower Menam Nan and Bung
Borapet, in the Menam Pasak at Dha Luang, and in the Meklong at
Kajaburi. The only record of the fish in Peninsular Siam is for the
Tapi River near Bandon, where the writer collected a number of speci-
mens in September 1923. More recently H. W. Fowler reported the
fishfrom the Mekong at Kemarat. The British Museum contains a
number of specimens from tlie Menam Chao Phya, gift of the Siamese
Museum.

Figure 41. Amblyrhynchichthys truncatus (Bleeker). Drawn by Nal Chote Suvatti;

courtesy of the Thailand Government.
590087—45- 16
 —
(;'230 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

A length of 40 cm. is readied in Thai waters, but examples over 30

cm. long are not common.
The fish is well known to most fisherman in Central Thialand and
usually bears a distinctive popular name but sometimes it is not dis-
tinguished by name from CyclocheiUchthys. Throughout the basin of
the Menam Chao Phya, the common vernacular name is plu ta hierk^
with pla ta min heard in ^me places. In the Pasak Eiver the fish is
usually called pla taJcok^ while in the Tapi River a name not heard else-
where and not given to any other species is pla ta lun or pla ta Ion.

Genus XENOCHEILICHTHYS H. M. Smith

[Link] H. M. Smith, Journ. Siam. Soc, Nat. Hist. SuppL, vol. 9, p.

304, 1934. (Type, Xenocheilichthys gudgeri H. M. Smith.)

XENOCHEILICHTHYS GUDGERI H. M. Smith

Xenocheilichthys gudgeri Smith, 1934b, p. 305, fig. (Nan River). Fowler, 1937,
p. 174, figs. 110, 111 (Kemarat).

A rare species, known from three specimens (U.S.N.M. Nos. 103367

and 103368, type and paratypes, respectively) from the upper Nan
J' River near the town of Nan, Northern Thailand, and from one speci-
'
men from the Mekong at Kemarat, Eastern Thailand.
These specimens measured 13,5, 14, and 14.5 cm. in length.
The fish bears some resemblance to AmhlyrhyncMchthys truncafios
(Bleeker) in such features as an annular eyelid, a postsymphyseal
tubercle on the lower jaw, no barbels, peculiar shape of the mouth and
lips, and a short dorsal fin with strongly ossified and serrated spine,
but it is distinguishable from that species by several characters, in-
cluding its rounded, not obliquely truncate snout, by the position of
the mouth, which may not reach the perpendicular from the anterior
edge of the eye, by the very thick, broad, and soft upper lip.
In the Nan River this fish is called pla nam fai, apparently mean-
ing back-water or damned-water fish.

PAPILLOCHEILUS, new genus

Moderately elongate, body rather strongly compressed; snout

bluntly rounded, entire, and covering base of upper lip; no rostral
pores or tubercles; mouth inferior, strongly arched; lips continuous,
thick, papillose throughout; upper lip with a deep posterior groove,
lower lip closely adnate to lower jaw and with a posterior groove
laterally, the median part continuous with skin of isthmus; rostral
and maxillary barbels present; a narrow annular eyelid; gill open-
ings extending well forward, gill membranes joined to isthmus;
gill rakers few pharyngeal teeth triserial
;
scales in moderate num-
;

ber, lateral line complete and running to midbase of caudal fin;

 iFllESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 231

dorsal fin originating over base of ventrals, rays in moderate number,

last simple ray osseous and denticulated ; anal rays few ; base of
dorsal and anal fins with a scaly sheath.
—
Genotype. Papillocheilus ayuthiae^ new species.
Similar to Laheo but with the last simple dorsal ray osseous and
denticulated, the branched dorsal rays in reduced number, and the
lips thick and papillose,
•
ii;^i<>(.l

PAPILLOCHEILUS AYUTHIAE, new species

Figure 42

—
Description. Body rather strongly compressed, depth 3 in stand-
ard length; caudal peduncle rather broad, its least depth 1,5 in its
length and 2 in head; head 3,4 in standard length, moderately com-
pressed greatest width of head 1.8 in its length snout without pores
;
;

or tubercles, rather blunt, decurved, overhanging the mouth, about

3,1 in head; eye equal to snout and less than the broad, flat interor-
hital space; a narrow annular eyelid; mouth small, inferior; lips
continuous, rather closely aclnate to jaws and completely covered
with low, round papillae; lower lip broad, with a postlabial groove
laterally, the broad median part continuous with the skin of the
isthmus; a pair of rostral and of maxillary barbels, subequal, less
—
than half diameter of eye; teeth uncinate, 5, 4, 1 1, 4, 5; gill open-
ings extending forward to under posterior edge of eyes leaving a
rather narrow isthmus to which the gill membranes are connected;
gill rakers short, wide-spaced, about 14 on lower arm of first arch,
with about 2 short stubs on upper arm.

Figure il.— Papillocheilus ayuthiae,new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 119495). Drawn
by Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.
232 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Squamation: Scales in lateral line 36, in transverse line from

middle of back to middle of ventral surface 7.5-1-5.5, between lateral
line and base of ventral fin 4, in predorsal region 14, circumpeduncular
16 ; base of dorsal and anal fins scaly ; lateral line gently decurved, de-
scending to about seventeenth scale of lateral line, thence running
nearly straight to midbase of caudal.
Fins : Dorsal fin arising over base of ventrals, midway between tip
of snout and base of caudal fin ; dorsal rays iv, 8 ; last simple ray about
as long as head, ossified,and bearing 17 or 18 prominent denticuhi-
tions and about
minute ones free margin of dorsal concave caudal
5 ; ;

deeply forked, longer than head anal rays iii, 5, last simple ray 0.75
;

head; ventrals and pectorals subequal, ventrals reaching to anal

and pectorals reaching nearly to ventrals.
Coloration Body and head uniform silvery white dorsal mem-
: ;

branes with scattered minute black spots; caudal membranes dusky,

becoming more intense along inner sides of the lobes; other fins
hyaline.
—
Type and paratype. The type (U.S.N.M. No. 119495), 6.9 cm. long,
was taken July 21, 1923, from a short tributary of the Menam Chao
Phya near the ancient capital city of Ayuthia. paratype (U.S.N.M. A
No. 119496) with the same data, is 6.6 cm. long.
,

—
Remarks. This species, easily recognized by a combination of
characters (thick lips completely covered with low papillae, narrow
annular eyelid, absence of rostral pores or tubercles, dorsal fin with 8
branched rays and a strongly ossified and denticulated last simple
ray, etc.), was not met with elsewhere or on any other occasion.

Genus BARBICHTHYS Bleeker

BarUchthys Buseker (261), Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 20, p. 424, 1859-60:
(Type, BarMcMhys laevis Bleeker.)

BARBICHTHYS LAEVIS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Barhus laevis Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1842, vol. 16, p. 192 (Java).
BarUchthys laevis Weber and de BEAtrFORT, 1916, vol. 3, p. 208, figs. 77-79
(Siam).—Fowler, 1935b, p. 513 (Old Chiengsen).
Tlie range of this species embraces Java, Borneo, Sumatra, the
Malay Peninsula, Indo-China, and Thailand. The fish is generally
distributed in Central Thailand from Bangkok to the Paknampo dis-
trict; it is known also from the Mekok at Oiiengmai, from the Mekong
at Old Chiengsen, from the Province of Patani in the Peninusula,
and from "Western Siam" (a specimen in the British Museum being
so labeled).
A length of 34 cm. is attained by the fish in the East Indies but
examples over 25 cm. long are not often met with in Thailand.
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 233

In the Thai vernacular this fish bears a variety of names in different

localities. The most common are fla hua Hem (angular-head fish)
and pla hang huang, heard in the basin of the Menam Chao Phya. At
Chiengrai the fish is called pla Mom hang wong.

Genus TYLOGNATHUS Heckel

Tylognatlius Heckel, in Rueseggei's Reisen, vol. 1, pt. 2, p. 1027, 1843. (Type,

VaricorMnus diplostomus Heckel.)

I
The genus Tylognathus, as proposedby Heckel (1843), was com-
posite. Bleeker (1863 [314]) made VaricorMnus diplostomus Heckel
from Kashmir the type of the genus, a species placed by Giinther and
Day in the genus Labeo. If this disposition of diplostonvus is sound,
Tylognathus is not a tenable name for these or other fishes, and both
Tylognathus and VaricorMnus may be synonyms of Labeo.
The availability of the name Tylognathus was questioned by Jordan
(1919, pt. 2, p. 211). Hamilton (1822) set aside a group of 10 cypri-
noid fishes having, among other features, a median postsymphyseal
longitudinal ridge on the inside of the lower jaw as in the sea mullets,
and called them Bangana, this being a vernacular Indian name for
fishes of the genus Mugil. Jordan made Hamilton's dero the type
of Bangana^ it being the first species mentioned, and stated that Ban-
gana "probably replaces Tylognathus Heckel and Lohocheilus van
Hasselt." Specimens of dcro supplied by the Indian Museum in Cal-
cutta, through the courtesy of Dr. S. L. Hora, do not have a post-
symphyseal ridge as called for by Hamilton's definition of the genus,
and this species is identified by Hora and others as a Ldbeo. Tylog-
nathus of Heckel and Lohocheilus of van Hasselt lack this feature.
It is believed that Jordan was in error in this view.
The figure of a Tylognathus given by Weber and de Beaufort (1916,
vol. 3, p. 219, fig. 88) and their definition as affecting the lower lip
pertain to Lohocheilms^ as herein conceived. Dr. de Beaufort, in des-
cribing a new species of Tylognathus from Thailand ( T. siam^ensis) ,

drew attention to the differences between it and Indo-Australian

forms
The structure of the lower lip in this species differs somewhat from that
in Indo-Australian species, the only ones I am acquainted with. In the last-
named we can recognize (see Weber & de Beaufort, Fishes of the Indo-Australian
Archipelago, Vol. Ill, p. 219) a median part of the lower lip, which is much
enlarged and swollen, and expanded laterally so as to cover the lateral parts of
this lip, which are continuous with the upper lip round the corner of the
mouth. To see those lateral parts one has to lift the median part. In the
species described above this median part is much smaller and does not cover
the lateral parte. Another difference is noticeable in the lower jaw. This Is
covered in Indo-Australian species by a very thick mass, probably consisting of
connective tissue and forming a sharp transverse ridge in front. This ridge
is present also in the Siamese species, but the thick pad is not developed here.
 : ;

234 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

The species of TylogtiathtM may be differentiated as follows

la. No barbels ; scales in lateral line 27 ; coloration mostly pale brown above
silvery white below, small examples with a dark spot at caudal
base brunneus
1&. A pair of maxillary barbels ; scales in lateral line 32 to 36 ; coloration various.
2a. Circumpeduncular scales 16; scales base of ventral
in transverse series to
fin 6-1-4; rakers about 8+25; a faint median longitudinal dark
gill
stripe deficient anteriorly, most distinct on caudal peduncle, where there
is a round black spot about size of pupil; dorsal fin with no sharply

defined dark edge caudimaculatus

2&. Circumpeduncular scales 18: scales in transverse series to base of ventral
fin 6-1-5; gill rakers about 6+30; a round dark spot about size of eye on

caudal peduncle; dorsal fin with a narrow sharply defined dark

edge entmema
2c. Circumpeduncular scales 20; scales in transverse series to base of ventral
fin 5.5-1-4; gill rakers about 9+34; dorsal fin with a shai'ply defined
narrow dark border siamensis

TYLOGNATHUS BRUNNEUS Fowler

Tylognathus hrunneus Fowler, 1934a, p. 131, figs. 87, 88 (Chiengmai, Chiengsen) ;

1935a, p. 125 (Bangkok, Khao Nam I'oo).

This species among Thai members of the genus for its

is unique
absence of barbels. Numerous specimens from the Meping at Chieng-
mai, the Mekong at Chiengsen, and the basin of the Menam Chao Ph5^a
at Khao Nam Poo and Bangkok are from 4.1 to 19.1 cm. long.
The original description gives 28 or 29 scales in the lateral line to the
base of the caudal fin and 3 more scales on the fin the figure, however, ;

shows only 27 scales in all. As the drawing on which the figure is

based was made by Mr. Fowler, the latter scale count has been used in
the key.

TYLOGNATHUS CAUDIMACULATUS Fowler

Tylognathus caudimaculatus Fowler, 1934a, p. 133, figs. 89, 90 (Chiengmai) ;

1935a, p. 125 (Srisawat).

The
type, 5.8 cm. long, and numerous other specimens, 3.2 to 5 cm.
long, came from the Meping at Chiengmai. A single specimen from
Srisawat was 12.7 cm. long. The species is comparatively plain, with
an obscure longitudinal dark stripe along middle of body becoming
more distinct posteriorly, and with a round black spot about size of
pupil on caudal peduncle, and the dorsal membranes are medianly dark
and have a gray free margin.
A specimen, 9 cm. long, taken in the Menam Chao Phya at Bang
Pang, Central Thailand, November 25, 1923, is closer to T. caudimacu-
latus than any other species ascribed to that country but presents some
differences, which may be due in part to the larger size than specimens
described by Fowler, The specimen is a male, with the top of head,
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 235

back, and sides thickly studded with minute pearl organs, which extend
to the base of the caudal fin. The essential features are: Depth 3.75,
head 4.2, least depth of caudal peduncle 1.5 in its length and less than
2 in head, a maxillary barbel less than 0.5 eye, upper lip entire, lower
lip papillated; scales in lateral line 37, in transverse line to base of
ventral fin 5.5-1-3, in predorsal region 12, around narrowest part of
caudal peduncle 16 a round black spot as large as eye at base of caudal
;

fin,with a faint dark line extending forward therefrom about half

length of body median part of each dorsal membrane with a line of
;

dark specks parallel with the rays.

TYLOGNATHUS ENTMEMA Fowler

Tylognathus entmema Fowler, 1934a, p. 134, figs. 101, 102 (Bangkok).

This species based on a specimen, 6.4 cm. long, from a canal in

is

Bangkok; it is obviously immature. Only the type is known. The

body is very deep (3 in standard length), there is a minute maxillary
barbel, a round dark spot about the size of the eye occupies the poste-
rior part of the caudal peduncle, and there is a narrow dark edge on
the dorsal fin. The number 33 (35 in the cut)
scales in the lateral line
and between the lateral line and the ventral fin there are 5 scales. The
specific name {entiiiema^ a notch) has reference to a "slight asymmetri-
cal notch" on one side of the rostral fold (also referred to as "the upper
jaw edge"). It is believed that, because of its position and the fact
that such a feature is not found elsewhere in this genus, the notch is an
abnormality or represents an mjury, and is a feature that should not be
perpetuated in a specific name.

TYLOGNATHUS SIAMENSIS de Beaufort

TylognatJms siamensis de Beaxifort, 1927, p. 5 (Payao Swamp, Menam Chao

Phya).

This was the first species of Tylognathus recorded for Thailand.

The specific description by Dr. de Beaufort was based on two speci-
mens collected by the writer in 1924, one in Payao Swamp, between
Lampang and Chiengrai, and one in a branch of the Menam Chao
Phya at Lopburi; the specimens were 13.5 and 11 cm. long. At the
time the type was obtained in Payao Swamp, on March 5, 1924, this
was one of the most abundant fishes, and many specimens were pre-
served. Other specimens agreeing with the original description were
taken in theMenam Sak at Dha Luang August 30, 1923 in the Menam ;

Chao Phya at Paknam, August 9, 1923, and in the same stream at

Bang Pang, November 25, 1923, at Bang Pa-in, December 10, 1924, and
a short distance above Bangkok, January 4, 1925. Specimens were
obtained also from Bung Borapet, November 19, 1923. A fine series,
236 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

cm. long, caught in the Nan Kiver on April 23, 1930, was
9.6 to 11.5
brought in by Luang Praserth Aksorn, then with the Siamese Bureau
of Fisheries.
This is a comparatively small species, with a maximum length of 15
cm. among the specimens examined. The Deignan collection contains
28 specimens, 7.5 to 10.2 cm. long, from the Mechem, tributary of
the Meping, July 1 to 5, 1935. These were taken by A. R. Buchanan
and P. D. Harrisson, of Chiengmai. From the Menam Nan at Nan
on March 29, 1936, Deignan took six specimens 9.6 to 11.6 cm. long,
one of them 11 cm. long being a female with large eggs. further A
specimen 9.7 cm. long was from the Meta, a branch of the Mechem,
February 1936.
Specimens taken in December have a marked development of pearl
organs on the top and sides of the head and on the back as far as the
dorsal fin; and females 9.6 cm. long with large ovaries are among
specimens collected in January.
Vast schools of this species and other small cyprinoids begin to move
upstream in the large rivers after the end of the rainy season and
constitute one of the most outstanding phenomena of fish life in Cen-
tral Thailand. Such fish are called ;?/a soi by the Thai.

Genus HOLOTYLOGNATHUS Fowler

Holotylognathus Fowleb, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sei. Philadelphia, vol. 86, p. 135, 1934.
(Type, HolotylognatJms reticulatus Fowler.)

The genus Holotylognathus, established for the accommodation of

H. reticulatus Fowler, has as its outstanding character the absence of
a lateral line ; otherwise there is general agreement with Tylognathus.

HOLOTYLOGNATHUS RETICULATUS Fowler

Holotylognathus reticulatus Fowler, 1934a, p. 135, figs. 97, 98 (Eastern and

Northern Siam).

This species is represented by many specimens 3.4 to 8.3 cm. long.

The type and several other specimens came from Bua Yai, on the
Mekong in Eastern Thailand, and several hundred specimens came
from Chiengmai and the Metang in Northern Thailand.
The single pair of small barbels are rostral. The broad lips are
fleshy, the upper plicate, the lower papillate. The fin formulae are
as in Tylognathus. The dorsal fin is situated well forward, its origin
in advance of ventrals and over the tip of the pectorals. The scales,
in very regular lengthwise and transverse rows, number 34 in lateral
series, 9 in cross series, and 9 predorsal. The coloration is plain
except for a large round black spot on the posterior part of the caudal
peduncle, and each scale of back and sides has a dark edge, forming
a reticulated pattern.
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 237

li" Genus LOBOCHEILUS van Hasselt

Lohocheilus van Hasselt, Alg. Konst. Letterbode, vol. 2, p. 132, 1823. (Type,
Lohocheilus falcifer van Hasselt.)

The lobocheilids are mostly inhabitants of swift waters, often moun-

tain brooks, but may frequent still waters, such as the Tale Sap. They
are vegetarians. Their long, regularly coiled intestine is nearly al-

ways crowded with algae and other aquatic plants cropped from stones
and logs. Feeding is facilitated by the sharp-edged, horny covering
of the lower jaw and the development of a large, freely movable
fleshy pad constituting the superficial part of the lower lip.
There seems to be no valid reason why the name Lohocheilus should
not be used, in the sense exemplified by Bleeker (1863 (314) and 1863
(301), vol. 3), for fishes that conform with the generic characters of
van Hasselt's haplotype Z. falcifer.
Bleeker, in various papers, credited the genus and the type species
to van Hasselt. Cuvier and Valenciennes (1842, vol. 16), however,
called van Hasselt's fish Labeo falcifer "nobis," without giving van
Hasselt credit for the earlier use of the specific name. Giinther (1868,
vol. 7, p. 65) called the fish Tylognathus falcifer^ credited the species
to Cuvier and Valenciennes, and placed Lohocheilus falcifer van Has-
selt in the synonymy. Weber and de Beaufort (1916, vol. 3) followed
Giinther and made no reference to van Hasselt.
Following a detailed definition of the genus Lohocheilus, Bleeker
(1863 (301), vol. 3) wrote:
The shape of the lips and jaws takes, in this remarkable genus, a character
quite special, in that the lower lip, which forms a free and rounded lobe, received
the upper lip only upon the posterior part of its upper surface. This arrange-
ment is met with again neither in the cyprinoids nor in any other family of
fishes. Although this character suffices quite well to distinguish this genus, one
can add to it the simple form and the thickness of the lower jaw, the form of the
postlabial groove, the absence of rostral lobes and of labial papillae, etc.

The use of the for certain Thai fishes will leave

name Lohocheilus
the generic name Tylognathus of Heckel (1843) available for fishes of
this general form in which the lower lip is not provided with a con-

spicuous free superficial lobe. All of the local species have only maxil-
lary barbels; several species of the East Indies have both maxillary
and rostral barbels.
In the present account, 12 local species are recognized, all but one
peculiar to Thailand. may be eliminated when more
Several of them
material is available for examination and comparison. The species
r
may be differentiated as follows ;

la. Body moderately elongate, depth 3 to 4 in standard length.

2a. Back and side without longitudinal stripes; head small, 4.6 to 4.9 in
length; pectoral fins equal to or longer than head bo
2&. A single dark longitudinal stripe or band along side; head 4 to 4.5 in
length ; pectoral flns less than head.
 ;

238 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

3a. Each scale of back and of side as low as ventral fin with a conspicuous
dark basal crescentic spot rostral tubercles in 2 rows mouth 0.5
; ;

width of head; length of caudal peduncle 1.5 times its depth; origin
of dorsal fin far in advance of ventrals, over eighth scale of lateral
line melanotaenia
36. Each scale of back and side without a dark basal spot rostral tubercles ;

in 4 rows divided into 2 series by a [Link] groove mouth as wide ;

as head length of caudal peduncle 2 times its depth dorsal fin well
; ;

in advance of ventral, over tenth .scale of lateral line nigrovittatus

2c. Multiple dark longitudinal stripes on back and side; pectoral fins equal to
or less than head.
4a. Four dark longitudinal stripes on p(»sterior half of body.
5(1. Each scale of back with a blackish basal pocket head rather small, 4.4;

to 5.4 in length 4 series of rostral tubercles not divided by a deep

;

horizontal groove; least depth of caudal peduncle much more than

0.5 its length and much more than 0.5 length of head- quadrilineatus
5&. Each scale of back and side without a dark basal pocket an elongate ;

black blotch at posterior end of lateral line extending ou median

caudal rays head larger, 4 in length 4 series of i-ostral tubercles
; ;

divided into 2 parts by a deep horizontal groove; least depth of

caudal peduncle 1.5 in its length and 0.5 length of head— trangensis
4&. Five or 6 dark longitudinal stripes on posterior two-thirds of body
head 4 to 4.3 in length 4 series of large rostral tubercles divided into
;

2 parts by a deep horizontal groove; least depth of caudal peduncle

0.5 its length and 0.5 length of head cornutus
4c. Eight or 9 dark, not sharply defined, longitudinal lines following rows of
scales on back and side.
6a. Anterior margin of dorsal fin black; free edge of dorsal fin with a
narrow, sharply defined black border; 2 short, diffuse dark gi-ay
cross bars on caudal peduncle near base of caudal fin least depth ;

of caudal peduncle 1.4 in head cryptopogon

66. Anterior margin and free edge of dorsal fin not black; a dark line
along body axis terminating in an elongate black blotch on caudal
peduncle; caudal peduncle about length of head davlsi
16. Body more elongate, depth 4.2 to 5 in standard length.
7a. Body marked by a single more or less complete dark longitudinal band or
stripe.
8a. A dark longitudinal stripe on posterior half of body terminating in a
small round spot on caudal peduncle; a dark median dorsal streak;
dorsal fin pale ; origin of dorsal fin over base of ventrals ; depth 4.2
to 4.5; head 3.3 to 3.5; gill rakers about 5+28; scales in transverse
series 6 or 7-1-3 rhabdoura
86. A jet-black longitudinal band from head to posterior end of middle
caudal rays no dark median dorsal streak [Link] fin with its anterior
; ;

margin black and its membranes mostly blackish origin of dorsal fin ;

in advance of ventrals; depth 4.5; head 4.3; gill rakers 5-f22; scales
in transverse series 5.5-1-3 cheveyi
76. Body marked with multiple dark longitudinal lines.
9a. Three dark longitudinal stripes on posterior part of body; dorsal, anal,
ventral, and pectoral fins falcate depth 4.5 to 4.75 head 3.8 to 4.2.
; ;

gracilis
96. Nine dark longitudinal stripes extending entire length of body, one on each
side of lateral line most distinct a large dark spot on caudal peduncle
;

near base of caudal fin fins not falcate, depth 5 head 5

; thavili;
 —

), FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 239

LOBOCHEILUS BO (Popta)

Tylognathus io Popta, 1904, p. 199 (Borneo). Koumans, 1937a, p. 03 (inner lake

of Tale Sap).

This speciesAvas described in 1904 from specimens, 11.1 to 29.4 cm.

long, from the Bo River in Central Borneo, and until recently has
been known from no other locality. The fish is admitted to the pres-
ent catalog because of its discovery in widely separated parts of
Thailand.
One specimen 16.7 cm. long was taken by the writer in the Mekok,
a tributary of the Mekong, in Northern Thailand, March 2, 1924. This
specimen agrees very closely with the descriptions and figure given by
Dr. Popta (1904, 1906, fig. 26). The differences, which are of a minor
character and may easily fall within the limits of individual variation,
include slightly shorter barbels (0.5 eye in Thailand example as
against 0.8 eye in Bornean specimens) ;and there are several obscure
dark longitudinal lines following the rows of scales in the posterior
part of the body, such lines not being referred to in the descriptions but
suggested in Popta's figure reproduced from a photograph.
A second specimen, 15 cm. long, collected by the writer in the Nakon
Nayok River, Central Thailand, July 10, 1930, likewise agrees with
Bornean specimens: Scales in lateral line 33, in transverse line to
base of ventral fin 5.5-1-3.5, in predorsal region 11, and around nar-
rowest part of caudal peduncle 16 depth 4 in standard length head
; ;

4.5 in length maxillary barbels 0.8 eye; dorsal fin arising over eleventh
;

scale of lateral line, its longest ray longer than head caudal ; fin deeply
forked, longer than head anal and ventral fins subequal and shorter
;

than pectorals which are 0.9 head. The fish is a female, with well-
developed eggs, and has 3 rows of large pores on the snout. On the
median line of the side posterioi' to the dorsal fin there is a large dark
diffuse spot through which several dark lines extend to the base of the
caudal fin.

A third specimen has been reported from the inner lake of the Tale
Sap in Peninsular Siam by Dr. Koumans, who compared his speci-
men, measuring 18 cm., with the type, 29.4 cm. long, in the Leiden
Museum.
At Chiengrai this fish is known as pla Mom pah wong (literally,,
circular-mouth fish).

LOBOCHEILUS MELANOTAENIA (Fowler)

Tylognathus inelanotaenia Fowlek, 1935a, p. 122, figs. 65, 66 (ELhao Nam Poo) ;

1937, p. 210 (Kemarat).

Originally described from a single specimen, 15.8 cm. long, from

Khao Nam Poo in Central Thailand, this species was subsequently
reported from the Mekong at Kemarat in Eastern Thailand, where
 —

240 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

tlireespecimens 14.2 to 15.8 cm. long were taken. The outstanding

feature is a narrow dark brown or black band extending from the

head to the tips of the median caudal rays, with each scale of the back
and of the side as low as the base of the ventral fin having a dark brown
or black basal crescent.
The recording (Fowler, 1935a) of the pharyngeal teeth on one side
in four rows (5, 5, 4, 2) is unexpected, as in this genus and in Tijlog-
nathus these teeth are normally triserial. ,.,r{

The differences that appear to separate this species from L. nigro-

vittatus are indicated under the discussion of the latter.

LOBOCHEILUS NIGROVITTATUS, new species

FiGUEE 43

DescriptAon. —Depth of body 4.12 in standard length; least depth

of caudal peduncle 2 in length and in head; profile from tip of
its

snout to dorsal fin very slightly curved; head 4.5 in standard length,
itsdepth at nape slightl^^ greater than its width at opercles; snout
broadly rounded, 1.4 in length of head and equal to the moderately
convex interorbital space; snout from tip to a point under nostrils

Figure t3. Lobocheilus nigrovittatus, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 109772).
Drawn by Mrs. Aime M. Awl.

covered with large tubercles arranged in 2 groups of 2 rows each

separated by a deep groove mouth wide, extending nearly full width
;

of head, overhung by the snout for a distance equal to diameter of

eye upper lip smooth
; large suiDerficial lobe of lower lip with a broad
;

edge of papillae and covering the conspicuous horny sheath of the

lower jaw, with the inner part of the lower lip small and attached
laterally to the inner base of the lobed portion; a pair of maxillary
barbels less than 0.5 diameter of eye; eye small, in midlength of head,
4.5 in head, 2 in snout, 2.25 in interorbital space; pharyngeal teeth

5, 4, 2—2, 4, 5, small, compact, with narrow grinding surface; gill-

rakers short, club-shaped, closely approximated, 8 + 31 on first arch.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SI AM, OR THAILAND 241

Squaiaation: Scales in lateral line 33 (including all tube-bearing),

scales in transverse seriesfrom midline of back to median ventral sur-
face 5.5-1-5.5, scales between lateral line and base of ventral fin 3.5,
predorsal scales 10, circumpeduncular scales 16.
Fins Dorsal fin arising well in advance of ventrals, over ninth scale
:

of lateral line, nearly midway between eye and anal fin dorsal rays ;

iii,8, longest branched ray a little longer than head; free edge of
dorsal fin moderately emarginate; caudal fin deeply forked, lobes
much longer than head, upper lobe longest anal fin emarginate, rays iii,
;

5, longest branched ray 1.5 in head; ventrals arising under twelfth

scale of lateral line, shorter than pectorals, rays, i,8; pectorals 0.8
head, rays i,15.

Coloration: Upper surface of head and body light brown, under

surface whitish band along axis of body extending from head
; a black
and thence on midcaudal rays, the band becoming
to base of caudal fin
wider on the caudal peduncle; a single row of scales both above and
below the black band pale yellowish golden; dorsal fin with dusky
margin and membranes; caudal margin dusky; anal, ventral, and
pectoral fins hyaline.
Type and paratypes. —The type
(U.S.N.M. No. 109772) is a male,
17.3 cm. long, collected by Layang Gadcli, July 19, 1925, in Lam Tong
Lang, an eastern tributary of the Pasag Eiver in Central Thailand.
Paratypes (U.S.N.M. Nos. 109770, 109771, and 117628), taken at the
same time and place number six and are 13.2 to 16.3 cm. long.
—
Other specimens. Another specimen 15.1 cm. long was taken June
5, 1934, near Pakjong in headwaters of the Menam Mun.

—
Remarks. This specimen resembles L. melanotaenia in having a
black band along the side of the body and is in general agreement
therewith in squamation and fin rays. It lacks the sharply defined
dark crescent at the base of each scale on the back and side as low as
<he ventral fin and lacks also a blackish stripe on the side of the
head in front of, under, and behind the eye (not referred to in Fowler's
description but shown in his drawing). The body is more elongate
(depth 4 as against 3.25 to 3.75), and there is no arching of the dorsal
profile between the head and the dorsal fin as shown in Fowler's
figure. The rostral tubercles, instead of forming two rows us in
L. melanotaenia, are in four rows, divided into two series by a rather
deep transverse groove, which may extend entirely around the snout.
The mouth is wider, occupying nearly the entire width of the head,
whereas in L. melanotaenia., according to the figure of the type, the
mouth is only a little more than 0.5 the width of the head. The caudal

peduncle is more slender, its least depth 0.5 its length as compared
with 0.75 its length in L. melanotaenia.
242 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

In the mountainous region between the headwaters of the Menain

Mun and the Menam Sak, where this species abounds, it is known to
the inhabitants as pla hok.

LOBOCHEILUS QUADRILINEATUS (Fowler)

Tj/lognathus quadril meatus Fowlee, 1935a, p. 124, figs. 67, 68 (Srisawut, Khao
Nam Poo).

The type from Srisawat was 25.8 cm. long. Other specimens from
the type locality and from Khao Nam Poo were 7.5 to 18.3 cm. long.
In the Mekong, a tributary of the Meping south of Chiengmai, the
fish was found to be common in February 1932, browsing on algae
growing on rocks in the clear, shallow water; many specimens pre-
served were 11.9 to 18.3 cm. long. The fish was also common in the
Mekang, at Pang Chao, at the base Doi Angka, in December 1928.
The species is characterized by a very small head (4.4 to 5.4 in
standard length), origin of dorsal fin far in advance of ventrals, all
scales on upper part of body with a black basal pocket, and four black
stripes on back and side posterior to the dorsal fin.

LOBOCHEILUS TRANGENSIS (Fowler)

Tylognathus travgensis Fowler, 1930, p. 72, figs. 19, 20 (Trang).

Known only from the type, 13,7 cm. long, from a waterfall stream
near Trang, in Peninsular Thailand, this species is very close to
L. qiiadrilineatus (Fowler) and may prove a variant thereof. The
apparent differences are a more slender form (depth 4 as against 3 to
3.8 in L. quadrilineatus) more depressed snout, and the presence on
,

the caudal peduncle of a blackish blotch, which extends on the base

of the median caudal rays. Several other differences mentioned by
Fowler do not seem to be valid; thus, trangevsis, instead of having
a "greatly longer pectoral fin" than Z, qiiadriUneatus, contained 1.25
times in head, in reality has a shorter pectoral than quadrilineatus
of which description and figure (Fowler, 1935a) show the pectoral
to be 1 to 1.12 in head; and L. trangensis, said to differ in having "but
4 scales below lateral line to ventral origin," in this feature agrees
essentially with quadriUneatus, described as having four or five such
scales and figured as having four.

LOBOCHEILUS CORNUTUS, new species

Figure 44

—
Description. Depth about 3.8 in standard length; least depth of
caudal peduncle about 0.5 its length and slightly less than 0.5 length
of head head 4 in length, its width at opercles slightly less than its
;

depth and more than 0.5 its length snout broad, blunt, its length less
;

than half head, thickly beset with large horny tubercles occupying
 — ;;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 243

craterlike depressions, a deep horizontal groove on each side dividing

the tubercles into groups with two rows in each group, the upper
group consisting of a central part and a lateral part that extends
backward as far as nostrils, the lower group reaching halfway to
corner of mouth eye small, five in head, 2.4 in snout and in the broad
;

slightly convex interorbital space, placed in upper half of head and

nearer to posterior margin of head than to tip of snout mouth occu- ;

pying full width of head, twice diameter of eye upper lip thick, its ;

base partly covered centrally by the pendulous rostral fold, the free
edge of which is entire, superficial part of lower lip thick, ellipsoidal,
anteriorly papillose, its antero-posterior diameter equal to eye, deep

j)art of lower lip closely adherent to lower jaw, which has a prominent
horny sheath; a pair of maxillary barbels less than diameter of eye;
pharyngeal teeth 5,4,2-2,4,5, slender, compressed, crowded feebly un-
cinate, with narrow grinding surface gill rakers short, slender, feeble,
;

about 5 + 31 on first arch.

Figure 44. Lobocheilus cornutus, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 107957). Drawn by-

Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

Squamation Tubule-bearing scales in lateral line 35 scales in trans-

: ;

verse series from midline of back to midline of abdomen 5.5-1-4, with

3.5 scales between lateral line and base of ventral fin predorsal scales ;

11 rows of scales around narrowest part of caudal peduncle 16.

;

Fins: Origin of dorsal fin over tenth scale of lateral line, well in
advance of ventrals; dorsal emarginate, rays iii,8, longest branched
ray 0.9 head caudal deeply forked, lobes pointed, longer than head
;

anal emarginate, rays iii,5; ventrals arising under twelfth scale of

lateral line, longest ray 1.5 in l?ead; pectorals slightly longer than
ventrals.
Coloration Silvery brown on back and sides, under parts whitish
:

five narrow dark brown longitudinal stripes along side posteriorly,

the median stripe longest and most distinct, extending from over tip
of pectoral fin to caudal base; fins plain.
244 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Type and paratypes.—T\i& type (U.S.N.M. No. 107957) 17.3 cm.

long is a male collected by R. Havmoller in February 1929, in Klong

Chawang, a mountain stream east of Bandon, Peninsular Thailand.

Four other specimens with the same data in the National Museum
collection are 16.3 to 20.2 cm. long, all with marked development of
rostral pearl organs and all with the dorsal and anal fins having con-
spicuous dermal flanges. Paratypes are U.S.N.M. Nos. 108100, 109773,
117627, 117636, 119524.
—
Other specimens. Other material, also collected by Mr. Havmoller^
was taken in December 1929, from Klong Sok, a tributary of the
Menam Tapi, Peninsular Thailand one is a male 19.5 cm. long, with
;

large rostral tubercles divided into upper and lower groups by a

deep horizontal groove, which is continuous around the front of the
snout; the other is a female 19 cm. long, with no tubercles but with
small pores on the front of the snout.
Remarks. —This form as yet known only from mountain streams
is
in the Bandon Peninsular Thailand. It is distinguished
district of
chiefly by its moderately elongate form single pair of short maxillary
;

barbels large, elliptical, freely movable padlike superficial part of the

;

lower lip and exuberant development of rostral tubercles with a deep

;

horizontal sulcus dividing the tubercles into two groups. Charac-

teristic are the dark longitudinal stripes on the posterior part of the
body, with the middle stripe most strongly defined. Full sexual
maturity is attained by the males when they are about 16 cm. long.
This fish has a general resemblance to Loho'cheilus quadrilineat'us^
described by Fowler from North-Central Thailand, and may prove
to be a local variety or race thereof. Fowler's description and figures
indicate differences in the general shape of body, shape and size of
head, shape and length of snout, and other minor characters. The
present form has a less elevated back, more slender caudal peduncle,
longer head, more posterior position of the eyes, together with the
marked rostral sulcus, which appears to be lacking in L. quadri-
lineatus, even in specimens that are of much larger size than is known
to be attained by L. cornutus.

LOBOCHEILUS CRYPTOPOGON (Fowler)

Tylognathus cryptopogon Fowler, 1935a, p. 125, figs. 69, 70 (Khao Nam Poo) ;

1935b, p. 513 (Old Chiengsen).

Known from a few specimens, 6.8 to 10.4 cm. long, from the lOiao
Nam Poo, Central Thailand and the Mekong at Old Chiengsen, North-
ern Thailand. The dorsal fin, with a sharply defined black edge,
arises well in advance of the ventrals over the ninth scale of the
lateral line; the short maxillary barbels are concealed in the post-
labial groove; the lower lip is coarsely fringed; the body is marked
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 245

by numerous dark longitudinal lines following the rows of scales;

and there are two blackish transverse bars on the caudal peduncle.

LOBOCHEILUS DAVISI (Fowler)

Tylognathus davisi Fowlee, 1937, p. 208, figs. 179, 180 (Kemarat).

Known from one specimen, 7.8 cm. long, from the Mekong at
Kemarat, Eastern Thailand, this species has no outstanding features.
The only marks on the body are about eight indistinct dark longi-
tudinal lines on the back and side following the rows of scales, the line
above the lateral line being darker on the caudal peduncle and ending
in an elongate spot.

LOBOCHEILUS RHABDOURA (Fowler)

Tylognathus rhabdoura Fowler, 1934a, p. 133, figs. 99, 100 (Chiengmai).

The writer first met with this fish in 1923 when, on November 25,
a specimen 6 cm. long was taken in the Menam Chao Phya at Bang
Pang, Central Thailand. He next obtained 4 specimens, 5.7 to 6.8
cm. long, on November 25, 1928, in the Meping at Chiengmai. They
were brilliant silvery, with a black longitudinal stripe in the posterior
part of the body ending in a blotch on the caudal peduncle. The
Meping at Chiengmai yielded another specimen, 6 cm. long, on De-
cember 19, 1932. Fowler's type, 7.2 cm. long, and numerous other
specimens, 3 to 6.9 cm. long, in the de Schauensee collection came
from the same locality. Phya Daruphan Pithaks, chief conservator
of forests in Thailand, collected specimens in the Mesoi at Lampang,
Central district.
This is a slender species (depth 4.2 to 4.5 in standard length), with
a pair of minute maxillary barbels, the lower lip papillate, 32 to 34
scales in the lateral line, 6 to 6.5-1-3 scales in transverse series and
10 predorsal scales.

LOBOCHEILUS CHEVEYI. new species

FiGUBE 45

Description. —Depth of body 4.5 in standard length; least depth

of caudal peduncle slightly more than 0.5 its length and 0.5 depth
of body ;
profile from snout to dorsal fin gently arched, ventral pro-
file lesscurved than dorsal head 4.3 in length, its depth and breadth
;

about equal; snout 2.5 in head, its anterior surface rising obliquely
from the wide mouth, which extends backward to a point under
nostrils, its width 1.5 times eye and slightly less than snout; upper
lip smooth, lower lip with its superficial part broad, full, anteriorly
beset with low papillae; a pair of maxillary barbels 0.5 eye; eye in
590087 — 45 17
 — ;

246 BULLETIN ISS, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

midlength of head, 5 in head, 2 in snout, 2.5 in the strongly convex

interorbital space; teeth 5,4,2; gill rakers 5 + 22 on first arch.
Squamation: Scales in lateral line 32 (including all that are tube-
bearing), in transverse series from midline of back to ventral fin
5.5-1-3, in predorsal region 11, around narrowest part of caudal
peduncle 16; ventral axillary scale about 0.3 length of first branched
ray.
Fins: Dorsal arising in advance of ventrals, midway between tip
of snout and posterior base of anal, over ninth scale of lateral line
dorsal rays iii,8, longest branched ray shorter than head; caudal
forked, about as long as head; anal rays iii,5, longest branched ray
about 1.5 in head; ventral somewhat shorter than pectorals, which
are slightly shorter than head; pectoral rays i,14.

Figure 45. Lobocheilus cheveyi, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 107947). Drawn by
Miss Jane Roller.

Coloration : Upper half of head and body dark olive, underparts

whitish; a jet black median lateral band from head to base of caudal,
the band anteriorljr involving parts of two rows of scales and pos-
teriorly parts of three rows scales of body with dark edges anterior
; ;

margin of dorsal from base to tip black, rays greenish, membranes

fin
mostly blackish caudal dull green, with the black lateral body band
;

extending on median rays other fins plain. ;

Type.—TYiQ type specimen (U.S.N.M. No. 107947), 12.1 cm. long,

was collected by H. G. Deignan, December 25, 1936, in the Menam Mao,
a tributary of the Menam Fang, Northern Thailand.
—
Remarks. This form presents a combination of characters by
which it appears to be distinguished from other species known from
Thailand and adjacent countries. The most prominent of these
characters are the comparatively few scales in the lateral and trans-
verse series, the single pair of barbels, rather slender body, obliquely
truncate snout, and distinct coloration, the lateral black band being
wide and sharply defined. L. ho, with essentially the same squama-
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 247

tion, has less elongate body, very different physiognomy, and no

sharply defined black lateral band. Z. melanotaenia is a deeper fish,
with arched back, differently shaped snout and mouth, much shorter
barbels, and entirely different coloration, the black lateral band being
much narrower and each of the scales of back and sides having a dark
basal crescent.
At Ban Muang Sum, the Menam Mao was a
the place of capture, at
clearmountain torrent. The dorsal fin exhibits a marked develop-
ment of dermal flanges on the rays, characteristic of many mountain-
stream cyprinoids in Thailand.
The species is named in honor of Dr. Pierre Chevey, of the Institut
Oceanographique de I'Indochine, in recognition of his valuable re-
searches on the fish fauna of French Indo-China.

LOBOCHEILUS GRACILIS (Fowler)

TylognatJius gracilis Fowlee, 1937, p. 209, figs. 183, 184 (Mepoon, Kemarat).

Known from both the Menam Chao Phya and the Mekong, this
species is characterized by its slender form (depth 4.5 to 4.75 in stand-
ard length) ; three scales between the lateral line and the ventral fin;

falcate dorsal, anal, ventral, and pectoral fins ; caudal fin deeply forked
and 1.5 times length of head very slender caudal peduncle, its length
;

more than twice its least depth; and three narrow, sharply defined
blackish longitudinal stripes on posterior half of body.
The numerous specimens examined were 15.3 to 23.3 cm. long. A
specimen 15.5 cm. in length was taken by the writer in the Mekok at
Chiengrai, Northern Thailand, March 2, 1924.

LOBOCHEILUS THAVILI, new species

Description. — Elongate, moderately compressed, depth 5 in stand-

ard length, 6.5 in length with caudal fin; least depth of caudal
peduncle about 2.5 in its length and 2 in head head small, over 5 in ;

standard length, its width equal to its depth at posterior margin of

eyes and equal to length of snout and eye; snout broad, obtusely
rounded, thickly beset with large pores, which extend as far back as
nostrils; eye small, 5.5 in head, 2.5 in snout, 3 in strongly convex
interorbital space, its center in midlength of head; maxillary barbel
shorter than eye; no rostral barbels; thick, rounded pad on lower jaw
as wide as postorbital part of head.
Squamation Scales in lateral line
: 33, in transverse line 5.5-1-3.5 to
base of ventral, in predorsal region 10, around narrowest part of the
caudal peduncle 14.
Fins: Origin of dorsal fin well in advance of ventral, over ninth
scale of lateral line, midway between tip of snout and posterior end
of anal base; dorsal rays iii, 8, first bi'anched ray as long as head;
248 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

caudal fin long, 1.5 times head, deeply forked, lobes pointed ; anal rays
iii, 5 last unbranched ray very thick, 0.8 length of head ventrals and ;

pectorals subequal, shorter than head, ventrals arising under twelfth

scale of lateral line, not reaching anal opening, ventral axillary scale
0.5 length of fin.
Coloration (life) Back and top of head golden brown, side and
:

lower part silvery white; body with narrow longitudinal stripes of

dark brown from head to caudal fin, nine stripes at deepest part of
body, the stripes on each side of lateral line most distinct; a large dark
spot on caudal peduncle near base of fin; head behind eye with rich
golden reflection; dorsal and caudal fins dusky pink, a yellow-green
area on base of caudal anal, ventral, and pectoral fins pinkish white.
;

—
Type. The type, 27 cm. long, was taken in the Meklong at Rajaburi,
Central Thailand, July 29, 1923. It remains in the collection of the
Thailand Bureau of Fisheries.
—
Remarks. The relations of this fish to the other local species are
indicated in the preceding key. The principal differential features
are the very elongate form, small head, small eye, slender caudal
peduncle, single minute barbel, long and deeply forked caudal fin, and
coloration.
The fish seems to be known to the fishermen of the Meklong, as
shown by their use of a distinctive name, yla soi doh hua {doh 'bua.,
lotus flower). The species is apparently rare, as only one specimen
was obtained in the Meklong, and it has not been found elsewhere.
The species is named for Thavil Vongtongmark, a former assistant
in the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries, in appreciation of his keen interest
in Thai fresh-water fishes and his zeal in conservation measures.

Genus MORULIUS Hamilton

Morulius Hamilton, Fishes . . . River Ganges, p. 331, 1822. (Type, Cyprinus

morula Hamilton.)

MORULIUS CHRYSOPHEKADION (Bleeker)

Rohita chrysophekadion Bleeker, 1850 (25), p. 20 (Surabaya, Java).

Morulius dinema Bleekek, 1865 (347), p. 35 (Siam).
Morulius chrysophekadion Bleeker, 1865 (356), p. 175 (Siam).
Ladeo chrysophekadion KAeoli, 1882, p. 179 ( Siam .— Vifulya, 1923, p. 225
)

(Bangkok).
Lateo {Morulius) chrysophekadion Webee and de Beaufort, 1916, vol. 3, p. 210,
fig. 80 (Siam).— Chevey, 1932b, p. 34, pi. 10 (Siam).

Labeo (Morulius) crysophekadon Hora, 1923b, p. 159 (Nontaburi, Bangkok).

Morulius erythrostictus Fowler, 1934a, p. 127, figs. 85, 86 (Chiengmai).
Morulius pectoralis Fowler, 1934b, p. 346 (Bangkok).

This striking species, known from Java, Borneo, Sumatra, Cam-

bodia, Cochinchina, and Laos, as well as from Thailand, reaches a
length of 60 cm. Several specimens, 48 cm. long, taken in a canal in
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SUM, OR THAILAND 249

Bangkok May 3,, 1928, weighed 3 pounds each. In Thailand it occurs

throughout the basin of the Menam Chao Phya and in various other
rivers of the Central region.
An important breeding ground for this species is Bung Borapet, the
large swamp communicating with the Menam Chao Phya and the
Menam Nan near Paknampo which, on the writer's recommendation,
was converted into a fish preserve and nursery by the Siamese Govern-
ment. A series of specimens taken November 19, 1923, as the fish were
leaving the swamp with the fall of the flood waters, were 7.1 to 10.5
cm. long and were undoubtedly the young of the year. Notwithstand-
ing their small had a profuse display of pearl organs on snout,
size, all
top and sides of head, and on the back as far as the dorsal fin.
There is little reason to doubt that Fowler's M. erythrostictus is this
common and widely distributed species, which shows slight variation
in color depending on age and environment. Among specimens col-
lected by the writer in different streams of Thailand, including the
Ping River from which Fowler's specimens presumably came, there
are examples that conform with the color features given for M. ery-
throstictus. The transverse rostral fold, which Fowler stresses as a
diagnostic point, is to be seen in all specimens at hand and in some is
much more strongly marked than in Fowler's figure it is shown also
;

in Chevey's plate of a specimen from Cambodia and in Sauvage's

figure of Rohita 'pectoralis^ also from Cambodia. Another feature on
which Fowler separates M. erythrostictus from M. chrysophekadion
is the size (and hence the number) of the scales in the predorsal area,

the former being credited with "small predorsal scales." These scales
in M. ei^throstictus are stated to number 19 to 22, whereas in M. chry-
sophekadion they are given as 20 to 23 by Bleeker and "about 25" by
—
Weber and de Beaufort in other words, there is no essential differ-
ence in this respect. Another feature that is said to separate M.
erythrostictus from M. chrysophekadion is the "much smaller scales
crowded on the back along the dorsal fin base." The presence of these
scales is not mentioned by Bleeker or by Weber and de Beaufort, but is
obvious in all specimens of M. chrysophekadion from all parts of
Thailand and adjacent countries.
Sauvage's Rohita pectoralis from Cambodia presents no valid dif-
ferential characters and is assignable to M. chrysophekadion.
Although the scales in the lateral line are said by Sauvage to number
46 to 48, his figure shows only 42 or 43, thus bringing his fish within
the scope of M. chrysophekadion., in which the lateral-line scales are
given by Bleeker and by Weber and de Beaufort as 41 to 43. Fowler,
in identifying as M. pectoralis specimens 9.4 to 15.5 cm. long collected
in Bangkok, notes that they have the free edge of the dorsal and anal
lins straight, whereas Weber and de Beaufort's figure of M. chryso-
phekadion shows these fins with a concave edge. Sauvage, however,
 : ;

250 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

represents his species with a concave anal fin, while Bleeker's figure of
M. chrysophekadion indicates a fish with practically straight edges
to both fins, the anterior dorsal rays being somewhat extended. It is

believed that no importance can be attached to the shape of the fi'ee

edge of the dorsal and anal fins in this species; in the specimens at
hand this feature varies with age.
The usual name given Thai is pla ha^ or crow fish,
to the fish in
in allusion to its blackish color. In Cambodia, this species, on account
of its violaceous or bluish-black color, together with its ability to make
a raucous croak, is called trey haeh (crow fish), according to Chevey
(1932b).
Genus LABEO Cuvier

Laheo Cuvier, Le regne animal, vol. 2, p. 194, 1817. (Type, Cyprinus niloticus
(Forskai) Geofifroy.)

This genus, extremely well represented in India, where some of tlio

species reach a length of 5 feet, has 11 representatives in Thailand,

only one of which is at all common. A number of additional species
known from Burma may be looked for in the Salwin basin in
Thailand.
The eleven species known to the Thailand fauna are characterized
as follows

la. Scales in lateral line 40 to 44. /

2a. Only maxillary barbels predorsal scales 20 ;

dyocheilus
2b. Both maxillary and rostral barbels.
3a. Predorsal scales 12 branched dorsal rays 13 to 15
; ;
general color blackish
to slaty, all fins black calbasu
3a. Predorsal scales 15 branched dorsal rays 11
; ; light olive above, whitish
below, no fins black indramontri
1&. Scales in lateral line less than 40.
4a. Both maxillary and rostral barbels ; rostral fold scalloped, plaited, or
fringed.
5a. Color nearly uniform black caudal and jjectoral fins orange, other
;

black
fins bicolor
56. Color reddish brown a large irregular blotch on caudal peduncle dorsal,
; ;

anal, and ventral fins black with white edge, caudal fin white.
muuensis
5c. A large black ellipsoidal spot on caudal peduncle ; a black stripe from
eye to end of snout.
over origin of ventrals all fins plain
6a. Origin of dorsal fin frenatus ;

66. Origin of dorsal fin well in advance of ventrals caudal fin vermilion ;

dorsal, anal, and ventral fins with dark or black membranes.

erythrurus
46. Only rostral barbels; rostral fold entire stigmapleura
4c. Only maxillary barbels rostral fold various.
;

7a. Rostral fold entire.

So. A transverse rostral groove scales above lateral line 10.5, predorsal
;

scales 15 to 24; rostral barbels minute in young, disappearing with

age a pair of black spots above and below lateral line over
;

pectorals behri
 . ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 251

8b. No transverse rostral groove; scales above lateral line 9.5, predorsal
scales 14 ;a pair of dark spots on caudal peduncle above and below-
lateral line cheveyi
7&. Rostral fold fringed ; scales above lateral line 4.5, predorsal scales 10.
sinkleri
LAEEO DYOCHEILUS (McClelland)

CypriniiS dyocheilus McClelland, 1839, pp. 268, 330, pi. 37, fig. 1 (Bramaputra
River).
Varicorhinus dyocheilus Fowler, 1935b, p. 510, figs. 4, 5 (Old Chiengseu),

This well-known Indian species, reaching a length of a meter, has

been detected in Thailand waters of the Salwin basin, in the Mekong
basin in Northern Tliailand, and also in the Central district. It was
first met with at Hangkraben, north of Ayuthia, in 1924. In a pond in

Tonburi, Bangkok, connected with the Menam Chao Phya, a fish

26,3 cm. long was taken May 13, 1925, and in the same pond a specimen
27 cm. long was taken May 17, 1932, and kept alive in a tank at the
office of the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries until July 14, 1932.

One of the Bangkok specimens was compared with typical ex-

amples in the Indian Museum of L. dyocheilus from Hardwar and
Simla and found to differ somewhat therefrom in proportions, the
head being larger, the snout relatively shorter and less overhanging,
the eye larger, and other features that could represent individual
variation. A
detailed comparison of specimens from Central
Thailand and India is desirable.
The fish is common in the Bangkok region but seems to be known
not
to the local fishermen, who call it pla hua (lotus fish)

LABEO CALBASU (Hamilton)

Cyprinus calbasu Hamilton, 1822, pp. 297, 387, pi. 2, fig. 33 (Bengal).

Of wide distribution in India, this species ranges to Burma, and

was observed by tlie writer in the Salwin in both Burmese and
Thailand territory in February 1932. The fish were being caught
by local fishermen on baited long lines thrown from the sandy bank
into the deeper parts of the river. A number of fish 40 to 50 cm. long
were examined and photographed.
In India the species is reported by Day to reach a length of 90 cm.

LABEO INDRAMONTRI, new species

FlGtTKE 46

Description. —Depth
3.8 in standard length; depth of caudal pe-
duncle length and 2 in length of head; head somewhat less
1.4 in its
than 4 in length, its width over opercles less its depth and 1.7 in length
snout blunt, rounded, 2.4 in head, divided into central and lateral
lobes by a deep groove extended upward and forward from postlabial
 —

252 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

commissure, anterior surface thickly beset with minute pores; free

margin of snout with small, indistinct plicae; eye in midlength of
head, 4 in head, 1.7 in snout, and 2 in the slightly convex interorbital
space; mouth strongly arched, its width equal to eye, its posterior
angle in advance of vertical from nostrils upper lip narrow centrally, ;

wide and thickened laterally, where it is uncovered by the rostral fold,

its posterior expanded end, occupying a deep groove, bearing an ir-
regular fringe ; lower lip thick, its free margin with a row of widely
spaced conical papillae and several inner rows of minute papillae,
the lateral parts of the lip covered by the upper lip, the deep post-
labial grooves nearly meeting centrally; a pair of minute rostral bar-
bels and a pair of well-developed flat maxillary barbels concealed in
the lateral groove ; branchial openings extending to a point posterior
to eyes, isthmus wider than eye; gill rakers very short, slender, and
numerous.

lA..

Figure 46. Labeo indramontri, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 107964). Drawn by-

Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

Squamation Tube-bearing scales of lateral line 43 scales in trans-

: ;

verse series from origin of dorsal of base of ventrals 8.5-1-5 preclorsal ;

scales 15 ; scales around narrowest part of caudal peduncle 20.

Fins Origin of dorsal fin over tenth scale of lateral line, midway
:

between tip of snout and middle of base of anal fin; dorsal margin
concave, its rays ii, 11, the first branched ray shorter than head caudal ;

longer than head, deeply forked, the lobes pointed, central rays one-
third length of outer; anal rays iii, 5, the first branched ray 1.5 in
head ventrals and pectorals subequal, 1.4 in head, pectoral rays i, 14.
;

Coloration Back and top of head light olive below whitish ob-
: ; ;

scure narrow dark longitudinal stripes on back and sides following

rows of scales anterior margin of dorsal fin with a blackish line from
;

base to tip, dorsal membranes dusky; other fins plain.

 —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 253

—
Tyfe. The type and only known specimen (U.S.N.M. No. 107964)
is 12.4 cm. long. It was taken in Bung Borapet, Central Thailand,
November 24, 1933.
Remarks. —
At the time the type specimen was captured it was
recognized as peculiar, and additional specimens were sought during
many years. The species may be distinguished from the described
Thailand and Indian species by a combination of characters, includ-
ing rather small scales, two pairs of barbels, curiously papillate lower
lip, and apparently small size, for the type is a female with ovaries
extending the entire length of the abdominal cavity.
Named for Phya Indra Montri, for many years president of the
Siam Society, in appreciation of his untiring labors in extending the
knowledge of the history, culture, and natural resources of Thailand.

LABEG BICOLOR H. M. Smith

FiQtrRE 47

Labco bicolor Smith, 193ia, p. 9, fig. 4 (Menam Chao Fhya).— Fowlek, 1934b,
p. 347 (Silom Canal, Bangkok) ; 1937, p. 201 (Tachin River).

This was the first species of Laheo to be recorded from Thailand.

It is known only from the Central region and its center of abundance
appears to be the Menam Chao Phya basin in the region of Paknampo.
It is probably the commonest fish of this genus in Thailand.

Figure 47. Labeo bicolor H. M. Smith. Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy of the
Thailand Government.

This is The largest specimens ob-

a comparatively small species.
served have been only 12 cm. long, and maturity is reached between
full
7 and 8 cm. Thus, two specimens 7.4 and 7.5 cm. long, taken in Bung
Borapet, Central Thailand, March 1933, had ovaries extending as
far as the base of the pectoral fins.
 — .

254 BULLETIN 1S8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

The specific iiume was applied in allusion to the nearly uniform

velvety black of the body and most of the fins and the bright orange
of the caudal and pectoral fins, making a very striking coloration.
In alcohol and formalin the general color becomes reddish brown,
and there appears on the side above the pectoral fin a round black
spot, smaller than the eye, of which there was little or no evidence in
life; one or two smaller black spots may sometimes appear below
the other.
The vernacular name given to the fish in the upper Menam Chao
Phya is fla song kruang (full-dress fish). Another popular name in
Bung Borapet is pla Imng deng (red-tail fish)
LABEO MUNENSIS H. M. Smith

Figure 48

Labco munensis Smith, 1934b, p. 313, pi. 12 (Menam Mun).

Although as yet known from only two small specimens from the
Mun Kiver at Tha Chang, east of Korat, Eastern Thailand, this fish
appears to be familiar to the local fishermen, who know it by the
distinctive name of pla soi lord (tubular schoolfish) The large black .

dorsal, anal, and ventral fins with sharply defined white edge and the
long white caudal fin serve to make the recognition of this species
easy.

Figure 48. Laheo munensis H. M. Smith. Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy of the
Thailand Government.

LABEO FRENATUS Fowler

Lateo frenatus Fowler, 1934a, p. 129, figs. 91 and 92 (Chiengmai) ; 1937, p. 202
(Tachin River),

This species, described from specimens up to 5.7 cm. long presumably

from the Meping at Chiengmai, has been reported also from the Tachin
from two specimens 6 and 6.8 cm. long. There are two well-developed
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 255

barbels, scalloped lips, 31 to 33 scales in lateral line, and striking

coloration: a broad black band from end of snout through eye to
posterior end of head and a large black ellipsoid spot across caudal
peduncle.
The possibility of this being the young of L. erythrurus is to be
considered.
LABEO ERYTHRURUS Fowler

Lateo erythrura Fowlek, 1937, p. 204, figs. 171, 172 (Kemarat).

This species, recorded from the Mekong at Kemarat, has well-

developed rostral and maxillary barbels, rostral fold with about 16
plaits, a blackish band extending horizontally from eye toward end
of snout, and a large black ellipsoid spot extending entirely across the
caudal peduncle.
The known examples are 10.3 and 11.9 cm. long.
The possibility that this form may be the adult of Laheo frenatus
is suggested by the general agreement in squamation, fin rays, and
coloration. Differences indicated hy the published descriptions are
in the number of gill rakers and pharyngeal teeth, but until the limits
of variation in each form are established the differences are without
significance. A possible point of distinction, which may be due to
the size of the specimens, is that the origin of the dorsal fin in Z. ery-
thrurus is well in advance of ventrals and midway between tip of snout
and base of anal while in L. frenatus the dorsal origin is directly
fin,

over the ventral origin and midway between tip of snout and mid-
length of caudal peduncle.

LABEO STIGMAPLEURA Fowler

Labeo stigmapleura Fowxeb, 1937, p. 202, figs. 169, 170 (Kemarat, Bangkok).

Characterized by a single pair of short barbels (rostral), entire lips,

36 or 37 scales in the lateral line, 7 scales between the lateral and the
origin of the dorsal fin, and a cluster of small black spots involving
four or five scales on and below the lateral line above the pectoral
fin,this species, described from specimens 5 to 11.5 cm. long, is re-
ported from the Mekong at Kemarat and also from Bangkok. A
sharply defined black stripe on the back at the base of the dorsal fin
is shown in Fowler's figure but it is not referred to in the description.

LABEO BEHRI Fowler

Laheo behri Fowlek, 1937, p. 206, figs. 175, 176 (Kemarat, Bangkok).

This species is known only from the Mekong, with the exception
of a single specimen, 6.5 cm. long, ascribed to Bangkok.
The type was 20.8 cm, long.
The fish has a peculiar physiognomy, with a groove across the
snout on level with the eyes, minute rostral barbels disappearing
256 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

with age, maxillary barbels small and concealed, lower lip fringed
and upper lip entire, 10 scales above lateral line, 15 to 24 predorsal
scales, a black spot on either side of lateral line above pectoral fin,
and a dark bar across caudal peduncle near base of caudal fin.

LABEO CHEVEYI Fowler

Laheo cheveyi Fowleb, 1937, p. 205, figs. 173, 174 (Mepoon).

Known from 6 specimens, 15.4 to 18.2 cm. long, from the Mepoon,
in Central Thailand, this species is described as having a very short
pair of maxillary barbels, broad, fleshy lips, 38 to 43 scales in the
lateral line, and a pair of dark spots on either side of the lateral line
near the base of the caudal fin.

LABEO SINKLERI Fowler

Labeo sinkleri Fowlek, 1934a, p. 180, figs. 93, 94 (Metang).

Known only from the Metang, north of Chiengmai in Northern

Thailand, this species, with a maximum recorded length of 10 cm.,
is distinguished by a dark vertical bar on the caudal peduncle near
the base of the caudal fin, a short maxillary barbel, finely fringed
lower lip, 25 gill rakers on the long arm of the first arch, 33 or 34
scales in the lateral line, and 4 rows of scales between the lateral
line and the origin of the dorsal fin.

HENICORHYNCHUS, new genus

Elongate, compressed rostrum produced as a thin flap that centrally

;

overlaps the upper lip but laterally recedes, exposing the outer parts
of the lip and the corners of the mouth edge of flap finely crenulate
;

and incised upper and lower lips continuous; lower

in the middle;
lip thin, papillate, rather closely adnate to jaw, with no inner trans-
verse fold, its median part continuous with the skin of the isthmus,
each lateral part with a short, posterior groove; lower jaw with a
trenchant edge no rostral barbels a pair of short maxillary barbels
; ;

(sometimes not evident) concealed in groove behind labial commis-

sure a deep groove at side of mouth extending on rostrum and divid-
;

ing it into a central and two lateral parts rostral pores eye with a ; ;

narrow circular adipose rim; gill openings extending well forward,

gill membranes joined to narrow isthmus; gill rakers slender, nu-
merous pharyngeal teeth triserial scales in moderate number lateral
;
; ;

line complete dorsal fin with 8 branched rays, the last simple ray non-
;

osseous or very slightly osseous branched anal rays 5.

;

Genotype. —H
enicorhynchus lohatus., new species.
This genus is proposed for certain small Thai fishes that do not
seem to fall within the limits of already established genera. It re-
sembles Tylognathus in general appearance and in characters including
 FRESH-WATER FISflES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 257

free edge of rostrum covering base of upper lip, continuous lips,

trenchant lower jaw, barbels, squamation, and fin rays, but differs in
having the edge of the rostrum crenulated and medianly incised, in
having no fleshy superficial padlike part of lower lip, in having a deep
postlabial groove that almost cuts off the outer segment of each side of
the lower lip, and in the division of the snout into central and lateral
parts by a deep groove, which extends upward and forward from the
side of the mouth.
Resemblance to Ldbeo is in the general mouth structure, but differ-
ence is seen in the median division of the thin crenulated rostral flap,
in the bilobed shape of the flap, in the lower lip closely adnate to the
lower jaw, and in the absence of inner transverse labial folds.

HENICORHYNCHUS LOBATUS, new species

FiGUBE 49

Desoription. —^Form elongate and moderately compressed; dorsal

and ventral profiles similar ; depth 3.5 in standard length least depth
;

of caudal peduncle 1.5 in its length and about 2 in head; head 4.3 in
length; eye 3.8 in head, 1.2 in snout, and 1.6 in the broadly convex
interorbital space, anarrow circular orbital rim best developed an-
teriorly snout broadly rounded, 3 in head nostrils large, in horizontal
; ;

line with upper edge of pupil mouth wide, horizontal, lips thin and
;

continuous upper lip medianly covered by a rostral flap, whose sur-

;

face is finelypapillate, its edge crenulate and divided by a deep

emargination into two rounded lobes lower lip very thin and closely
;

adnate to jaw, its central part continuous with skin of isthmus, its
lateral parts with a postlabial groove, which almost completely sepa-
rates them from the center; lower jaw with a broad, thin trenchant
edge; a deep groove on each side of mouth extending from behind
labial commissure upward and forward to a point on snout opposite
pupil, forming a well-marked central lobe; a concealed barbel, 0.25
diameter of eye, behind the commissure; branchial aperture wide,
extending forward to a point under posterior border of eye branchial ;

membranes joined to the narrow isthmus; gill rakers short, slender,

about 5+29 on first arch; pharyngeal teeth 5, 4, 2, long, close-set, with
broad grinding surface.
Squamation: Scales in lateral line 35, in transverse line 14 from
midline of back to midline of abdomen, 5 between lateral line and
base of ventral fin, 9 predorsal, 20 circumpeduncular; lateral line
gently decurved in first fourth of its length, thence running nearly
straight to midcaudal base.
Fins: Dorsal rays ii, 8, first branched ray somewhat longer than
head, last simple ray slender and scarcely or not at all osseous, free
edge of fin concave origin of dorsal fin well in advance of ventrals,
;

over ninth scale of lateral line and much nearer to tip of snout than
 ;

258 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

to base of caudal fin ; caudal deeply forked, 1.4 times length of head
anal rays iii, 5, longest 1.5 in head; ventrals 1.25 in head; pectorals
pointed, 0.8 head.
Coloration: Back and sides greenish, with faint darker longitu-
dinal lines following the rows of scales; underparts whitish; inter-
radial dorsal membranes medianly blackish, free margin of dorsal
fin with a narrow sharply defined black edge.

/;:.

/x/'

x.

'^

Figure 4:9.—HenicoThynchus lobatus,new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 119490). Drawn

by Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

—
Type and other speciviens. The type (U.S.N.M. No. 119490), a
female 13.2 cm. long, was collected in the Mekok near Chiengrai,
Northern Thailand, March 2, 1924. A
male 14.2 cm. long was taken
at the same time. Additional specimens have come from the Menam
Pasak at the barrage at Dha Luang, August 20, 1923 from the Menam ;

Chao Phya at Paknampo November 19, 1923; from Bung Borapet

November 20, 1923 (3 specimens 9.1, 11.7, and 12.6 cm. long) and ;

from the Menam Chao Phya at Bangsai November 27, 1923. In the
Deignan collection are 28 specimens, 5.9 to 10.6 cm. long, from the
upper Nan River at Ban Pa Khwang, Northern Thailand, March
31, 1936. Paratypes are U.S.N M. Nos. 108091, 119491-119494.
—
Remarks. From the foregoing record of specimens in hand it ap-
pears that this species has a rather wide range, involving both the
Mekong and the Menam Chao Phya basins.
A feature by which the species may
be recognized readily is the
deep median incision in the rostral flap dividing it into two lobes and
the evenly crenulated edge of the lobes, together with the indicated
structure of the lower lip and the division of the snout into central
and lateral lobes. Specimens 7.8 to 9.3 cm. long, believed to be young
of the year, show a small roundish black spot on the caudal peduncle
at the base of the caudal fin. This spot seems to be entirely lost by
the time the adult staee is reached.
 : : ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 259

Subfamily Garrinae

Under subfamily name (based on the oldest generic name)

this
there may be grouped
a few genera with local representatives in which
an outstanding character is the coalescence of the upper lip with the
skin of the rostrum. The paired fins are for the most part horizontal
insome of the genera the lower lip is modified into a sucking disk,
and the mouth is distinctly inferior. The genera of this subfamily,
two of which are peculiar to Thailand, may be differentiated as
follows
la. Upper and lower lips continuous; lower lip modified into a circular or
elliptical sucking disk snout bearing horny tubercles branched dorsal
; ;

rays 7 to 9.

2a. Edges of sucking disk free and papillate upper lip crenulated 2 or no ; ;

rostral barbels, 2 maxillary barbels which may be vestigial or absent;

simple dorsal rays may be partly ossified Garra
2&. Edges of sucking disk free and entire; upper lip entire; 2 rostral and 2
maxillary barbels well developed
simple dorsal rays nonosseous. ;

Discolabeo
1&. Upper and lower lips not continuous lower lip not modified into a sucking
;

disk upper lip crenulated or fringed

; snout with or without horny ;

tubercles branched dorsal rays 8 or 10 simple dorsal rays nonosseous.

; ;

3c. Branched dorsal rays 8.

4a. Body subcylindrical; snout with a small, movable lateral lobe; no rostral
pores or tubercles upper and lower lips connected by a frenulum
;

barbels rostral and maxillary or only rostral Epalzeorhynchos

4&. Body compressed snout with no lateral lobe rostral pores and tubercles
; ;

present; lips not connected, upper lip joined to lower jaw by a

frenulum barbels rostral and maxillary, but either pair may be
;

absent .- Crossocheilus
3&. Branched dorsal rays 10; body compressed; rostral pores and tubercles
present lips not connected, upper lip joined to lower jaw by a frenulum
;

no barbels Mekongina

Genus GARRA Hamilton

Oarra Hamilton, Fishes . . . River Ganges, 1822, p. 393. (Type, Cyprinus

lamta Hamilton.)

The fishes of this genus are found mostly in mountain streams,

where they are aided in maintaining their position by means of a
small sucking disk on the lower lip that enables them to adhere to
stones. The genus, called Discognathus (Heckel, 1843) by Glint her,
Day, Weber and de Beaufort, and other authors, occurs in Africa,
Syria, Arabia, Burma, Ceylon, and Borneo, as well as in Thailand.
Four local species may be recognized as follows
la. One pair of barbels (rostral) ; a broad black lateral band from head to base
of caudal fin.

2a. Caudal peduncle rather long, equal to or longer than head and 1.5 to 2
times its depth.
 — —

260 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

3a. Dorsal with 2 broad black cross bands separated by a yellow median
fln
band caudal lobes plain
; taeniata
35. Dorsal fin with no broad black cross bands; each caudal lobe with a
narrow black sharply defined submarginal stripe fasciacauda
26. Caudal peduncle much shorter than head, its length equal to its least
depth parvifilum
lb. Two pairs of barbels (rostral and maxillary) coloration of body plain.
;

fuliginosa

GARRA TAENIATA H. M. Smith

Figure 50

Oarra taeniata Smith, 1931a, p. 19, pi. 1 (Tadi Stream, Nakon Sritamarat).
Fowler, 1934a, p. 138, tig. 107 (Chantabuu, Nakon Sritamarat). Koumans,
1937a, p. 63 (Peninsular Siam).
Garra spinosa Fowler, 1934a, p. 188, figs. 104-106 (Metang River north of
Chieng Mai).
Garra [Link] Fowler, lQ35a, p. 129, figs. 75-77 (Khao Nam Poo) 1937, p. 211
;

(Mepoon).

Originally described from Tadi Stream, Nakon Sritamarat, from

two specimens taken in July 1928, this species has since been found
to be widely distributed, not only in the Peninsula but also Central,
Northern, Eastern, and Southeastern Thailand.
A length of 15 cm. is attained, but full sexual maturity is reached
at less than half that size.
The development of tubercles on the snout and of pearl organs on
head and body is marked in both sexes, but is more pronounced in
the males. Other secondary sexual characters are the length of the
anal fin and the length of the barbels.
Among numerous specimens taken by Deignan in tributaries of
the Nan River in Northern Thailand in June 1936, the largest in one
lot are two females, 5.8 and 6 cm. long, with nearly ripe eggs, the
ovaries extending as far forward as the base of the pectoral jBns, and
two males, 6.1 and 6.9 cm. long; the prickliness of the rostral tubercles
is much greater in the males and the depressed anal fin reaches the
;

caudal rays in some of the males but in none of the females. In an-
other lot, two females, 6.8 and 7.7 cm. long, with well-developed ova,
have every scale on the body as well as the upper entire part of the
head thickly beset with minute pearl organs.
It is believed that Garra spinosa Fowder, described from numerous
specimens, 3.4 to 9 cm. long, from several localities in Northern
Thailand, is the present species. The principal characters ascribed
to the species were 29 to 31 scales in the lateral line, rostral barbel
:

as long as eye, large pearl organs on snout and smaller ones covering
upper surface of head and predorsal region, a broad dark band along
the side from head to caudal fin, and dorsal fin variously banded ac-
 —

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 261

cording to size of specimen. According to Fowler, from G. taeniata

it "apparently differs in smaller scales, that species with 35 scales in
its lateral line, longer barbels, fewer and differently arranged pearl

organs on the snout with aj^parently no smaller ones over the pre-
dorsal region and less brilliant colors." These differences do not seem
to be of specific value and may be regarded as falling within the limits
of normal variation in G. taeniata.

Figure SO. Garra taeniata H. M. Smith. Drawn by Nai Chote Suvatti; courtesy of
the Thailand Government.

It is the present author's opinion that Garra taeniatops Fowler,

described from specimens 3.3 to 5 cm. long, is the young of G. taeniata.
The differences (in number and size of pearl organs, length of rostral
barbels, size of anal fin, and color of the margin of the dorsal fin)
pointed out by Fowler are believed to be due to age, sex, or individual
variation. In essential characters there is agreement. Specimens
7.6 and 9.4 cm. long from the Menam Fang, a tributary of the Mekong,
agree with Fowler's description in having the rostral barbel shorter
than the eye and the dorsal fin with a whitish margin, but the de-
pressed anal fin does not reach the caudal base. Five paratypes of
G. ta£niato'ps^ 3.7 to 4.1 cm. long are in the U. S. National Museum
through exchange with the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadel-
phia; in none is there evidence of maturity of the sex glands but in
several pearl organs are conspicuous on the snout and in one the
top of the head as far back as the nape is thickly beset with minute
pearl organs; the depressed anal fin either just reaches or does not
quite reach the lower basal elements of the caudal fin in one specimen
;

the distal dark band on the dorsal fin extends to the free edge of the
fin, but in the others the edge is white; and tube-bearing scales
in the lateral line number 32 to 34 (in this respect agreeing with un-
doubted specimens of G. taeniata in which the lateral-line scales vary
from 32 to 35).
In Peninsular Thailand the vernacular name of this fish is yla Via

Mn (stone-lapping fish).
590087—45- -18
262 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
GARRA FASCIACAUDA Fowler

Garra fascia cauda Fowlke, 1937, p. 212, figs. 187, 188 (Kemarat).

Known from numerous specimens, 7.5 to 11 cm. long, from the

Mekong Kemarat, Eastern Thailand, this species is conspicuously
at
marked by a narrow sharply defined black submarginal stripe extend-
ing nearly the full length of each caudal lobe, in addition to a broad
black band along the middle of the side. The fish is rather slender
(depth 5.2 to 5.3 in standard length). The caudal peduncle is about
as long as the head and 1.5 to 2 times its own length. From 16 to 20
plaits form the edge of the upper lip. The U. S. National Museum
has 2 specimens received from the Academy of Natural Sciences of
Philadelphia.
GARRA PARVIFILUM Fowler

Garra parvifilum Fowlfjr, 1939, p. 73, figs. 21, 22 (Trang).

Known from several specimens, 11.7 to 14.4 cm. long, from a water-
fall stream near Trang in Peninsular Thailand, this species is very
similar to G. taeniata in coloration but appears to differ in having a
somewhat broader, more rounded snout that is shorter in its preoral
aspect, and in having a much shorter caudal peduncle whose length
scarcely exceeds its depth. The rostral barbels (referred to in the
description as maxillary) are shorter than the diameter of the eye,
while in typical G. taeniata they are much longer, but this appears to be
a variable character in that species, and examples are met with in which
the barbels are shorter than the eye.

GARRA FULIGINOSA Fowler

Garra fuliginosa Fowler, 1934a, p. 139, figs. 108-11 (Metang).

The type of this species, the only specimen known, was taken in the
Metang, north of Chiengmai, Northern Thailand, in January 1933 it ;

is 17.8 cm. long. Tlie oustanding specific features are the possession
of two pairs of barbels, a deep transverse rostral groove, and plain
coloration.

Genus DISCOLABEO Fowler

Discolaleo Fowler, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 89, p. 210, 1987.
(Type, Discolaheo fisheri Fowler.)

The genus Discolaheo, as described and figured by Fowler, differs

from Garra in having an entire, instead of a crenulated, upper lip and
the disk is not margined with a continuous band of papillae. The po-
sition of the eye, entirely in the anterior half of the head, seems to
be another differential feature. In other respects Discolaheo closely
resembles Garra.
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 263

DISCOLABEO FISHERI Fowler

Discolabeo fisheri Fowler, 1937, p. 210, figs. 177, 178 (Tachin).

This species was described and known only from two specimens,
42 and 43 mm. long, from the Tachin River, Central Thailand.
Although said by Fowler to be allied to l^ylognathus^ it seems closer
to Garra, as Tylognathus has no mandibular sucking disk.

Genus EPALZEORHYNCHOS Bleeker

Epalzeorhynchos Bleeker (136), Nat Tijdsclir. Nedeii. ludie, vol. 9, pp. 258, 270.
(Type, Bar'bus Tcalopterus Bleeker.)

This well-differentiated genus is characterized by an elongate, cylin-

drical form; small, conical head overhanging snout with a small mov-
;

able lateral lobe; skin of rostrum continuous with upper lip, which
is fringed and covers the oral orifice when the mouth is closed; lips
connected by a f renum at the corners of the mouth one or two pairs ;

of barbels narrow, subvertical gill openings, gill membranes broadly

;

joined to isthmus; pharyngeal teeth in three rows; short dorsal fin

without osseous rays, beginning in advance of the midlengtli anal fin ;

with five branched rays; venti-al fins inserted under the dorsal, and
other features. The five known species, all occurring in Thailand and
two herein described as new, may be distinguished as follows
la. Two rostral and 2 maxillary barbels.
2a. Scales (tube-bearing) in lateral line34 to 36, in transverse series 5.5-1-6.5 ;

a dark brown longitudinal band from snout to end of middle caudal raj's,
separated from dark back by a narrow whitisb streak dorsal, anal, and ;

ventral fins with a broad black median band kalopterus

26. Scales (tube-bearing) in lateral line 28, in transverse series 4.5-1-1.5;
reddish brown above an obscure dark brown band extending from
;

midlength of body to caudal peduncle; a sharply defined round black

spot on caudal peduncle and a curved black stripe across base of caudal
fin,these markings occupying a light area, the posterior part of the
caudal fin being pale yellow; middle of back from head to caudal fin
with a narrow brown band no black band on anal and ventral fins,
;

median part of dorsal membranes blackish kalliurus

16. Two rostral barbels, no maxillary barbels; dorsal, anal, and ventral fins
with no black band.
3a. Rows of scales around narrowest part of caudal peduncle 16.
4a. Body marked with a sharply defined black longitudinal band— siamensis
46. Body marked with a large round black spot on caudal peduncle— coatesi
36. Hows of scales around narrowest part of caudal peduncle 14 body marked ;

with numerous small, irregular black flecks stigmaeus

EPALZEORHYNCHOS KALOPTERUS (Bleeker)

Barbus kalopterus Bleeker, 1851 (26), p. 13 (Bandjermassing, Borneo).

While this species was reported by Bleeker to be .not rare in rivers

of Sumatra and Borneo, it appears to be a fish of great rarity and very
 —

264 BULLETIN 18S, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

circumscribed range in Thailand. It is in fact known from only two

specimens, 11.7 and 14.5 cm. long, collected by R. Havmoller in Klong
Sok, one of the headwaters of the Tapi River, southwest of Bandon,
Peninsular Thailand, in December 1929. In these examples the brown
longitudinal band, dark back, and black areas on the dorsal, anal, and
ventral fins were sharply defined the larger fish had the snout thickly
;

beset with minute prickly tubercles, while in the smaller fish the
tubercles were lower and not prickly. The sharp line of demarcation
between the snout and the upper lip shown in Weber and de Beaufort's
figure of this species is absent in these specimens.

EPALZEORHYNCHOS KALLIURUS, new species

Figure 51

Description. —Moderately compressed

depth of body 4.4 in stand-
;

ard length, 5.7 in length with caudal fin; least depth of caudal pe-
duncle 1.5 in its length and 2 in length of head; snout about 3 in
head, slightly longer than eye; eye 1.3 in interorbital space; a mod-
erately wide free orbital margin; barbels short, rather stout, rostral
barbel reaching beyond edge of upper lip and rather more than 0.5
eye, maxilliary barbel less than 0.5 rostral upper lip with 14 plicae,
;

each terminating in a free point.

Figure 51. Epaheorhynchos kalliurus, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 109764).
Drawn by Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

Squamation Tube-bearing scales in lateral line 28, tubes deficient

:

on the black peduncular spot; scales in transverse series from mid-

line of back to midline of abdomen 4.5-1-4.5, with 3 scales between
lateral line and origin of ventral fin; predorsal scales 10; circum-
peduncular scales 16.
Fins: Dorsal origin much nearer to tip of snout than to base of
caudal, over tenth scale of lateral line margin of fin concave dorsal
; ;

rays iii,8, first branched ray slightly longer than head caudal longer ;

than head, forked for about 0.5 its length, the lobes pointed; anal
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 265

rays iii,5, longest branched ray 1.4 in head; ventral and pectoral
equal, shorter than head, ventral origin under twelfth scale of lateral
line, pectoral extending to ventral base.
Coloration Upper parts reddish brown, most of the scales of back
:

and sides with darker base; underparts whitish; an obscure dark

brown lateral band beginning about midlength of bodj^ and extending
on caudal peduncle, becoming wider posteriorly; middle of back
from head to caudal fin with a narrow well-defined brown band; a
sharply defined black spot about size of eye on caudal peduncle oc-
cupying a whitish area that extends across peduncle but stops before
reaching midline of back, the black spot bordered posteriorly by a
narrow whitish area that precedes a narrow curved black stripe across
the base of the caudal fin ; tips of dorsal rays blackish, median part
of dorsal fin with blackish membranes forming an indistinct cross
bar all other fins plain.
;

—
Type. The type and only known specimen (U.S.N.M. No. 109764)
6.2 cm. long was taken by H. G. Deignan in the Mekong at Chiengsen
Kao, Northern Thailand, January 13, 1927.
—
Remarks. This species is easily recognized by its 2 pairs of barbels
and its peculiar pattern of coloration. The only other species of
Epalzeorhynchos with 2 pairs of barbels is E. Jcalo'pterus which, in
addition to differences in scales (34 to 36 tube-bearing in lateral line
and 5.5-1-6.5 in transverse line), has a broad dark band from tip
of snout to posterior end of median caudal rays and broad black
bands on dorsal, anal, and ventral fins.

EPALZEORHYNCHOS SIAMENSIS H. M. Smith

FiGXJBE 52

Epalzeorhynchos sinmensis Smith, 1931a, p. 20, fig. 9 (Tadi Stream, Nakon

Sritamarat).

Herre and Myers (1937) have recorded this rare species from the
Malay Peninsula in the States of Malacca, Pahang, Negri Sembilan.
and Perak their four specimens were 3.7 to 9 cm. long.
;

Using a dip net in the upper reaches of the Tadi River, a mountain
rivulet flowing into the Gulf of Siam through the town of Nakon
Sritamarat, Peninsular Thailand, the writer caught a single example
of this fish on July 14, 1928. Further collecting throughout the upper
part of this stream during a period of 2 weeks failed to yield other
specimens, and the conclusion is probably justified that the fish is
very rare.
Collecting in the Salwin at Ta Ta Fang, Western Thailand, in
October, 1936, H. G. Deignan obtained a single specimen of this fish
5.1 cm. long with a well-defined narrow blackish stripe along the side
from head to caudal fin and with the fins unmarked.
266 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Although lacking the striking markings of the fins in E. kalopterus^

this species has very attractive living colors: Back and sides green,
with flecks of light blue or purple; top of head bright green; lateral
band from head to tip of middle caudal rays black, with a silvery band
below; underparts white; dorsal, caudal, and pectoral fins very pale
green, anal and ventral fins hyaline. The type specimen had its snout,
top of head, and upper lip thickly beset with low papillae.
The local fishermen give it a name, pla lab Ttiue nang (lady's finger-
nail fish) borne by no other fish, say it is good to eat and that it gets
,

no larger than the type, which is 13.8 cm. long.

Figure Sl.—Epalzeorhynchos siamensis H. M. Smith. Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy

of the Thailand Government.

EPALZEORHYNCHOS COATESI (Fowler)

Tylog'natJius coatesi FowLEai, 1937, p. 208, figs. 181, 182 (Bangkok) ; 1939, p. 72
(Trang).

This species was first observed in Thailand in November 1923 when

four specimens were obtained in Bung Borapet. In 1926, 1927, and
1934 it was taken at several points in the Menam Mun both east and
west of Korat, and in 1929 a specimen was secured at Pong, on the
Pong River, a tributary of the Mun. In 1925 the fish was collected in
Lam Tong Lang, northwest of Pakjong, and in 1927 R. Havmoller
sent in specimens from Klong Chawang, near Kao Nong, in Peninsu-
lar Thailand. The Deignan collection contains specimens from the
Menam Nan. The fish is thus of wide distribution but does not appear
to be common anywhere.
The type, Tylognathus coatesi^ was characterized as having, among
other characters, a pair of rostral barbels and no maxillary barbels (a
feature apparently not known in any species of Tylognathus), upper
lip continuous with the rostrum and having 16 plicae forming a fringe,
together with a nearly plain coloration except for a large round well-
 :

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SI AM, OR THAILAND 267

defined black spot on the caudal peduncle immediately anterior to

the caudal fin. A feature not brought out in the description and fig-
ures but subsequently determined by Fowler is the presence of a deep
groove extending from the corner of the mouth obliquely on the snout
connecting with a shorter groove in which the rostral barbel rests,
and between the grooves a short, pointed lobe.
The specimens from the Menam Nun June 5, 1934, and July 19, 1925,
contained well-developed eggs and showed minute pearl organs thickly
covering the top of the head and snout. The fishes were in company
with Garra and Gyrinocheilus.
The type was 8.3 cm. long. The maximum size represented by the
material now in hand is about 14 cm.
While it is possible that E. coatesi represents the female of E.
smmensis this point cannot be fully decided with the material now
available for examination. The fish appears to be definitely an
Epalzeo7'hynchos, differing from E. siamensis chiefly in coloration.
Life colors of a specimen of E. coatesi from the Menam Mun No-
vember 11, 1926 : Back and sides light green, the
scales with dark edges,
belly white ; a large round black spot on caudal peduncle and a vague
dark lateral band extending forward from the spot caudal, anal, ven- ;

tral, and pectoral fins whitish; dorsal rays yellow, membranes

blackish.
Life colors of specimens from the Menam Mun February 15, 1927
General color light green, the scales of back and sides with dark base
and silvery edge a large round black spot on caudal peduncle top of
; ;

head gray-green belly white all fins light yellowish green.

; ;

In the Korat region this fish lias a distinctive vernacular name,

pJa soi dok yarng.

EPALZEORHYNCHOS STIGMAEUS, new species

Figure 53

—
Descriftion. Depth 4.3 in standard length, 5.3 in length with
caudal fin depth of caudal peduncle 2 in its length and in head head
; ;

4.5 in standard length eye 4.3 in head, 1.8 in snout, 2 in interorbital

;

space snout 2.5 in head 2 rostral barbels, rather stout, 0.5 eye upper
; ; ;

lip with about 15 well-differentiated plicae covered with minute

papillae and having a free margin; no line of demarcation between
snout and upper lip top of head covered with minute tubercles.
:

Squamation: Scales in lateral line 31 or 32; scales in transverse

line from midline of back in front of dorsal fin to base of ventral fin
4.5-1-3, with 2.5 additional scales to midline of abdomen; scales in
predorsal region 10 or 11; scales around narrowest part of caudal
])eduncle 14.
268 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Fins: Dorsal rays, ii,8; anterior rays elongated, giving fin a some-
what falcate appearance, longest rays equal to head origin of dorsal ;

fin in advance of ventrals, much nearer to tip of snout than to base

of caudal fin, over tenth scale of lateral line; caudal longer than head,
deeply forked lobes pointed, upper lobe longer; anal falcate, rays
ii,5, longest 0.75 head ; ventrals i,8, broad, 0.8 head ;
pectorals, i,14, as
long as head.
Coloration General color golden brown, silvery white below top
: ;

of head pale green numerous scales on back and on side nearly as low
;

as base of ventrals wath a black basal spot, these spots along lateral
line having a tendency to form a band posteriorly all fins pale yellow-
;

isli green, some of the dorsal rays and membranes dusky.

Figure 53. Epaheorhynchos stigmaeus, new species: Type (U,S.N.M, No. 109765).
Drawn by Mrs. Alice. C. Mullen.

Type and paratype.—The type (U.S.N.M. No. 109765), 12.5 cm.

long, and a paratype (U.S.N.M. No. 109763) and only other specimen
available, 11.4 cm. long, were taken February 2, 1932, in the Mekhan, a
tributary of the Meping, Northern Thailand.
Remarks. —The Mekhan at the point where this species was found
is a clear cool stream flowing swiftly over gravel and shelving rocks.
Other fishes inhabiting the same stretch of river were Grossocheilus
[Link] Gyrinocheilus sp.
The dermal flanges on the dorsal rays, found in various genera and
many species of Thai mountain-stream fishes, are very well developed
in this species.
The members of the genus are
relations of this species to the other
shown in the preceding key. The
resemblance is to E. coatesi
closest
in which there is a large, well-defined round black spot on the caudal
peduncle, as distinguished from the numerous irregular black flecks
on the back and sides in E. stigmaeus. The caudal peduncle in E.
coatesi is relatively wider and has 16 scales around its narrowest part,
as compared with 14 in stigmaeus, and there are various minor features
in which the two forms differ.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 269

Genus CROSSOCHEILUS van Hasselt

Crossocheilus van Hasselt, Alg. Konst. Letterbode, vol. 2, p. 132, 1823. (Type,
Crossocheilus ohJongus van Hasselt.)

In this genus of small fishes of the Indo-Australian Archipelago

and southern Asia, the principal characters are the continuation of
the skin of the rostrum as the upper lip, the nonjunction of the upper
and lower lips, the connection of the upper lip with the lower jaw
by a frenum, the presence of a pair of rostral or maxillary barbels
(in Thai species), and the dorsal fin with eight branched rays and
the last simple ray nonosseous.
One known from Thailand from an early date
species has been
from the Mouhot. Another was added by the writer in
collection of
1928. More recently Fowler has described several other species from
Thailand waters. The species of Crossocheilus may be differentiated
as follows:

la. Tveo rostral and 2 maxillary barbels.

2a. Upper lip fringed or plaited 2 rostral barbels.
;

3a» Depth 4.5 to 5 a dark longitudinal band from head to caudal fin no
; ;

black bar behind gill opening oblongus

3&. Depth 3.8 to 4.25 a black bar behind gill opening.
;

4a. A blackish longitudinal band on posterior part of body, this expanding

into an elongated blotch on caudal peduncle tchangi
4&. No black longitudinal band on body scales of back and sides edged
;

with dark brown, forming a network a black blotch entirely across

;

caudal peduncle at base of caudal fin reticulatus

2b. Upper lip entire.
5a. Two rostral barbels ; scales in lateral line 35 to 38 ; body marked by
numerous longitudinal dark lines following the rows of scales;
fins plain reba
56. Two maxillary barbels scales in lateral line 34 or 35 body without
; ;

longitudinal dark lines dorsal fin with a broad black median band
;

and a narrow dark edge, caudal fin with small scattered brown spots
on each lobe caudiguttatus
16. Only 2 barbels, either rostral or maxillary a broad silvery lateral band
;

through which there may run a dark streak a round black spot at end of ;

lateral line on both caudal peduncle and caudal fin cobitis

CROSSOCHEILUS OBLONGUS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Labeo oblongus Cu\ieb and Valenciennes, 1842, vol. 16, p. 357 (.Java).
Crossochilns oUongus Smith, I931d, p. 187 (Jadi).

This species, known from Java, Borneo, Sumatra, and Malaya,

was added to the Thailand fauna in 1928 when a specimen 10.8 cm.
long was taken in Tadi Stream, west of the town of Nakon Sritamarat,
Peninsular Thailand. This example was typical. The fish must be
very rare in local waters.
In the East Indies a length of 16 cm. is attained.
 —

270 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

When the genus Crossocheiluswas established by van Hasselt in

1823, ohlongiiswas the only species mentioned. The description was
very meager and not sufficient for identification. In 1842 Cuvier and
Valenciennes described Laheo ohlongus as a new species based on van
Hasselt's specimen in the Leiden Museimi, and declined to recognize the
genus Crossocheilus as distinct from Labeo. Giinther (1868, vol. 7,
p. 73) and Weber and de Beaufort ascribed tlie species to Cuvier and
Valenciennes but Bleeker credited it to van Hasselt.

CROSSOCHEILUS TCHANGI Fowler

CrossocheiDtjiis tchangi Fowlek, 1935a, p. 126, figs. 71, 72 (Srisawat).

Known only from a specimen, 17.3 cm. long, from Srisawat, Central
Thailand, this fish resembles C. ohlongus but has a somewhat deeper
body, dissimilar mouth structure, and different coloration.

CROSSOCHEILUS RETICULATUS Fowler

Crossocheilus reticulatus Fowler, 1935a, p. 128, figs. 73, 74 (Khao Nam Poo).

Described from two specimens, 7.0 and 6.6 cm. long, from Khao Nam
Poo, Central Thailand. The scales of the back and sides are dark-
edged, giving the general appearance of a network, and there is a
large black blotch at the base of the caudal fin.

CROSSOCHEILUS REBA (Hamilton)

Cyprinus reba Hamilton, 1822, pp. 280, 386 (Bengal, Behar).

Crossocheilus reba Guntheb, 1868, vol. 7, p. 74 (Siam). Smith, 1931d, p. 186
(Sikuk River).

This species, occurring throughout India, has been found to be very

abundant at times in Central Thailand. A noteworthy run in the
Sikuk River, Central Thailand, November 26-, 1923, consisted of
schools of young fish moving upstream, the schools often reaching
from the shores far out into the stream in a solid mass and along the
banks for several hundred yards in an unbroken body.
The fishes were from 4 to 8 cm. long, a few of them 9.5 cm.
A similar movement, involving young fishes of this and other
species, may be seen in the large rivers of Central Thailand every year.
The fishes, hatching in the minor streams that intersect the ricefields
during the rainy season, gradually drop down into the main rivers
and then, the rains having ceased and the flood waters having begun
to subside, they start upstream on a long migration which, in the
Menam Chao Phya, may carry them as far as Paknampo or farther
into the Meping and Menan, their numbers diminishing daily and only
a remnant of the original stock reach the upper waters. They are
preyed on by fish, birds, snakes, and monitor lizards, and have to run the
gauntlet of innumerable nets and traps set along the shores and oper-
 ,

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 271

ated from boats. It is hardly an exaggeration to state that during this

run, which lasts several weeks, every household along the main water
courses has in use some kind of fishing appliance. The catch is utilized
as food for human beings and domestic animals and, in places where
the fishing is concentrated, for the trying out of oil in small vats ar-
ranged in rows along the river bank.
Young examples from the Sikuk River sent to the British Museum
were courteously examined by J. R. Norman who wrote "The species :

is a Crossochilus^ and is probably identical with G. reha (Ham. Buch.)

a widely distributed species in India and Burma. We have one young

specimen of G. reba from Siani (Mouhot collection), which agi'ees very
closely with those sent by you."
It should be pointed out that fresh specimens show no line of
demarcation between the snout and the upper lip, as given by Weber
and de Beaufort as a generic character.
G rossocJieilus reba shares with Girrhinus and other cyprinoids the
name pJa sol, applied to the young fishes that in large numbers under-
take the annual upstream movement.

CROSSOCHEILUS CAUDIGUTTATUS Fowler

Crossocheiliis caudiguttatus Fowler, 1934a, p. 137, fig. 103 (Chiengmai).

Described from four specimens, 3.8 to 8.2 cm. long, taken at Chieng-
mai, presumably from the Meping, this species has not been met with
elsewhere in Thailand. It is peculiar among the local members of
The dorsal fin has a
the genus in having a pair of maxillary barbels.
sharply defined narrow dark edge and a black blotch on the median
part of each membrane.

CROSSOCHEILUS COBITIS (Sleeker)

Lohocheilos cobitis Bleeicek, 1853 (86), p. 523 (Padang; Batavia).

This is the only local species of Grossocheilus having both rostral and
maxillary barbels. It has heretofore been known from Java, Borneo,
and Sumatra. A specimen, 5.3 cm. long, typical in all respects, was
taken in Bung Borapet, Central Thailand, in March 1933. The species
seems to be very rare in that country.

Genus MEKONGINA Fowler

Mekongina Fowlee, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 89, p. 200, 1937.
(Type, Mekongina erythrospUa Fowler.)

The outstanding features of the genus Mekongina are the absence

of a rostral fold and the continuation of the skin of the rostrum as
the upper lip snout with 4 or 5 rows of tubercles arising from crater-
;

like pores; lip papillate and fringed, and completely covering

upper
the gape when the mouth is closed upper lip not connected with lower
;
272 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

lip but sending a frenulum to lateral part of lower jaw; gill mem-
branes broadly joined to tlie isthmus; dorsal fin with 10 branched
rays.
The pharyngeal teeth present interesting features. In the original
description of Mekongina erythrospila these teeth are given as in
two rows (3,5-5,3), but there is an entirely different formula in one
of the two specimens in hand whose teeth have been removed. On
each side the teeth are in three rows, with five in the main row, four
in the second row, and two in the third row. Outside the main row
and parallel and in close approximation therewith there is on each
side a row of full-sized teeth, four on the right side, three on the
left side, which are not inserted in the pharyngeal bone but are
loosely attached by fibrous tissue; and on the left side there is a
similar single tooth at one end of each of the second and third rows.
It may be inferred that these freely movable teeth with no bony
attachment have been displaced by new teeth and would ultimately
have become completely shed. A further peculiarity is that between
the ultimate and penultimate teeth at one end of the main row on
the right side a small tooth (not enumerated in the foregoing count)
is visible.

The describer of the genus Mekongina compared it only with Ldbeo^

from which it "differs in its lip structure and the absence of barbels."
Mekongina, however, belongs in a different group of the Cyprininae,
characterized by the entire absence of a special rostral fold and the
continuation of the rostral skin as the upper lip. The relations are
closest with Crossocheilus, in which, as in Mekongina, the lips are
not continuous, but in Grossocheilus there are barbels in one or two
pairs and the dorsal fin has only 8 branched rays, against 10 in
Mekongina. On the basis of these differences, the genus Mekongina
may be retained as distinct.

MEKONGINA ERYTHROSPILA Fowler

Mekongina erythrospila Fowled, 1937, p. 200, figs. 161, 162 (Kemarat).

The fish representing this genus and species is known as yet only
from the Mekong at Kemarat in Eastern Thailand. Numerous speci-
mens, 7.3 to 19.3 cm. long, collected in 1936, are in the Academy of
Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and two in the U. S. National
Museum were received by exchange.

Family HOMALOPTERIDAE
Small loachlike found in torrential streams of southern and
fishes
eastern Asia and the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Their shape and
structure, particularly that of the fins, adapt them to the peculiar ex-
actions of their environment. The best and most complete discussion
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 273

of the classification, habits, and evolution of these fishes has been

givenbyHora (1932).
The family falls in two subfamilies. In addition to osteological
characters, as indicated by Hora (1932) , the most obvious difference is

in the degree of simplification of the rays of the paired fins. In the

Homalopterinae, at least 2, and in some genera 3, 4, or 5, of the anterior
ventral rays are simple; and in the various genera from 4 to 13 of
the anterior pectoral rays are simple. In the Gastromyzoninae only
one ray in the ventral and pectoral fins is simple.
Of the genera recognized as inhabiting Thailand, one is of wide dis-
tribution (Northern, Central, Peninsular, and Southeastern Thai-
land), two are as yet known only from the Thailand-Burmese bound-
ary, and one is herein described as new from Peninsular Thailand.
They have the following characterization
la. Two or more of the anterior rays of the ventral and pectoral fins undivided.
Subfamily Homalopterinae.
2a. No deep preoral groove extending around corners of mouth lips not pap- ;

illate a single barbel at each corner of mouth, in addition to 2 pairs of

;

rostral barbels; ventral rays 8 to 10, the 2 outer rays unbranched;

pectoral rays 14 to 30, the 4 to 8 outer rays unbranched Homaloptera
2b. A deep preoral groove extending around corners of mouth lips papillate. ;

3a. Ventral rays 10 or 11, the 2 outer rays unbranched a single barbel at;

each corner of mouth, in addition to 2 pairs of rostral barbels.

4a. Body and head greatly depressed; ventral fins not reaching ventral
opening, which is nearer to anal fin than to base of ventrals; pec-
toral fin beginning under eye, the rays 19 to 21, with 8 to 10 outer
rays unbranched Balitora
4b. Body cylindrical, head greatly depressed ventral fins extending be-
;

yond ventral opening, which is much nearer to base of ventrals than

to anal fin pectoral fin beginning posterior to eye, the rays 14, with
;

4 outer rays unbranched Balitoropsis

3&. Ventral rays 12 to IS, the 4 or 5 outer rays unbranched pectoral rays ;

22 to 26, with 11 to 13 outer rays unbranched 2 barbels at each corner

;

of mouth in addition to 2 pairs of rostral barbels Hemimyzon

1&. Only the first ray of the ventral and pectoral fins undivided. Subfamily
Gastromyzoninae (no local species yet known).

Subfamily Homalopterinae

Genus HOMALOPTERA van Hasselt

Homaloptera van Hasselt, Alg. Konst. Letterbode, vol. 2, p. 133, 1823. (Type,
Homaloptera fasciata van Hasselt.)

This is the most numerous genus of homalopterid fishes, and in

Thailand is represented by six species, none exceeding 10 cm. in length
and most of them much smaller. The genus is otherwise known from
the Indo-Australian Archipelago and the southern and southeastern
Asiatic mainland, being especially well represented in Java, Sumatra,
and Borneo.
 : . — ;;

274 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Characters on which the species are separated are The number of :

scales in longitudinaland transverse series, the degree of squamation

of the abdominal surface, the structure of the scales (whether carinated
or smooth) ; the position of the dorsal fin with reference to the ventrals
the number of simple rays in the dorsal, anal, and pectoral fins; and
pattern of coloration. Other characters differentiating the species
are as follows
Iff. Dorsal fin arising in advance of ventrals scales of back and sides with a ;

strong longitudinal keel scales in lateral line about 45

; i)ectoral rays ;

iv, 9 or iv, 10 pectoral fins not reaching ventrals ventral rays ii, 8 back
;
; ;

with about 6 obscux-e dark cross bands upper caudal lobe with 2 or 3 ;

oblique dark bands; all other fins with dark cross bands < ^ollingeri

16. Dorsal fin arising behind origin of ventrals scales of back and sides not ;

carinated.
2a. Pectoral rays ii, 12 to ii, 14 ;
pectoral fins not reaching to ventrals ; ventral
rays ii, 8 or ii, 9; back marlved with dark saddlelike spots.
3a. Scales in lateral line 42 to 46 back with 6 blackish saddlelike spots. ;

sexmaculata
36. Scales in lateral line 49 to 51 back with 7 blackish saddlelike spots. ;

septeinmaculata
26. Pectoral rays v, 8 or vi, 8 ;
pectoral fins not reaching to ventrals ; ventral
rays 6; scales in lateral line 47; back and sides with numerous
ii,

irregularly disposed black and brown spots of various sizes and shapes,
3 black spots on side of head below eye, all fins barred with black.
modesta
2c. Pectoral rays vi, 10 to vi, 12 scales in lateral line 37 to 39. ;

4a. Pectoral fins longer than head, extending far on ventral fins; pectoral
rays vi, 11 or vi, 12 ventral rays, ii, 6 scales in transverse series to
; ;

base of ventral fin 6-1-4.5 back with about 6 black saddle-shaped ;

bands ; all fins v/ith irregular dark bands smithi

46. Pectoral fins shorter than head,
extending to base of ventral fins
pectoral rays vi, 10 ventral rays ii, 7 scales in transverse series to
; ;

base of ventral fin 8.5-1-5 a narrow dark stripe from head to base ;

of caudal fin fins unmarked

; lineata

HOMALOPTERA ZOLLINGERI Bleeker

Eomaloptera zollingeri Bleeker, 1853 (74), p. 159 (Batavia). Webeb and

DE Beaxtfobt, 1916, vol. 3, p. 14 (Slam).— Hoba, 1932, p. 280 (upper Bang-
pakong River).
Eomaloptera maxinae Fowler, 1937, p. 152, figs. 52, 53 (Tachin).

This species, known from Java and Sumatra, has received status
as a Thailand fish through representation in the British Museum by
a specimen from the upper Bangpakong River. This specimen, pre-
sented by the Siamese Museum, is the one referred to by Weber and
de Beaufort (1916, vol. 3, p. 14) and Hora (1932, p. 280)
A length of 10 cm. is attained.
The species called Homaloptera maxinae by Fowler may represent
an immature specimen of the present form. The type and only known
specimen of H. viaxiTiae, 4.4 cm. long, has as its principal diagnostic
 . :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 275

features short pectorals (contained 1.25 times in length of head),

origin of dorsal fin slightly in advance of that of ventrals, 42 scales
in the lateral line, scales of back and sides carinated, about T dark
brown saddles and several smaller spots on back, 3 dark cross bands
on dorsal, 3 or 4 such bands on caudal, and 2 such bands on the anal,
ventral, and pectoral fins. Agreement with R. zollingeri is very
close in most features, and differences may be due to age. The de-
scription and figure of the type show only one unbranched ventral
ray, which would exclude the species from the genus Homaloptera as
defined by Hora (1932).

HOMALOPTERA SEXMACULATA Fowler

Homaloptera sexmaculata Fowler, 1934a, p. 98, figs. 47, 48 (Chiengmai).

Known from numerous specimens, 2.1 to 3.4 cm. long, from the
Meping at Chiengmai, this species is characterized by having the
origin of the dorsal fin behind that of the ventrals, 5 branched rays
in the anal fin, pectoral rays, ii, 12, 42 to 46 scales in the lateral line,

6 sharply defined blackish saddles on the back, each caudal lobe with
a submarginal black spot, a blackish bar extending from lower base
of caudal fin backward toward the spot, and a small blackish spot on
the caudal fin near its upper base.

HOMALOPTERA SEPTEMMACULATA Fowler

Homaloptera septemnuicidata Fowler, 1934a, p. 99, figs. 49, 50 (Chiengmai).

Seven specimens, cm. long, from the Meping at Chiengmai

2.5 to 3.7
are the basis for this species, whichis very similar to H. sexrnacidata,

differing therefrom in having one more major dark spot on the back,
4 of the spots being postdorsal as against 3 in the other species. The
general pattern of coloration is practically identical in the two forms,
and the only difference except in the maculation appears to be in the
which number 42 to 46 in E. sexmaculata and 49 to
lateral-line scales,
51 in H. seytemmaculata. It seems probable that these two forms
may represent a single species.

HOMALOPTERA MODESTA (Vinciguerra)

Helgia modest a Vinciguerka, 1SS&-90, p. 202, pi. 11, fig. 12 (Meekalan, Meetan,
Burma )

Homaloptera modesta Hora, 1932, p. 288 (Siam, Lower Burma).

The Thailand material representing this species, otherwise known

only from Lower Burma, has come from widely separated localities
One specimen from a pond supplied by a stream flowing from the hills
at Ronpibun, Peninsular Siam, January 1927, collected by R. Hav-
moUer; one specimen from a waterfall stream at an elevation of 600
meters on Kao Sabap, Southeastern Thailand, April 18, 1930, collected
 —
276 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

by Luang Masya; and one specimen from the Prau Kiver at Pak
Thawan, Southeastern Thailand, April 1, 1931, collected by Layang
Gaddi. These specimens were examined by Dr. Hora and found to
agree with Dr. Vinciguerra's typical examples of Helgia modesta from
Burma, collected in the Meetan and the Meekalan, mountain streams
flowing westward from the Siam-Burmese frontier into the Houng-
darau River.
HOMALOPTERA SMITHI Hora

Figure 54

Homaloptera smithi Hoea, 19S2, p, 286, pi. 11, fig. 3 (Peninsular Siam). Fowlee,
1934a, p. 98 (Bua Yai, Metang River, Chiengmai, Chantabun) 1939, p. 58
;

(Trang).

In the upper part of the Tadi River, at Ban Kiriwong, in the

Province of Nakon Sritamarat, Peninsular Thailand, this little species
was found to be common, and 19 specimens, the largest under 7 cm.
long, were collected and preserved on July 10 and 12, 1928. The species
has since been found to occur in Northern, Eastern, and Southeastern
Thailand as well as in other parts of Peninsular Thailand. series A
of 105 specimens 2 to 3.4 cm. long was reported by Fowler from the
Meping at Chiengmai and another series of 210 specimens 2.9 to 6.5
cm. long from the waterfall stream in Trang. A single specimen 3
cm. long was collected by Deignan in the Meping at Chiengmai in
April 1935. A paratype is U.S.N.M. No. 109821.

-r-yTT'

Figure 5i—HomalopUra sviithi Hora: U. S. N. M. No. 109821. Drawn by Miss Jane

Roller.

Dr. Hora observed that this species "is distinguished from the other
species of the genus by the following combination of characters the :

Balitora-like general facies, the broad and extensive paired fins, the
large eyes, the forward position of the ventrals which do not reach the
anal opening, the shovellike lower jaw and the lepidosis. The coloring
as well as the nature of the labial grooves are also characteristic of
the species."
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 277
HOMALOPTERA LINEATA, new species

FiGtJKE 55

DescHftiori. —
Depth about 6.75 in standard length head 4 in length, ;

itswidth 1.5 in its length and 1.3 times its depth; eye in middle of
head comparatively large, 3.5 in head, 1.3 in snout, and equal to the
flat interorbital space; barbels very slender, inner rostral about 0.3

diameter of eye, outer rostral somewhat longer, maxillary about 0.5 eye.
Squamation: Lateral line complete; scales deficient on abdomen;
scales in lateral line 37, in transverse series from midline of back to
base of ventral fin 8.5-1-5; predorsal scales 21; circumpeduncular
scales 14.
Fins: Origin of dorsal fin posterior to origin of ventrals, verj^
slightly nearer to base of caudal fin than to tip of snout; depth of
body % height of dorsal fin, dorsal rays ii, 7 caudal fin about length
;

of head, deeply emarginate, lobes pointed ; anal rays i, 6, origin of fin

nearer to base of caudal than to base of ventrals ventrals shorter than ;

pectorals, not reaching anal opening, rays ii, 7 pectorals shorter than ;

head, extending to ventrals, rays vi, 10.

"'^'^•'-^'^^'-^-
jjyh^^' ^^\-';'l35l

Figure SS.—Homaloptera lineata, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 119488). Drawn by
Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

Coloration A narrow reddish-brown band along lateral line from

:

head to base of caudal fin; body and head otherwise whitish; fins
hyaline, unmarked.
Type aiid paratype.—The type (U.S.N.M. No. 119488) 2.7 cm. long, ,

was collected by H. G. Deignan in the Mekong at Chiengsen Kao,

Northern Thailand, January 12, 1937. A paratype 2.4 cm. long
(U.S.N.M. No. 119489) was taken at the same place and time.
—
Remarks. The relationship of this species to the other members of
the genus found in Thailand is sufiiciently indicated in the foregoing
key. This form is distinguishable from various other species of the
East Indian Archipelago, Burma, and India, by its relatively few
scales in the lateral line, fin formulae, and distinctive coloration.

590087—45 19
 )

278 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

The known specimens are apparently immature, a condition which

would affect their body proportions and coloration, but not tlieir
squamation and fin formulae.

Genus BALITORA Gray

Balitora Gray, Illustrations of Indian zoology, vol. 2, pi. SS, 1833-34. (Type,
Balitora Irucei Gray.

BALITORA BRUCEI Gray

Balitora irucei Gray, 1833-34, pi. 88, fig. 2 (India).— Hobia, 1932, p. 291
(Thaungyin River, Burma-Siam border).

The British Museum has a specimen of this fish, about 10 cm. long,
collected by Stockley in the Thaungyin River between Thailand and
—
Burma. As the dorsal surface is black differing in this respect from
—
the typical form Hora has proposed for it the varietal name
melanosoTna. The species is known from India and several places in
Burma.
BALITOROPSIS, new genus

Body cylindrical, its depth and width at origin of dorsal fin about
equal, anteriorly slightly depressed ; caudal peduncle moderately com-
pressed abdomen under surface of head flat head greatly depressed,
; ;

obtusely pointed; mouth moderately arched, small, very near tip of

snout; a deep, narrow groove between the anterior lip and the ros-
trum, the groove extending around the corners of the mouth; 4 well-
developed rostral barbels, in two closely approximated groups, oc-
cupying a median rostral lobe nostrils rather large, separated by a
;

flap; lips finely papillated, upper lip covering upper jaw, lower lip
leaving the sharp-edged lower jaw exposed; scales of back and sides
carinated head and breast unsealed branchial openings oblique, ex-
; ;

tending a short distance on ventral surface; ventral opening much

nearer to ventral base than to anal fin dorsal fin arising in advance of
;

ventrals, rays 9, first 2 rays simple; caudal fin long and moderately
forked anal rays 7, first 2 rays simple paired fins horizontal, broad,
;
;

and rounded ventral fins extending far beyond ventral opening but
;

not reaching anal fin, rays 10, of which first 2 rays are simple pectoral ;

fins arising under middle of branchial openings, rays 14, first 4 rays
simple top and sides of head thickly covered with papillae, which are
;

deficient on ventral surface.

—
Genotype. Balitoropsis harfschi, new species.
This genus is differentiated from the related genera Homaloptera,
Balitora, and Hemimyson by the characters shown in the preceding
key. In the Chinese genus Sinohomaloptera there are 2 barbels at each
angle of the mouth, the ventral opening is posteriorly placed, the body
 —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 279

and head are covered with keeled scales, the ventral fins have 10 rays
of which the first 2 are simple, and the pectoral fins have 20 rays, with
the first 7 or 8 simple.

BALITOROPSIS BARTSCHI, new species

FiGUBE 56

Description. —Head greatly depressed and flattened, obtusely

pointed, 4.4 times in standard length, its depth at nape about 0.5
its breadth and somewhat less than 0.5 its length; body cylindrical
medianly, moderately compressed posteriorly, and depressed an-
teriorly, its depth at dorsal origin about equal to head; least depth
of caudal peduncle 1.8 times in its length and 2.25 times in head;
snout long, bluntly pointed, 0.5 length of head; eyes dorsolateral,
entirely in posterior half of head, their diameter five in head, 2.5 in
snout, and about two in the flat interorbital space two pairs of rostral ;

barbels, less than diameter of eye, arranged in pairs on a moderately

developed median rostral lobe, the outer barbel extending to the
lower lip; the single barbel at corner of mouth somewhat shorter
than outer rostral barbel; rostral fold separated from upper lip by
a deep groove extending around corners of mouth to posterior lip;
mouth rather strongly arched, placed far forward on underside of
snout, its diameter about that of eye, lips thin, finely papillated,
leaving exposed the front of lower jaw which has a sharp edge and
a corneous covering; the short, oblique gill opening extends a short
distance on the ventral surface.

Figure 56. Balitoropsis bartschi, new species: Type (U.S.N. M. No. 107963). Drawn by-

Miss Jane Roller.

280 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Squamation and dermal papillae: Each scale of back and sides

with a prominent longitudinal keel, the keels forming conspicuous
parallel ridges; keels lacking on under surface of body; no scales
on head, on breast, and on median ventral surface anterior to ventral
fins; lateral line running in a nearly straight line from upper angle
of gill opening to midbase of caudal fin; scales in lateral line 44, in
transverse line to base of ventrals 7-1-6, between lateral line and origin
of anal 5.5, in predorsal region 13, around narrowest part of caudal
peduncle 18. Upp-er side of head beset with elongate and rounded
tubercles, those on top of head mostly elongate and tending to be in
longitudinal lines, those on snout largest and rounded.
Fins Origin of dorsal fin one eye diameter in advance of ventrals
:

and nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal; dorsal rays ii, 7,
first branched ray 1.25 in head; caudal fin longer than head, mode-

rately forked, lobes pointed, lower lobe longer; anal rays ii, 5, longest
1.3 in head; ventral fins shorter than head, not reaching anal but
extending far beyond ventral opening, ventral rays ii, 8 pectoral fins
;

about length of head, rays iv, 10, in axil of each pectoral a large,
Boft, spindle-shaped mass covered with minute papillae and attached
to the bases of all the rays.
Coloration Upper parts dark reddish brown back and sides with
: ;

indistinct dark brown areas as follows a narrow cross band extending

:

from base of pectorals across nape, two large, round predorsal blotches
the posterior extending under anterior dorsal rays, a saddle-shaped
blotch on back and side below posterior part of dorsal fin, and three
obscure cross bands on back between dorsal and caudal fins abdomen ;

whitish dorsal fin with basal half of ray black, distal part brownish,
;

contrasting strongly with hyaline membranes, a whitish spot at base

of first ray and another at middle of second and third rays; caudal
fin mostly black, outer half of upper lobe rich brown edges of lobes
;

whitish anal rays blackish or dark brownish, membranes pale ven-

; ;

trals brown at base, membranes and distal part of rays pale pectorals ;

with rays and membranes brown basally, pale distally cephalic tuber-
;

cles white.
Tyye.—K specimen (U. S. N. M. No. 107963) 10.3 cm. long, collected
,

in a waterfall stream on Kao Chong, Trang Province, Peninsular

Thailand, September 2, 1933.
Remarks. — Only the type
is known. It is a female with abdomen
distended with minute eggs approaching ripeness.
The name given to this fish by the local mountain people is pla
lin hin.
This fish is named for Dr. Paul Bartsch, curator of mollusks and
Cenozoic invertebrates in the United States National Museum, in
appreciation of his extensive and important contributions to Oriental
zoology.
 FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 281

Genus HEMIMYZON Regan

Hemimyzon Regan, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, vol. 8, p. 32, 1911. (Tj^pe,
Homaloptera formosana Boulenger.)

HEMIMYZON FORMOSANUM (Boulenger)

Homaloptera formosana Boulengeb, 1894b, p. 463 (Central Formosa).

This species, described from Formosa, is entitled to a place in the

Thailand fauna from a specimen, 9 cm. long, in the British Museum
collected by Stockley in the Thaungyin Eiver, which forms a part
of the boundary between Thailand and Burma.
Called Homaloptera by Boulenger, this fish was made the type of
the new genus Hemimyzon by Eegan in 1911. The outstanding generic
characters mentioned by Regan are the posteriorly converging bases
of the extended ventral fins and ventral rays numbering 15 or 16, with
the first 4 or 5 rays simple. Hora (1932, p. 298) amplified the very
brief generic diagnosis given by Regan and included in the genus
several Chinese species formerly placed in other genera.

Family GYRINOCHEILIDAE
In some respects the gyrinocheilids are the most remarkable of
Oriental fresh-water fishes, taxonomically and physiologically con-
sidered. Now placed in a distinct family, they have been variously
treated by authors since the first species was described. Vaillant, who
established the type genus Gyrinocheilus in 1902, placed it in the sub-
family Homalopterinae. Boulenger (1904, p. 582) thought Gyrin-
ocheilus should be regarded as the type of a distinct subfamily of
cyprinidae, coordinate with Catostominae, Cyprininae, Cobitidinae,
and Homalopterinae. Later Regan felt that the proper place for the
genus was in the Cyprinidae, close to Grossocheilus and Discognathus^
and Weber and de Beaufort (1916, vol. 3) accepted that allocation
without comment. Berg (1906), in connection with the description
of a new species {Gyrinocheilus haznakovi) from Thailand, definitely
established the subfamily Gyrinocheilinae for its accommodation. Jor-
dan (1923) placed the genus without comment in both the Cyprinidae
and the Homalopteridae. It remained for Hora (1923b) to give these
fishes full family rank, and one need have no hesitation in following
him, for they exhibit a combination of peculiar features Mouth struc- :

ture, absence of pharyngeal teeth, presence of both exhalent and in-

halent gill openings, and other characters, which taxonomically are
quite as significant as those that are used to separate the Cobitidae and
Homalopteridae from the Cyprinidae.
The family is herein recognized as having a single genus. Gyrin-
ocheilops^ as established by Fowler ( 1937) is not acceptable as a genus
,
 : ;

282 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

distinctfrom Gyrinocheilus from the information now available.

Fowler distinguished the genera as follows
Predorsal scales small ; scales on caudal base small ; eye well postmedian or near
last third in bead ; 2 rows of large, dark, alternating or opposed spots along
side of body Gyrinocheilus
Predorsal scales very small and crowded ; scales on caudal base large eye slightly
;

postmedian in head rows of large dark spots only partly or not at all alter-
; 2
nating along side of body Gyrinocheilops

The opinion is held that the differences here indicated, insofar as they
are constant, have only specific, not generic, significance, and that
GyHnocheilops (type pennocki from the Mekong) is a synonym of
Gyrinocheilus (type 'pustulosus from Borneo).

Genus GYRINOCHEILUS Vaillant

Gyrinocheilus Vaillant, Notes Leyden Mus., vol. 24, p. 107, 1902. (Type, Oyrino-
cheilus pustulosus "Vaillant.)

This outstanding genus may at once be recognized by the absence

of a rostral fold, the ventral surface of the snout being continued as
the upper lip ; by theunion of the upper and lower lips on each
close
side into a coil occupying the postlabial groove by the rasplike folds ;

of the inner surface of the lips; by the fleshy prolongation of the

isthmus into the postlabial groove immediately behind the lower lip
by the absence of pharyngeal teeth; and by the existence, above the
regular branchial opening, of a supplementary opening which has
an inhalent function.
The first fish referable to this genus seems to have been described
by Tirant in 1883, but as it was placed in the genus PsilorhynchKS
and the description and figures were faulty, the status of the species
remained uncertain until Hora (1935) recognized its true relations.
In the meantime, Vaillant (1902) described Gyrinocheilus pustulosus
as a new genus and new species from Borneo; and Berg (1906) de-
scribed G. kaznakovi from a part of Southeastern Thailand now in
Cambodia, this form being apparently referable to Tirant's Psilo-
rhynchus aymonieri. More recently another species, G, pennocki^ has
been described by Fowler (1937) from the Mekong, where it forms
the boundary between Eastern Thailand and Cambodia.
Two so-called new species of Gynnocheilus {G. roulei and G. pel-
legrini) described from Szechwan, western China, by Tchang cannot
possibly represent this genus, and their possession of a single branchial
aperture excludes them from this family.
la. Branched dorsal rays 9; eye in adult well behind midlength of head.
aymonieri
1&. Branched dorsal rays 10 eye ; in adult nearly in midlength of head pennocki
 — —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 283
GYRINOCHEILUS AYMONIERI (Tirant)

Psilorhynchus aymonieri Tibant, 1883, p. 35 (new pagination) (Samrong-Tong

Mountains, near Phnom-Penh, Cambodia).
Gyrinochcilus atjmonieri Hoka, 1935, p. 459, figs. (Cambodia, Slam).
Gyrinocheilus kaznakovi Bebg, 1906, pp. 306, 365 (Pailin). Smith, 1931d, p. 187
(Siam generally). Fowler, 1934a, p. 137 (Cbiengmai, Metang River).
Gyrinochcihis kaznakoi Hoka, 1923b, p. 159, fig., pi. 12, figs. 4-7 (Nontaburi,
Pailin).
Gyrinocheilops kaznakoi [Link], 1937, p. IGO, fig. 96 (Paknam, Tachin) ; 1939,
p. 74 (Trang).

This species has been found to have a very wide distribution in

Thailand. Specimens have been examined from the Menam Chao
Phya at Nontaburi and Paknam, Central Thailand from Bung Bora- ;

pet and various outlets of that swamp, Central Thailand; from

streams entering the Menam Sak from the east. Central Thailand;
from headwaters of the Menam Mun near Pakjong and from the
Menam Pong, tributary of the Menam Mun, Eastern Thailand from ;

the Meklong at Potaram and from the west branch of the Meklong
above Kanburi, Central district; from upper waters of the Menam
Nan, Northern region; from the Meping at Chomtong and from the
Mewang, Mekhan, and Mechem, tributaries of the Meping, Northern
area and from the Menam Tapi and other streams in the Peninsula.
;

The extension of the range farther south in the peninsula has been
recorded by Fowler (1939) from a waterfall stream near Trang.
The fish is as yet unknown, and may be absent, from the South-
eastern region (as now limited) and from the basins of the Salwin
and other streams tributary to the Bay of Bengal in Northern and
Western Thailand.
The remarkable modification in the branchial apertures in this
species is no doubt typical of the family. The usual exhalent open-
ing, closed by a broad membranous flap, is confined mostly to the side
above the pectoral base a portion extends for a short distance on the
;

broad ventral surface immediately in front of the pectoral. Above

the exhalent slit is a deep, narrow, vertical inhalent opening which
communicates with the mouth cavity in front of the gills. This
opening, whose vertical dimension exceeds the diameter of the eye,
is closed by a delicate velum attached along the anterior wall, while

the free upper end of the opercular flap extends along the posterior
wall of the lower third of the slit.
The quantity of water that may enter the inhalent openings is
small; and in order that sufficient oxygen-bearing water may reach
the gills the respiratory movements are extremely rapid. Observa-
tions made on fishes up to 12 cm. long that had been in a large aquar-
ium for 2 years and were still perfectly sound showed a respiratory
284 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

late of 230 to 240 per minute, as evidenced by the pulsations of the

opercular flaps. A favorite resting attitude for the
fish was with the
head projecting over a stone with the body supported by the pectoral
fins. At intervals all respiratory movements were suspended for a
period of 6 to 10 seconds.
Protracted observation of the fish in aquaria in Thailand failed
to indicate normal breathing as in other fishes, the taking of water
through the mouth and passing it out over the gills. The ability to
breathe like ordinary fishes seems to have been entirely lost.
Although the fish possesses a swim bladder, this organ, as in vari-
ous other mountain-stream fishes of the Orient, is very small and is
inadequate to function hydrostatically. The fish is unable to main-
tain itself off the bottom except by active swimming efforts.
Radial flanges are highly developed on the dorsal and anal fins
of all adult examples. Their purpose is suggested in an introductory
chapter (page 32).
The young are strikingly marked. In examples 4.6 to 5.5 cm. long
taken in Bung Borapet in August there is a brown band extending
along the lateral line from the base of the caudal fin to the head,
through the eye, to the tip of the snout, and from this band there
extend upward and downward about 11 short brown bars or spots
into the brownish yellow of the back and the creamy yellow of the
side. In specimens 6.9 to 7.7 cm. long collected in Bung Borapet in
November, the two series of brown spots along the side have become
more distinct, and about 11 dark brown blotches appear on the back.
The caudal fin shows irregular cross lines of brown spots. In fishes
from about 8 to 8.5 cm. long the longitudinal brown band disappears,
and each scale may have a well-defined brown spot at its base. With
further growth of the fishes into adult size, the brown spots on side
and back may be obscured or completely obliterated, as the general
coloration of the fish becomes dark brown or almost black in some
examples.
Rostral tubercles begin to appear in fishes about 10 cm. long, and
by the time full sexual maturity is reached the tubercles form a con-
spicuous outgrowth on the snout. They are present in both sexes
but are much more developed in the male and take the form of stout
conical horny spines occupying pores, arranged in definite groups:
A. transverse band on the front of the snout; a broad median band

separated from the transverse band by a deep groove, and extending

to and behind the nostrils; and two or three small lateral groups in
advance of the nostrils separated on each side from the median band
by a groove, which is continuous with the cross groove.
The fish regularly attains a length in excess of 20 cm., and maturity
is reached at 12 to 15 cm. The largest specimen obtained, 27.5 cm.
long, was taken in the Mekhan, Northern Thailand, February 8, 1932.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 285

While the fish is primarily and essentially an inhabitant of moun-

tainous regions, it nevertheless is sometimes found in the sluggish
waters of the plains and may occur there in great abundance, as in
Bung Borapet. A
noteworthy extension of range into the coastal
plain streams is seen in the records for the Menam Tachin (Fowler,
1937) and the Menam Chao Phya at Nontaburi and near its mouth at
Paknam.
It is a strict vegetarian. Its long coiled intestine is usually found
crowded with amorphous green material representing algae that is
cropped from stones. This feeding habit is accounted for by the
absence of pharyngeal teeth, which are unnecessary because the small
oral opening does not permit the taking of food that requires masti-
cation. The scraping of the algae from stones is facilitated by the
rasplike folds of the inner surface of both lips.
The same peculiar mouth structure enables the fish to adhere to hard
surfaces, and thus to maintain itself in swift water. The use of the
mouth as a sucking organ however, not confined to flowing water but
is,

is regularly seen in fish in balanced aquaria. Numerous observations

on such fish indicate that when resting they j3ref er to attach themselves
to the bottom or to the vertical sides up to several feet above the
bottom, even in the complete absence of any current.
The tip of the snout, with its strong spines, is rather freely movable,
and in handling live specimens a person may have his fingers severely
pinched between the movable group and the fixed median band.
A fish imperfectly described and inaccurately figured by Tirant in
1883 under the name Psilorhynchus aymonieri remained a puzzle until
Hora (1935) having obtained photographs of the type in the Museum
,

of Natural Sciences of Lyons, was able to decide that the fish is not
a Psilorhynchus but a Gyrinocheilus^ identical with G. Jcaznakovi
Berg (1906). The type of G. aymonieri came from the basin of the
Mekong near Phnom-Penh, Cambodia the type of G. haznakovi came
;

from a stream flowing into the Tonle Sap, Mekong basin, at Pailin,
then in Thailand, now in Cambodia.
The fish bears several vernacular names in different parts of its
range. In the Paknampo region, including the upper Menam Chao
Phya, the lower Menam Nan, and Bung Borapet, it is called yla rak
Muey. A name in use at Lampang and on the Mekhan in Northern
Siam is pig, mood. Fishermen on the Mekhan employed also the name
pla yalu. On the Meklong in the Potaram section and in the west
branch of the Meklong above Kanburi, the designations are pla piing
(bee fish) and pla Ink piing (young bee fish), perhaps in allusion to
the dense swarms of fish about 5 cm. long found along the shores in
August to November. At Udon on the Menam Pong in Eastern
Thailand the fish is recognized under the name pla plak lai (lower-
mouth fish).
 :

286 BULLETIN 18S, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

GYRINOCHEILUS PENNOCKI (Fowler)

Gyrinocheilops pennocki Fowler, 1937, p. 161, tigs. 98, 99 (Mekong at Kemarat).

Described from a specimen 14.5 cm. long, with a paratype 7.8 cm.
long, this fish is known only from the Mekong at Kemarat in Eastern
Thailand. The species is very similar to G. kaznakovi Berg, from
which it may differ in having the eye placed near the midlength of
the head and in the presence of 10 branched rays in the dorsal fin.
The position of the eye, however, in ayjnonieri varies with age, being
more advanced young and in a few examples the branched dor-
in the ;

sal rays have been found to number 10. The proportions, squamation,
and general pattern of body coloration are the same in the two forms.
A reported color difference is the absence in the present species of a
dark spot immediately posterior to the inhalent gill-opening, which
is characteristic of aymonieri.

Family COBITIDAE: Loaches

This strictly Old World family is well represented in Thailand.
Most of the and they frequent mountain
species are of small size
streams; a few are found in larger rivers, and some occur even in
lakes. Of the eight genera so far detected in Thailand, six have
a wide distribution in India, Burma, Malaya, Indo-China, China, and
the East Indian Archipelago, and two are peculiar to Northern Thai-
land.
The loaches are of little commercial importance. Some of the
larger forms (such as certain species of Botia) are seen in the markets
of the more populous communities. Nearly all the species are eaten
by the country people, especially in the mountainous districts.
Fishes of most of the species are protected from danger by burying
themselves, sometimes with great rapidity, in the sand or gravel of
stream bottoms, and most of them enjoy some immunity from capture
by snakes, water lizards, birds, and other fishes owing to a pair of erec-
tile suborbital or preorbital bony spines, which may be locked firmly
in position.
The following characters will differentiate the species

la. An erectile spine arising from etlimoid bone and concealed in a groove
under or before each eye.
2a. Form oblong ; eyes not covered with skin ; a bifid spine below and partly
before eye; origin of dorsal fin over or in advance of base of ventral
tins; 3 pairs of barbels (2 rostral, 1 maxillary) Botia
2&. Form elongate ; eyes covered with skin.
3a. Origin of dorsal fin before, over, or very slightly behind base of ventral
fins head with or without scales 3 or 4 pairs of barbels.
; ;

4a. Head partly scaled; barbels 4 rostral, 2 maxillary, 2 mandibular;

caudal fin truncate or slightly emarginate Lepidocephalus
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 287

46. Head wholly scaleless ; barbels 2 rostral, 4 maxillary.

5a. Lateral line complete; a concealed bifid spine far In advance of
eye eye in posterior third or posterior half of head origin of
; ;

dorsal fin in advance of origin of ventrals caudal fin forked or ;

deeply emarginate Acanthopsis

51). Lateral line incomplete; a concealed bifid spine partly under and
partly before eye eye mostly in anterior half of head origin of
; ;

dorsal fin over origin of ventrals caudal fin truncate. ;

Neacanthopsis
3&. Origin of dorsal behind base of ventrals; head scaleless.
fin vi^ell

6a. Three pairs of barbels, 1 rostral, 1 maxillary, and 1 mandibular.

7a. Body very elongate but not anguilliform dorsal fin entirely in ;

advance of anal Acanthophthalmus

7&. Body anguilliform dorsal fin partly over anal
; Cobitophis
e&. Four pairs of barbels, 1 rostral, 2 maxillary, 1 mandibular.
Acanthopsoides
1&. No spine under or before eye Noemacheilus

Genus BOTIA Gray

Botia Gray, Zoological Miscellany, 1831, p. 8. (Type, Botia almorhae Gray.)

Among the loaches of this genus in Thailand are the largest and
some of the commonest members of the family. The species are more
numerous than in any other local genus except Noemacheilus.
The large bifid suborbital spines, which can be erected and set in
a position perpendicular to the cheek, must be of material value in
discouraging attacks by snakes and fishes. Both snakes and fishes
have been seen in which the spines of partly swallowed Botia had
perforated the sides of the neck or throat, with disastrous results.
The local species, six in number, may be distinguished easily by
their coloration, which in all is striking and in some is brilliant, and
by the following characters
lo. Body marked by dark cross bands.
2a. Cross bands 10 to 15, equal to or wider than interspaces ; no dark median
dorsal stripe.
3a. Distal margin of dorsal fin either wholly or partly black branched dorsal
;

rays 9 or 10 lucas-bahi
3&. Distal margin of dorsal fin pale; branched dorsal rays 11 to
13 , hynaenophysa
26. Cross bands 5, much narrower than interspaces; a black median dorsal
stripe from tip of snout to fin; branched dorsal rays 8;
base of caudal
and nearer to base of caudal fin
origin of dorsal fin in advance of ventrals
than to tip of snout caudal peduncle deeper than long
; horae
16. Body without dark cross bands, at least in adults branched dorsal rays 8 or ;

9 ; caudal peduncle deeper than long.

4a. Coloration plain.
5a. A large roundish dark gray spot on caudal peduncle; origin of dorsal fin
over base of ventrals and midway between tip of snout and base of
caudal fin head 3.5 in standax'd length
; lecontei .
 ;

288 BULLETIN 18S, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

5&. No dark spot on caudal peduncle ; origin of dorsal fin in advance of base
of ventrals and nearer than to tip of snout head
to base of caudal fin ;

2.9 to 3.5 in standard length modesta

4&. Body marked with 4 longitudinal rows of ocellated spots and a series of
dark brown parallel longitudinal lines on back anterior to dorsal fin
origin of dorsal fin in advance of base of ventrals and midway between tip
of snout and base of caudal fin head 3.75 in standard length
; beauforti

BOTIA LUCAS-BAHI Fowler

Botia lucas-hahi Fowlek, 1937, p. 154, fig. 70 (Tachin) ; 1939, p. 59, figs. 7-9
(Trang).

This species was based on a specimen 7.3 cm. long, from the Tachin
Eiver, marked by about 10 irregular dark cross bands on body, several
irregular rows of small dark spots on side, and a very narrow black
edge to the dorsal fin, with 9 branched rays in the dorsal. A second
specimen 9 cm. long, from the Meping at Chiengmai, having about 12
irregular dark cross bands, no small spots in the side, and a narrow
black edge to the dorsal, with 7 branched dorsal rays, is considered
by Fowler a paratype of B. lucas-hahi, but it was originally described
and figured as B. hymenophysa (Fowler, 1934a, p. 101, fig. 52).
In the Deignan collection there is one lot of five specimens, 2.5
to 6 cm. long, from the Meping at Chiengmai which may be referred to
this species, although only two of them are in agreement with the type
in the color distinction of a black edge to the dorsal fin on which
stress is laid. These two are the largest, 5 and 6 cm. long, and have
11 or 12 blackish cross bands and a narrow black edge on the dorsal
fin. The two smallest, 2.8 and 2.9 cm. long, show six very distinct
narrow black cross bands, the broadest at the base of the caudal fin,
and no black edge on the dorsal fin. In the fifth specimen, 3.3 cm.
long, with six cross bands, there is evidence on the back of new cross
bands appearing between the others, and there is no black edge to
the dorsal fin.

Additional material, from a waterfall stream near Trang, is de-

scribed and figured by Fowler (1939) and compared with B. hymeno-
physa and B. herdmorei. Except on the theory of an exceedingly
variable species, it is difficult to identify the specimen from Trang
figured by Fowler with the figure of either type or the paratype, the
differences being in body proportions, in relative length and depth
of the caudal peduncle, in origin of the dorsal fin with reference to
the ventrals, in coloration, and other minor characteristics. Exclud-
ing the "paratype," whose 7 branched dorsal rays would seem to
remove it entirely from consideration, the possibility that B. luca.s-
hahi^ like B. herdmorei (Blyth), may represent a normal variation in
B. hymenophysa is strongly indicated.
 — :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 289

BOTIA HYMENOPHYSA (Bleeker)

Colitis hytnenophysa Bleekeb, 1852 (67), p. 602 (Palembang, Sumatra).

Botiu hymenophysa Bleeker, 1865 (347), p. 35 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. 175
;

(Siam).— GuNTHEK, 1868, vol. 7, p. 368 (Siam).— Sauvagb. 1881, p. 164

(Siam) 18S3b, p. 154 (Menam Chao Pliya). Webeb aud de Beaufort, 1916,
;

vol. 3, p. 24 (Siam).— HoRA, 1923b, p. 148 (Nontaburi).— Fowler, 1934a,

p. 101, figs. 51, 52 (Cliiengmai) 1935a, p. 106 (Srisawat, Khao Nam Poo)
; ;

1937, p. 154, figs. 64-69 (Bangkok, Tachin, Kemarat).

Botia hynieopliysa Smith, 1930, p. 55 (Siam).

This is a very common fish in parts of Central and Northern Thai-

land, in the basin of the Menam Chao Phya. During November of
several j'ears Klong Borapet, the principal outlet of Bung Borapet,
was found to be literally teeming with fish 6 to 8 cm. long on their
way from the lake to the Menam Nan. In the basin of the Mekong,
the fish has been taken at Kemarat in the Mekong, and in the Menam
Chi at Udon, Eastern Thailand.
The maximum size of the fish in Thailand is about 22 cm., but the
usual run of adult fish is 12 to 15 cm.
This is a strikingly beautiful fish in life, undergoing considerable
change in pattern of coloration with age. Two adults, 12.8 and 13.1
cm. long, obtained in the Menam Chao Phya near Bangkok Novem-
ber 30, 1930, had the following coloration when taken from the water
Back and sides yellow, with 11 slightly oblique blue cross bands wider
than the interspaces, the dorsal part of the last cross band much
darker and constituting a blue-black spot, top of head blue belly and ;

underside of head pale yellow; dorsal fin yellowish orange, with 4

blue cross lines caudal fin yellowish green, with 4 narrow blue cross
;

lines on basal half anal, ventral, and pectoral fins bright yellow.
;

Two specimens in the British Museum from "Pachebon" on the

upper Pasak were collected by the celebrated traveler and explorer
Mouhot. Regarding these specimens Giinther said (1868, vol. 7,
p. 368), "A variety * * * having only eleven cross bands, which
do not appear to be edged with blue, and the last cross band termi-
nates in a black spot superiorly on the root of the caudal fin." This
is a common color phase of the species, and such specimens have been

met with at Bung Borapet, Bangkok, and other places.

Fowler (1934a) published two figures of B. hymenophysa from
Chiengmai to show variations in color, but the specimens on which the
drawings were based are obviously not conspecific, one (fig. 51) having
12 branched rays in the dorsal fin, the other (fig. 52) having 7 such
rays. Fowler later (1937) identified the latter figure with his
B. lucas-hahi, from the Tachin.
Throughout its range the fish is known as pla mu (hog fish) a name ,

borne also by other species of this genus. A

distinguishing name used
in some sections is pla 7nu hang lai (striped-side hog fish).
 —
290 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
BOTIA HORAE H. M. Smith

FiGUEE 57

Botia horae Smith, 1931a, p. 4, fig. 2 (Mekloug).— Fowlek, 1937, p. 154 (Meping
at Chieugmai).
Botia modesta Fowlek, 1934a, p. 101, figs. 53, 54 (Chiengmai).

This fish, described from two small specimens from the west branch
(Kwe Noi) of the Meklong, has since been found to have a rather
wide distribution. Specimens have been examined from such widely
separated localities as the Meping at Chiengmai, Northern Thailand,
the headwaters of the Menam Mun at Pakjong, Eastern Thailand, and
the headwaters of the Tapi in the Peninsula.
This is a small species. The maximum size of specimens examined
was 9.5 cm., a female with greatly enlarged ovaries taken at Pakjong
June 20, 1934.

.
,.f*,?7BP!s«|5Pa>«'

„"^

Figure 57. Botia horae H. M. Smith. Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy of the Thailand
Government.

The The general

species has a characteristic coloration at all ages :

color of head and body brown there is a broad black median

is light ;

stripe extending along the dorsal surface from the tip of the snout
to the base of the caudal fin, this stripe connected posteriorly with a
broad transverse band across each side of the caudal peduncle at
the base of the caudal fin. The body and sides are marked by narrow
dark vertical cross bands, which are most conspicuous on, and may
be restricted to, the anterior third of the body but may extend the
entire length. The caudal fin has numerous small round brownish
spots, which tend to form into transverse lines. In examples up to
4 cm. long the black middorsal stripe may be composed of rounded
or elongated divisions, which may be disconnected, and there are
three or four evenly spaced black cross bands. Color variations in
adult examples are (1) the division of the middorsal stripe into two
narrower sections, which enclose the base of the dorsal fin, while ordi-
 ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 291

iiarily the black stripe does not divide but extends in an unbroken
band to the base of the dorsal rays,and (2) the inclusion in the caudal
peduncular cross band of a circular spot of the general color of the
body.
Fowler (1934:a) published two figures of B. modesta showing a
black median dorsal stripe extending from tip of snout to base of
caudal and a black transverse band on caudal peduncle. In a later
paper (1937), however, he refers these figures and the specimens on
which they are based to B. horae.

BOTIA LECONTEI Fowler

Botia lecontei Fowlee, 1937, p. 156, figs. 71-74 (Kemarat).

Known from a single specimen, 10 cm. long, from the Mekong at

Kemarat, Eastern Thailand. The features that are said to distinguish
this fish from B. modesta are a more slender body (depth 3.5 in length
as against 2.7 to 3.5 in modesta) and a dark blotch at the caudal base
(lacking in modesta). Another apparent difference is the position of
the dorsal fin, as indicated in the key.

BOTIA MODESTA Bleeker

Botia modesta Bleeker, 1865 (343), p. 11 (Siam) 1865 (347), p. 35 (Siam) ;

;

1865 (356), p. 175 (Siam).—Gunthee, 187S, vol. 7, p. 368 (Siam).— Sauvage,

1881, p. 164 (Menam, Pachebon) 1883b, p. 154 (Menam Chao Phya).— Hoea,
;

1922, p. 317 (Siam) 1923b, p. 148 (Nontaburi).— Fowler, 1934a, p. 101, figs.
;

53, 54 (these figures representing B. horae, fide Fowler, 1937, p. 154) (Chieng-
mai) 1935a, p. 106, fig. 33 (Bangkok) 1937, p. 156 (Pitsanulok, Kemarat).
; ;

The range of B. inodesta in Thailand extends from the upper Mep-

ing at Chiengmai to the lower Menam Chao Phya at or below Bang-
kok, and from the Mekong to the Meklong. The fish abounds in the
lower Menam Sak below the barrage at Dha Luang. It is exceed-
ingly abundant in Bung Borapet and other waters in the Paknampo
region. Specimens are at hand from the Meklong and from its eastern
branch near the town of Kanburi. In Eastern Thailand the fish has
been collected in the Menam Chi and the Menam Pong in the province
of Udon, and there is also a record for the Mekong at Kemarat. Speci-
mens in the British Museum are from Pechabun on the upper Pasak
River (Mouhot collection) and from the upper Bangpakong River
(from Siamese Museum).
y The general body color ranges from rich gray-blue to gray-green,
bluish green, yellow, and salmon, with the belly pale yellow or white.
All the fins may be bright orange, orange-rpd, or yellow, with the ven-
trals usually paler than the others. The iris is yellow, orange, or red.
In the young there are four or five broad black cross bands on back
and side, with about the same number of narrower intervening bands
 —
292 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

and in addition a broader black band on the caudal peduncle at the

base of the caudal fin. In the Menam Chao Phya in the Bangkok
district, at about a length of 8 to 8.5 cm., the cross bands disappear,
although the band on the caudal peduncle may persist a little longer.
A specimen, 8.3 cm. long, from the Menam Chao Phya at Nontaburi
is a female with well-developed ovaries. A length exceeding 15 cm.
is often attained. The largest specimens examined, collected by H. G.
Deignan in the Meping at Chiengmai, in April 1935, were 21.1 and
23.5 cm. long, the smaller a male, the larger a female with ripe eggs.
The fish is often seen in the markets, and is known to fishermen,
market men, and the general public as pla jnu (hog fish), which is
sometimes amplified to pla mu hhao (white hog fish) to distinguish
it from B. hymenophysa. The name pla mu is in allusion to the large
erectile suborbital spine suggestive of the tusk of a hog.

BOTIA BEAUFORT! H. M. Smith

FiGUBE 58

Botia beauforti Smith, 1931a, p. 2, fig. 1 (Nakon Sritamarat).

The type specimen of this species came from the Tadi River at
Ban Kiriwong, Province of Nakon Sritamarat, Peninsular Thailand.
It is 17.5 cm. lonjr.

Figure 58. Botia beauforti H. M. Smith. Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy of the
Thailand Government.

The species is strikingly marked : The body and head are light
gray-green; on the body there are four irregular rows of dark brown
spots each surrounded by a pale ring on each side of the back from
;

the head to two-thirds the distance to the dorsal fin there are five
parallel longitudinal dark brown lines, followed bj'' an area of small
dark brown spots extending to the posterior end of the dorsal base;
on the head are several dark brown curved stripes; the dorsal and
caudal fins are bright orange with transverse rows of black spots the ;

anal fin is yellow with brown spots on basal half; the ventral and
pectoral fins are pale orange.
 : ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 293

A specimen, 19.2 cm.

long, from the headwaters of the Menam Mun
at Pakjong, June 21, 1934, has the body marked with numerous dark
spots tending to form longitudinal lines, the dorsal and anal fins
marked as in the type but the caudal is plain; the dorsal fin, with
nine branched rays, arises appreciably in advance of the ventrals.
The fish is a female with nearly ripe eggs, the ovaries being 6 cm.
long.
The nearest relative is B. 'berdmorei as described and figured by
Day, which shows a number of differences in form and color: there
are 11 to 13 branched dorsal rays (instead of 9 as in B, hecmforti)^
the origin of the ventral is slightly in advance of that of dorsal (in-
stead of considerably behind), there are 10 or 11 dark cross bands
from back to abdomen (instead of none), and there are no parallel
dark stripes on the back anteriorly.
Fowler (1934a) thought B. heauforti synonymous with B. Kymeno-
pJtysa but later (1937) revised that opinion.
The local people call it pla mu and say it gets to be about 25 cm.
long.

Genus LEPIDOCEPHALUS Bleeker

Lepidocephalus BleetivEr, Nat. Tijdschr. Neclerl.-Indie, vol. 16, p. 303, 1858-59.

(Type, Coxitis tnacrocMr Bleeker.)

The lepidocephalids are small fishes found mostly in swift brooks

but also in swamps and lakes. They appear to prefer sandy or fine
gravelly bottom, into which they are able to burrow and quickly
disappear, if alarmed or frightened. According to Day, the spinous
first pectoral ray helps in "digging in."

The local species may be distinguished as follows

la. Scales in lateral line about 100 or more.
2a. Caudal fin truncate.
3a. Depth of caudal peduncle equal to or less than its length back and side ;

with small dark brown patches of irregular shape, sometimes forming

a row along, side a round black spot at upper part of caudal base
;

all fins sometimes with transverse rows of dark spots on rays, the
spots sometimes confined to dorsal and caudal octocirrhus
3&. Depth of caudal peduncle greater than its length side with a row of
;

12 to 15 dark spots a broad median dark band from occiput to dorsal

;

fin; a black spot at upper part of caudal base dorsal and caudal fins
;

with 6 or 7 transverse rows of dark spots on rays cataractus

26. Caudal fin emarginate; side with a well-defined dark longitudinal stripe
connecting dark spots berdmorei
\h. Scales in lateral line about 72; body with 10 to 12 rather obscure brown
saddles a small black spot at base of first dorsal rays a dark brown
; ;

stripe along side from head to caudal base dorsal fin with transverse
;

rows of dark spots on rays caudal fin with 6 or 7 transverse rows of

;

dark streaks taeniatus

590087—45 20
 —
294 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
LEPIDOCEPHALUS OCTOCIRRHUS (van Hasselt)

Figure 59

Cohitis octocirrhus van Hasselt, 1823, p. 133 (Java).

Lepidocephalus hasselti Hora, 1924a, p. 468 (Tale Sap).
Lepidocephalus hasseltii Fowler, 1934a, p. 104 (Chiengdao, Cbiengmai, Chanta-
bun).

This fish is known from Java and Sumatra and from parts of Burma
adjacent to Thailand (although not recorded by Day). It was first
recorded from Thailand in 1924 when Hora reported a young speci-
men from the Tale Sap. has been taken in various
Since that time it

parts of the country: Numerous Peninsular Siam, in-

localities in
cluding a mountain brook near Patalung, Klong Thalerng near Ronpi-
bun, Klong Tadi and Klong Nakon Nai in Nakon Sritamarat; Bung
Borapet, Central district; the Meping at Chiengmai and Chiengdao,
Northern area Chantabun and Nong Yang, Southeastern region and
; ;

a small stream entering the Mekong at Chaiburi, Eastern Thailand.

More recently Deignan has taken numerous specimens in Huey Aw, a
tributary of the Menam Nan in the Northern region, and in the Menam
Mao, a tributary of the Menam Fang (thence via the Menam Kok into
the ]Mekong) and has extended the range to Burma by obtaining speci-
mens in the Salwin at Ta Ta Fang, in Northern Thailand, where that
river forms the boundary between Thailand and Burma.

Figure 59. Lepidocephalus octocirrhus (van Hasselt). Drawn by Nai Chote Suvatti;
courtesy of the Thailand Government.

Although a length of only 5 cm. is ascribed to the fish by Weber and

Beaufort, specimens up to 8.9 cm. have been collected in Peninsular
Siam and a length of 12 to 14 cm. is reported b^^ local fishermen.
The favorite haunts are clear, swift streams with sandy bottom.
Among specimens collected in the Meping at Chiengdao April 28,
1925, is a female, 6.5 cm. long, containing well-matured eggs. Nu-
merous young specimens with the same data indicate that up to a
length of about 4 cm. there is a well-defined dark line along the side,
with no indication of the dark spots which are seen in older fish at ;

the size indicated dark spots begin to appear along the side and the
line gradually disappears. Specimens 7.1 to 7.7 cm. long from the
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 295

Salwin, October 14 and 15, 1936, show 5 regular black cross lines
on the caudal fin.
A lot of 13 specimens, 4.7 to 7.1 cm. long, taken in the Menam Mao
December 26, 1936, at a point where the river was a torrent, is note-
worthy for the intensity of the dark brown markings on head, body,
and fins. The caudal fin has 4 or 5 regular V-shaped bands, and the
anal, ventral, and pectoral fins, which do not appear to have been pre-
viously described as having any markings, are banded with rows of
spots on the rays.
This species has usually been called Lepidocephalus hasselti (Cuvier
and Valenciennes, 1846). Those authors, however, based their de-
scription on a drawing sent from Java by Kuhl and van Hasselt and
made no mention of the fact that van Hasselt had already given the
name L. octocirrhus to the same fish in 1823. Weber and de Beaufort
(1916, vol. 3) rejected van Hasselt's name because of "insufficient
description," but the fact that the fish was recognizable from the de-
scription would seem to validate the name. Bleeker (Atlas Ichthy-
ologique, 1863 (301), vol. 3, p. 13) placed L. octocirrhus in the
synonymy of Z. hasselti without comment.
A variety of names is borne by the fish in different parts of its
Thai range: pla sai (sand fish) in Nakon Sritamarat, pla rrvu (hog
fish, in allusion to the tusklike spines), in Bung
Borapet, pla chon
(literally, sideways-moving fish) in the Meping at Chiengdao, and
pla hluey in Chantabun.

LEPIDOCEPHALUS CATARACTUS Fowler

Lepidocephalus cataractus Fowlee, 1939, p. 60, fig. 10 (Trang).

Numerous specimens of this fish were available to Fowler in describ-

ing the species, all from the waterfall stream near Trang, in Peninsular
Thailand. The principal characters are shown in the key.
Maximum length, 8.4 cm.

LEPIDOCEPHALUS BERDMOREI (Blyth)

Syncrossus ierdmorei Blyth, lS60b, p. 166 (Tenasserim).

Lepidocephalus berdmorei Suvatti, 1936, p. 60 (Meklong).^KouMANS, 1937a, p. 63
(Peninsular Siam).

Otherwise known only from Burma, this species is simply listed

by Suvatti from the Meklong but it is definitely reported by Koumans
from Takuapa, on the west side of Peninsular Thailand, two speci-
mens, 7 and 7.8 cm. long, having been examined in a collection of
Thailand fishes sent to the Natural History Museum in Basle, Switzer-
land, by Dr. H. Bernatzik. Several specimens collected from time
to time for the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries in Peninsular and North-
 —
296 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
ern Thailand did not agree closely with L. octocirrhus and seemed
closer to L. herdmorei than to any other species.

LEPIDOCEPHALUS TAENIATUS Fowler

Lepidocephalus taeniatus Fowler, 1939, p. 63, figs. 11, 12 (Trang).

This small form, described from seven specimens from a waterfall

stream near Trang, differs from all the other local species in the
reduced number of scales in the lateral series, as indicated in the key.
The type and largest example is 5 cm. long.

Genus ACANTHOPSIS van Hasselt

Acanthopsis van Hasselt, in F6russac, Bull. Sci. Nat., vol. 2, p. 377, 1824. (Type,
Acanthopsis dialuzona van Hasselt.)

ACANTHOPSIS CHOIRORHYNCHOS (Bleeker)

FiQtniE 60

Coxitis choirorhynchos Bleekee, 1854 (106), p. 95 (Palembang, Sumatra).

Acanthopsis choerorhynclius Boulenger, 1903, p. 303 (Patani River).
Acanthopsis choirorhynchos Fowler, 1935a, p. 106, figs. 35—42 (Khao Nam Poo) ;

1937, p. 152 (Bangkok, Pitsanulok, Mepoon, Tachin, Kemarat) 1939, p. 59 ;

(Trang).

This species of grotesque physiognomy inhabits Burma, Malaya,

Sumatra, Borneo, Java, and French Indo-China, as well as Thailand.
It was first recorded from the latter country in 1923. Wliile this
fish attains its largest size in swift, clear streams with sandy or
gravelly bottom, it is found also in large rivers like the Menam Chao
Phya and the Meklong, and in swamps and their outlets, such as the
narrow swift streams draining Bung Borapet. Localities repre-
sented by specimens collected for the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries
—
are: Central Thailand Menam Chao Phya at Bangkok, Nakon
Sawan, and Paknampo; Menam Nan near Paknampo; Bung Borapet;
Meyom at Prae; Meklong at Rajaburi and the west branch of the
Meklong far north of Kanburi. Eastern Thailand Menam Mun near —
—
Korat. Peninsular Thailand Ronpibun (pond), Nam Tadi in Na-
kon Sritamarat. Southeastern Thailand Nonjr Khor and Chanta- —

Figure 60. Jcanthopsis choirorhynchos (Bleeker). Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy

of the Thailand Government.
 .

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 297

bun River. Additional localities for specimens in the British Museum

are the Mewang, Central region, collected by Vernay, and the Patani,
Peninsular district, collected by Annandale and Robinson. Material
studied by Fowler came from Bangkok, Pitsanulok, Khao Nam Poo,
the Mepoon in Central Thailand, and the Mekong at Kemarat in
Eastern region. In collections by Deignan, this species was obtained
from the Nan River at Nan, the Meping at Chiengmai, and the
Mechem, a tributary of the Meping.
The largest specimens examined were 22.5 cm. long. Full maturity
is attained at a much smaller size; thus, a fish 6 cm. long from the

Meyom at Prae, Central Thailajid, June 28, 1927, contained ripe eggs.
No observations on spawning habits have been made.
Eight color variations in fish from Kliao Nam Poo, Central Thai-
land, are given by Fowler (1935a). Many other types of color varia-
tions occur, including a pale body with no mark except a narrow dark
longitudinal stripe, which may be wholly or partly lacking.
The general color and markings serve to afford the fish concealment
in clear, shallow, sandy streams. -In some cases the writer was able
to determine the presence of the fish most readily by the shadows they
cast on the light sandy or gravelly bottom. Wliere there is current
the fish always head upstream. When they are frightened they bury
themselves in the bottom sand with great rapidity.
Vernacular names borne by the fish are pla sai (sand fish), pla son
sai, pia hluey (banana fish) and pla rah hluey.
,

NEACANTHOPSIS, new genus

Similar to Acanthopsis but with the eyes mostly in the anterior half
of the head, the concealed bifid spine partly suborbital and partly
preorbital and extending under middle of ej^e, and incomplete lateral
line. Body
slender and strongly compressed head compressed snout
; ;

contracted, overhanging the small mouth 3 pairs of barbels (1 rostral,

;

2 maxillary); eyes subcutaneous; scales minute, deficient on head;

dorsal fin beginning over base of ventrals, its branched rays in reduced
number (8 against 10 or 11 in Acanthopsis) ; caudal fin truncate
(forked or emarginate in Acanthopsis)
—
Genotype. Neacanthopsis gracilentus^ new species.
This genus differs from Lepidocephal/us chiefly in having no scales
on vertex or other parts of head and only one pair of rostral barbels.

NEACANTHOPSIS GRACILENTUS, new species

FlQXTRB 61

—
Description. Very elongate, head and body strongly compressed;
depth 7.3 times in standard length; length of caudal peduncle two
times its depth and equal to depth of body; head 5 in length, its
 —
298 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

dorsal profile from nape to tip of snout evenly curved, its width 0.6 its
depth snout strongly compressed, less than 0.5 length of head, slightly
;

overhanging the mouth bifid spine inserted under and slightly ante-
;

rior to the eye, its larger prong extending to a point under pupil;
nostrils nearer to tip of snout than to eye, the anterior nostiil in a
short tube with a fringed margin, the opening inclined obliquely
forward; posterior nostril simple, elongate; eye almost wholly in
anterior half of head, touching dorsal profile, two in snout, five in
head and two in interorbital space; mouth very small, strongly arched,
its width less than diameter of eye; six subequal barbels, one rostral

pair on front of snout, two maxillary pairs somewhat less than diam-
eter of eye, one arising from groove over posterior part of maxillary,
one from groove at posterior end of maxillary.

Figure 61. Ngacanthopsis gracilentus, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 107952). Drawn
by Mrs. Aime M. Awl.

Squamation Scales minute, none on head lateral line present only

: ;

on anterior fourth of body.

Fins Origin of dorsal nearer base of caudal than tip of snout, over
:

base of ventrals; dorsal rays ii,7, longest ray 0.8 head; caudal fin 0.9
head, its posterior margin truncate; anal rays ii,5, longest ray 0.7
head; ventral rays 7, longest 0.7 head; pectoral rays i,9, longest 0.6
head.
Coloration (in preservative) Generally pale yellowish brown; a
:

series of about 16 small roundish dark brown spots along axis of

body back vermiculated with brown, and about 13 dark brown spots
;

on the middle of the back between head and caudal fin top of head ;

spotted with brown a series of 5 or 6 small round dark brown spots

;

along side of head under eye; caudal fin with 6 obscure cross bands
of dark brown round glistening black spot on the upper
spots, a small
base of the fin, and a much less distinct corresponding brown spot on
the lower base of the fin fins otherwise plain. In life the black spot
;

on the upper caudal base was surroimded by pale orange and the
caudal fin was pale red, with dark brown spots on the rays.
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SUM, OR THAILAND 299

Type and paratypes. —

The type (U.S.N.M. No. 107952) is a female,
6.1 cm. long, with well-developed eggs, taken January 28, 1932, in
the Meping, north of Chiengmai, Northern Thailand. A specimen
4.9 cm. long was taken at the same time and place. third specimen A
5.2 cm. long was collected by H. G. Deignan April 28, 1935, in the
Meping at Chiengdao. Paratypes bear the following U.S.N.M. num-
bers : 109751, 109752.
Remarks. —This species resembles Acanthopsis choirorhynchos
(Bleeker), but has a less elongate and more decurved snout, more
advanced position of the eye, different position of the bifid preorbital
spine, incomplete lateral line, different shape of the caudal fin, and
different coloration.
As far as is known at present, the fish inhabits only the upper
Meping.

Genus ACANTHOPHTHALMUS van Hasselt

Acanthophthalmus van Hassext, Alg. Konst. Letterbode, vol. 2, p. 132, 1823.

(Type, Acanthophthalmus fasciatus van Hasselt.)

is sparsely represented in Thailand as regards both

This genus
speciesand individuals. One of the two species thus far recorded
is known only from Peninsular Thailand, the other has been found

only in Southeastern Thailand. The two may be readily distin-

guished by their coloration and by the following features
la. Body and head uniform reddish brown, lighter below dorsal fin terminating
;

the length of its own base in advance of anal fin javanicus

1&. Body and head with 12 to 15 alternating cross bands of red and black dorsal ;

fin terminating over or very slightly in advance of anal fin kuhlii

ACANTHOPHTHALMUS JAVANICUS Bleeker

Acanthophthalmus javanicus Bleeker, 1860 (265a), p. 75 (Java, Sumatra). '^

This species has been recorded from Java and Sumatra. Its claim
to a place in theThailand fauna rests on a single diminutive specimen,
2.5 cm. long, taken by the author in Nam Tan Boh, a mountain brook
in the Patalung district of Peninsular Siam, July 8, 1929, and on 11
specimens, 3.3 to 5.3 cm. long, taken by H. G. Deignan in the Menam
Kon, a branch of the Menam Nan, at Ban Khana, Northern Thailand,
April 20, 1936. These specimens agree very well with the description
and who records a length of 8.1 cm.
figure of Bleeker,
Weber and de Beaufort regarded A. javanicus as a synonym of A.
pangla (Hamilton) from India and Burma. In this conclusion the
present author cannot concur. If the figure of the A. pangia given
by Day is at all accurate, it has the dorsal base about 2.5 times
its length in advance of the anal and the origin of the ventral
fins much nearer to the tip of the snout than to the base of the caudal
 — —
300 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

fin. In A. javanicms the dorsal is not more, and in Bleeker's figure is

less, than its base length in advance of the anal and the ventral origin

IS nearer to the base of the caudal than to the tip of the snout by
the length of the head.

ACANTHOPHTHALMUS KUHLII (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

FiGXTEE 62

Colitis kuhlii Ctr\'iEK and Valenciennes, 1846, vol. 18, p. 77 (Batavia).

Acunthophthalmus kuhlii Sauvage, 1881, p. 164 (Chantabun). Fowlek, 1934a,
p. 101 (Chantabuu).
Acanthophthalmus kuhli Smith, 1933a, p. 78 (Nong Khor and Kao Sabap).

This species, previously known from Java, Borneo, Sumatra, Singa-

pore, and Malacca, was first ascribed to the Thailand fauna in 1881
when it was reported from Chantabun by Sauvage. In 1927, Layang
Gaddi, collector for the U. S. National Museum, obtained 11 specimens
in the lake known as Nong Khor, Southeastern region. In April of
the same year Luang Masya Chitrakarn, of the Siamese Bureau of
Fisheries, obtained 2 specimens in a stream on Kao Sabap, and in
January 1929 another specimen was caught in another stream on the
same mountain at about 1,000 feet elevation.

Figure 62. Acanthophthalmus kuhlii Cuvier and Valenciennes. Drawn by Nai Chote
Suvatti; courtesy of the Thailand Government.

Thailand specimens have ranged from 4.5 up to 8 cm., which seems

to be the maximum length attained.
This one of the most beautiful of the local loaches. The greatly
is

elongated body is marked by broad transverse bands of black and red.

The people on Kao Sabap know this fish and give it a special name.
pla prong oy (sugarcane- joint fish).

Genus COBITOPHIS Myers

Cobitophis Myers, Amer. Mus. Novit., No. 265, p. 4, 1927. (Type, Acanthopterus
anguillaris Vaillant.)

The genus Gohitophis was established by Myers for Acanthophthal-

mus anguillaris (Vaillant) and A. vermicularis (Weber and de Beau-
fort),which "differ sharply from the others of the genus in the ex-
tremely attenuated, anguilliform body, and in having some part of
the anal fin under the dorsal."
 —

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SI AM, OR THAILAND 301

COBITOPHIS ANGUILLARIS (Vaillant)

Acanthophthalmtis anguillaris Vaillant, 1902, p. 151 (Kapoeas, Borneo).

FowLEE, 1934a, p. 103 (Chiengmai),

Previouslyknown only from Borneo, this species was first detected

in Thailand in July 1928 when a specimen was taken in a ditch near
the town of Chantabun, Southeastern region. In September 1932
it was found in Bung Borapet, Central area, and in December 1932

numerous specimens were collected in the Meping at Chiengmai,

Northern Thailand.
The largest examples exceed 9 cm. in length the average is about
;

7 cm. The bifid suborbital spine is sharp and comparatively large.

The fish is very numerous in Bung Borapet and in the Meping in
the vicinity of Chiengmai. Examples from Bung Borapet taken to
Bangkok were kept alive for months in a small jar of water. In a
thin layer of sand and gravel they completely disappeared and were
not observable unless disturbed, when they would swim about very
actively for a few moments with a wriggling motion and again
quickly bury out of sight. The skin is slippery like that of an eel,
and when the fish were put in alcohol a large amount of mucus was
precipitated. The fish was not fed but remained in good condition
apparently from the ingestion of minute animal or plant life in
water and sand.
The respiratory movements are peculiar. In a vessel with no bot-
tom material in which the fish could hide, the movement of the gill
covers could be observed. This movement was sometimes so rapid
and strong that the entire head quivered. At other times, when the
fish were undisturbed and resting quietly with the head on gravel,
respiration would be suspended for 5 to 10 seconds, then resumed
with 5 to 15 movements, then suspended again, the pectoral fins all
the time remaining motionless and closely applied to the abdomen.
Color in life Back and top of head varying from pale bluish gray
:

to pale reddish brown with minute blackish spots a narrow sharply

;

defined black stripe along the side of the body, extending on head
to eye and snout and on median caudal rays where it spreads like a
fan side pale blue without minute spots belly pinkish white iris
; ; ;

orange; a glistening golden-green area on opercle; dorsal pale yel-

low, with black on the rays anal and other fins hyaline.
;

Specimens from Northern Thailand showed differences from

Vaillant's figure (as reproduced by Weber and de Beaufort, 1916) as
regards the relative position of the dorsal and anal fins, and suggested
possible agreement with Acanthopthalmus vermicularis of Weber and
de Beaufort from Sumatra, a species based largely on the position of
those fins. The U. S. National Museum therefore donated specimens
from the Meping to the Royal Museum of Natural History in Leiden,
 .

802 BULLETIN IS 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

depository of Vaillant's type, and to the Zoological Museum in Am-

sterdam, depository of the type of A. ver?nicularis, with the request
that comparison be made with the types. Dr. Frederik P. Koumans,
curator of fishes in the Roj^al Museum of Natural History in Leiden,
kindly examined the type of A. anguillaris Vaillant and also the type
of A. vernucidaris, sent to him from Amsterdam, and gave the results
of his comparisons in a letter dated July 1, 1937. The Thailand speci-
mens were found to agree with the type of A. anguillaris. The orig-
inal figure of that species (reproduced in Weber and de Beaufort) was
faulty in showing the insertion of the last dorsal ray above the inser-
tion of the last anal ray, whereas in the type the base of the last dorsal
ray is above the insertion of the first branched anal ray and no
; differ-
ences were disclosed in the types of A. anguillaris and A. vertnicidaris,
the latter thus becoming a synonym.
Fowler (1934a) very properly notes that the writer misidentified as
Eucirrhichthys doriae specimens of this species collected in the
Meping at Chiengmai, in Bung Borapet, and elsewhere.

Genus ACANTHOPSOIDES Fowler

Acanthopsoides Fowleb, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1934, p. 103. (Type,
AcantJiopsoides gracilis Fowler.)

ACANTHOPSOIDES GRACILIS Fowler

Acanthopsoides gracilis Fowler, 1934a, p. 103, fig. 55 (Chiengmai, Chiengsen).

The type of this species, from the Meping at Chiengmai, Northern

Thailand was 5.4 cm. long. Numerous (66) other specimens from
the Meping and from the Mekong at Chiengsen were from 2.5 to 5.3
cm. long. The principal characters separating Acantho'psoides from
Acanthopsis are the iDosition of the eye in the anterior half of the head,
the insertion of the dorsal fin in the posterior half of the body, and
the origin of the ventral fins before the origin of the dorsal. fea- A
ture that Fowler emphasizes as distinctive is a small, round jet-black
spot at the base of the upper half of the caudal fin, but this spot is
normally present in Acanthopsis choirorhynchos (Bleeker)

Genus NOEMACHEILUS van Hasselt

Noemacheilus van Hassejlt, Alg. Konst. Letterbode, vol. 2, No. 35, p. 133, 1823.
(Type, Noemacheilus fasciatus van Hasselt.) [Most authors working with
this group of fishes have spelled the name of the genus Nemachilus after
Giinther's amended spelling in the Catalogue of Fishes in the British Museum,
vol. 7, pp. 11, 347, 1868, but the original spelling by van Hasselt is Noema-
cheilus. —L. P. S.]

In the forested mountains of Thailand loaches of the genus Noema-

cheilus abound in very small, shallow, swift, clear, cool streamlets with
 : :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 303

[
sandy or gravelly bottoms. As a person approaches such streams
quietly so as not to disturb the fishes, he may see none, and on a number
of occasions, when no loaches were visible but subsequent events proved
them to be present in abundance, it seemed that they might be largely
nocturnal and thereby protected from some of their natural enemies.
The mountain people, who are very fond of eating loaches and other
small fishes, spend considerable time and labor on tiny streams that
would be regarded by the uninitiated as hopeless fishing grounds.
The method of procedure is dam
of stones and earth, some-
to place a
times supplemented by leaves, twigs, or branches, across a streamlet,
diverting its course into an old bed, or into a new bed that may be pre-
pared by removing stones and building up little banks of gravel, sand,
or earth. In the bed thus left dry, the gravel and sand are scooped up
with the hands, coconut shells, or other implements, and the fish are
disclosed. A short stretch of exposed streamlet bed, about a meter
wide and 10 to 15 meters long, has yielded scores of loaches, mostly
Noemacheilus,
In a scholarly revision of the fishes of the genus Noemacheilus
recorded from Burma, Hora (1929a, p. 311) made the following
remarks, which apply also to Thailand
Among the Indian freshwater fishes there are few genera whose taxonomy
is involved in such great confusion as that of Nemachilus. This is in part due
to the fact that many of the species exhibit considerable individual variability.
Moreover, most of the specific standards, such as number of fin-rays, scale counts,
body proportions, colouration, etc., which are used in distinguishing species of
most of the other Cyprinoid genera, are of very little significance in the case
of Nemachilus. Fortunately most of the Burmese species are very peculiar and,
therefore, little diflBculty has been experienced in characterizing them. In
distinguishing closely allied species I have relied on the character of the lateral
line, the position of the anal opening with regard to the ventrals and the position
of the commencement of the dorsal with regard to its distance from the tip of
the snout and the base of the caudal.

The species of Noemacheilus from Thailand may be differentiated as

follows
la. Body marked by numerous transverse bands or saddles.
2a. Cross bands black or dark brown.
3a. A narrow cross band at base of caudal fin.
4a. Dark cross bands on body 6 to 9.
5a. Lateral line complete.
6«. Cross bands 6 or 7, their width about equal to interspaces, 2 pre-
dorsal, 2 subdorsal, 2 or 3 postdorsal ; a small black spot at
anterior base of dorsal fin ; head plain fowlerianus
6&. Cross bands 7, wider than interspaces, 2 predoi-sal, 2 wholly or
partly subdorsal 3 postdorsal 2 black spots at base of dorsal
; ;

fin; upper surface of head with dark spots, a dark preorbital

blotch thai
 ;;

304 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

6c. Cross bands 8 or 9.

7a. Head standard length or longer; snout not abruptly

long, 0.25
cheeks not dilated.
declined ;

8a. A preorbital hook (in male) cross bands wider than inter- ;

spaces, 3 predorsal, 2 wholly or partly subdorsal, 4 post-

dorsal 3 transverse rows of dark spots on dorsal fin
;

2 rows of dark spots on anal fin paired flns with several ;

rows of dark spots top of head dark spotted caudal fin

; ;

deeply emarginate myrmekia

86. No preorbital hook reported.
9a. Cross bands rather regular, 2 or 3 predorsal, 2 or 3 wholly
or partly subdorsal, 3 postdorsal a row of dark spots ;

across midlength of dorsal fin upper surface of head ;

plain brown desmotes

96. Cross bands very irregular, mostly broken into spots and
blotches, only 2 or 3 regular bands under or immediately
posterior to dorsal fin upper surface of head, including ;

snout, with round dark spots spilotus

76. Head short, less than 0.25 standard length snout abruptly ;

declined cheeks dilated cross bands 9, 3 predorsal, 2 wholly

; ;

or partly subdorsal, 4 postdorsal top of head obscurely ;

mottled cheeks plain dorsal fin with rays dark brown and 2
; ;

conspicuous black spots at base breviceps

56. Lateral line incomplete, extending only to opposite anterior part of
anal base origin of dorsal fin anterior to base of ventrals cross
; ;

bands 7, wider than interspaces, 2 predorsal, 2 wholly or partly

subdorsal, 3 postdorsal a conspicuous black spot at base of anterior
;

dorsal rays, a brown spot at base of posterior dorsal rays, with a

bright orange area between top of head vermiculated nicholsi
;

46. Dark cross bands 7 to 14, usually about 10 lateral line complete scales ; ;

deficient nasal tentacle short, not reaching eye snout rather long
; ;

(2.5 in head), bluntly pointed, its profile not strongly arched; head
dark brown or blackish caudal peduncle slightly longer than deep
;

branched dorsal rays 8 menanensis

4c. Dark cross bands 10 to 18.

10a. Nasal tentacle short, not reaching eye.

11a. Snout short (3.6 in head), very blunt, its profile strongly arched;
head black 10 to 12 rather obscure cross bands, 4 or 5 predorsal,
;

2 or 3 subdorsal, 3 or 4 postdorsal caudal peduncle as deep as ;

long; branched dorsal rays 9 atriceps

116. Snout longer (2.5 to 3 in head), its profile not strongly arched;
head not black or dark brown branched dorsal rays 8. ;

12a. Ten or 11 dark brown cross bands about width of interspaces, 4

predorsal, 2 or 3 subdorsal, 4 or 5 postdorsal top of head ;

without black spots origin of dorsal fin nearer to base of

;

caudal fin than to tip of snout width of head 1.5 in its length ;
;

caudal peduncle as deep as long reidi

126. Eleven dark brown cross bands wider than interspaces, 4 pre-
dorsal, 2 subdorsal, 5 postdorsal, those under and before
dorsal fin wider, irregular, and oblique top of head with ;

small black spots origin of dorsal fin nearer to base of

;

caudal fin than to tip of snout width of head 1.25 in its ;

length; caudal peduncle as deep as long sexcauda

 ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 305

12c. Thirteen dark brown cross bands wider than interspaces,

5 predorsal, 3 subdorsal, 5 postdorsal, the bands not sharply
defined top of head without black or dark spots origin of
; ;

dorsal fin midway between tip of snout and base of caudal fin
width of head 1.1 in its length caudal peduncle as deep ;

as long obscurus
12d. Thirteen dark brown cross bands about width of interspaces,
each band with a narrow darker margin, 5 predorsal, 3 sub-
dorsal, 5 postdorsal top of head with obscure dark spots
;

origin of dorsal fin nearer to base of caiidal fin than to tip

of snout width of head 1.4 to 1.87 in its length
; caudal ;

peduncle deeper than long waltoni

12e. Fourteen to eighteen black cross bands about width of inter-
spaces, usually 5 predoi-sal, 3 subdorsal, and 7 postdorsal;
top of head mottled dorsal fin with a jet black spot at its
;

anterior base and another at its midbase; origin of dorsal

midway between tip of snout and base of caudal fin width ;

of head 1.4 in its length; caudal peduncle as deep as

long schultzi
10&. Nasal tentacle long, reaching to middle of eye 13 dark brown cross ;

bands wider than interspaces, 6 predorsal, 2 subdorsal, 5 post-

dorsal origin of dorsal fin midway between nostrils and base of
;

caudal fin width of head 1.4 in its length caudal peduncle deeper
; ;

than long deignani

4d. Dark cross bands on body 17 to 23.
13a. Lateral line incomplete, terminating anteriorly to anal fin origin ;

of dorsal fin over base of ventral fins cross bands 17, about width ;

of interspaces, 6 predorsal, 3 subdorsal, 8 postdorsal, together

with a black band at base of caudal fin a black area at beginning ;

of lateral line extending to axil of pectoral kohchangensis

136. Lateral line complete; origin of dorsal fin in advance of base of
ventrals cross bands about 23, about width of interspaces, the
;

bands anterior to and under dorsal fin about 18, much narrower
than those posterior to fin which number 5, together with a nar-
row black band at base of caudal fin multif asciatus
4e. Dark cross bands on body about 34 lateral line complete origin of
; ;

dorsal fin over base of ventrals cross bands under and before dorsal
;

fin about 25, much narrower than postdorsal bands, which number
about 9; predorsal region with about 6 dark brown transverse
saddles; at base of caudal fin a crescentic or lunate jet-black band
not reaching dorsal and ventral profiles, near its upper end a black
saddlelike spot on caudal fulcra poculi
3&. No black cross band at base of caudal fin a jet-black spot at midbase ;

of caudal rays in a yellow area back with 14 to 20 dark saddles, ;

side with same number of dark spots along lateral line body slender, ;

depth 7 in standard length all barbels longer than in other local

;

species; a preorbital hook (in male) caudal fin deeply forked, lobes
;

pointed, upper lobe longer masyae

26. Cross bands narrow, pale, 11 to 14, separated by much wider dark brown
interspaces a conspicuous black bar below eye all barbels compara-
; ;

tively long ; caudal fin much longer than head, deeply forked, lobes
pointed translineatus
306 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

1&. Body not marked by transverse bands or saddles.

14a. Body plain head greatly depressed cheeks much
; ; size com-
dilated ;

paratively large bucculentus

146. Body vpith a black longitudinal stripe extending from head to base of
caudal fin from upper margin of this stripe, over pectoral fin, extend
;

2 short vertical black bars in a yellovi^ area head conical cheeks not
; ;

dilated; size comparatively small binotatus

NOEMACHEILUS FOWLERIANUS, new species

Nemacheilus teavani (non Giinther), Fowler, 1937, p. 156, fig. 80-87 (Mepoon).

Describing Nemacheilus heavani from a specimen 2 inches long

from Bengal, Giinther (1868, vol. 7, p. 350) did not satisfactorily
differentiate the species. He gave nine dark cross bands in addition
to a black streak across the base of the caudal, and blackish dots
on dorsal and caudal rays; depth five; head less than four; caudal
peduncle as deep as long; caudal fin slightly emarginate; pectoral fin
extending two-thirds to ventrals; origin of dorsal midway from tip
of snout to base of caudal.
The figure of N. heavani published by Day (1878, vol. 2, pi. 156,
fig. 8) does not agree with his own description of the species or Avith

Giinther's description; for example, while the species was said by

Day to have 9 dark cross bands wider than the interspaces, his figure
of a specimen from Madras shows 13 or 14 dark cross bands, of which
the 4 or 5 anterior to the dorsal fin are represented as narrower than
the interspaces.
Under the name Nemacheilus heavani^ Fowler (1937) listed eight
species, 3.5 to 4.2 cm. long, of a Noemacheilus from Mepoon, Central
Thailand, and figured all of them to show variations in coloration.
These specimens had, in addition to a narrow black band at the base
of the caudal fin, six or seven dark cross bands (including spots occupy-
ing the position of bands) and did not agree with Giinther's account in
,

this respect and in the relative width of the cross bands and inter-
spaces. According to Fowler there are only two postdorsal bands,
but some of his figures (80, 81, 82, 86) show two bands and a spot,
the spot being variable in position and taking the place of either
the second or the third band the spot is, in fact, an incomplete band.
;

For the foregoing and other reasons, it is not possible to reconcile

Nem/icheilus heavani of Fowler with Giinther's species, and it is
therefore proposed to recognize the fish that Fowler illustrated so
fully as a new form under the name Noemacheilus fowlerianus. The
holotype is in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (No.

69961), as are five paratypes (Nos. 69962-69966). Two paratypes

(U.S.M.M. No. 119700) are in the U. S. National Museum.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 307
NOEMACHEILUS THAI Fowler

Nemacheihis thai Fowleb, 1934a, p. 104, fig. 56 (Bua Yai, Chiengmai) ; 1937,
p. 156 (Mepoon).

This species, described from a speciraen, 4.6 cm. long from Bua Yai
in Eastern Thailand, is reported also from Northern and Central
Thailand, the largest examples being 5.9 cm. long. The body is marked
by seven wide dark brown cross bands, two predorsal, two wholly or
partly subdorsal, and three postdorsal, together with a narrow black
vertical stripe at the caudal base. The dorsal rays have a median
dark spot and the caudal has several indistinct transverse rows of dark
spots.
N, thai very similar to N. nicholsi in form and in the number and
is

position of the cross bands and in the dark blotching or marbling of

top of head. Minor differences are seen in the marking on caudal,
anal, and ventral fins. The lateral line is described as complete, while
in N. nicholsi it is deficient posteriorly.

NOEMACHEILUS MYRMEKIA Fowler

Nemacheilus myrmekia Fowler, 1935a, p. 106, fig. 32 (Keng Sok).

This species is known from one specimen, 5.8 cm. long. There are
nine dark brown cross bands, of which three are predorsal, three wholly
or partly subdorsal, and three postdorsal. If the species is distinct
from N. desmotes, the differences may be in the shorter rostral barbels,
the dark brown spots on top of head, the additional rows of spots on
dorsal ray, and the spotted lower
fins. A
preorbital "wart-like flap or
spine" possessed by the type probably not of specific significance
is

but is a secondary sexual character borne by various species of

Noemacheilud.
NOEMACHEILUS DESMOTES Fowler

Nemacheilus desmotes Fowlee, 1934a, p. 107, fig. 59 (Chiengmai) ; 1937, p. 156,

figs. 8&-95 (Mepoon).

This species was described from a specimen 2.8 cm. long, with a para-
type 2.4 cm. long. Later 10 specimens 2.8 to 5.2 cm. long were recorded
from Mepoon, and figures of 8 of these were published. The type
showed 8 dark cross bands posterior to the head, excluding a black bar
on the base of the caudal fin, the bands broad, with regular sides and
wider than the interspaces, 2 predorsal, 3 wholly or partly subdorsal,
and three postdorsal. The series of figures exhibits considerable de-
parture from the type as regards the cross bands, which are irregular
in shape, position, and number thus, 3 of the 8 figures show 9 complete
;

or incomplete bands, and 5 of them have 3 predorsal bands.

808 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Specimens collected by Deignan in the Menam Mao agree fairly well

with the descriptions and figures of this species; they are 5.6 and 5.9
cm. long.
NOEMACHEILUS SPILOTUS Fowler

Nemacheilus spilotus Fowler, 1934a, p. 105, fig. 57 (Chiengmai, Chiengdao,

Metang, Khun Tan).

Known from numerous specimens, 3.4 to 11.2 cm. long, from various
places in Northern Thailand. The body is marked by seven to nine
irregular transverse dark bands, those anteriorly and posteriorly
broken into spots or blotches. The dorsal arises very slightly in ad-
vance of ventrals and much nearer to tip of snout than to base of
caudal fin.
Fowler (1934a) says: "Characteristic of this species is the dark or
black band transversely close before the caudal base," the band else-
where being referred to as "at caudal base." As a matter of fact,
however, this band is present in a dozen or more Thai and Indian
species.
Fifteen specimens 6.0 to 9.2 cm. long were taken by the Harvard
Primate Expedition on Doi Angka, April 1937. These agree rather
closely with the originally described specimens from various places
in the Meping drainage.

NOEMACHEILUS BREVICEPS, new species

FiGUKB 63

Description. —Rather body moderately compressed pos-

robust;
teriorly, cylindrical anteriorly, depth 5.0 in standard length; caudal
peduncle broad, slightly longer than deep, its length 1.8 in head head ;

rather short, broad, moderately depressed, its length 4.1 in standard

length, its width 1.3 in its length head behind eyes with straight pro-
;

file continuous with that of back; snout strongly decurved, broad,

blunt, its length 2.3 in head, and eye 2.5 times in snout; eye touching
dorsal profile of head, small, in anterior half of head, 6 in head, 1.6 in
flat interorbital space; nostrils nearer to eye than to tip of snout,
anterior nostrils in a short tube with well-developed pointed flap, which
when depressed does not reach eye; mouth lunate, lips rather thick
and lower lip with a deep median incision, width of mouth 2.5
fleshy,
times diameter of eye; inner rostral barbel one-fourth shorter than
outer barbel, extending to vertical from nostrils outer rostral barbel ;

reaching vertical from between nostrils and eye; maxillary barbel one-
fourth longer than outer rostral, extending to vertical from behind
eye ; cheeks somewhat dilated.
Squamation: Lateral line complete; rudimentary embedded scales
on posterior half of body, deficient on abdomen and anterior to dorsal
fin.
 — —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 309

Fins Origin of dorsal fin over origin of ventrals, a little closer to

:

base of caudal fin than to tip of snout rays iii,8, longest rays slightly
;

more than half length of head; caudal fin moderately emarginate,

somewhat shorter than head; anal rays ii,5, longest equal to longest
dorsal rays; ventrals reaching anal opening, rays i,7; pectorals 1.5
times as long as ventrals, 1.2 in head, rays i,10.

Coloration General color pale creamy yellow body with nine dark
: ;

brown cross bands meeting over back, equal to or wider than inter-
spaces, three predorsal, two wholly or partly subdorsal, four postdorsal,
together with a narrow jet-black cross band at base of caudal fin ; top of
head mottled, cheeks yellowish brown dorsal ; fin with two large black
spots at base, rays brownish, membranes hyaline other ; fins plain.

'"^^Irm-^^n^^s

Figure 63. Noemacheilus breviceps, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 117751).
Drawn by Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

Type.—K specimen (U.S.N.M. No. 117751), 7.2 cm long, taken by

H. G. Deignan December 26, 1936, in the Menam Mao, a tributary of
the Menam Fang, an affluent of the Mekong, Northern Thailand.
—
Remarks. At the place and time of capture of this specimen, the
Menam Mao was a clear torrent at the foot of a mountain.
The species is characterized by its comparatively short head, abruptly
decurved snout, swollen cheeks, small eyes, short barbels, and pattern
of coloration. Its relations with other local species are shown in the
key.
NOEMACHEILUS NICHOLSI H. M. Smith

FlQUBE 64

Nemacheilus nicholsi Smith, 1933a, p. 53, fig. 1, pi. 1, fig. 1 (Pak Jong). Fowlek,
1934a, p. 105 (Bua Yai).
Originally known only from a small mountain stream, tributary of
the Menam Mun, near Pak Jong, Eastern Thailand, this fish has since
been found at Bua Yai, also in Eastern Thailand. Two specimens 4.3
and 4.7 cm. long were taken in Lam Tong Lang, a tributary of the
590087—45 21
 —

310 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Pasak in Central Thailand the larger

; fish contained large eggs. The
species is characterizedby seven wide, dark brown cross bands, which
meet dorsally and extend entirely across the body, two of the bands
being predorsal, one partly predorsal and partly subdorsal, one sub-
dorsal and three postdorsal, with a narrow black vertical bar at base of
caudal fin; short rostral barbels, none reaching eye; eight branched
dorsal rays and lateral line deficient on the caudal peduncle.
;

The largest specimen, the type, was 5 cm. long.

Figure 64. Noeviacheilus mcholsi H. M. Smith. Drawing by Luang Masya; courtesy of

the Thailand Government.

NOEMACHEILUS MENANENSIS, new species

Figure 65

Descnytion. —Form comparatively slender, body moderately com-

pressed posteriorly, cylindrical anteriorly; depth 6.0 in standard
length length of caudal peduncle 0.7 head and slightly more than its
;

depth; head 4.1 in length, bluntly pointed when viewed from above,
depressed, its width 0.7 its length, its depth at nape 0.6 its length;
eye in anterior half of head, 5 in head, 2 in snout, 1.5 in the flat inter-
orbital space ; snout 2.5 in head, its profile very slightly convex ; nostrils
nearer to eye than to tip of snout, the anterior tubular, the acutely
pointed flap reaching halfway to eye when depressed all barbels com- ;

paratively short, inner rostral barbel equal to eye, outer rostral barbel
1.5 times length of inner and not extending to vertical from anterior
edge of eye, maxillary barbel equal to outer rostral and reaching vertical
from posterior edge of eye mouth small, strongly arched, its width at
;

angles 1.5 times eye, lips moderately fleshy, posterior lip with a slight
 —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 311

median upper jaw with median beaklike projection fitting

incision;
jaw lateral line complete scales deficient.
into a depression in lower ; ;

Fins Origin of dorsal fin midway between nostrils and base of me-
:

dian caudal rays, over origin of ventrals; dorsal rays ii,8, longest
branched ray 0.6 length of head caudal fin as long as head, moderately
;

emarginate anal rays ii,5, longest 0.6 head ventral rays i,7, extending
; ;

to anal opening, 0.7 length of head; pectoral rays i,10, 0.9 length of
head, extending 0.6 distance to ventrals.
Coloration Body dull yellowish brown, with 10 dark brown cross
:

bands wider than interspaces, 4 predorsal, 2 subdorsal, 4 postdorsal,

in addition to a narrow black cross band at base of caudal rays head ;

entirely dark brown to blackish, with exception of a diffused light

brown area on cheek, a light edge to the opercular flap, and light yellow
or whitish lips and barbels; all fins whitish or yellowish, dorsal and
caudal rays pale tan, a small black spot at base of first two dorsal rays,
and a dull brownish spot at base of ventral and pectoral fins.

Figure 65. Noemacheilus menanensis new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 117753).
,

Drawn by Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

—
Type and paratypes. The type (U.S.N.M. No. 117753), a specimen
5.5cm. long, was collected by H. G. Deignan on April 20, 1936, in the
Menam Kon, a tributary of the Menam Nan, Northern Thailand. Ma-
terial that may be considered paratypic (U.S.N.M. No. 117752), col-
lected at the same place and tune, consists of 32 specimens 2.3 to 5
cm. long.
—
Other specimens. A single specimen 6 cm. long was collected in
the Huey Lorn, an affluent of the Menam Nan, in June 1936.
—
Remarks. Distinguishing features of this species are the long,
pointed head, short barbels, absence of scales except on back behind
dorsal fin, and blackish or dark brown color of the head, this color be-
ing in sharpest contrast on the lower surface. The cross bands in the
larger specimens are most distinct under and posterior to the dorsal
fin, and may be scarcely discernible anteriorly. The usual or average
number of cross bands seems to be about 10. In some of the smaller
 —

312 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

specimens, in which the cross bands show quite distinctly, there is

seen considerable variation in number, ranging from 7 to 14. In the
few specimens in which the cross bands are as few as T, they are wide,
and the pigmentation is more diffuse than in the specimens having
more numerous cross bands.
This species was found in close association with N. atriceps and
shows a remarkable resemblance thereto in the sharply defined dark
head (not met with in other local species) and in the general colora-
tion of body and fins. There is, however, a marked difference in the
length of the head, the length and shape of the snout, the width of
the mouth, squamation, and number of branched dorsal rays, which
are always 8 in this species and 9 in A^. atriceps.

NOEMACHEILUS ATRICEPS, new species

FiGTJBE 66

Description. —Body
moderately elongate and compressed, profile
from nape and nearly straight; depth
to dorsal fin slightly inclined
5.3 in standard length, somewhat over 6 in total length depth of caudal ;

peduncle equal to its length, and 1.4 in head head short, 4.6 in length,
;

its dorsal profile rising abruptly from tip of snout to eye; head mod-

:=^S.'

Figure 66. Noemacheilus atriceps, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 117750). Drawn by
Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

erately depressed, its depth at nape 1.5 in its length and its width 1.2

in its length snout short, blunt, strongly arched, evenly rounded when
;

viewed from above, 2.4 in head eyes extending to dorsal profile, 5.5 in
;

head, 2.1 in snout, 1.8 in the flat interorbital space, and a very little
nearer to gill opening than tip of snout nostrils nearer to eye than to
;

tip of snout, separatedby a short flap which does not reach eye mouth ;

lunate, twice diameter of eye, surrounded by rather thin, broad, flat-

tened lower lip with a slight median incision, the inner ends of the
lips,
postlabial grooves separated by a space shorter than diameter of eye;
outer rostral barbel 1.5 times length of inner barbel, reaching vertical
from anterior margin of eye and extending slightly beyond base of
 FRESH- WATER FISHES OF Si AM, OR THAILAND 313

maxillary barbel, which is equal to outer rostral barbel and reaches

vertical from posterior margin of eye; opercles with a broad mem-
branous flap.
Squamation: Lateral line complete; minute scales covering body
posteriorly, deficient anteriorlj^ and on abdomen.
Fins Origin of dorsal fin a trifle nearer to tip of snout than to base
:

of caudal and distinctly in advance of ventrals dorsal rays ii, 9, longest

;

ray about 1.4 in head and less than depth of body caudal fin slightly ;

longer than head, moderately forked, lobes rounded; anal rays ii, 5,
longest about 1.5 in head ventral rays i, 7, reaching ventral opening,
;

slightly shorter than pectoral, which has rays i, 12, extending halfway
to ventrals, and slightly shorter than head.
Coloration Reddish brown, lighter below body marked by rather
: ;

indistinct dark vertical bands about width of interspaces, four pre-

dorsal, three subdorsal, and three postdorsal, together with a curved
black band at base of caudal fin head, with exception of lips and a
;

diffuse light brown area on cheeks, uniform dull black; lips, barbels,
and edge of membranous opercular flap whitish dorsal fin blackish at
;

base, rays dusky green; caudal, and lower fins greenish; a small dull
brownish area at the base of ventral and pectoral fins.
—
Tyjpe and paratypes. The type (U.S.N.M. No. 117750) 6.7 cm. long
was collected by H. G. Deignan April 21, 1936, in the Menam Kon, a
branch of the Menam Nan, at Ban Khana, Northern Thailand. Para-
types, U.S.N.M. No. 117746, taken April 20, 1936, in the same locality,
number 70 and range in length from 2.4 to 6.1 cm.
ReTTiarks.— The watercourse from which the type specimen came
was noted by Mr. Deignan as a small, clear, swift riiountain stream.
The characters by which the species may be recognized are the
small, blunt head, steep rostral profile, short barbels, deep caudal
peduncle, small fins, and striking coloration of the head. In the
peculiar dorsal profile of the head there is resemblance to the Indian
species N. rupicola Vaillant and N. inontanus (McClelland) from the
Himalayas.

NOEMACUEILUS REIDI, new species

FiGUEE 67

—
Description. Form rather elongate body compressed, its greatest
;

depth 6 times in standard length length of caudal peduncle equal to

;

its depth and 1.8 times in length of head; 4 in length, head moder-

ately depressed, its depth 0.75 its width, its width 1.5 in its length;
eye in midlength of head, 5 in head, 1.7 in interorbital space, and about
2 in snout which is about 2.5 in head mouth semicircular, lips moder-
;

ately thick, lower lip medianly incised, upper jaw with a broad me-
 —

314 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

dian beak fitting against a corresponding incision in lower jaw; inner

lostral barbel just reaching nostril, outer rostral barbel extending to
front margin of e3^e, maxillary barbel reaching a little past posterior
margin of eye; nasal barbels short, when depressed not extendinjx
to eye.
Squamation : Scales embedded, becoming indistinct or deficient on
anterior part of body, lateral line complete.
Fins Origin of dorsal
: fin nearly over insertion of ventrals, nearer
to base of caudal than to tip of snout dorsal rays ii,8, first branched
;

ray less head caudal slightly emarginate, less than length of

than 0.5 ;

head anal rays ii,5, longest branched ray 1.8 in head ventrals extend-
; ;

ing beyond vent, about 1.5 in head; pectorals slightly longer than
ventrals, rays i, 10.

Figure 67. Noemacheilus reidi, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 107944). Drawn by
Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

Coloration General color dull yellowish brown, lighter below top

: ;

of head dark brown; body from head to caudal fin with 10 dark brown
cross bands about as wide as interspaces, the bands of the two sides
meeting on back; four of the bands predorsal, two subdorsal, four
postdorsal, together with a black band across base of caudal fin dorsal ;

fin with a blackish spot at base anteriorly, the rays dark green me--
dianly caudal fin dusky green a small dark spot at inferior base of
; ;

ventral and pectoral fins fins otherwise plain. ;

—
Type and paratypes. The type, a specimen 8 cm. long (U.S.N.M.
No. 107944) was taken October 19, 1936, in Huey Mekong Kha, a
mountain torrent at base of Doi Mekong Kha, Northern Thailand.
The stream is a tributory of the Salwin. Sixteen other specimens
taken at the same place October 19, 20, and 22 are 4 to 8.4 cm. long.
Paratypes bear U.S.N.M. Nos. 107908, 107913, 107914, 107918, and
117744.
—
Other specimens. Three specimens from the Salwin at Ta Ta Fang,
Northern Thailand, October 15, 1936, are 5.5, 6.3, and 6.9 cm. long;
the two largest contained ripe eggs. All these specimens, including
the type, were collected by H. G. Deignan.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 315

—
Remarks. This is a comparatively dull-colored form. The dark
cross bands do not stand out prominently as in many other species and
anteriorly show a tendency to become faint or almost disappear. There
is a slight variation in the number and shape of the cross bands, and

there may be a blackish blotch involving the base of the dorsal fin

posteriorly.
There is a close resemblance between this species and N. cincticauda
(Blyth), of Lower Burma. In the latter form, as described in full
detail and figured by Hora (1929a), the barbels are subequal, the
rostral barbels respectively reach the anterior margin and the middle
of the eye, the maxillary barbel extends well behind the eye, and the
lateral line is incomplete, ending before the ventral fin.

There is resemblance also between this species and N. sexcaudo.,

(q. v.), known from a single specimen 11.6 cm. long from Mepoon.
Differences are apparent in the size and position of the eye (entirely
in anterior half of head in sexcauda) width of head in relation to
,

its length (greater in sexcauda than in reidi), shape of the mouth

(less strongly curved in sexcauda and according to Fowler's figure

the lower lip lacks the median incision seen in reidi)^ and such
characters as the shape and direction of the predorsal and subdorsal
cross bands.
The species is as yet known only from
a mountain torrent at the
foot of Doi Mekong Kha, between Mesarieng and Ta Ta Fang, and
from the Salwin at Ta Ta Fang.
It does not appear to fit in with any of the other species recorded
from Thailand, Burma, and India. Its principal features are the
slender body, short barbels, complete lateral line, posterior position
of the dorsal fin, long ventrals, and subdued coloration.
A specimen, 7.5 cm. long, from the type locality shows a regular
transverse fold across the isthmus between the attachment of the
branchial membranes. In one specimen one of the inner rostral
barbels is bifid.

The named for E. D. Reid, of the

species is division of fishes in the
U. S. National Museum.

NOEMACHEILUS SEXCAUDA Fowler

Nemacneilus sexcauda Fowleb, 1937, p. 156, figs. 75, 76 (Mepoon).

This species is known from one specimen, 11.6 cm. long, from Me-
poon, Central Thailand. The body is marked by 11 irregular dark
brown cross bands, of which 4 are predorsal, 2 subdorsal, and 5 post-
dorsal, with a narrow black band at base of caudal. The dorsal fin is
damaged. The maxillary is described as contained 3 times in length
of head, but the figure indicates 5 to 6 times.
The species is compared by Fowler with Noemacheilus semi-dncta
(Blyth), probably cited in error for N. cincticauda (Blyth). .That
 —
316 BULLETIX ISS. UXITED STATES NATIONAL MTSEUM

species, from Lovrer Burma, has the Literal line incomplete (ending
anteriorly at the tip of the depressed pectoral), "svhile in .V, sexcauda
the lateral line is complete : furthermore the lips are crenulated. "while
in N. sexcauda they are entire. There are marked differences also in
the shape and position of the transverse bands.

XOEMACHEILUS OBSCURUS, new species

Figure 68

Descriptian. — Body moderately compressed posteriorly, cylindrical

anteriorly; depth 5.6 in standard length; caudal peduncle short, its
depth equal to its length. 1.7 in head; head rather strongly depressed,
4.3 in standard length, its width slightly less than its length, its depth
at nape 1.7 in head; snout broad, evenly rounded, its length 2.5 in
head eye small in anterior half of head, directed more upward than
:

laterally, its length nearly 8 in head, 3 in snout, and 2.5 in the flat in-
terorbital space: nasal flap short, not reaching halfway to eye; mouth
lunate, wide, distance between comers of mouth 2.5 in head lips full, ;

fleshy, median part of upper lip projecting so as to cover a chisellike

projection of the middle of the upper jaw; barbels rather short, outer
rostral barbel slightly the longer and reaching vertical from middle of
eye. maxillary btirbel equal to outer rostral, extending well behind eye,
its length 2 times diameter of eye no gill rakers. ;

Figure 68. Noemacheilus obscurus, new species: Type (A'l.C.Z. No. 35520). Drawn by
Mrs. Aime M. Awl.

Squamation: Lateral line complete; scales minute, embedded, de-

on under surface of body, most distinct and largest on caudal
ficient
pedimcle.
Fins : fin midway between tip of snout and base of
Origin of dorsal
caudal fin. rays branched ray 1.7 in head; caudal fin slightly
ii, 8. first

emarginate. somewhat shorter than head; anal rays ii, 5. first branched
ray a little more than 0.5 head ventral rays i, 6, broad, rounded, barely
;

reaching anal opening. 1.4 in head; pectoral rays i, 9, reaching 1.6

distance to ventrals, 1.25 in head.
 ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 317

Coloration: General color of back, sides, and head dtdl brown,

lighter on underside ofhead and body; body with 13 obscure dark
brown cross bands, slightly wider than interspaces, scarcely distin-
guishable from the color of the back and side, 5 predorsal. 3 subdorsal,
6 postdorsal. together with a narrow black band at base of caudal fin
dorsal rays dark green, interradial membranes pale yellow, a blackish
spot at base of anterior rays separated by a round yellowish spot from
the dark green area along the length of the dorsal base; caudal, anal,
and pectoral rays dark green, membranes pale rentrals with an indis-;

tinct dark green median band involving the rays.

—
Type and paratype~s. The type, 7.9 cm, long, taken by the Harvard
Primate Expedition on Doi Angka. Xorthern Thailand, in April 1937
is at the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Paratype (U.S.X,M. No.
118439) is 7.1 cm. long.
Remarha. —This species belongs in the local group composed of A".

reidL sexcauda. waUoni. and schvJtzi characterized by 10 to 18 dark

cross bands, complete lateral line, and short nasal tentacle. There are
no outstanding color marks except on the dorsal fin. The cross bands
are hardly discernible. Other characters that, in combination, seem
to distinguish the fish from related forms are the very broad, short
head obtusely rounded snout shoit barbels projecting median part
; :
;

of the upper lip covering a beaklike extension of the median part of

the upper jaw: and very short caudal peduncle with a strong carina-
tion on the upper edge formed by the backward extension of the caudal
fulcra. Wliile the median beaklike process of the upper jaw is found
in other noemacheilids, this feature is miusually prominent in the
present species.
NOEMACHEILUS WALTONI Fowler

Nemacheilus icaltoni Fowlee, 1937, p. 157, figs. 77-79 (Mepoon).

This species is known from 3 specimens 10.2, 4.5. and 2.6 cm. long.
The 13 dark cross bands in the type (5 predorsal, 3 subdorsal, 5 post-
dorsal) are pecitliar in having narrow darker edges (possibly owing
to change in preservation). The smallest specimen (^Fowler's fig. 79)
cannot with certainty be regarded as conspecific, as the cross bands
differ materially from the type in ntmaber, position, and color.

NOEMACHEILUS SCHULTZI. new species

FIGUBE 69

Nei7iacheiJus riviiJicola (non Hora) Fowleb, 1934a, p. 107, fig. 58 iChiengmai.

Chiengdao, Metang. Huey Meka).
Description. —Form rather slender: body compressed posteriorly,
cylindrical between dorsal fin and head greatest depth of body 5.6 in
:

standard length; least depth of caudal peduncle equal to its length

 —

318 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

and 1.7 in head; head moderately depressed, under surface flattened,

its length 4.2 in standard length, its depth behind eyes 1.5 in its length,
its width 1.4 in its length; eye nearly midway in length of head, its

upper margin touching dorsal profile, its diameter 7 in head,

2.7 in snout, and 2.3 in the flat interorbital space snout broad, evenly ;

rounded, 2.4 in head; cheeks prominent; nasal flap triangular, with

filamentous tip, not reaching eye mouth moderately curved, its width
;

equal to interorbital space, lips thick, lower lip with a median incision,
which extends almost completely through lip; inner rostral barbels
reaching to nostrils, outer rostral barbels longer and extending beyond
anterior margin of eye, maxillary barbels still longer, about 0.5 head.
Squamation Scales minute, completely covering body lateral line
: ;

nearly straight, continuous but less marked posteriorly.

Figure 69. Noeviacheilus schultzi, new species: Type (U.S.N. M. No. 107953). Drawn by
Miss Jane Roller.

Fins Origin of dorsal

: over origin of ventrals, midway between
fin
tip of snout and base of caudal
fin; dorsal rays iii, 8, the longest
branched ray 1.8 in head; caudal fin broadly emarginate, 1.4 in head;
anal rays ii, 5, the longest branched ray 0.5 length of head ventrals 1.6 ;

in head, a small blunt axillary scale; pectorals 1.3 in head, a short

axillary process, the rays i,ll, distance between pectorals at base of
first rays equal to length of head minus snout.
Coloration: Back and
sides pale olivaceous, upper part of head
obscurely mottled underparts pale creamy yellow dorsal surface of
; ;

outer rostral barbel olivaceous back and sides of body with about 15
;

narrow black cross bands, of approximate width of interspaces, which

 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 319

meet over the back and extend downward to the level of the pectoral
and ventral bases, the bands most regular in shape and position in
posterior half of body, five of the bands predorsal, three subdorsal,
seven postdorsal, together with a very black one at the base of the
caudal fin dorsal fin with a jet-black spot at its base anteriorly and an-
;

other such spot along its midbase, these spots in a rich creamy yellow
area, which extends the whole length of the fin, the rays distally bluish
black, the membranes whitish caudal fin pale yellow, with 2 indistinct
;

dark cross bands, its base with a narrow, jet-black band; anal and
ventral fins pale yellow pectoral membranes bluish, rays yellow.
;

—
Type and paratypes. The type, a male (U.S.N.M. No. 107953), 10.8
cm. long, was taken September 1, 1934, in Huey Melao, a mountain
stream on Doi Hua Mot, Northern Thailand. From the same stream,
are 3 specimens 9.7 to 11.1 cm. long, together with 22 immature indi-
viduals 3.7 to 6.9 cm. long, taken August 14, 1934, 3 specimens 9.3, 10.2,
and 10.2 cm. long, 1 of them a ripe female, together with 5 immature
4.5 to 5.3 cm., taken August 18, 1934; and 11 specimens 3.7 to 11.6 cm.
long, taken August 23, 1934. Paratypes bear the following numbers
U.S.N.M. Nos. 109715, 109733, 109734, and 109754.
—
Remarks. This is a large well-marked species living in mountain
streams of Northern Thailand. The coloration of the bodj^ is some-
what variable. The shape of the cross bands, while fairly constant on
the posterior part of the body, shows a tendency to become irregular
anteriorly. The number of bands may reach 17 or 18, but is usually
only 15. The black spots at the base of the dorsal fin and the narrow
band at the base of the caudal do not vary.
This species falls in the group of Asiatic N oemacheilus characterized
by a more or less complete lateral line and numerous dark cross bands
on body, together with a nontubular anterior nostril and the absence
of a black ocellus at the upper base of the caudal fin. Among the
related forms recorded from Siam and Burma N. sikmaiensis Hora and
N. rivulicola Hora seem closest. The former is a small species not
exceeding 5 cm. in length, with short barbels, well-forked caudal fin,
lateral line ending over middle of anal fin, and 12 or 13 regular black
cross bands separated by narrower white spaces.
This appears to be the species that Fowler (1934a) identified as
N oeinacheilus rivulicola Hora from numerous specimens 3 to 9.7 cm.
long from Chiengmai, Chiengdao, Metang, and Huey Meka, in North-
ern Thailand, judged from the figure of a fish about 7 cm. long pub-
lished in the paper cited. The differences between that figure and
Hora's (1929a, p. 324, pi. 15, figs. 3, 4) description and figures seem
too great to be accounted for by age or individual variation. The
differences are in fact of cardinal importance as specific criteria in
this genus, and include the position of the dorsal fin (its origin far in
advance of the midlength of body in rivulicola^ equidistant between
 —

320 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

tip of snout and base of caudal in Fowler's figure, and well in advance
of the origin of the ventral fin in rivuUcola while opposite the origin
of the ventral fin in Fowler's figure), the length of the pectoral fin (as
long as head as against shorter than head), the shape of caudal fin
(deeply incised as against slightly emarginate), the shape of caudal
peduncle (longer than deep as against as long as deep) the lateral line ,

(absent or rudimentary posterior to midbase of anal fin as against

complete throughout), and various other features. Dr. Hora, in a
confirms the view herein expressed that Noemacheilus rivuUcola
letter,
of Fowler is not the Hvulicola of Hora from the Southern Shan States
of Burma.
It is a pleasure to name this fish after Dr. Leonard P. Schultz,
curator of fishes in the U. S. National Museum.
NOEMACHEILUS DEIGNANI. new species

FiGTJBE 70

—
Description. Body moderately compressed posteriorly, very slightly
compressed anteriorly to dorsal fin; dorsal profile rising gradually
from snout to a point a little before dorsal fin ventral surface of head ;

and body flattened; greatest depth of body 4% times in standard

length; least depth of caudal peduncle 1.2 in its length and 1.7

/ 5

:,2S£S1i:;;2£lS^

-^ii?
(
"^SN?

Figure 70.- Noemacheilus deignani, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 107946). Drawn
by Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.
times in head ; head 4.5 in standard length, its length exceeding depth
of body, very slightly depressed, its depth at nape 0.8 its width, its
width 1.5 in its length ; eye in anterior half of head, 7 in head, nearly
and 3.0 in flat interorbital space lips papillose, lower lip
3.5 in snout, ;

with a deep median incision; margin of upper jaw with a rounded

central horny beak, which fits into a deep emargination in the lower
jaw; internarial tentacle well-developed, its length 1.5 times eye, when
folded back reaching front of pupil; inner rostral barbel reaching
eye, outer rostral barbel extending behind eye and longer than maxil-
lary barbel which is 0.5 head body fully scaled, lateral line complete.
;

Fins Dorsal fin originating over base of ventrals. a little closer to

:

base of caudal than tip of snout; dorsal rays iii,8, longest ray equal to
 —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 321

depth of body; caudal longer than head, moderately incised, lobes

rounded; anal rays ii,5, longest branched ray less than longest dorsal
ray; pectoral fin shorter than head, longer than ventrals, its rays i,10.
Coloration: Pale, creamy yellow background of head and body
largely covered with dark brown; on top of head brown areas nar-
rowly separated by ground color hav^e geometrical design suggestive
of cephalic plates of ophicephalid fishes; sides of head brown, the
color extending lowest on opercles nasal flap colorless outer rostral
; ;

barbels brown dorsally, other barbels pale; body from head to base
of caudal fin with about 14 vertical brown bands, which meet over
the back but do not extend on ventral surface, the bands two or three
times as wide as the interspaces; six of the bands preclorsal, three
subdorsal, 5 postdorsal a narrow black stripe on the first cross band
;

extending on base of pectoral fin dorsal fin with a black spot at its
;

base anteriorly and with several irregular transverse rows of black-

brown spots on the rays caudal fin with its rays marked by numerous
;

black-brown spots having a tendency to form irregular wavy cross

lines, base of fin with a conspicuous black transverse band other fins ;

plain.
—
Type and paratypes. The type (U.S.N.M. No. 107946) is 5.3 cm.
long and was collected by H. G. Deignan in a mountain brook on Kao
Sabap, near Chantabun, Southeastern Thailand, April 29, 1937. From
the same brook and ou the same date 14 other specimens were
taken, 2.9 to 4.G cm. long (paratypes U.S.N.M. No. 107943). These
agree with the type except for slight differences in pattern of colora-
tion owing to age and individual variation. In general the cross bands
are separated by slightly wider interspaces, and on the back the dark
bands are constricted, leaving wider pale spaces.
—
Remarks. The outstanding features of this species are the moder-
ately elongate form, long barbels, long nasal tentacle, complete lateral
line, origin of the dorsal fin considerably nearer to base of caudal than
to tip of snout, numerous dark cross bands closer together than in
any other species of the region, definite and peculiar pattern of mark-
ings on top of head, and the black postcephalic band, which extends
on the base of the pectoral fin.

The species is named for H. G. Deignan, ornithologist, in apprecia-

tion of his zeal in collecting fishes in remoter parts of Thailand for
the U. S. National Museum.

NOEMACHEILUS KOHCHANGENSIS H. M. Smith

FiGUUE 71

Noiiacheilus kohcharujensis Smith, 1933a, p. 56, fig. 2, pi. 1, fig. 2 (Koh Chang).
KouMANS, 1937a, p. 64 (Northern Siam).
A mountain stream on Koh Chang, in the Gulf of Siam, yielded the
type specimen of this rather strongly marked species.
 — — —

322 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

The fish is 7 cm. long and has 18 narrow dark cross bands, whicli
extend to the median line of the back and are deficient on the lower
part of the body; 7 of the bands are predorsal, 3 subdorsal, and 8
postdorsal, in addition to a narrow, sharply defined, vertical black
stripe at the base of the caudal fin. A black bar extends from the
axil of the pectoral fin to a black blotch at the beginning of the lateral
a diffuse brownish area on the upper part of the opercle;
line; there is
the whole upper surface of the head is covered with rounded black

spots; a brown stripe extends under eye to angle of mouth; the pale
yellow dorsal fin has a jet-black spot at its base anteriorly and several
transverse rows of dark spots on the dorsal rays; and the greenish-
yellow caudal fin has five irregular transverse rows of brown spots.
The barbels are long, all reaching to or beyond the eye; the eyes, in-
visible from below, are much nearer to tip of snout than to the gill
opening; the anterior nostril is in a tube with a posterior flap, which
nearly reaches eye; the lateral line terminated in advance of the
anal fin.

-ifr v%f ^ «^

Figure 71. Noemacheilus kohchangensis H. M. Smith. Drawn by Luang Masya;

courtesy of the Thailand Government.

Koumans (1937a) reported four specimens of this fish, 8.1 to 11.1 cm.
long, from a stream 580 meters above sea level on the road from Prae
to Nan in Northern Thailand.

NOEMACHEILUS MULTIFASCIATUS Day

Nemacheilus multifasciatus Dat, 1S78, vol. 2, pp. 613, 617, pi. 153, fig. 7 (Darjeeling
and Assam, India). Vinciguekea, 1889-90, p. 337 (Meekalan and Thagata
Juva, Burma).
Nemachilus multifasciatus Hoea and Mukerji, 1934, p. 135 (Northern Siam).
Mtjkeeji, 1934, p. 43 (Northern Siam).

The Thai fish is somewhat uncertain. De-

status of this species as a
scribed by Day (1878) from Darjeeling and Assam, India, the species
was lost sight of until Vinciguerra reported it from Burma near the
Thai border in 1890.
In a mountain brook at Pang Meton, on Doi Nangka, Northern Thai-
land, 20 specimens, 4.3 to 8.4 cm. long, were collected April 28, 1931.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 323

In 1932 several specimens were received by the Siamese Bureau of

Fisheries from the Mesort, in Western Thailand, this stream being a
tributary of the Memue (which flows into the Sal win) and is not
remote from the source of Vinciguerra's material. Some of the Thai
specimens were sent to Dr. Hora, of the Indian Museum in Calcutta,
and were found by him and Dev Dev Mukerji to agree with a speci-
men from Burma sent by Vinciguerra; but both the Burmese and
the Thai forms were seen to differ from the incomplete description
of Day. The opinion of the Indian ichthyologists is that the Burmese
and Thai fish may bear the name N. multifasciatus pending the exami-
nation of typical Indian material adequate to establish the range of
variation, with the possibility that the Burmo-Siamese form may
prove to be entitled to specific rank.
This is a medium-sized fish, the maximum reported length being
about 8.5 cm. The barbels are short, the maxillary pair being but
little longer than the diameter of the eye, the rostral pairs even

shorter. The lateral line is complete. The dorsal fin, with eight
branched rays, has its origin above or slightly in advance of ventrals
and midway between the tip of snout and the base of caudal fin. The
caudal fin, equal to or slightly longer than the head, is moderately in-
cised, with rounded lobes. The body is marked by numerous dark
cross bands, which are wider and about 5 in number, posterior to the
dorsal fin and very narrow, close together, and about 18 in number be-
tween the head and the posterior end of the dorsal base. A narrow
black transverse bar is at the base of the caudal fin. The dorsal and
caudal fins may have four or more lines of dark spots, and the anal
and ventral fins may have two dark bands.
A female, 7 cm. long, from Pang Meton, with markings much less
distinct than in specimens which appear to be males, contains eggs
about 1.5 mm. in diameter.

NOEMACHEILUS POCULI, new species

FiGUKB 72

Description. —Very elongate, body very slightly compressed ante-

riorly, more so in posterior half; greatest depth of body 6 times in
standard length caudal peduncle rather short, its least depth 1.6 in
;

its length and 2 in heada slight concavity at nape ; head moderately

;

depressed, its length 4.8 in standard length, 1.5 times its width, 1.7
times its depth; snout gently decurved, rounded, its Ipngth 2.5, in head;
eye in anterior half of head, 5 in head, 2 in snout, and 1.5 in inter-
orbital space mouth small, lunate, surrounded by fleshy lips, the lower
;

lip interrupted medianly, leaving exposed the sharp edge of the lower
jaw ; barbels short, but exceeding the diameter of the eye.
 —

324 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Squamation: Lateral line distinct and complete; body covered

with minute scales except region between mouth and ventral fins,
which is naked, about 25 rows of scales between midline of back before
dorsal fin and lateral line, about 20 rows of scales between lateral line
and base of ventral fins.

Fins Origin of dorsal fin midway between anterior edge of eye and
:

base of midcaudal rays, directly over origin of ventral fins, rays iii, 8,
longest ray 0.6 head; caudal fin as long as head, forked for 0.25 its
length, lobes pointed; anal rays ii,5, longest 0.7 head; ventrals 0.8
head, rays i,6 pectorals slightly larger than ventrals, rays i,10.
;

Figure 72. Noevwcheilus poculi, new species: Type (M.C.Z. No. 35525). Drawn by-

Mrs. Aime M. Awl.

Coloration Back and sides pale yellowish green, underparts whitish

:

or creamy; side from head to base of caudal fin marked by numerous

narrow, irregular blackish or dark brown cross bands, those anterior to
and under the dorsal fin about 25 in number and narrower than the
posterior ones, which number about nine, extend to or nearly to median
line below and meet across the back predorsal region with about six
;

dark brown transverse saddles top and sides of head obscurely marbled
;

with blackish; on the base of caudal fin, and separated from last
peduncular cross band by a bright yellow area, a crescentic or lunate
jet-black bar curved forward, its ends not reaching the dorsal and
ventral profiles; near upper end of this bar a black saddlelike spot
involving the caudal fulcra dorsal fin with a row of black basal spots
;

on both rays and membranes, and a black median band involving only
the rays; caudal fin with three wavj^ dark cross bands, the posterior
edge of the fin narrowly margined with dark other fins plain.;

Type and other specimens. —The type, a male

5.8 cm. long, taken in
April 1937 by the Harvard Primate Expedition on Doi Angka, North-
ern Thailand, is in the Museum of Comparative Zoology. In the same
lot are 44 other paratypes, 3 to 7.1 cm. long.
Nos. 118440, 118441).
....
(Paratypes, U.S.N.M.
 —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 325

—
Remarks. This species most closely resembles N. muUifasciatus Day
(q. v.), showing the same peculiarity of the dark cross
bands, which
are extremely narrow and crowded on the anterior half of the body,
wider and more widely spaced posteriorly. In the present species,
however, the cross bands are much more numerous and are supple-
mented by dark saddles, which constitute a series of marks distinct from
the cross bands. The final cross band, which is jet black, extends ver-
tically completely across the peduncle according to Day's figure of N.
rrmltifasciatiis, but in the present species is crescentic, does not reach the
upper and lower profiles, and is supplemented superiorly by a black
saddlelike spot on the fulcral caudal rays. Whereas in N. nrnlti-
fasciatus the origin of the dorsal fin is definitely in advance of the
ventrals and midway between the tip of the snout and the base of the
median caudal rays, in the present form the dorsal arises directly
over the origin of the ventrals and is nearer to the base of the caudal by
the length of the snout.
Many of the specimens are ovigerous females approaching the spawn-
ing condition these range in size from 5.Y to 7.1 cm. and average 6.2
;

cm., and have the markings less distinct than in the males, which
average somewhat smaller.
The specific name (from pocidum, a bowl) is given in allusion to the
mountain on which the specimens were collected, Angka meaning
crow's bowl.

NOEMACHEILUS MASYAE H. M. Smith

FiGTJEE 73

XnnarhriJiix niasiine Smith, 19.33a, p. 58, fig. 3, pi. 1, fig. 3 (Nakon Sritamarat,
Ronpibun, Kao Sabap, Chantabun). Fowler, 1934a, p. 108 (Chiengmai) ;

1935a, p. 106 (Khao Nam Poo) ; 1937, p. 158 (Mepoon).

This one of the most widely distributed of the Thailand noema-

is

cheilids. The type came from the upper waters of the Tadi rivulet,
which flows from the high mountains of the Thailand-Burmese bound-
ary, through the town of Nakon Sritamarat, into the Gulf of Siam.
Other specimens from Peninsular Thailand were from a stream and
a pond in Ronpibun, Province of Nakon Sritamarat. In Southeastern
Thailand the fish was collected in a ditch near the town of Chantabun
and in a mountain stream on Kao Sabap. More recently specimens
have been obtained by Fowler from the Central region at Khao Nam
Poo and Mepoon, and in the Northern area at Chiengmai. Deignan,
collecting for the U. S. National Museum, got five specimens, 5 to 6 cm.
long, from Huey Aw, a clear brook tributary of the Menam Nan,
Northern district, April 21, 1936, two of these specimens having a
preorbital hook and three specimens, 5.9, 6.2, and 6.5 cm. long, from
;

590087 —i5 22
 —

326 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Huey Lorn, another tributary of the Menam Nan, June 1 to 3, 1936,

of which the two smallest have a preorbital hook and are males, while
the largest has no hook and is a female with nearly ripe eggs.
This is a very distinct species, at once recognizable by its slender
form, long barbels, cartilaginous hook in the male extending back-
ward from the preorbital, high dorsal fin, strongly forked caudal fin
with pointed lobes, of which the upper is much longer, and peculiar
pattern of coloration a series of 14 to 20 dark brown saddles extend-
:

ing from back downward toward lateral line, the same number of
dark brown spots along lateral line, and a small, round jet-black spot
at base of caudal rays surrounded by a pale yellow area. The long
barbels, preorbital hook, and deeply forked caudal fin induced Fowler
(1937) to establish the subgenus Pogononemacheilus for this species.

Figure 73. Noemacheilus masyae H. M. Smith. Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy

of the Thailand Government.

The type (U.S.N.M. No. 107954) is 6.8 cm. long and is a male with
preorbital hook. The largest known specimen is a female, 8 cm. long,
with well-developed ova, from a waterfall stream near Chantabun.
The National Museum collection contains paratypes (U.S.N.M. Nos.
109720,109753).

NOEMACHEILUS TRANSLINEATUS Fowler

Nemacheilus trans-Uneatus Fowler, 1939, p. 63, fig. 13 (Trang).

This species is described from three specimens, 6.8, 6.5, and 6.1 cm.

long, from a waterfall stream near Trang, and is peculiar in having

the general coloi- brown, with light cross bands. The deeply forked
caudal fin, with pointed lobes, is another outstanding feature.

NOEMACHEILUS BUCCULENTUS, new species

FiGUEE 74

DescHptio7i. — Elongate, body moderately compressed posteriorly to

origin of dorsal fin, depressed anteriorly; dorsal profile from head to

caudal fin curved very slightly upward to and downward from dorsal
fin^ ventral profile straight and flat depth 5.2 in standard length cau-
; ;
 —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 327

Figure 74 Noemachcilus bucculentus, new species: Type (U. S.N.M. No. 107942).
Drawn by Miss Jane Roller.

dal peduncle slightly longer than deep, its length 2 in head head much ;

depressed, 3.8 in standard length, depth 2.3 in its length and 1.8
its

in its greatest breadth behind eyes breadth of head equal to its length
;

along median dorsal line; cheeks greatly swollen; dorsal profile of

head nearly straight from nape to a prominence over nostrils, when
the profile is decurved to tip of snout; snout viewed from above
pointed, viewed from side slightly pug-nosed length of snout 2.6 times
;

in head eyes small, dorsolateral in midlength of head, about 5 in head,

;

2.9 in snout, and 1.25 in interorbital space nostrils very close together
;

and much nearer to eye than to tip of snout, posterior nostril distant
from eye somewhat more than 0.5 diameter of eye, anterior nostril in a
short tube formed by the nasal tentacle, which is small, and when de-
pressed reaches very slightly beyond posterior nostril mouth strongly ;

arched, its width 0.8 length of snout lips rather thick, lower lip with a
;

slight median incision upper jaw with a broad beaklike process fitting
;

against an emargination and incision in lower jaw; inner rostral

barbels short, extending about halfway to nostrils; outer rostral
barbels longer, extending to nostrils; maxillary barbels longer than
outer rostral andwhen folded back reaching a point under posterior
margin of orbit opercular flap well developed ventral ends of bran-
; ;

chial openings separated by a space equal to length of snout; gill

rakers 2 + 10, wide-spaced, 0.2 length of gill filaments; scales deficient
on anterior half of body; lateral line nearly straight, complete.
 — —

328 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Fins Origin of dorsal fin slightly in advance of origin of ventrals,

:

about midway between tip of snout and base of caudal fin; dorsal
rays iii, 8, longest branched ray 1.8 in head; caudal slightly incised,
its length 1.4 in head; anal rays iii, 5, longest less than 0.5 head, nearly
reaching base of caudal ventrals as long as dorsal, not quite reaching
;

ventral aperture; pectoral rays i, 10, the fin rounded, 1.6 in head and
extending 0.6 distance between pectoral and ventral bases.
Coloration Entire head and body pale greenish brown, somewhat
:

lighter below; no markings; fins plain, the dorsal rays dark greenish.
—
Type mid paratypes. The type (U.S.N.M. No. 107942), a female,
12.1 cm. long, with well-developed eggs, was taken by H. G. Deignan,
April 26, 1936, in Huey Nam Puat, a clear mountain brook, at Ben
Nam Puat, in French Laos the stream ultimately reaches the Mekong.
;

A male paratype (U.S.N.M. No. 107896), 12 cm. long, agrees in all

respects with the type but with very faint evidence of several dark
cross bands posterior to origin of anal fin, these marks visible on
only one side. Another paratype is U.S.N.M. No. 107945.
—
Remarks. Aside from its comparatively large size and pale color,
this species may be recognized easily by its very full and protruding
cheeks and its acutely pointed snout.
The vestiges of transverse bands observable on the male specimen
suggest that the young may be marked with distinct cross bands, which
become obsolete or disappear entirely in the larger adults.

NOEMACHEILUS BINOTATUS H. M. Smith

Figure 75

.Nemacheilus hinotatus Smith, 1933a, p. 01, pi. 1, fig. 4 (Mtkhan). Fowlek, 1934a,
p. 104 (Chiengmai).

This species is known only from the Meping and tributaries in

Northern Thailand. The type and cotype, 5.2 and 4.5 cm. long, were
collected in the Mekhan, a picturesque mountain stream, at a point
where it lies southwest of Chiengmai. Fowler had numerous speci-
mens, 1.4 to 3.8 cm. long, from the Meping at Chiengmai.

Figure 75. Noemachsilus binotaius H. M. Smith. Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy of

the Thailand Government.
 FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 329

The unique among the Thailand representatives of the genus

fish is
NoeTnacheilus in having no cross bands on body but is characteristically
marked with a narrow sharply defined black stripe extending from
head to base of caudal fin; from the stripe, above the middle of the
pectoral fin when depressed, two short black bars extend vertically
about halfway to the median line of the back, the bars occupying a
bright yellow area, and there is a round black spot on the base of the
central raj'S of the caudal fin. A
black area extends from gill opening
to eye and is continued as a well-defined stripe from eye to tip of snout
and thence to dorsal surface of the four rostral barbels. The body
is slender, the head is long, the dorsal fin is high, the caudal fin is broad

and moderately forked, and the lower fins are comparatively small.

Order Nematognathi : Catfishes

The catfishes are very numerously represented in Thailand. They

fall into 10 families, 34 genera, and about a hundred species, ranging
in size from 5 centimeters to 3 meters.^
The great majority of the species live only in fresh water. The few
that are strictly marine have fresh-water relatives and are herein
referred to in order to make the family and generic treatments com-
plete.
In the adaptation of the local catfishes to the peculiar physical con-
ditions that have to be overcome, some remarkable habits and struc-
tural features have developed. Thus, in one large family (Tachy-
suridae) most of the members practice oral incubation, and in another
family (Clariidae) all the members have special air-breathing appara-
tus to supplement the gills. In some mountain-stream catfishes (fam-
ily Sisoridae) there is a thoracic adhesive organ to aid in maintaining
themselves in swift water.
The catfishes are important as food, especially for the people of
interior districts. Every species, regardless of size, is eaten.
The families of this order may be differentiated as follows:
la. Dorsal fin absent or, if present, spineless no adipose fin.
;

2a. Dorsal fin few rayed, rudimentary, or absent.

3a. Two pairs of barbels (maxillary and mandibulary) breathing apparatus
;

of ordinary type Siluridae

3&. Four pairs of barbels (nasal, maxillary, mandibulary, and mental) ;

breathing apparatus highly modified, a pair of cylindrical air sacs

extending fi'om gill cavity through muscles of back to tail.
Heteropneustidae

^ The richness of this fauna may be better appraciated when it is stated that continental

United States, with fifteen times the area of Thailand, has in its fresh and coastal waters
only one-third the number of catfish species. India and Burma, with nine times the area
of Thailand, have about the same numbei- of catfish genera and only about 12 percent
more species.
 :

330 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

2&. Dorsal fin many rayed, extending nearly entire length of back 4 pairs of ;

barbels; a supplementary arborescent breathing organ in upper part of

each gill cavity Clariidae
Ih. Dorsal fin few rayed, with pungent spine.
4a. No adipose dorsal fin; caudal fin confluent with the long anal fin and
extending forward as a second dorsal fin Plotosidae
46. Adipose fin present caudal fin forked, emarginate, or truncate.
;

5a. Anal fin long, with 28 to 40 rays adipose dorsal fin small gill-membranes
; ;

free from isthmus Schilbeidae

56. Anal fin mostly short, with 8 to 22 rays adipose dorsal fin well developed.
;

6a. Gill membranes united to each other, free from isthmus.

7a. Nostrils close together dorsal and pectoral spines weak.
;

Amblycipitidae
76. Nostrils widely separated; dorsal and pectoral spines strong.
Bagridae
66. Gill membranes united to isthmus.
8c. Nostrils close together, separated by a barbel Sisoridae
86. Nostrils close together, separate by a valve Tachysuridae
Sc. Nostrils well separated, the posterior with a barbel Akysidae

Family SILURIDAE
This family includes more genera than does any other family of
Thai catfishes, although the number of species is less than in the
Tachysuridae.
The local members of the family are easily recognizable by 2 pairs
of barbels (maxillary and mandibulary, the latter often very feebly
developed), very small or altogether deficient dorsal fin (which has
no spine), deficient adipose fin, extremely long anal fin (with 50 to 103
rays) and a weak or moderately strong pectoral spine with or without
,

denticulations.
Recent revisions of the nomenclature have made necessary a number
of changes in long-established generic names in order to conform
to modern rules. The following genera are here recognized

la. Eyes with a free fold of skin, above level of angle of mouth ; vomerine teeth
in 2 separate patches or in a more or less continuous band; dorsal fin

ventral rays 9 to 11.

with 4 or 5 rays ;

2a. Vomerine teeth always in 2 well-separated elongate patches; dorsal fin

with 5 rays caudal fin forked and entirely free from anal fin.
;

Wallagonia
26. Vomerine teeth in a transverse band, which may be either continuous or
medianly separated or constricted; dorsal fin with 4 rays; caudal fin
rounded and united to anal fin Parasilurus
16. Eyes subcutaneous, above or behind level of angle of mouth.
3a. Dorsal finwith 3 to 5 rays.
4a. Caudal unequally lobed or obliquely emarginate or truncate, broadly
fin
united to anal fin eye above angle of mouth teeth on vomer in a
; ;

single rounded patch; ventral rays 7 Silurichthys

46. Caudal fin deeply forked, entirely free from or very slightly connected
with anal fin.
 !

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SI AM, OR THAILAND 331

5a. Jaw teeth long, unequal, wide set, in several rows; teeth on vomer in
a single transverse patch ; eye above angle of mouth ventral;

rays 9 or 10 Wallago
56. Jaw teeth in a villiform band eye behind angle of mouth ventral
; ;

rays 7 or 8.
6a. Vomerine teeth in 2 transverse patches of 2 rows of teeth connected
by a single row of teeth Silurodes
66. Vomerine teeth in 2 separate patches Ompok
36. Dorsal fin rudimentary or absent.
7ff. Vomerine teeth in 2 separate patches maxillary barbel short, hooked,
;

bony Ceratoglanis
76. Vomerine teeth in a single transverse baud maxillary barbel fila-
;

mentous Kryptopterus

Genus WALLAGONIA Myers

Wallagonia Myers, Copeia, 1938, No. 2, p. 98. (Type, Wallago leerii Bleeker.)

It is unfortunate that the time-honored name of Wallago, borne by

these fishes since 1858, hashad to yield to the law of priority and be
reassigned to the species to which it was originally given by Bleeker
in 1851, In that year, Bleeker, as was his custom in making use of
colloquial names, took the Indian fish name ivallago, gave it generic
rank, and employed it in connection with a new species {dinema) not
found in India. There was no separate description or diagnosis of
the genus Wallago, a circumstance that led Weber and de Beaufort
(1913, vol, 2) to reject the name as applied to dinema and to adopt it
as used later by Bleeker with an entirely different connotation. The
generic characters, however, were included with the specific diagnosis,
as was done before and since Bleeker's day for genera that are now
recognized as valid, and there seems to be little doubt that Wallago
dinema should stand as originally set forth.
Seven years after Wallago dinema was established, Bleeker, with
a vagarious turn such as is often associated with outstanding genius,
adopted the name Wallago for two fishes not congeneric with the
original Wallago and created a new generic name, Belodontichthys,
to accommodate the species he had formerly placed in Wallago, but
this time he called it macrochir and designated dinema as a synonym
Dr. Sundar Lai Hora of the Indian Museum in Calcutta (1936a)
discussed this nomenclatorial question in its varied aspects and retained
the name Wallago in its secondary application in the hope that, the
matter having been referred to the International Commission on
Zoological Nomenclature, the names Wallago and BelodoiUichthys in
their more recent signification may be included among the nomina
conservanda. Dr. Hora recognizes, however, that under a strict in-
terpretation of the accepted rules the name Wallago is not available for
the fiehes later so called.
 : — — — —

332 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

action to provide a generic name for the fishes that had been
The
called Wallago was taken by Myers (1938) in proposing the new genus
Wallagonia, with W. leerii as the genotype.
Two species of Wallagonia from Thailand are recognized herein, as
follows
la. Mouth extending far posterior to eye ;
gill rakers 21 ; anal rays 86
to 93 attu
1&. Mouth extending to vertical from front of eyes; gill rakei-s 9; anal rays
64 to 72 miostoma

WALLAGONIA ATTU (Bloch)

Silurus attu Bloch, in Schneider, 1801, p 378, pi. 75 (Malabar).

Wallago attu BleekeR, 18(55, (356), p. 175 (Siam).— Satjvage, 1883b, p. 154
(Menam Chao Phya). Weber and de Bkaufokt, 1913, vol. 2, p. 201 (Siam).
HoKA, 1923b. p. 165 (Bangkok).— Vipulya, p. 225 (Bangkok). Fowlee,
1934a, p. 87 (Ghiengmai, Chiengsen) 1939, p. 43 (Krabi).
;

The range of this striking species covers Java, Smnatra, Ceylon,

India, Burma, Thailand, and Indochina. In Thailand it is found
in the larger streams. Specimens have been obtained from the Menam
Chao Phya at various points between Bangkok and Paknampo, from
the Menam Nan near its mouth, and from the Mekok at Chiengrai.
Fowler records the species from the Meping at Chiengmai and the
Mekong at Chiengsen.
It is one of the largest, most powerful, and most predatory of the
local catfishes. A length of nearly 2 meters is attained. Some ex-
amples examined by the writer have been over a meter long, and many
up to 60 to 75 cm. long have been seen in the fishermen's boats and in
the markets of the river towns.
The presence of the fish in a given place is usually made known by
its pursuit of small fishes at or near the surface and by its habit, at

such times, of jumping entirely out of the water and falling back with
a loud splash. When small cyprinoids known as a pla soi are running
upstream in their annual migration, the pla khao (as this fish is always
known to the Thai) remain with the schools and gorge themselves.
Their great size, large mouth, and formidable teeth enable them to
kill and devour almost every kind of fish.

WALLAGONIA MIOSTOMA (Vaillant)

Wallago viiostoma Vaiu:.ant, 1902, p. 44 (Tepoe, Borneo). Smith, 1933a, p. 75

(Central Siam).

This large catfish had been known only in rivers of Borneo and
Sumatra until it was recorded from Thailand in 1933. It is found
in the larger rivers of the Central district, but it has not been common
in recent years. The upper Menam Chao Phya, in the Paknampo
 ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 333

section, seems to be its principal resort. On January 6, 1924, a speci-

men 75.5 cm. long was collected at Paknampo and a fish 88 cm., long
was examined there. A fishery conducted with seines in the deeper
parts of the river near Paknampo yielded five or six fishes daily in
December and January for the local market, and examples a meter
long and weighing 50 kg. have been taken there. Another fishing cen-
ter is the Lopburi River, whence fish are sent to the Bangkok market
during the season of high water.
This fish is well known to the fishermen, who give it names borne
by no other species. One vernacular name is pla tuk (or ituh or itok)^
perhaps in allusion to its somber color. Another is pla itub {ituh, to
beat), possibly in reference to the splash made by the fish when it

strikes the surface of thewater after having leaped out in pursuit of

small cyprinoids. Still another name is pla khao dam {dam, black),
to distinguish it from Wallagonia attu, which is called pla khao {khao,
white).

Genus PARASILURUS Bleeker

Parasilurus Bleeker (299), Versl. Med. Akad. AnisterdaDi, vol. 14, pp. 392, 394,
1862. (Type, Silurus japonicus Schlegel.)

PAKASILURUS COCHINCHINENSIS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Silurus cochinchinensis Ctn'iER and Valenciennes, 1839, vol. 14, p. 352 (locality not
given).

The inclusion of this Thai fauna is based on a specimen,

species in the
by Layang Gaddi on September 11, 1933, in a
22.6 cm. long, collected
waterfall stream on Kao Chong, near Trang, in Peninsular Thailand.
Features of this specimen are: Lower jaw slightly shorter than the
upper, vomerine teeth in a continuous transverse band, maxillary
barbels extending on the anal fin, mandibulary barbels reaching base
of pectorals, anal rays 63, ventral rays 9, pectoral rays I, 14, anal fin
united with the caudal, and lower caudal rays appreciably longer
than the upper.
In the original description of this species from Cochinchina by
Cuvier and Valenciennes in 1839, the vomerine teeth were stated to be
divided into two groups; Day (1878, vol. 2, p. 481) gave these teeth
as "in two oval spots on the vomer divided by a smooth interspace"
and Giinther (1864, vol. 5, p. 34) referred to them as "forming a band,
which is a little interrupted in the middle." Examples from Hainan
Island, China, in the American Museum of Natural History, cour-
teously examined by John T. Nichols, curator of recent fishes in
that institution, were found by him
have the vomerine teeth either
to
in a continuous band, as in the Thailand example, or the band with a
median indentation posteriorly, but never were the teeth definitely
separated into two discontinuous patches. These variations in
 — : —
334 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

vomerine teeth are in specimens that are in general agreement in other

respects, with the exception that the pectoral rays as given by Cuvier
and Valenciennes, Giinther, and Day are 1, 11 while in the Thai speci-
men they are 1, 14.
This fish is given the name fla dong by the people of the Trang
district.

Genus SILURICHTHYS Bleeker

Silurichthys Bleekee (189), Act. Soc. Sci. Indo-Neerl. (Siluri), vol. 4, p. 268, 1858.
(Type, Silurus phaiosoma Bleeker.)

In these fishes the anal and caudal fins are completely confluent, a
feature iiot found in any other local genus of the family. The anal
fin is very long, and the ventrals and dorsal are inserted far forward.
The caudal fin is normally asymmetrical, with the lobes of unequal
length. A pair of long barbels arises from the side of the anterior
nostril and another pair is inserted behind the chin.
The two species of Silurichthys ascribed to Thailand are differen-
tiated as follows

la. Anal rays 53 to 58; dorsal fin over ventrals; caudal fin obliquely truncate or,
in fully developed examples, with pointed lobes, of v?hich the upper is much
the longer phaiosoma
1&. Anal rays 67 dorsal ; fin in advance of ventrals caudal
; fin rounded.
leucopodus

SILURICHTHYS PHAIOSOMA (Bleeker)

FiGUEE 76

Silurus phaiosoma Bleekeb, 1851 (49), p. 428, 1S51 (Sambas, Borneo).

Silurichthys phaiosoma Smith, 1933a, p. 77 (Chantabun River). Fovi'ler, 1934a,
p. 87 (Chantabun).

This species, known from Sumatra, Borneo, Bangka, Billiton, Singa-

pore, and Malacca, has an apparently restricted range in Thailand,
where it was collected for the first time for the Siamese Bureau of
Fisheries in 1927. On February 7 of that year five specimens, the
largest 7 cm. long, were taken in the Chantabun River near the town

Figure 76. Siluriclithys phaiosoma (Bleeker). Drawn by Luang Masya courtesy of

the Thailand Government.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 335

of Chantabun. Another specimen 6.5 cm. long was taken at the same
place on October 7, 1927. E. M. de Schauensee collected three speci-
mens, 5 to 11.2 cm. long, in the same locality in April 1933, as reported
by Fowler (1934a).
A length of 14 cm. is attained in the Dutch East Indies.
The fishermen of the Chantabun region apply to this fish the name
pla cha-on hin, given to no other fish.

SILURICHTHYS LEUCOPODUS Fowler

Silunchtfiys leucopodus Fowlee, 1939, p. 56, figs. 4-6 (waterfall at Trang).

A single specimen 15.7 cm. long was collected in 1938 in the water-
fall stream on Kao Chong near Trang, in Peninsular Thailand. Fowl-
er compared the species with S. schneideri Volz (1904) from Sumatra,
which was described as having 64 anal rays but otherwise in agree-
ment with S. phaiosoma^ from which Weber and de Beaufort doubt-
fully separated it the ventral fins are directly under the dorsal, as in
;

S. 2)haiosoma, while in S. leucopodus the ventrals are entirely posterior

to the dorsal.
The possession by this species of an evenly rounded caudal fin, as
shown by Fowler's description and figure, is at variance with the
generic definition given by Giinther, Weber and de Beaufort, and
others, and requires further consideration.

Genus WALLAGO Bleeker

Wallago Bijjekeb (45), Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 2, p. 202, 1851. (Type,
Wallago dinema Bleeker.)

As stated under Wallagonia, the generic name Belodontichthys, first

used for this species by Bleeker in 1858 and continuously by authors
from that date until 1938, is not available, being a pure synonym of
Wallago. ?
WALLAGO DINEMA Bleeker

Wallago dinema Bleekek, 1851 (45), p. 202 (Borneo).

Belodontichthys macrochir Bleeker, 1865 (347), p. 34 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. 175
;

(Siam).— Pbtees, 1868, p. 271 (Siam).

Belodontichthys dinema Webee and de Beaufoet, 1913, vol. 2, p. 204, fig. 79
(Siam).—HoBA, 1923b, p. 165 (Nontaburi).— Fowler, 1935a, p. 96 (Bangkok).
The range of this species extends from Borneo and Sumatra through
Malaya into Thailand. In Thailand the fish is to be found in the large
rivers of the central area (Menam Chao Phya, Meklong, and other
localities) and is one of the commonest of the catfishes, easily recog-
nizable by its large, strongly upturned mouth armed with slender teeth
in several rows in each jaw. It frequents the deeper parts of rivers,
and is most in evidence while feeding on the migrating schools of
336 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

young cyprinoid fishes {pla sol). During the clear-water season it

may be caught with a trolling spoon.

Fish of a length of 30 to 40 cm. are common. The largest actually
observed, taken in the Meklong at Ban Pong, March 11, 1931, were 70
cm. long.
Among the Thai this fish is considered to have a very good flavor
and is popular. As it dies immediately after being taken from the
water, its flesh deteriorates quickly.
The usual vernacular name given to the fish is pla hieio or pla hieo,'
hiew means deflected or bent, in allusion to the shape of the mouth.
Another name in the Bangkok district is pla hang huan (projecting
jaw fish).

Genus SILURODES Bleeker

Silurodcs Bleekek (189), Act. Soc. Sci. Indo-Neerl. (Indischen Archipel), vol. 4,
p. 271, 1858. (Type, Silnrus hypophthalmus Bleeker.)

The only difference between Silurodes and Ompok^ as indicated in

the foregoing key, is in the vomerine former genus
teeth, fishes in the
having those teeth in a single patch, fishes in the latter genus having
the teeth in two patches. This diii'erence holds good for all Thai fishes
examined, and Silurodes may be recognized as valid in the present
connection; but, as pointed out by Hora (1936b), the union of the
vomerine teeth in one patch or their separation into two patches may,
in the Siluridae, represent individual variation in both genera and
species.

SILURODES HYPOPHTHALMUS (Bleeker)

Silurus hypophthahnus Bleekee, 1846 (3), p. 149 (Batavia).

Silurodes hypophthalmus Smith, 1933a, p. 77 (Patani River, Tale Noi, Pasak).

This is one of numerous species of fresh-water fishes that occur in

Borneo, Java, and Sumatra and extend their range to the mainland
of Asia, as shown by collections made by the writer for the Siamese
Bureau of Fisheries in three different localities. In the Patani River,
Peninsular Thailand, two specimens 13 and 15 cm. long were obtained
in a cast net October 15, 1923 in that section the fish has the Malay
;

name of ikan laeh puteh {puteh^ white) and reaches a length of 30 cm.
In the Tale Noi, Peninsular Thailand, the fish is very common; speci-
mens taken by seining July 6, 1929, were 14.5 and 16 cm. long and
were the largest observed in that lake. By the use of a cast net in
the lower Pasak River, Central region, February 26, 1925, a number
of fish were caught; two that were preserved, 16.5 and 17.5 cm. long,
had a very conspicuous black spot on the caudal peduncle and black
membrane in the pectoral fins.
The name in use by the Pasak River fishermen is pla iiua on.
 — — —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 337

Genus OMPOK Lacepede

Ompok Lacepede, Hisloire naturelle des poissons, vol. 5, p. 49, 1803. (Type,
OmpoJc siluroides Lacepede.)

The generic name Ompok^ given and defined by Lacepede in 1803,

with a designated species {siluroides) unquestionably supplants Gal-
^

lichrous of Hamilton, 1822. Bleeker (1862 (301) vol. 2, p. 85) appears

,

to have been largely responsible for the substitution of the later for the
earlier name. This action, followed by most of the later authors, was
based on the wholly untenable ground that the name "rested on an error
and was only a mutilated reproduction of the Malay name Limfoh?''
Lacepede's diagnosis of Ompok leaves much to be desired. The
specimen on which the genus was based was dried and very badly
preserved the accompanying drawing was faulty
; and the description
;

erroneously stipulated the absence of a dorsal which was over-

fin,

looked. More than 30 years later Valenciennes (Cuvier and Valen-

ciennes, 1839, vol. 14, p. 362) reexamined Lacepede's type specimen and
discovered the dorsal fin.

The fact that a genus is inadequately or even incorrectly described

does not affect the validity of the proposed name if it otherwise con-
forms to the requirements of zoological nomenclature. In this case,
with a single recognizable species designated and described, and with
the principal defect in the original description subsequently rectified by
a reexamination of the type, Ompok clearly leaves no room for Cal-
lichrous (Hamilton, 1822), which was not diagnosed or defined by
Hamilton and was first defined by Swainson (1839, p. 306). In 1862
Bleeker, (1862 (301), vol. 2, p. 17) redefined Ccdlichrous and desig-
nated as its tyj)e pabda of Hamilton, a synonym of Lacepede's siluroides
(which in turn was equivalent to Bloch's Silurus himaculatus, 1797).

OMPOK BIMACULATUS (Bloch)

FlGtTEB 77

Silurus himaculatus Blooh, 1797, vol.

11, p. 17, pi. 364 (Malabar).
Callichrous bitnaculatus Bleeker, 1865 (356), p. 175 (Siam). Peters, 1868,
p. 271 (Siam). Weber aud de Beaufort, 1913, vol. 2, p. 209 (Siam). Hoba,
1923b, p. 165 (Nontaburi).
Ompok himaculatus Fowleb, 1935a, p. 96 (Bangkok).
The range
of this species extends from Java, Borneo, and Sumatra
to Malaya, Thailand, and Indo-China, and thence to Burma, India,
and Ceylon. In Thailand the fish is widely distributed and abundant
in the central plain, the Peninsula, and in Southeastern and Eastern
Thailand. Waters from which specimens have been examined and
preserved are: Central Thailand (Menam Chao Phya at Paknam,
Bangkok, Nontaburi, and Paknampo; Menam Sak at Dha Luang;
 —
.

338 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Menam Lopburi at Lopburi Menam Chao diet at Ban Poll Menam

; ;

Nan basin at Bung Borapet and Klong Borapet) Southeastern Thai- ;

land (Menam Chantabun at Chantabun and Kao Sabap; Klong Ban

Taeng, Krat) Peninsular Thailand (Tale Sap; Tale Noi; Klong
;

Kae Chieg at Patalung; Klong Nakon Noi at Nakon Sritamarat; Pa-

tani Kiver at Patani) Eastern Thailand (tributaries of Menam Mun
;

at Korat)
This fish attains a length of 40 to 45 cm., but the usual size of fish
caught in Thailand does not greatly exceed 25 cm., and many only
15 to 20 cm. long are seen in the markets.
Two females, 25.5 cm. long, taken October 8, 1923, in the Tale Noi
had large ovaries with nearly ripe eggs another of similar size caught
;

October 15, 1923, with a cast net in the Patani River at Patani also
had large ovaries.

?^^;.
^-i^.
"^^"'^^mmmmm^'

Figure 77. Ompok bimaculatus (Bloch). Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy of the
Thailand Government.

The fish in Thailand is subject to considerable variation in body

proportions, and similar characters which, in some cases, may justify
recognition as races or subspecies. Specimens from Peninsular Siani
and from the Pasak, Lopburi, and Chao Cliet Rivers in Central Siam
have been set aside tentatively as representing new forms, but final
action should await more material that may indicate the range of
normal variation in the species. Hora (1936b) has shown that a
dozen or more nominal Indian species of Om'poh described by Hamil-
ton, Day, and others may be safely assigned to Mmaculatus.
This fish bears a variety of names, some peculiar to it, some shared
by related species. A common name of wide use is pla nua on (soft-
flesh fish). Another, employed in both Peninsular Siam and South-
eastern Thailand, is pla cha oan. In the Tale Noi this name is
shortened to pla oan (bent fish). At Paknampo, at the head of the
Menam Chao Phya, the name pla na san (short-snout fish) may be
heard. Among Malay fishermen in the Patani Province a name in use
is ikan laeh itam.
 ) :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 339

Genus CERATOGLANIS Myers
Ceratoglanis Myees, Copeia, No. 2, p. 98, 1938. (Type, Hemisihirua scleronema
Bleeker.

Myers (1938) established genus for the accommodation of a

this
species (scleronema) that for years had been carried in Hemisilurus.
The characters separating Ceratoglanis from Heniisilums are very
short, bony, hooked maxillary barbels (as opposed to long, filamentous
ones) and posterior nostrils situated before a vertical from the front
of the eye (as opposed to their position in or behind a vertical from
the front of the eye).

CERATOGLANIS SCLERONEMA (Bleeker)

hemisilurus scleronema Bleekek, 1862 (301), vol. 2, p. 93 (East Indies) ; Smith,

1931d, p. 181 (Nakon Nayok River).
This was believed to be restricted to Borneo, Java, and Sumatra
fish
until a specimen was taken in the Nakon Nayok River, Central Thai-
land, December 25, 1929.
The specimen was 19 cm. long, but over twice that length is attained
in the Dutch East Indies.
The local name of pla saiyu (hinge fish) was reported by the Boy
Scout who collected the unique specimen.

Genus KRYPTOPTERUS Bleeker

Kryptopterus Bleeker (189), Acta Soc. Sci. Indo-Neeii. (Siluri), vol. 4, pp. 21,
255, 283, 1858. (Type, Kryptopterus micropus {Bleekev ) =Silurus cryptop-
terus Bleeker.)

With a single exception, the members of this genus in Thailand are

rather small. They are mostly inhabitants of the larger rivers, and
some of them occur in great abundance and enter conspicuously into
the food supply of urban and country people. The compressed body,
depressed head, rudimentary or absent dorsal fin, very long anal fin,

and two pairs of barbels render these fishes easily recognizable. There
are eight species assignable to the local fauna, as follows
la. Dorsal fin present but rudimentary (consisting of 1 or 2 rays) ventral rays ;

6 or 7.
2a. Maxillary barbels reaching end or posterior fourth of anal fin mandibulary ;

barbels longer than head anal rays more than 70

; linipok
2&. Maxillary barbels not reaching beyond first fourth of anal fin mandibulary ;

barbels shorter than eye.

3a. Maxillary barbels reaching base of pectorals; branchiostegal rays 10 or
11 anal rays 64 to 70
; cryptopterus
36. Maxillary barbels extending to ventrals or front of anal branchiostegal ;

rays 8 or 9; anal rays 52 to 70 bicirrhis

 — —

340 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

16. Dorsal fin absent ; ventral rays 8 to 10.

4a. Vomerine teeth band ventral rays 8.

in a short, straight, elliptic ;

5a. Head standard length; lower jaw strongly projecting; anal

6.5 to 7.2 in
rays 74 to 83 base of anal fin 4.5 times length of head pectorals longer
; ;

than head, the rays i, 16 or i, 17 hexapterus

5&. Head 5.8 in standard length; jaws equal; anal rays 66; base of anal tin
3.5 times length of head; pectorals equal to head, the rays i, 13.
nioorei
46. Vomerine teeth in a curved or angular band; maxillary and mandibiilary
barbels always shorter than head; pectoralti shorter than head; ventral
rays 9 or 10.
6rt. Vomerine teeth in an angular band; anal rays 78 to 91; [Link]
barbels reaching hind border of eye; mandibulary barbels sliorler
than eye, sometimes absent; base of anal fin 8.25 to 3.5 times length
of head apogon
66. Vomerine teeth in a curved band; mandibulary barbels shoriei- than
eye, always present.
7a. Maxillary barbels reaching poisterior border of eye; anal ryys 86 to
93; base of anal fin 4 times length of head micronema
76. Maxillary barbels not extending beyond angle of mouth anal rays ;

about 80 base of anal fin 3 times length of head

; bleekeri

KRYPTOPTERUS LIMPOK (Bleeker)

Silurus Jimpok Bleekeb, 1S52 (67), p. 583 (Palembang, Sumatra).

Kryptopterm limpok. Smith, 1933a, p. 75 (Menam Chao Phya, Menam Sak).
The Thailand records for this species, otherwise known only from
Borneo and Sumatra, are for three specimens taken in the Pasak River
at Dha Luang August 20, 1923, and one specimen caught with a cast net
in the Chao Phya River at Bangkok September 12, 1924 the specimens ;

are 16,5 to 19 cm. long. In one of the Pasak River specimens the max-
illary barbels extend to the end of the anal fin, in the others only to
the posterior fourth of that fin, wiiich seems to be usual; in two of
them the anal fin is clearly joined to the base of the caudal fin by mem-
brane. In all other characters the Thailand material is typical.

KRYPTOPTERUS CRYPTOPTERUS (Bleeker)

Silurus cryptopterus Bleekee, 1851 (35), p. 270 (Bandjermassing, Borneo).

Cryptopterus micropus GDnthek, 1864, vol. 5, p. 42 (Siam). von Martens, 1876,
p. 399 (Siam).
Cryptopterus cryptopterus Webeb and de Beia^xjfort, 1913, vol. 2, p. 218 (Siam).
HoEA, 1923b, p. 166 (Nontaburi).—ViPtnLYA, 1923, p. 225 (Bangkok).
Kryptopterus cryptopterus Fowlee, 1937, p. 136 (Paknam, Bangkok) 1939, p. 43 ;

(Krabi).

The range of this species extends from Borneo and Sumatra to

Malaya and Thailand. It is one of the commonest of the kryptopterid
fishes in Thai waters, and it is known from the lower Chao Phya River,
the Pasak River, the Bangpakong River, the Meklong River, the Tapi
 . —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 341

Kiver, and various other streams in the Peninsula. There are no rec-
ords for Northern, Eastern, and Southeastern Thailand.
Local adult specimens have been 11 to 15.5 cm. long. The maximum
length in the East Indies is 20 cm. When
Prince Vipulya (1923)
ascribed to this fish in the Bangkok region a weight of "anything up to
3 pounds" he must have confused it with another member of this genus.
Of eight specimens taken in the Bangpakong River July 1, 1923, the
largest was a female, 15 cm. long, containing ripe eggs 1 mm. in
diameter.
Specimens from the Tapi River near Bandon taken September 30,
1923, were peculiar in having a black edge to the upper caudal lobe, a
broad black margin on the pectorals, and a dusky anal, while of two
specimens from the Pasak River August 20, 1923, one showed a con-
spicuous black posterior border on the pectorals and the other a
strongly marked black edge on the upper part of the lower caudal
lobe. The published descriptions and Bleeker's colored plate of this
species give no black on any of the fins.
It is eaten extensively as fresh fish and it is also preserved for market
by smoking on spits. As a food it is one of the most highly esteemed
of the fresh-water fishes of Thailand.
This species shares with others of the genus the vernacular name of
'planeua on (soft-flesh fish)

KRYPTOPTERUS BICIRRHIS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Sihirus hicirrhis Cuviee and Valenciennes, 1839, vol. 14, p. 367 (Java).
Cnjptopterus biciri'is von Martens, 1876, p. 399 (Siam).
Cryptopterus Mcirrhis Weber and ue Beaufort, 1918, vol. 2, p. 217 (Siam).
Kryptopterus hicirrhis Fowler, 1935a, p. 96 (Bangkok). Fowler, 1937, p. 136
(Bangkok).

The centers of abundance of this species are the rivers of Java,

Sumatra, and Borneo. There are only a few records for Thailand, all
for the southern part of the great central plain. Further collecting
will undoubtedly extend the local range, but it is much less numerous
than several other members of the genus in the localities where it is
already known.
It is a comparatively small species. Two specimens from the Pasek
River at Dha Luang taken August 20, 1923, were 9.5 cm. long 1 from ;

theNakon Nayok River, August 10, 1929, was 11.3 cm. long; and 26
from the Menam Chao Phya (as reported by Fowler) were 7.8 to 14.6
cm. long.
On the Nakon Nayok a local name for the fish is pla hrayoh (win-

dowpane fish), in allusion to the translucent area on the side above the
pectoral fin marking the position of the SAvim bladder.
590087 —45 23
 —

342 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

KRYPTOPTERUS HEXAPTERUS (Bleeker)

Silurus Jiewapterns Bleekeb, 1851 (45), p. 203 (Bandjermassing, Borneo).

Micronema hexapterus Bleekek, 1865 (356), p. 175 (Siam). Sauvage, 1881, p. 161
(Siam) 1883b, p. 154 (Menam Chao Phya).
;

Cnjptopterus hexapterus Weber aud de Beiaufoet, 1913, vol. 2, p. 222 (Siam).

Kryptopterus hexapterus Fowler, 1934a, p. 87 (Cbiengmai, Chiengseii, Bangkok) ;

1934b, p. 337 (Bangkok) 1935a, p. 98 (Bangkok)

; 1937, p. 137 (Bangkok)
; ;

1939, p. 43 (Krabi).

Collections made for the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries contain speci-

mens of this speciesfrom the Menam Chao Phya at Bangkok, Sep-
tember and the lower Bangpakong River, July 1, 1923, and
12, 1923,
June 26, 1933 these specimens were from 14.5 to 19.0 cm. long. The
;

fish taken from the Bankpakong in 1923 had the band of vomerine
teeth with an indentation medianly on both anterior and posterior
sides, while in the second specimen from the same stream the vomerine
teeth were normal, that is, lacking anj^ such indentation. Fowler
extended the range to the Meping at Chiengmai and the Mekong at
Chiengsen. A specimen in the British Museum from the Siamese
Museum came from the Menam Chao Phya. The further distribution
of the species includes Sumatra, Borneo, and Java.

KRYPTOPTERUS MOOREI, new species

FiGUBE 78

—
Description. Body strongly compressed, comparatively deep, its
depth at origin of anal fin 3.8 in standard length; least depth of
caudal peduncle equal to snout head moderately depressed, its length
;

5.8 in standard length, its width 1.5 in its length; dorsal profile of
head and anterior part of back regularly concave, posterior 0.8 of
back nearly straight eye in midlength of head, its center in line with
;

cleft of mouth, 4.2 in head, 1.75 in snout, 3 in the strongly convex

dorsal interorbital space, 2 in the ventral interorbital space; jaws
equal maxillary extending halfway between tip of snout and posterior
;

border of eye; maxillary barbels 1.25 times length of head, reaching

to midbase of pectorals; mandibulary barbels 0.75 length of head;
vomerine teeth in a short, straight, elliptical band about 0.6 length
of eye.
Fins: Caudal deeply forked, equal to length of head; anal well
separated from the caudal, the rays 66 ventrals short, about one-third
;

pectorals, rays i, 7 pectorals about length of head, the rays i, 13, the
;

spine weak and very slightly ossified.

Coloration: Plain.
Type and paraty pes. —The type (U.S.N.M. No. 109787) 23.5 cm.
long was collected in a small klong off the Menam Chao Phya, near
Paknampo, Central Thailand, November 26, 1923. One of the para-
types, obtained at the same time and place, is 17 cm. long. (Paratypes,
TT.S.N.M. Nos. 109671, 109672, 109786.)
 — — —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 343

—
Remarks. This species is most closely related to K. hexaptenis^ with
which it agrees in the absence of a dorsal fin, ventral fin with 8 rays,
comparatively deep body, and vomerine teeth in a short, straight band.
Differences from K. hexapteims are in the longer head (5,8 instead of
6.5 to 7.2 in length in examples of the same size), fewer anal rays (66
against 74 to 83), fewer pectoral rays (i, 13 against i, 16 or i, 17), non-
projecting lower jaw, etc.

Figure 78. Kryptopterus moorei, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 109787). Drawn bv
Miss Jane Roller.

This species for K. Adey Moore, of Bangkok, for many

is named
years the efficient honorary secretary of the Siam Society, in slight
recognition of his sustained interest in the promotion of zoological
science in Thailand.

KRYPTOPTERUS APOGON (Bleeker)

Silurus apogon Bleeker, 1851 (42), p. 67 (Bandjermassing, Borneo).

Kryptopterus apogon Smith, 1933a, p. 75 (Menam Chao Phya). Fowler, 1935a,
p. 96 (Bangkok).

Although previously unknown outside of Sumatra and Borneo, this

fish has in recent years been found to be fairly common in the Menam
Chao Phya and connecting streams from Paknam to Lopburi.
Examples preserved have been from 12 to 20 cm. long. A length of
77 cm. is reported from the East Indies by Weber and de Beaufort.
The unusually inappropriate specific name of apogon is justified by
a few Thailand specimens in which the mandibulary barbels are ves-
tigial or altogether lacking.
The fish is called pla neua on, pla demg, pla cha oan, and pla Tiam
ngeon in various parts of its range in Thailand.

KRYPTOPTERUS MICRONEMA (Bleeker)

Silurus micronemus Bleekeb, 1846 (4), p. 289 (Batavia).

Mici-onema typus Bleeker, 1865 (356), p. 175 (Siam). Sauvage, 1881, p. 161
(Siam).
Cryptopterus micronema Weber and de Beaufort, 1913, vol. 2, p. 221 (Siam).
Kryptopterus micronema Fowler, 19r34a, p. 87 (Bangkok) 1937, p. 137, figs. ;

13-15 (Bangkok).
Kryptopterus deignani Fowler, 1937, p. 136, figs. 10-12 (Mepoon).

The known habitat of this species isJava, Borneo, and Thailand

although it is rare in Thailand. A specimen 19 cm. long, in the
 — — —;

344 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Siamese Bureau of Fisheries, taken in Menam Chao Phya

near Bang-
pa-in, December with Weber and de Beaufort's
10. 1924, agi^ees well
description; the caudal has a black bar at its base and the anal is
black-edged. Fowler had 10 specimens 10.5 to 29.8 cm. long taken at
Bangkok.
Kryptopterus micronema is close to K. apogon and not always
readily distinguishable therefrom. The principal character on which
the species are separated is the shape of the patch of vomerine teeth.
Examples are met with in which it is difficult to decide whether this
patch is curved or angular.
It is suggested that K. deignani Fowler, known from a single speci-
men 14.3 cm. long from the Mepoon in Central Siam, is the present
species. Fowler (1937) stated that deignani differed from Bleeker's
Micronema typus "in larger or wider bands of teeth, besides a smaller
eye," and in having 81 anal rays instead of 86 to 93, as mentioned by
Bleeker. Micronema typus, however, is a synonym of Siluriis
micronema Bleeker, which is the present species, and in his account
of K. mici^onema based on specimens from Bangkok Fowler (1937)
gave the anal rays as 76 to 79 and stated that it "'differs from K. deig-
nmii in its greatly smaller eye.'* The diameter of the eye in relation
to the length of the head seems to be extremely variable in this form
thus, K. micronema Weber and de Beaufort give the eye in head as
3.5 to 5, Fowler gives 6 to 7, and for K. deignani Fowler gives 5.75.

KRYPTOPTERUS BLEEKERI Gunther

—
Cryptopterus Ueekeri Guxthek, 1864, vol. 5, p. 44 (Siam). vox Martens, 1876,
p. 399 (Siam).— HORA. 1923b, p. 166 (Bangkok, Nontaburi).
Micronema Weekeri Bleeker, 1865 (347), p. 34 (Siam). Bleekek. 1865 (356),
p. 175 (Siam). Bocouet. 1866, p. 17, pi. 4, figs. 3-3c (Menam Chao Phya).
Sattvage, 1881, p. 161 (Siam and Cambodia).

With the exception of Indo-China, Thailand is the only known

habitat of this species. found throughout the length of the
It is
Menam Chao Phya in its tributary the Pasak and in the Tapi, near
; :

Bandon. Specimens from Thailand in the British Museum have been

examined by the writer, one from the Bleeker collection, one from the
Jamrach purchase, and six from the Siamese Museum.
A length of 60 cm. is attained.
K. hUekeri is found in swamps during high water, and when it

enters the rivers it frequents the deeper parts. with a It is fished for
peculiar device consisting of a lead jigger armed with four sharp
hooks set at right angles the fish is caught as the hooks go down. A
;

mole cricket is a good bait for ordinary line fishing.

This is a common fish, well known to the Thai under the name
pla deng (red fish), in allusion to its general color of rose, pink, and
 . —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 345

other reddish shades. It is a good food, although somewhat inferior

in flavor to the pla bieiv (

Walla go dinema Bleeker)

Family HETEROPNEUSTIDAE
This family was established by Hora (1936a) to accommodate the
two known species of Heteropneustes. The distinctive characters as-
signed to the family seem entirely valid, although osteological and'
other features indicate very close relationship with the Clariidae.
The outstanding anatomical character is a pair of long, hollow
cylinders extending backward on each side from the gill cavity among
the muscles of the back; these are air sacs that serve as primitive
lungs and enable the fish to breathe atmospheric air, although Giinther
asserts that they receive water and have a special musculature by
which water is expelled at intervals. These fishes live in stagnant
])ools and ditches deficient in oxygen, and no useful purpose would
seem to be served by the respiratory tubes if their function is simply
to receive the same vitiated water.

Genus HETEROPNEUSTES MuUer

Eeteropneustes Mullee, Arch. Anat. I'hysiol., 1840, p. 115. (Type, Silurus fos-
silis Bloch.)

HETEROPNEUSTES FOSSILIS (Bloch)

Silurus fossilis Bloch, 1797, vol. 11, p. 36, pi. 370, fig. 2 (Tranquebar).
Saccohraiichus fossilis Bleeker, 1S65 (356). p. 175 (Siam). Sauvage, 1883b, p.
154 (Menam Chao Phya).
Clarisilurus kemratensis Fowlek, 1937, p. 133, figs. 5, 6 (Kemarat).
Heteropneustes kemratensis Fowieb, 1939, p. 50 (correction of generic name)
(Trang).

Throughout range in India, Burma, Ceylon, Indo-China, and

its

Thailand, this primarily a fish of ponds, ditches, swamps, and

is

marshes, but it is sometimes found in muddy rivers. Its air-breath-

ing apparatus enables it to exist in almost any kind of water. The
extensive collecting done in Thailand has not shown the fish to have
a wide distribution, but special search in suitable localities should
extend its known range. Specimens have been taken in a small lake
off the Menam Chao Phya near Paknampo, in a lake off the Menam
Xan near its mouth, and in Bung Borapet. There is also a record
for the Nakon Nayok. In Bung Borapet it has been found in as-
sociation with other air-breathers {Anahas, Tnchogaster, Ophiceph-
alics, and Clarias), in cut-off parts of the swamp.

A maximum length of 30 cm. is attained in Thailand. The usual

length is about 20 cm. An example, 27 cm long, taken in Bung Bora-
346 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

pet on July 30, 1929, has large ovaries containing clear, practically
ripe eggs.
The fish is good to eat but fishermen do not like to handle it be-
cause of the painful wounds inflicted with its pectoral spines, which
are reputed to be very poisonous.
For a century this fish was referred to in biological literature as
Saccohranchus fossilis Bleeker, although Heteropneiistes has priority
over SaccobrarwhiiS^ the name having been proposed by Miiller in 1839
for Silurus fossilis Bloch (1797), while "Valenciennes the next year
established Saccohranchus for Silwrus singio Hamilton (1822), singio
being a synonym of fossilis.
A supposed new genus of Siluridae, Clarisihiru^, was described by
Fowler (1937), with C. kemratensis as the type, based on four speci-
mens, 14.3 to 21 cm. long, from the Mekong at Kemarat in Eastern
Thailand. The fish did not possess the characters diagnostic of the
Siluridae (such as subcutaneous eyes, gill membranes free from each
other and from the isthmus), and was clearly a Heteropn&ustes^ as
Myers (1938) indicated. The proper allocation was subsequently
made by Fowler (1939), who then expressed the view that the species
"appears to differ from H. fossilis (Bloch) chiefly in more anal rays
(75 to 84) ." No other features in which the fish differs from H. fossilis
have been indicated, and it seems altogether probable that H. hem-
Tatensis should be regarded as a synonym. The anal rays in H. fossilis
have been described as ranging from 60 to 79, thus overlapping those
in hem/ratensis.
The name pla cheet is given to the fish in Thailand. It is not known
to the writer whether the English name sheat fish for the European
catfish Silurus glanis implies anything more than a coincidence.

Family CLARIIDAE
The clariid catfishes are of great interest because they have, in
addition to gills, an accessory breathing organ occupying the upper
part of each branchial cavity. These organs, having an arborescent
shape, enable the fish to breathe atmospheric air. The gills are rela-
tively smalland appear inadequate to sustain life; fish that are pre-
vented from reaching the surface of a tank or aquarium soon die.
The family is represented in Thailand by two closel}' lelated genera,
as follows:
la. Dorsal, caudal, and aual fins entirely separated Clarias
16. Dorsal, caudal, and anal fins united Prophagorus
Much of the material used in the following account is taken from a
paper on clariid catfishes (Smith, 1934b).
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 347

Genus CLARIAS Scopoli

Chlarias Scopoli, Introductio ad historiam naturalem, p. 445, 1777. (Type, Clarias

orontis Giinthier,)

The catfishes of this genus are among the most abundant, most widely
distributed, and most important economically of the fresh-water fishes

of Thailand. They are eaten extensively in the households of fisher-

men and farmers, and are regularlj^ offered for sale in the markets of
Bangkok and other communities throughout the country. Fish are
exposed for sale alive in baskets, in shallow tubs with little or no
water, or on stone slabs, like Anabas and Ophicephalus, and if not sold
one day they are taken back to market the next day. The fish have
a great reputation for their wholesome qualities, and are in special
demand for convalescents and invalids.
The name Clarias, first used for these fishes by Gronow in 1763, lost
its status as a valid generic name of that author and date with the

rendering of the Opinion (No. 89) of the International Commission on

Zoological Nomenclature that the systematic names of Gronow are
declared eliminated from consideration. This name, like a number of
others brought out by Gronow, was validated by Scopoli in 1777, and
although credited to Gronow by Scopoli was spelled Chlarias. Four
other fish names of Gronow validated by Scopoli and credited by him
to Gronow were given a different spelling; these were Holocenthrus
for Holocentrus^ Gonovynchus for Gonovhynchus, Golichthys for Cal-
lichthys, and Mastocemhelus for Mastacerribelus. It cannot be stated
whether the variant orthography of Scopoli was due to deliberate in-
tent, to carelessness, or to tj^pographical error, but inasmuch as Scopoli
definitely recognized Gronow as the authority, it seems proper in the
case of Clarias, as has been generally done in all the other cases, to
adhere to the original spelling.
Five species of Clarias have been ascribed to Thailand but only three
species can be definitely accredited on the information now available.
The five species are differentiated as follows

Iff. Pectoral spine with strong, sharp, prominent teeth on its anterior border.
meladerma
1&. Pectoral spine without prominent teeth on its anterior border, which is
smooth, rough, or inconspicuously denticulated.
2fl. Occipital process more or less angular with rounded tip, its basal width
about 2 times its length in medium-sized fish.
So. Distance from dorsal fin to occipital process contained 4 to 5.5 times in
length of head measured along upper median line; dorsal rays 60 to
76 anal rays 47 to 58
; batrachus
3&. Distance from dorsal fin to occipital process contained 2.5 times in length
of head measured along upper median line dorsal rays 70 to 74 anal
; ;

rays 60 to 63 tevsmanni
 . — ) ;

348 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

26. Occipital process wide, low, broadly curved, its basal width 3 to 5 times
its length.
[Link] from dorsal fin to occipital process contained 2.5 times in length
of head measured along upper median line gill rakers 14 dorsal rays
; ;

70 to 78; anal rays 50 leiacanthus

4b. Distance from dorsal fin to occipital process contained 5 to 7 times in
length of head measured along upper median line; gill rakers over 20;
dorsal rays 70; anal rays 50 macrocephalus

CLARIAS MELADERMA Bleeker

Clarias mclndrrma Bleekiir, 1847 (5), p. 54 ("in paludibus").

Clarias melayioderma Karoli. 1882, p. 177 (Siam). Weber and db Beaxjfort,
1913, vol. 2, p. 188 (Siam).
Clarias dussumieri Smith, 1934b, p. 288 (name incorrectly cited as having priority
over C. mcladerma)

In addition to inhabiting Java, Sumatra, and Borneo, this species

is listedfrom China, the Philippines, and Thailand. It is probable
that Weber and de Beaufort credited the species to Thailand on the
authority of Karoli, whose determinations and localities have some-
times proved to be doubtful. In the very extensive collecting done in
Thailand in recent years this species has not been met with, although
it may be noted that Chevey (1932a, p, 15) credits both C. melanoderma

and O. dussuviieri to French Indo-China.

Day (1878) obtained a single specimen of a fish in the Wynaad
River, Malabar, which he identified with Clarias dussumieri of Cuvier
and Valenciennes from Malabar and Pondicherry. Day's specimen
had teeth on the anterior surface of the pectoral spines, and Day
assumed therefrom that he was dealing with Bleeker's Clarias mela-
derma.^ which he placed in the synonymy of C. dussuonieri. Recently
Hora (1936b) has shown that Day's fish was neither C. dussumieri
(which is synonymous with hatracKus) nor meladerma^ but represents
a new species that Hora has called dayi.

CLARIAS BATRACHUS (Linnaeus)

Silurus batrachus Linnaeus, 1758, p. 305 (Asia, Africa).

Clarias batrachus Bleeker, 1865 (347), p. 35 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. 175 (Siam).—
;

Sauvagb, 1881, p. 161 (Siam).— Hora, 1923b, p. 165 ( Bangkok .—Vipulya,

1923, p. 227 (Bangkok).—Hora, 1924a, p. 467 (Tale Sap).— Smith. 1934b, p.
289 (Siam generally).— Fowler, 1934a, p. 86 (Chiengmai, Chiengdao) ; 1934b,
p. 335 (Ban Thung Luang).

The range of this species embraces India, Ceylon, Burma, Malaya,

Dutch East Indies, Philippines, and French Indo-China. It is the
commonest and most widely distributed species of this genus in Thai-
land, frequenting rivers, canals, lakes, and swamps in all parts of the
country. Waters from which specimens were collected by the writer
included the Chao Phya River at Bangkok, Ayuthia, and Paknampo
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 349

the Ping Kiver at Raheiig, Chomtong, and Chiengmai the Kok River
;

at Chiengrai; Kwan Payao; the Pasak River; the Rangsit Canal; the
Bangpakong River at Prachin; the Klong River at Rajaburi; a small
stream on Koh Chang the Tadi Stream, Nakon Sritamarat the Tale
; ;

Sap; the Patani River; and the Seamreap River in Cambodia.

The Deignan collection contains three adult albinos from the Meping
at Chiengmai and from a pond, connected with the river, at the Leper
Hospital near Chiengmai. Albinism is fairly common in this species.
A maximum length of more than 40 cm. is attained.
This fish, like other members of the genus, experiences no incon-
venience when kept out of water for a long time if the respiratory ap-
paratus remains moist. Drying of the gills and arborescent organs is
retarded by the small, tightly closed branchial openings. Sometimes
the fish voluntarily leaves the water, presumably in search of better
living or feeding conditions or perhaps to escape enemies. Move-
ments on land suggest swimming and can be properly described as
wriggling, hence the vernacular name. The flat head and extended
pectoral fins keep the fish in an upright position as it moves forward
by rapid lateral bendings of the tail. On August 13, 1926, a friend
brought the writer a fish that in the late afternoon of the previous day
was picked up on a metaled driveway in his yard in Bangkok. The
fish had left a small canal 15 meters away and was proceeding toward
another canal 35 meters away. It was placed in a flat jar of water in
the writer's office. It left the jar during the night (apparently by
jumping), dropped from a table to the floor, passed through a short
corridor, traversed a large exhibit room, went the entire length of a
long hallway, and was found in a lively condition just inside the front
door at 11 p. m. It was released the next morning, having earned its
freedom.
As is very important in Thailand.
a food, the fish Its flesh, which
is white, popularly considered rather less nourishing than that of
is

C. macrocephalus.
The local name is pla duk dain (dull-colored wriggling fish) and a ;

belief is widespread that this is the male of macrocephalus^ of which

the female is called pla duk uey.

CLARIAS TEYSMANNI Blceker

Clarias teysmanni Bleeker, 1857 (166), p. 344 (Tjikoppo, Buitenzorg Province,

Java).—HoEA, 1923b, p. 165 (Nakon Sritamarat).— Smith, 1934b, p. 290
(Klong Pong, Nakon Sritamarat).

This species, known also from Ceylon, Malaya, Sumatra, Borneo,

and Java, has a very limited distribution in Thailand. It was first
recorded by Hora from a single specimen, 18 cm. long, taken in Feb-
ruary 1922 in the Nakon Sritamarat Mountains, Peninsular Thailand.
350 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

On July 12, 1928, the writer took two specimens, 11 and 15 cm. long,
from Klong Pong, at Ban Hue}?^ Ta, west of the town of Nakon Srita-
marat near the base of the lofty Kao Luang.
The local vernacular name for the fish is 'pla mod.

CLARIAS LEIACANTHUS Bleeker

Chirim Uiacantlius Bleeker, 1851 (49), p. 430 (Sambas, Borneo) ; 1865 (347),
p. 35; 1865 (356), p. 175 (Siam).— Sauvage, 1881, p. 161 (Siam) (fide
Bleeker).— Smith, 1934b, p. 290 (attributed to Siam).

This species is introduced into this catalog because it has been

attributed to Thailand by several authors. The evidence for its occur-
rence in that country will be considered.
In two papers on Thailand fishes published in 1865, Bleeker listed
G. leiacanthus on the basis of a specimen or specimens in the Museum
du Jardin des Plantes in Paris collected from the Menam Chao Phya
by F. Bocourt, the species having been originally described by Bleeker
from Borneo in 1851, and is now recognized as inhabiting also Sumatra,
Bangka, and Nias. Until a few years ago, this species had not again
been reported from Thailand, all the intervening references in the
literature being based on Bleeker's papers. The natural conclusion
is that in the extensive collecting done in Thailand rivers in recent
years the fish escaped notice or that Bleeker made a mistake in
identification.
In the writer's opinion the specimen or specimens from Thailand
that Bleeker in 1865 called C. leiacanthus were in reality G. mwxro-
cephalus, described from this country by Giinther in 1864. Bleeker
was apparently unfamiliar with the latter species which, with its
broadly curved occipital process and comparatively smooth pectoral
spine, might easily be mistaken for G. leiacantlms.
In 1934 Fowler reported as taken at Bangkok two specimens of
Glai'ias leiacanthus., 210 and 217 mm. long. Mr. Fowler kindly allowed
the examination of one of these specimens. It differs from G. leiacan-
thus as described by Bleeker and by Weber and de Beaufort in the
position of the dorsal fin with reference to the occipital process, in-
the number of gill rakers, in the dorsal and anal fin rays, and in other
characters. The distance between the dorsal fin and the occipital
process is a feature diagnostic in the clariids. In G. leiacanthus this
distance is contained 2.5 times in the length of the head measured
along the median line, while in Fowler's specimen from Bangkok
this distance is contained over 7 times in the length of head. In
G. leiacanthus the gill rakers on the lower arm of the first arch number
13 (according to Weber and de Beaufort) ; in the specimen in hand
the number exceeds 25. The dorsal rays in G. leiacanthus are 76 to 78
 — —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 351

and the anal rays 60 to 62, while in Fowler's example the dorsal rays
number about 70 and the anal rays about 50. The foregoing and other
characters in which the Bangkok specimen differs specifically from
G. leiacanthus agree perfectly with G. tnacrocephalus Giinther (q. v.).

CLARIAS MACROCEPHALUS Gunthcr

FiGUBE 79

Clarias tnacrocephalus Gunther, 1864, vol. 5, p. 18 (Siam). Sauvage, 1881, p. 161

(Siam).— Smith, (Siam generally).
1934b, p. 291
Clarias liacanthus Fowler, 1934a, p. 87 (Bangkok) (nee C. leiacanthus Bleeker).

This species was described from Thailand from four adult and half-
grown specimens in the British Museum acquired in the Jamrach pur-
chase. It is now known also from French Indo-China and the
Philippines.
Its length may exceed 31 cm.

Figure 79. Clarias macrocephalus Giinther. Drawn by Nai Chote Suvatti; courtesy of
the Thailand Government.

This form is readily recognizable by its large head; broad, low,

evenly curved occipital process extending close to the dorsal fin nasal ;

barbels reaching to or beyond the gill openings; maxillary barbels

extending to the middle or tip of the pectorals vomero-palatine teeth ;

obtusely conical, forming a crescent-shaped band, which in its center

is broader than the intermaxillary band and a nearly smooth pectoral
;

spine.
Giinther's description is sufficient to differentiate the species from
its nearest ally, G. leiacanthus^ although Weber and de Beaufort con-
sidered G. macrocephalus "a rather doubtful species."It does not ap-
pear to occur in the Indo-Australian Archipelago, and while Weber
reported it from Sumatra in 1894, his specimens were subsequently
adjudged to represent G. hatrachus.
Dr. Frederik P. Koumans, of the Koyal Natural History Museum in
Leiden, Holland, courteously examined for me specimens of G. macro-
cephalus from three localities in Central Thailand and compared them
with Bleeker's cotypes of G. leiacanthus. He found the species closely
allied but disclosed differences that have already been indicated and
others, such as the size of the eye (larger in G. macrocephalus) length ,
 . . : ;

352 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

of barbels (shorter in C. 'inacrocephalus) , and dorsal and anal rays

(fewer in C. rrmcrocephalus)
With the exception of G. hatrachus^ this is the commonest and com-
mercially the most important of the Thailand clariids. It is known as
pla duh uey {uey^ fat), and is rated higher than C. hatrachus^ its flesh
being richer, better flavored, and more nourishing, in popular opinion.

Genus PROPHAGORUS H. M. Smith

Prophagorus H. M. Smith, Copeia, 1939, No. 4, p. 236. (Type, Clarias nieuhofii

Cuvier and Valenciennes.)

This genus was established to accommodate clariid fishes in which

the dorsal and anal fins are completely united with the caudal. The
name Phagorus (McClelland, not available, having been based
1845) is

on a mutilated specimen of Clarias hatrachus. Until recently only a

single species was known. A
second species, described from Thailand,
is distinguishable by the characters given below
lo. Depth 8 to 9.3 in standard length ; dorsal rays 87 to 106 ; anal rays 69 to 95
vomerine teeth in a crescentic band with a prominent median backward
extension nieuhofii
lb. Depth 6.5 standard length dorsal rays 67 anal rays 54 vomerine
in ; ; ;

teeth in a slightly curved elliptical band with no median backward exten-

sion cataractus

PROPHAGORUS NIEUHOFII (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Clarias nieuhofii Cuyiek and V^vxenciennes, 1840, vol. 15, p. 386 (locality not
given )
Phagorus nieuhofii Fowler, 1905, p. 461.
Clarias nieuhofi Smith, 1934b, p. 288 (Nong Khor, Hoopbon, Krat River).
Prophagorus nieuhofi Smith, 1939b, p. 236 (new generic name).

Although known from many islands in the Indo-Australian Archi-

pelago, as well as from the Philippines and Malacca, this species has
a very limited range in Thailand, being apparently restricted to
the southeastern district. The first known recognition of the fish lo-
cally was in November 1926, when a specimen 37 cm. long was taken
in Nong Khor; its body was marked by 13 transverse rows of white
spots equal to or larger than the eye, the side had an irregular longi-
tudinal band of large white spots, and the lower part of the body ex-
cept the belly was similarl}^ spotted; and the maxillary and mandi-
bulary barbels were longer than described by Bleeker and b}'^ Weber
and de Beaufort. The second specimen, taken in November 1931,
at Hoopbon in the same section was 36 cm. long and had all the bar-
bels greatly reduced in length, possibly by an accident. The only
other specimen, 13 cm. long, came from the Krat River near Kao
Seming, in December 1933.
 — :

FHESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 353

The length attained in the Dutch East Indies is about half a meter.
In Thailand, the fish is reported to reach a larger size than the speci-
mens taken at Nong Khor and Hoopbon.
The local vernacular name is pla duk lampan.
PROPHAGORUS CATARACTUS (Fowler)

Phagorus catai-actus FowMai, 1939, p. 54, figs. 1-3 (Trang).

Described from a single specimen, 21 cm. long, from a waterfall

stream near Trang, this species appears to differ from P. nieuhofii
not so much in most of the characters cited by Fowler (length of
barbels, position of the dorsal fin, length of ventral fins, size of cau-
dal fin, and degree of spottiness, all of which might vary with age)
jis in the vomerine dentition and the number of dorsal and anal rays,
as well as in the relative depth of body. The dorsal rays number 67,
as against 87 to 106 in P. nieuhofii, the anal rays are 54, compared
with 69 to 95, and there is no backward median projection in the

band of vomerine which in P. nienhofii is a characteristic fea-

teeth,
ture. The greatest depth of body is contained 6.5 times in the stand-
ard length, while in P. nieuhofii it is 8 to 9.3.

Family PLOTOSIDAE
Genus PLOTOSUS Lacepede

Plotosus LiACEPi;DE, Histoire naturelle des poissons, vol. 5, p. 129, 1803. (Type,
Platystacus anguillaris Bloch.)

These fishes are primarily marine but are often found in estuaries
and the mouths of rivers, and sometimes push well up into fresh water.
Of the four or five species known from southeastern Asia and the
Indo-Australian Archipelago, two are common in Thailand
la. Dorsal rays 80 to 100; anal rays 70 to 80; vomer with a crescentic band
of teeth, of which the mesial teeth are in 2 or 3 rows mandibular teeth ;

in 2 or 3 rows nasal barbel short, not reaching beyond eye gill rakers
; ;

on first arch 25 lineatus

16. Dorsal rays 130 to 140; anal rays 105 to 120; vomer with a crescentic band of
teeth, of which the mesial teeth are in 4 rows mandibular teeth in 3 to 5
;

rows nasal barbel longer, reaching well behind eye or even to nape gill
; ;

rakers on first arch canius

PLOTOSUS LINEATUS (Thunberg)

Silurus lineatus Thunbekg, 1791, p. 190 (Indian Ocean).

Plotosus anguillaris voN Martens, 1876, p. 399 (Bangkok). VVebeb and de
Beaufort, 1913, vol. 2, p. 229.— Smith, 1930, p. 54 (Siam).— Fowler, 1937, p.
133 (Paknam Chao Phya).
Plotosus lineatus Smith, 1941a, pp. 15, 16 (revival of first available specific
name).

Of very wide distribution in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and of

common occurrence in the Gulf of Siam, this species was not found in
 : ;

354 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

fresh water in the extensive collecting done for the Siamese Bureau of
Fisheries, and admission to this catalog is based on Fowler's record
its

of eight specimens from Paknam, near the mouth of the Menam Chao
Phya. Paknam is the headquarters of a large number of fishermen
operating traps and other apparatus in the Gulf of Siam, their catch
being sent to Bangkok by water or rail. Many fish of this species are
often caught in the traps, but all are small and their food and market
value is low.
This fish reaches a length of 25 to 30 cm., and it is respected by
fishermen because of the very painful, sometimes dangerous, wounds
inflicted with its serrated dorsal and pectoral spines.
Among the Thai it is called called fla duk tale^ pla sam heo^ and
'pla pet keo.
PLOTOSUS CANIUS Hamilton

Plotosus cankis Hamilton, 1822, pp. 142, 374 (Bengal).—Bleekee, 1865 (347),
p. 34 (Siam) 1S65 (356), p. 175 (Siam).— Hora, 1924a, p. 467 (Tale Sap).—
;

Smith, 1930, p. 54 ( Siam ) .— Fowlek, 1935a, p. 96 (Bangkok, Sriraclia).

Plotosus caninus Hora, 1923b, p. 166 (Menam Chao Phya at Noutaburi).

The range of this fish is from India, Burma, and Ceylon to Thailand,
Malaya, and Indo-Australian Archipelago, in the sea, in estuaries, and
in the lower courses of rivers. The species abounds on the coasts of
Thailand and goes up some of the rivers into water that is quite f resli.
In the Menam Chao Phya it is regularly found as far as Nontaburi,
some miles above Bangkok, but is most common in the Paknam section
a length of 75 cm. is reached in this river. In the Chantabun River
it is at times numerous, as in June 1926, when over a hundred were

observed in the local market in one day, the largest 58 cm. long.
The vernacular name for this fish in Thai is pla dtik tale.

Family SCHILBEIDAE
The schilbeid catfishes of Thailand constitute a striking and well-
marked group. Some of them are among the largest fresh-water
fishes of Asia. The family name is derived from jSchilhe, the oldest
genus (Oken, 1817). Weber and de Beaufort and others have given
the family as the Pangasiidae, from Pangasius (Cuvier and Valen-
ciennes, 1840). Jordan (1923) separated the Pangasiidae from the
Schilbeidae, with the Clariidae interposed, placing therein Pangasius
and the nominal genera Pseudopangaslus Bleeker (1862) and Neo'pan-
gasius Popta (1904). In all important structural characters Heli-
cophagus, Laides^ and Pangasianodon are too close to Pangasius to
warrant separation therefrom in a distinct family.
The seven local genera may be distinguished without much difficulty.

A convenient differential feature is the number of pairs of barbels,

taken in conjunction with the vomero-palatine teeth. Other dis-
tinguishing characters are as follows
 — —
FEESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 355
la. Four pairs of barbels (nasal, maxillary, mandibulary, and mental).
i 2a. Cleft of mouth not extending under eye; vomero-palatine teeth in a cres-
centic band which is divided or constricted into several parts ; air
bladder large, dorsoventrally flattened, free and closely applied to
dorsal wall of abdomen Platytropius
2&. Cleft of mouth extending under eye; vomero-palatine teeth in an unin-
terrupted crescentic band produced backward at sides air bladder small,;

tubiform, partly enclosed in bone Eutropiichthys

1&. Two or three pairs of barbels (nasal barbels absent).
3a. Two pairs of barbels (maxillary and mandibulary).
4a. Vomerine and palatine teeth present, these and jaw teeth disappearing
with age in some species; posterior nostril nearer to anterior nostril
than to eye and above a line from anterior nostril to upper edge of
eye eye more or less in line with a horizontal through angle of mouth.
;

5o. Abdomen rounded Pangasius

56. Abdomen cultrate Pteropangasius
46. Vomerine teeth present, palatine teeth absent posterior nostril about
;

midway between anterior nostril and eye and in line from anterior
nostril to upper edge of eye ; eye above a horizontal through angle
of mouth Helicophagus
36. Three pairs of barbels (maxillary, mandibulary, and mental) vomerine ;

teeth in 2 separate transverse bands Laides

Ic. One pair of barbels (maxillary) eye below level of angle of mouth; teeth
;

entirely absent. Size colossal. Mekong basin Pangasianodon

Genus PLATYTROPIUS Hora

Platytropius Hora, .Tourn. Siam Soc, Nat. Hist. Suppl., vol. 11, p. 39, 1937.

Platytropiusseparated from PseuAeutropius chiefly on the char-

is

acter of the vomero-palatine teeth and the shape of the air bladder.
In Pseudeutropius^ with one species in Sumatra and several in India,
the vomero-palatine teeth are in a single continuous band while in
Platytropius these teeth are in distant patches that form a lunate band
constricted or divided in the median and divided or constricted
line
into two, exceptionally three, parts on each side. The air bladder in
Pseudeutropius is thin walled and comes in contact with the abdom-
inal parietes above each pectoral fin, resulting in the formation of a
translucent area, while in Platytropius the organ is thick walled, dor-
soventrally flattened, and throughout lies close to the dorsal wall of
the abdominal cavity.

PLATYTROPIUS SIAMENSIS (Sanvage)

FlGUBE 80
Pseudeutropius siamensis Saxtvagb, 1883b, p. 154 (Menam Chao Phya). Smith,
1934b, p. 297 (Menam Chao Phya, Menam Nakon Nayok).
Platytropius siamensis Hora. 19.57a, p. 352 (Siam). Hora, 1937c, p. 39, figs. 1,
2, pi. 11 (with 4 figures) (Siam).
Nemasiluroides furcatus Fowijeb, 1937, p. 137, figs. lG-19 (Bangkok).
Pseudeutropius taakree {non Sykes) Smith, 1934b, p. 297 (Menam Chao Phya).

In 1883 Sauvage described Pseudeutropius siamensis from a spec-

imen, 13.5 cm. long, collected by Dr. Harmand in the Menam Chao
 —

356 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Phya, During the next 40 years the species received no notice. In

November 1923 the writer found the fish fairly common in the upper-
most reaches of the Menam Chao Phya and preserved 6 specimens
about 25 cm. long. In 1928 he observed the fish in the Menam Nakon
Nayok, a branch of the Bangpakong connected by canals with the
Menam Chao Phya, and preserved 2 specimens. More recently addi-
tional specimens have been obtained by the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries
from the Paknampo section of the Menam Chao Phya.
This species was placed by Hora in his genus Platytropius.

Figure 80. Platytropius siamensis (Sauvage). Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy of

the Thailand Government.

The Indian fish Pseudeutvoyius taahree, (Sykes) was improperly

listed by the Avriter (1934b, p. 297) as occurring in Thailand on the
basis of a specimen so labeled in the British Museum collected in the
Menam Chao Phya and donated by the Siamese Museum in 1897.
This specimen was examined by Hora and found to be P. siamensis.
Fowler's N
emasilwroides furcatus, based on four specimens, 10.3 to
11.5 cm. long, collected in Bangkok, appears to be the present species.
The genus Nemasiluroides^ described as new in May 1937, seems to
have been anticipated by Hora's Platytropius^ briefly diagnosed and
type species indicated in January 1937, but with full description not
appearing until November 1937.

Genus EUTROPIICHTHYS Bleeker

Eutropiichthys Bleeker (299), Versl. Akad. Amsterdam, vol. 14, p. 398, 1862.
(Type, Pimelodus vacha Hamilton.)

EUTROPIICHTHYS VACHA (Hamilton)

Pimelodus vacha Hamilton, 1822, pp. 196, 378 (Gangetlc provinces).

Eutropiichthys vacha Hora, 1937b, p. 436, fig. 5a (Siam).

This widely distributed species of India and Burma was added to

the Thai fauna in 1932, when a specimen, 31 cm. long, collected by
 . :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM. OR THAILAND 357

the Royal Forest Department of Siam at Maesort, on the Menam Muey,

a tributary of the Salwin, in Western Thailand, was identified and
recorded by the writer. This is the only Thailand specimen of which
he has knowledge, and it seems to be the one described and figured by
Hora (1937b), who concludes that the Thailand and Burmese forms,
while differing in some respects from the Indian, cannot, from the
material available, be separated therefrom as races or subspecies (vari-
ety huri7ianictLS of Day)
At Maesort name applied to this fish
the vernacular is pla sawai nu^
borne by related catfishes in other parts of Thailand.

Genus PANGASIUS Cuvier and Valenciennes

Pangasius Cuviee and Valenciennes, Histoire naturelle des poissons, vol. 15,
p. 45, 1S40. (Type, Pimclodus pangasius Hamilton.)

This is the most numerous genus of Thailand catfishes. All the spe-
cies inhabit the larger rivers and some of them are amenable to pond
life. The principal differential characters are to be found in the denti-
tion, barbels, anal rays, and coloration. Two of the largest catfishes in
the world belong here. While all the species are carnivorous, some of
them thrive on fruit or aquatic vegetation, especially when loss or
atrophy of teeth necessitates abandonment of a predatory career. In
certain species the phenomenon of the partial or complete disappear-
ance of the teeth after a certain size or age is reached has been criti-
cally examined, and it is probable that one nominal genus {Pangasi-
anodon)^ based largely on the complete absence of teeth, represents
simply a normal age stage of a Pangasms.
As all these fishes are of striking appearance and some of them have
come into local prominence because of their economic importance, it is

natural that they should have acquired many vernacular names in

different parts of their range. Some of the names, like j)la tepo and
pla tejya^ are applied to only a single species; others have come to be
used for groups of species of similar appearance, like pla sangkawad
and pJa smvai. For some individual species of wide distribution there
is a large number of local names. Finally, the same species may bear
different names in the same locality when young and when adult.
The 15 local species, some peculiar to Thailand or to the boundary
waters of Thailand and Indo-China, and some of them known from
very scant material, may be identified as follows
la. Patches of vomerine teeth separated from each other but united with or
closely contiguous to palatine patches.
2a. A large black humeral spot always present; no black longitudinal band
along side each caudal lobe with or without a submarginal black longi-
——
;

tudinal band anal rays 28 to 33

; ---, —
- larnaudii^

590087—45 24
358 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

2&. No black humeral spot.

3a. A single broad black longitudinal band on side
caudal lobes plain anal ; ;

rays 36 to 40 pleurotaenius
36. Several broad black longitudinal bands on side caudal lobes blackish, ;

with pale edge; anal rays 34 to 36 sutchi

1&. Vomerine teeth united into a single quadrate patch, with a patch of palatine
teeth on each side close to but not joined to vomerines.
4a. Patch of vomerine teeth about 3 times as wide as its antero-posterior diam-
eter patches of palatine teeth extending outward and backward from
;

side of vomerine patch anal rays 29 to 31. ;

5a. Caudal peduncle long and slender, its least depth contained 2.5 to 3 times
in its length maxillary barbels reaching pectoral fins, 0.65 to 0.75 length
;

of head; head moderately depressed; snout very long; eyes entirely

above level of mouth; first dorsal ray shorter than head nasutus
56. Caudal peduncle short, its least depth less than 0.5 its length maxillary ;

barbels reaching opercles, less than 0.5 length of head head very broad ;

and depressed, snout short eyes partly below level of mouth first
; ;

dorsal ray longer than head beani

46. "Vomerine teeth in a large quadrate patch, its antero-posterior diameter 0.7
to 0.8 its width patches of palatine teeth small and closely applied to the
;

outer sides of the vomerine patch, anal rays 35 to 40 polyuranodon

Ic. Vomero-palatine teeth in a single fully united crescentic patch; anterior dor-
sal, ventral, and pectoral rays produced into long filaments a conspicuous ;

white humeral spot. Size large. Menam Chao Phya basin sanltwongsei
Id. Vomero-palatine teeth in 4 separate patches that are (1) regularly crescentic
in shape or (2) with the palatine perpendicular to the vomerines.
6a. Palatine patches of teeth more or less at right angles to vomerine patches;
maxillary barbels less than 0.5 length of head anal rays 42 f owleri;

66. Palatine patches of teeth forming a crescentic band with vomerines.

7a. Maxillary and mandibulary barbels shorter than head anal rays 28 to 34. ;

8a, Maxillary barbels less than 0.5 length of head mandibulary barbels ;

less than 0.25 length of head distal part of dorsal, caudal, and
;

pectoral fins blackish micronemiis

86. Maxillary barbels more than 0.5 length of head and extending to base
of pectoral fins.
9a. Mandibulary barbels not exceeding 0.5 length of head ; anal rays
31 to 34 ; coloration of caudal fin plain pangasius
[Link] barbels more than 0.5 length of head anal rays 28 ;

or 29 caudal fin with well-defined dark subniarginal band in

;

each lobe taeniurus

76. Maxillary barbels longer than head; mandibulary barbels equal to or
longer than head anal rays 30 to 44.;

10a. Maxillary barbels extending to middle or tip of pectoral fins or to

base of ventral fins ; anal rays 29 to 36.
lie. A large round blackish spot on opercle; vomero-palatine teeth in
4 round equal patches; anal rays 33 or 34 aequilabialis
116. No large dark spot on opercle ;
patches of vomerine and palatine
teeth of dissimilar shape and size.
12a. Anal rays 30 or 31 niacronemus
126. Anal rays 33 to 36 siamensis
106. Maxillary barbels extending beyond origin of anal fin ; anal rays
42 to 44 long'ibarbis
 — —
FRESH-WATER FlSHES OF SlAM, OR THAlLAT^D 350
I
PANGASIUS LARNAUDII Bocourt

Figure 81

Pangasius larnaudii Bleeker, 1865 (347), p. 34 (nomea nudum) (Siam).

BocouET, 1866, p. 15, pi. 4, figs. 2, 2a (Siam).— Hora, 1923b, p. 167 (Nonta-
buri).— ViPULYA, 1923, p. 227 (Paknampo, Pakhai).
Pangasius lamaudi Bleeker, 1865 (356), p. 175 (nomen nudum) (Siam).
SAtrvAGE, 1881, p. 162 (Siam, Grand Lakes of Cambodia); 1883b, p. 154
(Menam Chao Phya).
Pangasius hurgini Fowler, 1937, p. 141, figs. 24-26 (Bangkok).

Described from Thailand by Bocourt in 1866, this species is peculiar

to that countryand to the adjoining parts of Indo-China. It is prob-
ably the commonest and best-known member of the genus in Thailand,
and one of the most popular of the local catfishes. Its natural range
is restricted to the Menam Chao Phya and connecting streams in the

great central plain, and specimens have been collected and examined
from below Bangkok to Paknampo. The local range may in
critically
time be considerably extended by the escape of fish from artificial
ponds.

Figure 81. Pangasius larnaudii Bocourt. Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy of

the Thailand Government.

The most readily recognized by a large round black humeral

fish is
spot, possessed by no other species, together with a gray-blue back,
light green head, silvery or nacreous underparts, silvery iris, and ver-
milion ventral and pectoral fins.
Owing to the high repute in which the fish is held for food and its
ready adaptability for life in small enclosures, its rearing in ponds for
domestic use and sale has been practiced commercially for at least 80
years. Young fish from open waters are introduced in the ponds
360 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

and held until they have attained a size suitable for consumption or
sale. There is no evidence that eggs are hatched and young are raised
in the ponds, although pond culture in the true sense seems entirely
feasible and will in time doubtless be undertaken. Willi a fish that
commands such a ready sale at a comparatively high price, the con-
struction of suitable ponds and the conduct of the business along well-
proved modern lines would seem profitable as a substitute for the
present primitive procedure, which leaves much to be desired in the
matter of economical use of the water area, production of maximum
output, and observance of fundamental hygienic conditions in feeding,
growing, and holding the fish.
A noteworthy lot of domesticated fish of this species may be seen
in small klongs belonging to Phya Suriwongse Wiwadhana at his
residence in Tonburi, Bangkok. These fish, numbering several hun-
dred mostly of large size, resulted from a pair of fishes brought
from Ayuthia more than 55 years ago by Phya Suriwongse's father.
They are fed, rather irregularly, on bananas, which are their favorite
food, but they will eat almost any kind of fruit or vegetable. They are
very tame and will take bananas out of one's hand. They will devour
small live fish thatmay enter their enclosure from adjacent klongs
but have apparently lost the ability to make way with fish of any
considerable size. Thus, a catfish somewhat over a meter long, which
tried to swallow a 'pla ka {Mo^ndius chrysophekadlon) only 15 jcm.
long became choked, and after several hours of futile effort to swallow
its capture had to be pulled from the water and the seized fish re-

moved from its gullet. The largest fishes in this lot, when seen by
the writer in 1929, were 127 to 130 cm. long. One caught and exam-
ined was 105 cm. long ; and it is a matter of some interest, in view of
the tendency of some species of Pangasius to undergo loss or atrophy
of the teeth with age, that in this particular example the bands of
teeth in the jaws and on the vomer and palatines were of full size.
During his visit to Thailand in 1862, Bocourt became acquainted
with this fish, and in connection with his published description he
supplied the following note. The "vast lakes" to which he refers
were then in Thailand but are now in the province of Cambodia in
French Indo-China.
The gratitude which I owe to Father Larnaudie of the foreign missions, cor-
respondent of the Museum of Natural History, for the friendly aid he rendered
to me during my sojourn in Siam and the memory of our good relations which
were so precious to me during the seven months I passed in that country, induce
me to dedicate to him this species, native of the vast lakes situated in the north
of the kingdom. It is said to attain the great size of 1 to 1.50 meters. Its flesh
is extremely nutritious and delicate it is reared and fattened at Ayuthia, in
;

water courses which are enclosed by bamboo grills. Owing to its high price,
the species does not appear in the markets of Bangkok also it is reserved for
;

the table of important persons.

 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 361

The first reference to the fish under its scientific name was in two
papers published by Bleeker in 1865. Bleeker may have had access
to Bocourt's manuscript or at any rate had knowledge of Bocourt's
contemplated use of the name Pangasius larnaudii for a new species.
It is believed that Pangasius hurgini Fowler (1937) will prove to
be P. larnaudii^ which although one of the commonest members of the
genus in the Bangkok region was not noticed in any of Fowler's papers.
P. hurgini was described and is known from a single specimen, 23,2
cm. long, from Bangkok, and was stated by its describer to be related
P. taeniwrus and P. sutchi "but differs from both in coloration, and
especially in the presence of the gray black large post-humeral blotch."
Each caudal lobe has a broad black median band which is connected
with its fellow by an extension of the color across the base of the fin.

The maxillary barbels do not reach the base of the pectoral fin. The
vomero-palatine teeth are in a curved band on each side, with a
median space but with no apparent division of the band into vomerine
and palatine parts. The branched anal rays number 27, as against
at least 25 in P. lai'noMdii. The reduced number of gill rakers 5 + 7 —
—
on the first arch in P. burglni is met with also in P. larnaudii; a
specimen from Bangkok of the same size as the type of P. hurgini has
4+9 gill rakers. In all important characters there seems to be essen-
tialagreement between the two forms.
The vernacular name always given to this fish is pla tepo, and this
name is never applied to any other species.
PANGASIUS PLEUROTAENIUS Sauvage

Pnngasms pleurotaefiia Sauvage, 1878b, p. 235 (Laos, Indo-China) ; 1883b, p. 154

(Menam Chao Phya).
Describing this fish from Cambodian Laos in 1878 and redescribing
and figuring it from Cambodia in 1881, Sauvage (1883b) noted it
again in a collection obtained in the Menam Chao Phya b}' Har-
mand. This is the only record of the species for Thailand, unless
P. sutchi Fowler should prove to be the same. The principal charac-
terson which the species was based are the separation of the bands of
vomerine teeth and their union with the palatine teeth, maxillary
barbels reaching opercles, 36 to 40 anal rays, back and upper part of
head black, and a straight black band extending along the side of the
body. Sauvage placed the fish in the same group as P. larnaudii
because of similarity of dentition,
A length of 16 cm. is given.

PANGASIUS SUTCHI Fowler

Pangasius sutchi Fowleb, 1937, p. 141, figs. 27-29 (Bangkok).

Described from four specimens, 13.3 to 16.3 cm. long, from the
Menam Chao Phya at Bangkok, this species is represented as strikingly
 .

362 BULLETIN 1S8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

marked with a broad, median band from the head to

straight dark
the base of the caudal fin, a decurved dark band from the head to a
point over the posterior part of anal fin (this band broad anteriorly
and tapering to a point posteriorly), the bands separated from the
blackish back and from each other by whitish interspaces dorsal fin ;

gray-black, with a whitish posterior edge; caudal dark gray or gray-

black, with upper, lower, and posterior margins whitish anal white,
;

with a median black band; and paired fins [Link] gray -black. The
maxillary barbel reaches to or nearly to the base of the pectoral fin,

and the mandibulary barbel beyond the eye. The

to the center of or
anal rays are iv, 30 to iv, 32. The description makes no reference to
palatine teeth, but the published figure suggests that the palatine
teeth may be represented in the widened posterior ends of the well-
separated vomerine patches.
This species appears to be close to P. pleurotaenius but is of a
different coloration, especially in the possession of a second longi-
tudinal blackish band.

PANGASIUS NASUTUS (Bleeker)

Pseudopangasius nasuUis Bleeker 1863 (324), p. 72 (Borneo).

There were no Thailand records for this Bornean and Sumatran

species until the writer found it in the upper Menam Chao Phya. It
is confined to that river and collateral streams, and is rather uncom-

mon. Localities from which specimens have been preserved are

Paknam, Koh Yai. Angtong, Paknampo, and the Bangham River at
Lopburi.
A length of 50 cm. is reported from the Koh Yai section, and one
specimen over 41 cm. long was collected there. The usual run of the
fish taken for market is 25 to 35 cm. long. The smallest examined,
taken at the head of the Menam Chao Phya in the vicinity of Pak-
nampo in November, was 17.5 cm. long. The maximum length reported
by Bleeker for the Dutch islands was 90 cm.
The species may be recognized easily by the comparatively long
prominent snout and the position of the eyes, which are entirely above
the level of the angle of the mouth.
In life, the general color is light gray, with the belly pure white, the
top of the head ash green, and the underside of the head golden.
The vernacular name given to this fish is pla saiyu (hinge fish) some- ,

times modified to pla scdyu pueh (albino hinge fish)

PANGASIUS BEANI H. M. Smith

Pangasius ieani Smith, 1931a, p. 26 (Lopburi River).

Only a single specimen of this species has been obtained ; it is 20 cm.

long and came from a klong off the Lopburi River near Ayuthia. The
 — . —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 363

fish is easily recognizable by its very broad and strongly depressed

head, rather short body, steep dorsal profile, and short barbels, com-
bined with the union of the vomerine teeth into a single quadrate patch
and detached elongate patches of palatine teeth which with the vomer-
ine form a regular crescent. The type is in the U. S. National Museum,
No. 90308.
PANGASIUS POLYURANODON Bleeker

Pangasius polyuranodon Bleeker, 1852 (55), p. 425 (Baudjermassing, Borneo).

Sauvage, 1883b, p. 154 (Mcuam Cbao Pbya). Weber and de Beaufort, 1913,
vol. 2, p. 257 (Siam).

The range of this species extends from Java, Borneo, and Sumatra
to Thailand and Cambodia. The fish haunts the lower reaches of the
Chao Phya and Bangpakong Rivers, and has not been recorded from
other Thailand streams. In the first-named river it has been taken at
Paknam, Bangkok, Nontaburi, and Koh Yai. Specimens were ob-
tained in June from a pongpang net in the Bangpakong above the
village of the same name near the river's mouth and in July from a
seine at a point 8 miles from the Gulf of Siam.
This is one of the two pangasiids that have been reported from the
Gulf of Siam. Two specimens about 45 and 52 cm. long were obtained
in August from the gulf off the mouth of the Menam Chao Phya. As
this was during the flood season, when an enormous volume of fresh
water was pouring out of the river and extending far off shore, the
occurrence of a fresh-water fish in that area was of no special signifi-
cance. Both of these specimens had small bivalve mollusks in their
stomach.
Among the characters by which the species may be recognized are
the rather slender form (depth 5 to 5.3 in standard length) ; maxillary

barbels extending to or slightly beyond the base of the pectoral fins;

a large rectangular patch of vomerine teeth flanked by a small lenticu-
lar mass of palatine teeth and long anal fin with 35 to 40 rays.
;

The fish is not very common, but occasionally a large catch is made
by the seine fishermen. In May 1928 many 30 to 40 cm. long reached
the Bangkok markets from the important fishing grounds at Koh Yai.
The usually employed vernacular name is pla sawai. On the Bang-
pakong the fish is sometimes called pla sangkawang, a name said to
imply a fish inhabiting deep holes in the river bed, not to be confused
with pJa sangkawad.

PANGASIUS SANITWONGSEI H. M. Smith

Figure 82

Pangasius sanitwongsei 5mith, 1931a, p. 29, figs. 13, 14 (Menam Chao Phya)
This interesting species is peculiar to Thailand. Its range is re-

strictec?, for it is a fish of the largest rivers, and is seldom, if even, met
 —

364 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

with outside the basin of the Menam Chao Phya. In the main river
it occurs from below Bangkok to its head at Paknampo, and in the
main affluents it may also be found. The larger fish remain in the
deeper parts of the rivers, and only the young are likely to be observed
in the minor tributaries not far from the parent stream. In the Meping
it has been taken above Raheng and j)robably goes upstream as far

as the rapids. There are no very definite records for the Menam Nan,
the other major tributary entering the head of the Menam Chao Phya.
An old fisherman, who spent most of his life on Bung Borapet and
was very familiar with the local fishes, stated that this fish did not
enter the swanii^ during the annual inundation but was to be found
in the large rivers near the outlets of the swamp.

Figure 82. Pangasius sanilwongsei H. AI. Smith. Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy o
the Thailand Government.

This one of the largest fresh-water fishes occurring in any part

is

of the world, and in Thailand it exceeds in size any other fish found

wholly within the limits of the country. Examples over a meter in

length are not rare. A
number up to 1,5 meters were examined by
the writer. The and measured was 2.5 meters
largest fish actually seen
long, and there are various other definite records of fish of that size.
There is no doubt as to the authenticity of accounts of fishes 3 meters
long, and many people now living have seen or caught fishes that size,
but such colossal examples have been taken ver}^ rarely within the
past 25 or 30 years. A
fish 3 meters long would have a maximum thick-
ness of nearly 1 meter and would require the combined strength of
eight men to lift and carry it. Old fishermen in the Ayuthia and
 —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 365

Paknampo sections report having known of the capture in their early

days of fish somewhat over 3 meters long. It would probably be safe
to assert that fish 3 meters or more in length may never again be
observed. The smallest specimens obtained were 9 to 10 cm. long.
Most of the reaching the Bangkok market from the upper river
fish
in recent years were 40 to 60 cm. long.
This fish rivals in size the celebrated 'pla hiik {Pangasianodon gigas)
of the Mekong, but it is not to be confused therewith, having entirely
different appearance and structural details. Outstanding features are
the vomero-palatine dentition, the greatly produced filamentous rays
in the dorsal, caudal, anal, ventral, and pectoral fins, the enormous
pectoral spines which in the largest examples may have a length of
60 cm., and the conspicuous white humeral spot.
The fish is not very common, and its numbers appear to be decreas-
ing yearly with the increase in the activity and efficiency of fishing
operations. It is not the object of a special fishery but is taken in-
cidentally in seines and traps used for miscellaneous fishes. Dur-
ing high-water stages it frequents deep holes in the rivers and is
then rarely caught.
Owing to its formidable pectoral spines, the fish is always handled
by the fishermen with great circumspection. In 1925 a fish 2.5 meters
long was caught in a cast net above Raheng, and when the fisherman
dived to clear the net the fish inflicted a deep stab wound in the side,
from the effects of which the man died.
There have been no observations on the spawning habits, spawning
grounds, hatching, and rate of growtli.
In popular estimation the food value of this fish is less than that
of other large pangasiids, such as pla tepo (P. larnaudii) and pla
Hawai {P. pangashis). The reputation
is based in part on the in-

and in part on the feeding habits of the fish,

ferior quality of the flesh
for it is known to have a fondness for dogs, whose floating carcasses
are common throughout the river. When large fish are to be sent to
market, it is sometimes the practice to cut off the fins and thus remove
a ready means of identification.
This fish is very well known throughout its range and is called pla
ihepa, a name never applied to any other species.

PANGASIUS FOWLERI H. M. Smith

Pangasius foiclerl Smith, 1931a, p. 28 (Lopburi River). Fowlee, 1935a, p. 98,

fig. 18 (Srisawat).

This is apparently a rare species. The type, 19.5 cm. long, taken
m the Lopburi River at Lopburi in October 1926 was the only specimen
known until Fowler (1935a) recorded a specimen 20.3 cm. from the
east branch of the Meklong at Srisawat.
 — ;

366 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

The species resembles P. micronemus, but it may be distinguished

therefrom by the very different arrangement of the vomero-palatine
teeth and by the more niunerous anal rays, as shown in the key.

PANGASIUS MICRONEMUS Sleeker

Pangasvus micronemus Bleekek, 1847 (7), p. 8 (Java).

Pangasius micronema Hoea, 1923b, p. 167 (Nontaburi).

Formerly known only from rivers of Java, Borneo, and Sumatra,

this specieswas shown by Hora to inhabit Thailand, and in 1937 Herre
and Myers reported it from Perak, in Malaya. In Thailand the fish
appears to be confined to the Menam Chao Phya. Specimens have been
taken from Bangkok to Paknampo, but the fish is not common any-
where.
A length of more than 50 cm. is reported for the Indo-Australian
Archipelago. The largest observed in Thailand have been 45 cm. long,
and various examples 30 to 40 cm. long have been examined.
The very short maxillary barbels (less than half the length of the
head), in association with the disconnected vomero-palatine teeth in a
regular crescentic band,, enable one to identify this species without
much difficulty.
Throughout its local range this fish bears the name pla sawai, borne
by various other species. A distinctive appellation recorded by Hora
(1923b) for Nontaburi on information supplied by Dr. Malcolm Smith
is pla sangkawart tong to.

PANGASIUS PANGASIUS (Hamilton)

Pimelodus pangasius Hamilton, 1822, pp. 163, 376, pi. 33, fig. 52 (Bengal).
Pangasius pangasius Hoea, 1923b, p. 167 (Bangkok). Vipulya, 1923, p. 227
(Bangkok, Bang-pa-in, Lopburi River, Menam Chao Phya).

In addition to inhabiting India and Burma, this fish frequents Java

and Thailand. It was first recorded for Thailand by Hora (1923b)
and it has since been found to range throughout the Menam Chao Phya
and to occur also in the Menam Sak and the Meklong. It used to enter
Bung Borapet at the flood season and was often abundant at the mouths
of the outlets of the swamp.
In April and May 1928 a klong on the extensive grounds of the
residence of the Adviser in Foreign Affairs in Bangkok was pumped
out and the presence of some large examples of this fish was disclosed
they had gained access from the Menam Chao Phya by way of other
klongs and had evidently been in this place for some years. Seven
examples were caught with a cast-net on May 2 and three were ex-
amined. The three largest were 85, 89, and 90 cm. long, and the last
was 20 cm. deep and weighed 18 pounds. In all these large individuals
the band of vomero-palatine teeth had become reduced in a thin line
 . ,

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SI AM, OR THAILAND 367

buried in the soft tissues, and was invisible and scarcely appreciable by
touch the jaw teeth also were greatly reduced in size and in width of
;

band.
The flesh of this fish is very white, fine-grained, and sweet, and com-
mands ready sale.
Bleeker (1862 (301), vol. 2, p. 73), referring to this fish under
the name of Pangasius djamhal^ recorded that it reached a length of
about a meter, was very common in the large rivers of Java, and
contributed materially to the food supply of the people of the interior
of the island the flesh was much esteemed.
; A
length of more than
120 cm. is given by Day for Indian rivers. The largest fish actually
measured in Thailand have been a little less than a meter long.
Following are the life colors and other features of a fish caught on
a night-line, baited with a large blattid, at Bang Sorn, on the Menam
Chao Phya above Bangkok, October 4, 1926. The vomerine teeth were
in 2 separate quadrate patches as broad as the eye, flanked by 2 narrow
lenticular palatine patches as long as the eye. The maxillary barbels
barely reached the base of the pectoral fins. The anal rays were iii,
28 or 29. The axil of the pectoral fins had 4 distinct pores. Back
light gray-green, top of head light green, sides pearly white, belly
dazzling white, sides of head and front jaws pure creamy white dorsal ;

fin hyaline-pink, caudal mostly pink, with dorsal part of upper lobe
gray, anal hyaline distally, pink at base, ventrals and pectorals hyaline,
adipose fin green-gray with a broad white posterior margin.
The bears a variety of names in different parts of its range, the
fish
commonest being pla sawai, sometimes modified into pla sawai kluey
in the Bangkok region. A
name used in the Paknampo section, in-
cluding Bung Borapet, is pla ai dong, this designation being properly
reserved for the immature fish, which are called pla sawai when adult.
In the Pasak River a name in use is pla sangkawad; and Hora (1923b)
on information received from Dr. Malcolm Smith, noted the name pla
sangkawart kluw for a Bangkok specimen.

PANGASIUS TAENIURUS Fowler

Patigasius taeniura Fowlee, 1935a, p. 98, fig. 19 (Bangkok).

Described from 2 specimens, 8.5 and 8.3 cm. long, collected at Bang-
kok in 1934, this species has been based on the teeth characters indicated
in the key, moderately developed barbels with the maxillary and man-
dibulary of nearly equal length, 28 or 29 rays in the anal fin, and a
broad, dark longitudinal band in each caudal lobe.

PANGASIUS AEQUILABIALIS Fowler

Pangasius aequilabialis Fowi^e, 1937, p. 140, figs. 20-23 (Bangkok)

Known from four specimens 9.8 to 13.8 cm. long from Bangkok, this
species may be recognized by a combination of structural characters and
 — .

368 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

a unique color feature. The vomero-palatine teeth are in 4 separate

rounded patches forming an arch or crescent the gill rakers are numer-
;

ous (about 40 on the first arch) both the maxillary and mandibulary
;

barbels are well developed, longer than the head, and the maxillary
extend to the middle of the pectoral fins or to the ventrals the branched ;

anal rays number 29 to 30; and there is on the opercle a large rounded
dark blotch.
PANGASIUS MACKONEMUS Bleeker

Pangasius macronema Bleeker, 1851 (26), p. 11 (Bandjermassing, Borneo) 1865 ;

(347), p. 34 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. 175 (Siam).— Sauvage, 1881, p. 162 (Slum,
:

Grand Lakes of Cambodia )

.
Foavler, 1935a, p. 98, fig. 17 ( Bangkok )

The known range in Thailand covers the Menam Chao from below
Bangkok to Palniampo, the Menam Sak below the barrage at Dha
Luang, the Menam Lopburi at Lopburi, and the lower Menam Nan.
A specimen obtained by Deignan from a fisherman in the gorge of
the Meping on December 24, 1935, is interesting as being one of the
very few fishes known from the Meping rapids. Several specimens in
the British Museum were gifts from the Siamese Museum many years
ago.
In Thailand this is a rather small species. The largest specimens
have been 21.5 cm. long.
Local vernacular names borne by this species are pla sangkoAJoad
and pla ai dong^ used by fishermen on the Pasak River.

PANGASIUS SIAMENSIS Steindachner

Pangasius siamcnsis Steindachner, 1879, p. 393 (Menam Chao Phya at Bang-

kok ) .—Sauvage, 1881, p. 162 (Siam) lS83b, p. 154 (Menam Cliao Pliya).—
;

HoRA, 1923b, p. 167 (Bangkok).— Fowler, 1934a, p. 88 (Bangkok) 1935a, p. ;

98, fig. 16 (Bangkok) 1937, p. 138 (Bangkok, Mepoon).

;

This species is apparently peculiar to the basin of the Menam Chao

Phya in Thailand. It was described by Steindachner from a specimen
25 to 26 cm. long from the Menam Chao Phya. Hora (1923b) had two
young specimens from Bangkok. Fowler (1934a, 1935, 1937) reported
numerous specimens from Bangkok and one from Mepoon. Specimens
were collected by the writer at Paknam, near the mouth of the Menam
Chao Phya at Pakret on the same river above Bangkok and in the
; ;

Pasak at the irrigation barrage at Dha Luang.

The relations of this species are closest to P. macroncmus, as indi-
cated in the key. Steindachner wrote :

In the length of the maxillary barbels this species is nearest to Pangasius macro-
nema (from Siam, Borneo, and Java), in the form of the four patches of palatine
teeth to Pang, micronema Blkr., in the size of eyes and the shape of the head to
Pang, tios Blkr. But in my opinion it is not very probable that on examination of
a larger number of specimens the identity of P. siamcnsis with P. macronema
would be found.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 369

The usual vernacular name for this fish is pla sangkawad^ some-
times modified to pla sangkaioad leuang.

PANGASIUS LONGIBARBIS Fowler

Pangasius longibarbis Fowler, 1934a, p. 87, fig. 27 (Chiengsen).

Described from 2 specimens, 12 and 5.6 cm. long, taken in the Mekong
at Chiengsen, Northern Thailand, in February 1933, this species is
known from no other locality but may, of course, be looked for along
adjacent stretches of the Mekong. Its most salient features are the
length of the maxillary barbels, which reach beyond the origin of the
anal fin, and the long anal fin, which has 39 to 41 branched rays. The
vomero-palatine teeth, which in this genus are so important for spe-
cific identification, are undescribed as to shape and relations of bands.

There are said to be "narrow villiform bands on vomer," and there is

no mention of palatine teeth. The position of the species is therefore
uncertain, but as the describer states that it is related to Pangasius
siamensis it has been provisionally placed in the foregoing key in the
section characterized by vomero-palatine teeth in 4 separate patches.

Genus PTEROPANGASIUS Fowler

Pteropangasius Fowlek, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 89, p. 142, 1937.
(Type, Pangasius cultratus H. M. Smith.)

PTEROPANGASIUS CULTRATUS (H. M. Smith)

Pangasius cultratus Smith, 1931a, p. 25 (Peninsular and Central Siam).

Pteropangasius cultratus Fowlek, 1937, p. 144, figs. 31-33 (Mepoou) 1939, ; p. 43
(Krabi).

The type and paratype came from the Tapi River

of this species
near Bandon, Peninsular Thailand, in September 1923. Additional
specimens available at the time the species was described were from
the Sikuk and Chao Phya Rivers, Central Thailand, in November 1923,
and September 1924. The fish was next observed in August 1930,
when one was collected in the Meklong, at Rajaburi, Central region.
Seven specimens from Mepoon, Central district, in 1936 are referred
to by Fowler.
The type, 26 cm. long, is the largest example obtained.
In view of the possession of a median keel extending the entire
length of the abdominal cavity, combined with greatly compressed
body, short maxillary barbels, and very numerous anal rays, this
specimen has been made the type of a new genus, Pferopangasms, by
Fowler. It may be pointed out that the description and figure of the
dentition given by Fowler do not agree with that of the type and
paratype in the U. S. National Museum as regards the vomeropalatine
teeth. The original description indicated two horizontal ovate patches
of vomerine teeth with an oblique patch of palatine teeth on each side,
 —

370 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

the whole dental mass forming a crescent. Fowler shows two rounded
patches of vomerine teeth and no palatines. As the specimens in the
two collections are otherwise in agreement, it may be assumed that in
this form, as in Pangasius^ the dentition is subject to variation.

Genus HELICOPHAGUS Bleeker

HeUcopharjus Bleeker (174), Act. Soc. Indo-Neerl. (Sumatra), vol. 3, p. 45,

1858. (Type, Helicophagus typus Bleeker.)

The helicophagids are very closely related to the pangasiids. Both

have 4 barbels, a maxillary pair and a mandihulary pair (which
latter may be rudimentary or altogether absent in large examples of
some species) The important point of difference is that whereas the
.

pangasiids have both vomerine and palatine teeth, the helicophagids

always lack palatine teeth. The front border of the snout is pierced
by the anterior nostrils, which are directed forward or upward, while
the posterior nostrils are midway between the anterior ones and the
eyes.
The genus Helicophagus is well named. Of the various specimens
examined by me at different time and places in Thailand, all had entire
shells of small univalve mollusks in their stomachs. The two known
species from Thailand may be differentiated as follows:

Irt. Anal rays 30; maxillary barbel not extending beyond preopercle; mandibu-
lary barbel not extending beyond eye vomerine teeth in 2 straight widely
;

separated bands hypophthalmus

lb. Anal rays 37 to 38; maxillary barbel extending beyond base of pectoral fin
or not so far; mandibulary barbel reaching base of pectoral fin or not so
far vomerine teeth in 2 small oblique widely separated patches.
;

waandersii

HELICOPHAGUS HYPOPHTHALMUS Sauvage

Helicophagus hypophthalmus Sauvage, 1878b, p. 235 (Laos, Indo-China) 1881, ;

p. 170, pi. 7, fig. 1 (Laos, Mekong; Grand Lakes of Cambodia, Indo-China).

Pangasms hypophthalmus Hoea, 1923b, p. 166 (Bangkok). Fowlee, 1934a, p.
88 (Bangkok).

Although both Hora (1923b) and Fowler (1934a) placed Sauvage's

HelicopJiagus hypophthalmus in the genus Pangasius, there is noth-
ing in Sauvage's description to indicate that his species, of which he
had specimens from Laos, Grand Lakes of Cambodia, and the Mekong,
isnot a Helicophagus. A character adopted by Bleeker and by Weber
and de Beaufort to separate Helicophagus from Pangasius, namely,
the presence in the latter of palatine teeth, clearly excludes H. hy-
pophthalmus from Pangasius. Sauvage's account is very definite on
this point, and may properly be read in conjunction with his adjoin-
ing account of new species of Pangasius^ in which he distinctly de-
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 371

scribes the palatine as well as the vomerine teeth. Hora has appar-
ently misread Sauvage, who refers to the variation in the vomerine
teeth dependent on age, and the entire absence of vomerine teeth in a
specimen 75 cm. long and the complete disappearance of vomerine as
well as maxillary teeth in specimens a meter long. The absence of
palatine teeth in a specimen of H. hypophthalmus, 14.5 cm. long, from
Bangkok, was suggested by Hora as explainable by Sauvage's state-
ment, which may properly be quoted in full
In this species tlie length of the barbels and the arrangement of the vomerine
teeth vary much with
age, a fact interesting to note, since one knows that
these two characters, which from this very reason have no value, have been
regarded as specific by the generality of ichthyologists.
In an individual of middle age (60 cm. long), the maxillary barbel extends to
the edge of the preopercle; the mental barbel, a fourth as long as the head,
reaches the level of the anterior edge of the orbit. The vomerine teeth are dis-
posed in two very straight bands separated from each other by a space equal to
their length.
The barbels are a little shorter in an individual 65 cm. long; the barbels are
shortened further in an example of 75 cm., in which the maxillary barbel
reaches only to the level of the center of the eye and has the same length as the
mental barbel. The vomerine teeth are absent.
The maxillary teeth, as well as the teeth of the vomer, disappear at the size
of 1 meter there is no mental barbel, the maxillary barbel is only 1.5 cm. long.
;

HELICOPHAGUS WAANDERSII Bleeker

HelicopJiagus waandersii Blebkee, 1858 (189a), p. 175 (Palembang, Sumatra).

Helicophagus waandersi Hora, 1937d, p. 236 (Siam).

As far as collected specimens indicate, this fish of the Smnatran

rivers is confined in Thailand to the basin of the Menam Chao Phya.
It is common at times in the Bangkam River at Lopburi, in the Chao
Chet River, and in parts of the Chao Phya proper, A specimen from
the Menam Chao Phya is Museum.
in the British
An interesting record for this was the capture of a specimen
species
18 cm. long, in a trap in the Gulf of Siam far off the mouth of the
Menam Chao Phya, August 12, 1923. A great volume of fresh water
was at that time pouring out of the large rivers of Central Thailand,
and the salinity of the upper gulf was materially reduced.
In Sumatra a length of 34 cm. is reported. In Thailand the largest
specimen, taken at Nakon Sawan January 5, 1925, was 31.5 cm. long.
The fish makes a grunting sound, noticed especially when being
taken into one's hand from out of the water. In allusion to the shape
of the head, it is given the name pZa nu {nu, mouse) by Thai fisher-
men, this term being used also as a suffix to names borne bj^ various
species of Pangasius.
 ) ;

372 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Genus LAIDES Jordan

Laides Joeoan, Genera of fishes, pt. 3, p. 293, 1919. (Type, Pangasius hexanema
Bleeker.

In establishing a genus to accommodate the single known species,

Bleeker in 1858 gave it the Sundanese name of Lais, by which the fish

was known for many years. This name was preoccupied in tunicates
(Gistel, 1849) and Jordan in 1919 substituted the new name Laides.

LAIDES HEXANEMA (Bleeker)

Pangasius hexanema Bleeker, 1852 (67), p. 588 (Paleiubang, Batavia, Sumatra).

Lais hexanema Smith, 1931d, p. 179 (Nakon Nayok River).

Previously known only from Java, Borneo, Sumatra, and Malacca,

has been found to be of wide distribution in Thailand but
this fish
apparently is very uncommon. It was added to the local fauna in 1929
when a specimen 12.5 cm. long was collected by the writer at Pong, on
the Pong River, a tributary of the Menam Mun in Eastern Thailand.
A second specimen 13 cm. long was taken by a Boy Scout in the Nakon
Nayok River in 1930. The third and only other known specimen came
from the rapids of the Meping in Northern Thailand in December
1935; it is 12.5 cm. long and was obtained by H. G. Deignan from a
fisherman.
This is an easily recognized catfish. There are 4 large, flat barbels on
the lower jaw and 2 long, ribbonlike maxillary barbels which extend
to the ventral fins or even beyond the first third of the anal fin; the
posterior nostrils are wide transverse slits on the upper surface of the
snout; there are no palatine teeth, and the vomerine teeth are in two
distinct transverse patches.
On the Pong River this fish has the distinctive name of pla yom,
On the Nakon Nayok it is apparently not distinguished from other
small pangasiids and is called pla sangkaioart or sangkawad.

Genus PANGASIANODON Chevey

PangasUtnodon Chevey, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, vol. 55, pp. 53(}-542, fig. 1, pi. 1,

1930. (Type, Pangasianodon gigas Chevey.)

In appraising the special features on which the genus Pangasianodon

is based, one may note that no examples of small or even medium size
have ever been described. Chevey did not designate a type specimen
the only example of which he gave the length was one of almost 2
meters, which he saw in August 1930. The detailed measurements that
accompany his description of P. gigas were taken from a model of a
fish, 2.5 meters long, in the Economic Museum of Cambodia, Avhich the

present writer has examined.

In view of the well-established fact that in certain species of Pan-
gasius the teeth may disappear with age, the question naturally arises
whether in Pangasianodon the absence of teeth may not be simply an
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 188 PLATE 7

PANGASIANODON GIGAS CHLVLy

Museum of Natural
Courtesy of the American History.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 373

age character and whether teeth may not exist in examples of, say,
half a meter length.
The absence of mandibulary barbels might likewise be associated
with excessive growth or great age. Chevey himself raised the ques-
tion whether minute barbels may not perhaps exist in the young and be
by degrees overwhelmed in the enormous fatty layer that develops on
the jaw.
From the foregoing would seem that the final determination of
it

the status of Pangasianodon must await the examination of small indi-

viduals with special reference to their possible possession of teeth and
mandibulary barbels.
PANGASIANODON GIGAS Chevey

Plate 7

Pangasiimodon gigas Chevey, 1930, p. 536, figs. 1, 2 (Mekong basin).

In Thai territory this fish occurs and is caught throughout the

Mekong where it forms the international boundary, and it also enters

the major streams tributary to the Mekong in Eastern Thailand, no-

tably the Songkram, although in only limited numbers. It has a range
of several thousand miles in the Mekong, coming at various times in
its migratory movements under the jurisdiction of French Indo-China,

Thailand, Burma, and China. There is no evidence that it ever enters

the sea, and Chevey stated that in the protracted trawling done by the
de Lanessan in the mouths of the Mekong and the Bassac this fish has
never been taken.
During the period of flood water the fish remains in the lower
Mekong and is caught in the Pnom-Penh area, a favorite resort and
place of capture being the Quatre-Bras, near the lower end of the
Tonle Sap in Cambodia. After the end of the rainy season and the
subsidence of the flood water, the fish begins a well-marked upstream
migration apparently for spawning purposes. In February the fish
reaches Luang Prabang, in Laos, and there formerly gave rise to an
extensive fishery. The fish pushes its way farther upstream, and is
known from Chiengsen, Thailand, opposite the Shan States, and
apparently traverses the entire length of the Shan States and enters
the Chinese province of Yunnan. According to Pavie (1904) the fish
spawns in Lake Tali, which, according to a special communication
from the National Geographic Society, of Washington, D. C, is just
east of the town of Tali in Yunnan Province, is about 30 miles long
and 3 to T miles wide, and is connected with the Mekong by the
Yangpi River.
At Luang Prabang the fish on its downstream movement after the
spawning season used to be intercepted by nets until June (Pavie,
1904).
590087 —
45 25
374 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Whatever may be the dental equipment and the food and feeding
habits of the young and half -grown fish, it is fully established that
the adult fish is entirely devoid of teeth and is a strict vegetarian.
Visual and tactile examination of fish over 2 meters long in Cambodia
and Laos prior to and during their upstream migration disclosed to
the writer the absence of even a vestige of teeth in the jaws and on
the vomer and palatine bones; and all the information available,
drawn chiefly from Cambodian, Laos, and Siamese fishermen and
from French and Thai officials along the Mekong, supplemented by
limited personal observation, indicates that the food of the fish con-
sists largely, perhaps exclusively, of algae cropped from stones on
the bottom and sides of the river. The frequent presence of stones, up
to the size of a man's fist, in the stomach and intestine of the fish is

easily accounted for by the supposition that they have been inad-
vertently swallowed in efforts to detach the algae.
It is stated by Pavie and others that when the fish is in Cambodian
waters, prior to the upstream migration, its flesh is very fat and for
that reason not highly regarded for human
is food. By the time the
fish reaches it has lost much of its fatness and is in
Luang Prabang
good repute as a food, bringing a high price in the markets. Coin-
cident with the decrease of fat in the tissues there is enlargement of the
sex glands, and the writer has seen salted ovaries over 60 cm. long
that had been taken from fish caught at Luang Prabang and pre-
served for a select Thai trade.
For a fish of such extraordinary size, striking habits, economic im-
portance, and ethnological and historical interest, it is surprising that
so little is definitely known regarding
There has never been a real
it.

study of its habits, migration, spawning, growth, etc. That the study
is much needed is shown by the lack of basic information regarding

the fish and by some of the statements that have appeared in print
illustrative of the views of fishermen and other persons. Thus, the
Laos people in the French Province of Laos believe that only the
females wander freely over the river and imagine that the males, with
golden scales, await their arrival in Lake Tali, which they never leave.^
A communication to the Journal of the Natural History Society of
Siam (Duke, 1921) implies that the creature nourishes its young with
milk, a view that has been expressed orally to me by Thai officials
who visited the upper Mekong and saw the fish there more than half
a century ago. The scanty literature and the writer's interviews with
fishermen and local officials concerned with activities along the Mekong
have afforded no references to fish less than a meter long.
The celebrated giant catfish of the basin of the Mekong remained
without a scientific name until 1930. Various conjectures as to its

« Pavie (1904) quoted by Chevey (1930).

 — .

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 375

possible identity had been made from time to time; thus, Vaillant
(1904), having before him photographs of the fish, wrote "the genus
does not seem doubtful, it is a Pangasius^'' but he did not venture a
specific determination. The first definite action to this end was taken
by Dr. Pierre Chevey, who had seen many fresh examples of the fish
in the market at Pnom-Penh, Cambodia, and who decided that the
fish represented a new genus and a new species, for which he proposed
the name Pangasianodon gigas.
The separation of Pangasianodon from Pangasms, which course
Chevey was apparently justified in taking on the basis of the material
available, was prompted by the discovery that P. gigas has no teeth
in the jaws or on the vomer and palatines, has only a single pair of
barbels (maxillary), and has the eye placed entirely below the level
of the angle of the mouth, while in Pangasius there are bands of teeth
in the jaws and on the vomer and palatines, a second pair of barbels
(mandibulary), and the eye either above or opposite the level of the
angle of the mouth.
The vernacular name for this fish is trey reoich (royal fish) among
the Cambodians. By the Thai and Laos it is called fla huh (huge fish)
The zoological interest and economic value attained by this species
would strongly recommend a joint investigation by Indo-China and
Thailand with a view to adopting measures that may prevent its
further decline, if they do not restore its former abundance.

Family AMBLYCIPITIDAE
These fishes, among the most diminutive of the local siluroids, may
properly constitute a separate f [Link] to include only the genus Amhly-
ceps, as advocated by Hora (1936a). Amhlyceps has sometimes (Jor-
dan, 1923) been included with Akysis and other genera to form the
family Akysidae, but the characters shown in the key, with others not
therein indicated, seem to justify the separation of the two families.

Genus AMBLYCEPS Blyth

Amblyceps Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, vol. 27, p. 281, 1858. (Type, Amhly-
ceps caecutiens Blyth.)

AMBLYCEPS MANGOIS (Hamilton)

Pimelodus mangois Hamilton, 1822, pp. 199, 379 (Behar).

Amhlyceps mangois Smith, IGSId, p. 180 (Eastern, Peninsular, and Southeastern
Siam).—Hora, 1933, p. 617 (Pakjong).—Hoba and Mukeb-ji, 1934, p. 125
(Pakjong, Nakon Sritamarat, Chantabun Estuary). Fowlek, 1939, p. 58
(Trang).

Previously known only from India and Bunna, this species was
added to the known fauna of Thailand in 1925 by the taking of speci-
mens in a small mountain brook tributary to the Menam Mun near
Pakjong in the Eastern region. The fish was collected in the same
 : :

376 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

locality in 1927 and 1929, and in the Peninsula and the Southeastern
district in 1928.
The maximum length is about 12 cm.
The fish bites viciously, and can live out of water for a long time.
The most noteworthy account has been given by Hora (1933). In
a discussion of this highly specialized diminutive catfish of uncertain
ancestry, Hora says: "The most remarkable structure of Amblyceps
is the development of the fold of skin in front of the pectoral
fin * * *. This is no doubt a special acquisition for respiration in
the fast currents characteristic of its natural haunts."
In his general account of Amblyceps, Hora ( 1933) devoted some space
to a notice of three Thailand specimens sent to the Indian Museum by
H. M. Smith, and quotes from a letter from the latter as follows
These [specimens] are from Pak Jong, a mountain district in east-central Siam,
March 12, 1927. Other localities represented in our collection are Nakon Sritama-
rat, Peninsular Siam, and Chantabun Estuary, south-east Siam. The last locality
is peculiar in that the water is brackish, but the single specimen could easily have

come down from hill streams in the Chantabun basin, where, however, the species
has not yet been collected.

In the course of a paper on fishes from the Southern Shan States,

Hora and Mukerji (1934) refer to 19 other Thai specimens sent for
examination. Their conclusion is that without further study of a large
amount of material from Burma and Thailand "it is difficult to sepa-
rate the Thailand form as a distinct species, variety, or even as a local
race."
The vernacular name at Pakjong is pla dak.

Family BAGRIDAE
The bagrid catfishes in Thailand fall into four rather strongly dif-
ferentiated genera. The outstanding family characters are: 4 pairs
of barbels (nasal, maxillary, mandibulary, and mental), of which the
maxillary pair may in some species extend to or on the caudal fin pos- ;

terior nostrils well separated from the anterior and having a barbel
on their margin; jaw teeth villiform in bands, vomeropalatine teeth
in a single oval patch or in a curved band gill membranes free from ;

the isthmus and either united to or separated from each other marked ;

development of the adipose fin, which in some species may be nearly

half the standard length of the fish; dorsal fin arising in advance of
the ventrals, with a pungent spine serrated or smooth on its posterior
side and with 6 or 7 branched rays; and caudal fin well developed and
forked. Other characters, which will differentiate the genera, are as
follows
la. Eyes subcutaneous gill membranes various.
;

2a. Gill membranes united to each other vomerine ; teeth in a curved band or
an elliptical patch ; dorsal spine with teeth on its posterior side directed
T2pward-_„ Bagroides
 . : —— — ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 377

2b. Gill membranes almost totally separated from each other and from the
isthmusvomerine teeth in a curved band dorsal spine vi'ith its posterior
; ;

side smooth or with teeth directed dovpnward Leiocassis

Ih. Eyes not subcutaneous gill membranes free from isthmus and for most part
;

from each other vomerine teeth in a curved continuous band.

;

3a. Dorsal fin of moderate height, its spine serrated on its posterior side_Mystus
3b. Dorsal fin very high, its spine long, slender, and unserrated on its posterior
side Heterobagrus

Genus BAGROIDES Bleeker

Bagroides Bleekee (45), Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl-Indie, vol. 2, p. 204, 1851. (Type,
Bagroides melapterus Bleeker.)

In Thailand these medium-sized river fishes are of very restricted

range and are uncommon or rare. They may be rather easily recog-
nized by their small head, conical snout, small mouth, long adipose
fin, short pectoral fin with a strong serrated spine, and striking colora-

tion: Yellow or brown ground color with large black blotches or

cross bands on head and body.
The characters that separate the species are as follows
la. Vomerine teeth in single roundish patch; adipose fin free behind, its base
1 to 1.5 times length of bead ; dorsal, anal, ventral, and pectoral fins
black distally melapterus
16. Vomerine teeth in a single semilunar patchadipose fin with no free pos-
;

head or longer.
terior edge, its base twice length of
2a. Dorsal and pectoral spines about length of head width of mouth about ;

equal to diameter of eye; dorsal, anal, ventral, and pectoral fins con-
spicuously blackish distally macropterus
2&. Dorsal spine much longer than head and much longer than pectoral spines
width of mouth less than twice diameter of eye dorsal, anal, ventral, and
;

pectoral fins usually brown, sometimes blackish distally macracanthus

BAGROIDES MELAPTERUS Bleeker

Bagroides melapterus Bleekee, 1851 (45), p. 204 (Bandjermassing, Borneo).

Webee and de Beaufoet, 1913, vol. 2, p. 348 (Siam).
Bagroides melanopterus Saitvaqe, lS83b, p. 154 (Menam Chao Phya).

No one but Sauvage has reported directly on the occurrence of this

species in Thailand. He listed it merely as among species repre-
sented in a collection obtained in the Menam Nan by Dr. Harmand.
The reference of Weber and de Beaufort is probably based on Sauv-
age's record. The fish, reaching a length of 34 cm., is otherwise
known only from Sumatra and Borneo.
BAGROIDES MACROPTERUS Bleeker

Bagroides macropterus Bleekee, 1853 (80), p. 515 (Moara, Sumatra). Sauvage,

(Siam and Sumatra) 1883b, p. 154 (Menam Nan). Webee and
18S1, p. 161 ;

DE Beaufoet, 1913, vol. 2, p. 349 ( Siam)

Pseudohugrichthys mao-opterus Bleekee, 1865 (347), p. 34 (Siam) 1865 (356) ;

p. 175 (Siam).

Observations thus far made indicate that in Thailand this fish has
occurred in recent years only in the lower Menam Chao Phya, the
 — —

378 BULLETIN 18S, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Menam Nakon Nayok, and the Menam Bangpakong. Reporting on

a collection made in the Menam Nan by Dr. Harmand, Sauvage
(1883b) gave merely the name of this fish. In July 1923, 40 years
later, the writer collected in the Bangpakong two specimens that were
17.3 and 18.6 cm. long, and 5 years later, in June, he found another
fish, 17 cm. long, in the Bangpakong and one, 23 cm. long, in the Niikon
Nayok, a branch of the Bangpakong. In August 1929 a Boy Scout
collected a fish, 14 cm. long, from the Nakon Nayok. The list of known
specimens completed by mentioning a specimen, 24 cm. long, without
is

data, receivedby the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries in 1928 from effects

of the old Siamese Museum, which long ago ceased to function as a
natural history depository.
Owing to its peculiar shape and coloration, this fish is always dis-
tinguished by local fishermen and given special names, including fla
hayeng hin (hin, rock or stone), pla kayeng nu [nu, mouse), pla
hayeng wang {wang^ swamp or marsh) and pla hot mu. ,

BAGROIDES MACRACANTHUS Bleeker

Bagroides macraeanthus BijJeker, 1854 (106), p. 88 (Sumatra). Saitvage, 1881,

p. 161 (Siam).
Pseudodagrichthys macraeanthus Bleekee, 1865 (347), p. 34 (Siam). Bleekee,
I860 (356), p. 175 (Siam).

This species seems to be peculiar to Sumatra and Thailand. There

are very few Thai records, and the fish must be considered very rare.
A specimen, 22 cm. long, from the fishery at Koh Yai, on the Menam
Chao Phya above Bangkok, obtained in January 1926, agreed with
Bleeker's description with the exception that the dorsal, anal, ventral,
and pectoral fins were more or less black and the caudal was white,
in this respect suggesting B. macropterus.
A length of 24 cm. is attained in Sumatra.
The local fishermen applied the name pla kayeng hai hao. A speci-
men 12.6 cm. long was collected by a Boy Scout in the Nakon Nayok
in January 1930. The Scout gave the local vernacular name as pla
kayeng wang^ applied also to B. macropterus in the same region.

Genus LEIOCASSIS Bleeker

Leiocassis Bleeker (189), Act. Soc. Sci. Indo-Neerl. (Siluri), vol. 4, p. 139,
1857-58. (Type, Leiocassis micropogon Bleeker.)

The leiocassids are small fishes of fresh- water streams with strongly
contrasted (mostly black and white) coloration. Their center of abun-
dance is Java, Borneo, and Sumatra, with their range extending to
Malaya, Thailand, and Cambodia.
Leiocassis leiaconthibs Weber and de Beaufort, previously known
only from Sumatra, has been reported by Herre and Myers from Johore
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 379

and Perak; and Leiocassis micropogon (Bleeker), of Sumatra and

Borneo, is recorded from Malacca. Both of these species may be found
eventually in Peninsular Siam.
The three species from Thailand may be differentiated as follows
la. Depth of body 3.75 to 4.25 in standard length barbels relatively short, the
;

maxillary reaching to or beyond posterior edge of eyes but not to gill

openings.
2a. Head long, its width about dark brown cross bands with
0.6 its length ;

light interspaces; a continuous submarginal black or dark cross band

on caudal fin poecilopterus
2b. Head shorter, its width about 0.8 its length; dark brown or black cross
bands with white interspaces; each caudal lobe with or without a
black subterminal spot siamensis
16. Depth of body 4.6 to 6 in standard length barbels long, the maxillary and
;

mandibulary reaching beyond base of i)ectorals head short, its width about
;

0.8 its length light brown, with irregular dark markings

; stenomus

LEIOCASSIS POECILOPTERUS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Bagrus poecilopterus Cm-iEE and Valenciennes, 1839, vol. 14, p. 431 (Java).
Liocassis poecilopterus Petebs, 1868, p. 272 (Siam).
Leiocassis poecilopterus Webee and de Beaufort, 1913, vol. 2, p. 356 (Siam).

The assignment of this species to Thailand is made on the authority

of Peters. No examples have recently been met with, although there
is no reason why the jfish may not occur in local waters, as do numerous

other species known otherwise from Java, Borneo, and Sumatra.

LEIOCASSIS SIAMENSIS Regan

Figuee 83

Liocassis siamensis Regan, 1913, p. 550 (Bangpakong River) ; Hora, 1923b, p. 172
(Menam Chao Phya at Noutaburi).
iLeiocassis bicolor Fowler, 1934a, p. 95, fig. 43 (Chiengmai, Bua Yai).
ILeiocassis alUcollaris Fowlee, 1934b, p. 337, fig. 2 (Bangkok) ; 1937, p. 150, figs.

54-63 (Bangkok, Pitsanulok, Mepoon).

Leiocassis alHcollis Fowler, 1939, p. 58 (Trang).

This fish is common and widely distributed in Thailand. It has been

collected by the present writer in the Menam Chao Phya at numerous
places throughout its course to its head at Paknampo and in many
collateral streams (Chao Chet, Sikuk, and others), in the Mewang
at Lampang, in the Meklong at Rajaburi and Potaram, in the Menam
Mun at Pakjong and Ta Chang, in the Menam Tapi and the Menam
Tadi in Peninsular Thailand, and in brackish Avater of the Chantabun
River. In January 1926 I obtained specimens at Kompong Chnang,
on an outlet of Tonle Sap, the great inland sea of Cambodia.
The Deignan collection contains specimens obtained in April and
June 1935 in the Meping at Chiengmai and in the Meklian and Mechem,
tributaries of the Meping.
 —

380 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Among a lot of these fishes caught in the Chao Chet Kiver November
26, 1923, was one, 11.5 cm, long, with very large ovaries. The largest
examples met with have been 17 cm. long, taken during November
and December at Paknampo. Fishes up to 15 cm. long are common.
The general color of this species is white or pale yellow with black
or dark brown cross bands wider than the interspaces. The bands
vary in shape, size, and position; usually there is a band involving
the head, another from the nape and subdorsal region to the pectoral
and ventral fins, another from the adipose fin to the anal, and always
one across the caudal peduncle at the base of the caudal fin. The indi-
vidual bands may be interrupted or variegated by light spots or stripes.
The bands always extend on the dorsal, adipose, anal, ventral, and
pectoral fins, which may be entirely black or dark brown or particol-
ored in various patterns.

Figure 83. Leiocassis siamensis Regan. Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy of the
Thailand Government.

Leiocassis siamensis was described by Regan from a single specimen,

9 cm. long, taken in the Bangpakong River and sent to the British
Museum by the Siamese Museum in 1897. From its nearest known
relative, L. poecilo'pterus^ it was separated chiefly by a difference in
the ratio between the length and width of the head, the head being
significantly wider in the present species. Other differences, as
brought out in Regan's description and in specimens referable to L.
siamensis from the type locality and numerous other places, are more
slender body, greater length of the maxillary barbels, absence of a
posteromedian process in the band of vomeropalatine teeth, slightly
more slender caudal peduncle, and slightly longer dorsal spine, most
or all of which features might depend on age, size, or individual
variation. A color difference is that whereas L. siam£nsis has a dark
brown or black spot or bar on each caudal lobe, the colored figure of
L. 'poecilopterus given by Bleeker (1862 (301), vol. 2) shows a con-
tinuous submarginal dark band extending from one lobe to the other.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 381

Specimens from the Menam Chao Phya were reported by Hora

(1923b) as in fairly close agreement with Regan's type; and a spec-
imen from the upper waters of the Menam Mun sent to Dr. L. F. de
Beaufort was regarded by him as representing L. siamensls.
It has been possible to separate L. bicolor Fowler, described from
specimens 4.1 to 9.7 cm. long, from fishes that are considered repre-
senting normal variation in L. siamensis, of which species Fowler
makes no mention. The location of the nasal barbel over the eye, as
in Fowler's figure, would be a significant character, but as the text
makes no reference to this unusual feature it is assumed the figure may
be defective. Similarly, L. alhicollaris Fowler, described from a sin-
gle specimen, 11.4 cm. long, is believed to be L. 'bicolor and, therefore,
L. siamensis. The species, as originally described, was differentiated
from L. bicolor by having 16 as against 14 anal rays, larger adipose
fin, dorsal spine with about a dozen retrorse serrae as against 6, 13
denticles on pectoral spine as against 9 or 10, and entirely white caudal
finand a pale nuchal collar. Examination of a large series of spec-
imens of this type shows that there is, within narrow limits, con-
siderable variation in the number of serrations on the dorsal and
pectoral spines. Thus, in a lot of 10 fishes from the Meping, the well-
developed dorsal serrae varied from 7 to 12 (average 9.6) and the
pectoral serrae varied from 9 to 16 (average 14.5). The size of the
adipose fin, with its base much longer than that of the anal and its

origin separated from the dorsal base by a space only half the length
of that base, would be a significant character, but these points dis-
appear among the 10 figures showing variation in L. albicollaris
(Fowler, 1937). The pale nuchal collar is not distinctive; and in-
stead of a pale or white unmarked caudal fin, as called for by the de-
scription, 7 of the 10 figures of variation have black spots on the caudal
lobes as in L. bicolor.
Vernacular names borne by this fish are pla kayeng hin and fla hot
hin. The fish makes a croaking sound (kot), which may be quickly
repeated a number of times the sound is heard when the fish is free
;

in the water and also after it is taken from the water.

LEIOCASSIS STENOMUS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

FiGUBE 84

Bagrus stenomus Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1839, vol. 14, p. 415 (Java).

The inclusion of this species in the present catalog is based on the

taking of a specimen in the Chantabun River in Southeastern Thai-
land. The fish is otherwise known from Java, Borneo, Sumatra, and
Malaya. The specimen in hand, 9.1 cm. long, obtained June 3, 1927,
when caught was of a light brown color with irregular dark brown
markings in large pattern on head and body, and a small rounded
 —

382 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

darker spot above the humeral process. The body is rather slender
(depth 5.75 in standard length) the nasal barbels reach far beyond
;

the eyes, both the maxillary and mandibular barbels extend behind
the base of the pectorals, and the mental barbels reach the branchial
openings; the dorsal fin is separated from the adipose fin by a space
equal to the length of the adipose base, which exceeds the length of the
anal fin; the caudal deeply forked with upper lobe the longer, is
fin,

more than 1.5 times the length of the head; the pectoral spine is
longer than the dorsal spine and equal to the distance from the pos-
terior nostril to the gill opening; the ventrals, somewhat more than
0.5 length of head, extend to a long, slender anal papilla.

Figure 84. Leiocassis stenomus (Cuvier and Valenciennes). Drav/n by Nai Chote
Suvatti; courtesy of the Thailand Government.

Genus MYSTUS Scopoli

Mystus Scopoli, Introductio ad historiam uaturalem, p. 451, 1777. [We have

not been able to determine vpith satisfaction the genotype of Mystus Scopoli.
The situation is in need of study, and a separate paper would be required
to clarify the nomenclature of Mystus and its various uses. —L.P.S.]
The fishes now placed in the genus Mystus have borne many generic
names. The earliest available name is Mystus, first used by Gronow
in 1763 and validated by Scopoli in 1777. For many years the fishes
were called Macrones (Dumeril, 1856), although that name was pre-
occupied in entomology (1841). Aoria, proposed by Jordan (1919, p.
341) as a substitute for Macrones, had some usage, although if Mystus
were not acceptable the Bleekerian names Hemibagms, Hypselobagrus,
and Aspidohagr'us were available.
The mystid catfishes are numerous as to species and individuals in
the fresh waters (rivers, canals, lakes) of Thailand. Most of them
are small; one species reaches a length of more than 60 cm. in this
country. All are eaten and some of them appear regularly in the mar-
kets of Bangkok and other large communities.
The usual vernacular generic name for these fishes throughout
Thailand is pla kayeng, meaning ugly or repulsive fish. Various
qualifying names are used for the different species. The word kayeng
is often shortened to yetig.
 — — ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 383

The numerous local species may be distinguished chiefly bj^ the length
of the adipose and anal fins, the length of the nasal and maxillary
barbels, the degree of depression of the head, and the following-
characters :

la. Base of adipose fin equal to or shorter than base of anal fin and not contiguous
to base of dorsal fin.
2a. Head conical or somewhat depressed or flattened; top of head rough or
granulate.
3a. Nasal barbels longer than head ; maxillary barbels reaching caudal
fin wolflB.i

36. Nasal barbels reaching well behind eye maxillary barbels reaching to or
;

beyond base of anal fin.

4a. Back and sides uniform brown gulio
46. Back and sides marked by 5 to 7 narrow longitudinal black and white
stripes, with a small black, white-edged humeral spot vittatus
3c. Nasal barbels shorter, extending on eye or very slightly beyond eye.
5a. Maxillary barbels extending nearly or quite to base of anal fin dorsal ;

fin high, 1.5 times depth of body occipital process long, slender, and
;

reaching basal bone of dorsal spine nemurus

56. Maxillary barbels extending only to base of ventral fins; dorsal fin
lower, its height about equal to depth of body occipital process short, ;

reaching half or less than half the distance to basal bone of dorsal
spine planiceps
26. Head very broad and flat, top of head smooth nasal barbels nearly reach- ;

ing eye, maxillary barbels reaching dorsal fin or almost to adipose fin
upper and lower edges of caudal fin yellowish wyckii
16. Base of adipose fin much longer than base of anal fin and contiguous to base
of dorsal fin.

6a. All barbels short nasal barbels reaching eyes maxillary barbels less than
; ;

length of headbody with irregular dark crossbands

; havinblleri
66. All barbels long; nasal barbels reaching beyond eyes; maxillary barbels
extending to base of anal fin or to or on caudal fin.
7a. Median fontanelle long, extending to base of occipital process head coni- ;

cal general color grayish

;
cavasius
76. Median fontanelle short, its posterior end far from' base of occipital
process, head somewhat flattened general color brown, a dark spot at
;

base of caudal, a round black spot behind head, bordered with white
in young micracanthus

MYSTUS WOLFFII (Bleeker)

Bagrus wolffil Bleekee, 1851 (45), p. 205 (Bandjermassing. Borneo).

Hypselobagrus wolffl Bleekee, 1865 (356), p. 175 (Siam). Sauvage, 1881, p. 161
(Siam).
Maorones wolfp, von
Maeteists, 1876, p. 400 (Siam). Webeb and de Beaut okt,
1913, vol. 340 (Siam).—Hoea, 1923b, p. 171 (Nontaburi).
2, p.

Mystus wolfil Fowlee, 1934a, p. 95 (Chiengmai, Bangkok).

Mystus wolffii Fowlee. 1935a, p. 104, fig. 29 (Bangkok) 1937, p. 148 (Bangkok, ;

Tachin, Pitsanulok) 1939, p. 44 (Krabi).

;

With the exception of Malacca, this species is recorded only from

Borneo, Sumatra, and Thailand.
384 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

The usual length of mature fish is 12 to 20 cm. The largest examples

observed have been 30 cm, long.
It is essentially a fish of the lower courses of rivers. Specimens have
been examined from the Patani Kiver, the inner lake of the Tale Sap,
the Tapi River near Bandon, the Tachin River near Tachalom, and
various parts of the lower Chao Phya River. The only record of a
fish far from the sea is that of Fowler (1934a) for a specimen 11 cm.
long from the Meping at Chiengmai, Northern Thailand.
The fish sometimes enters salt water off the mouths of rivers and
may be found there abundantly. Collections made for the Siamese
Bureau of Fisheries contained specimens from the Gulf of Siam off
the Banghia River in July, off the Tapi River in Bandon Bight in
September, and off Pakpoon, Nakon Sritamarat, in October.
Thai fish conform generally with the description given by Weber
and de Beaufort. In a number of specimens, 12.5 to 16.5 cm. long, how-
ever, the mandibulary barbels do not extend on the anal fin but fall
considerably short of the anal origin.
In a fish 17.3 cm. long from the Gulf of Siam off Bandon the left
maxillary barbel had been amputated at about its midlength and the
right maxillary barbel was represented by a stump that reached only
halfway to the eye; from the upper edge of this stump a new, very
slender barbel had grown and extended beyond the eye.
The species shares with others of the genus the vernacular name fla
Jcayeng or pla yeng. In the Province of Patani, with its large Malay
population, the fish is called ikan haon^ a name bestowed on M. nemurus
in Sarawak {ikan haung in Sumatra).

MYSTUS GULIO (Hamilton)

Pimelodus gulio Hamilton, 1822, p. 201, pi. 23, fig. 66 (Gangetic estuaries).
Macrones gulio von Maktens, 1876, p. 400 (Petchaburi) (identification doubt-
ful).—Hoka, 1923b, p. 171 (Menam Chao Phya at Nontaburi).
Mystus gulio Fowlek, 1934a, p. 95 (Bangkok) 1934b, p. 337 (Krat) 1939, p. 44
; ;

(Krabi).

A species of verywide distribution (India, Burma, Ceylon, Thai-

land, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Madoera), M. gulio
abounds in the lower courses of the tidal rivers discharging into the
Gulf of Siam, and doubtless occurs also on the western side of Penin-
sular Siam, although there are no definite records therefrom.
The fish reaches great abundance in the rivers debouching into the
head of the Gulf of Siam, and has been collected also in the Patani
River and in the gulf at Pakpoon, Peninsular Thailand, and at Chanta-
bun and Krat, Southeastern Thailand. In the Menam Chao Phya
the fish regularly ascends as far as Pakret. Young fish, up to 6 to 7
cm. long, go in immense, compact schools. In the Tachin and the
 — —

FBESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 385

canals connecting that river and the Menam Chao Phya, as well as in
the canals extending eastward from the Menam Chao Phya, the fish is
common.
In the East Indies this species reaches a length of nearly half a
meter, but in Thailand 25 cm. seems to be about the maximum, and
the usual length of mature specimens is 12 to 15 cm.
The usual vernacular name borne by this fish is pla mang Jcong. On
part of the coast ofNakon Sritamarat, the name is pla yeng nu {nu,
mouse).
MYSTUS VITTATUS (Bloch)

Figure 85

Silurus vittatus Bloch, 1797, vol. 11, p. 40, pi. 371, fig. 2 (Tranquebar).
Eypsclotagrus tengara BleeivER, 1865 (356), p. 175 (Siam) (not tengara of
Hamilton).
Macrones tengara Peters, 1868, p. 271 (Siam). ---von Martens, 1876, p. 400
(Petchaburi). Kakoli, 1882, p. 178 (Siam) (identification doubtful).
HypseloMgrus tangara Sauvage, 1881, p. 161 (Siam) (identification doubtful).
Mystus vittatus Smith, 1934b, p. 294 (Menam Chao Phya, Menam Bangpa-
kong).— FowLEK, lS34a, p. 95 (Chiengmai) 1934b, p. 337 (Bangliok) 1935a,
; ;

p. 104, fig. 28 (Bangkok) 1937, p. 146 (Bangkok, Tachin, Pitsanulok,

;

Mepoon).
Mystus atrifasciatus Fowler, 1937, p. 146, figs. 35, 36 (Pitsanulok, Mepoon).

This banded m3^stid, known from India, Burma, and Ceylon, is not
very common in Thailand and has a limited distribution, according to
the observations thus far made. It occurs sparingly in the Menam

/;

Figure 85. Mystus vittatus (Bloch). Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy of Thailand
Government.

Chao Phya from Paknampo to Bangkok, in Bung Borapet, in the

Meping at Chiengmai, in the Menam Bangpakong, and in the Meklong.
The largest Thai examples observed have been about 17 cm. long.
A female, 13 cm. long, taken in a canal in Bangkok July 18, 1923, had
large ovaries.
 —

386 BULLETIN ISS, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

There is some variation in the intensity, number, and position of
the dark longitudinal bands and also in the size of the adipose dorsal
fin, which is normally of about the same length as the anal base. A
specimen taken in a tributary of the Meklong near Rajaburi, charac-
terized by a very much longer adipose fin that extended nearly to
the dorsal, was submitted to Dr. Hora of the Indian Museum and pro-
nounced by him as within the limits of variation of the species as
observed in India.
M. atrifasciatus Fowler, described from a number of specimens 11
to 11.8 cm. long (Fowler, 1937) and "distinguished from Mystus
vittatus chiefly by its much longer adipose fin," is believed by the
writer to be covered by the normal variation in this feature as well as
in the coloration in M. vittatus.
The recording of Mystus tengara (Hamilton) from Thailand by
Bleeker and Karoli was probably erroneous. The matter was dis-
cussed by the writer in 1934 (b). No specimens referable to tengara
have been collected in Thailand in recent years. Regarding speci-
mens from Thailand in the British Museum that had been regarded
as M. tengara^ Mr. J. R. Norman wrote: "We have three specimens
from Bangkok (Fowler) and two larger ones labelled Siam (Prince
Champorn) in the British Museum as Macrones tengara. I have
examined these and find that they all agree with the description of
M. vittatus as given by Day. Thus, it appears that the true tengara
does not occur in Siam."
The fish is usually called pla kayeng but sometimes is given the
distinguishing name of pla kayeng kang lai {kang lai, striped side).

MYSTUS NEMURUS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Bagrus nemurus Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1839, vol. 14, p. 423 (Java).
Hemihagrus nemurus Bleekek, 1865 (347), p. 34 (Siam) 1865 (356), ; p. 175
(Siam).— Sauvage, 1883b, p. 154 (Siam).
Hemihagrus hoevenii Bleekeb, 1865 (356), p. 175 (Siam).
Macrones nemurus Weber and de Beaufort, 1913, vol. 2, p. 341 (Siam). Hora,
1923b, p. 171 (Nontaburi) ; 468 (Tale Sap).
1924a, p.
Mystus nemurus Fowler, 1934a, p. 95 (Chiengmai, Chiengsen) ; 1937, p. 148,
figs. 44-47 (Bangkok, Pitsanulok, Tachin, Mepoon, Kemarat).

Of wide distribution in the East Indies, this species occurs also on

the Asiatic mainland in Malaya, Indo-China, and Thailand. It is by
far the most numerous and most generally dispersed of the Thailand
members of the genus. It occurs throughout the Central district in the
Menam Nan, the Meping, the Mekok, and the Mekong in the Northern
area; in both branches of the Meklong, in headwaters of the Menam
Mun, in Peninsular Thailand Tapi River, the Tale Sap, the Tale
in the
Noi, and the Patani River, in the Chantabun River, Southeastern re-
 FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 387

gion; and in brackish waters of the Gulf of Siam off the mouths of
various rivers.
This is the largest of the local mystids. Weber and de Beaufort give
a length of 35 cm. in the Indo-Australian Archipelago, but in Thailand
the hsh reaches more than 60 cm. in length and the thickness of a
man's thigh, and examples 20 to 35 cm. long are common.
The usual color of the back is plain blackish or blackish green, the
underparts whitish, the fins mostly purplish or violet, the adipose fin
with a light edge there is, however, minor variation dependent on age
;

or size and locality. Thus, a medium-sized fish from the Menam Chao
Phya above Bangkok, April 24, 1926, had the caudal and anal fins black
and the adipose fin with a sharply defined black edge, a light green
submarginal area, and the center dark green; and several specimens 15
cm. long from the Meping at Chiengmai March 10, 1924, had the back
very light green, the sides golden, the belly white, the dorsal and
caudal fins pale green, the anal and ventral fins pink with a white edge,
and the pectoral fins yellow.
The spawning season is not sharply defined and is protracted. A
fish 32 cm. long taken in the Chantabun River at Chantabun June 11,
1926, had very large ovaries with nearly ripe eggs 1 mm. in diameter,
while fish in spawning condition have been observed in the Menam
Chao Phya in November.
A fish, 13 cm. long, taken in headwaters of the Menam Mun near
Pakjong January 19, 1925, had its stomach crammed with large red
ants.
This species bears a large number of vernacular names along the
Menam Chao Phya and its tributaries. It shares with Tachysurus
the name pla kot^ often with a qualifying adjective, as pla hot mor and
pla hot chalong. In Northern Thailand, in the Meping and the
Mekok, the only designation heard is pla hot. On the Meklong at
Kanburi and Saiyok on the western branch of the Meklong, the fish
is called pla hlang or pla hot klang. About the northeast section of
the head of the Gulf of Siam, in the lower Bangpakong River and at
Cholburi, names applied are pla hot na., pla hot hao (^ao= white),
and pla hot lueng. Going down the Malay Peninsula, we find pla
hayeng and pla hot chong luang in use at Bandon, and pla hot in the
Tale Sap and the Tale Noi, while in Patani province the fish bears
the same designation as in Sumatra, ihan haung.

MYSTUS PLANICEPS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Bagrus planiceps Ctt\iee and Valenciennes, 1839, vol. 14, p. 421 (Java).
Mystus planiceps Fowler, 1935a, p. 104, fig. 30 (Bangkok) 1937, p. 148 (Bang-
;

kok, Tachin Rayong) 1939, pp. 40, 58 (Huey Yang, Trang).

;

The claims of this species to a place in the Thailand fauna rest on

the existence in the British Museum of an adult specimen froni
388 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Ayuthia, presented by the Siamese Museum many years ago, and on

the recent records by Fowler of numerous specimens, the largest 28 cm.
long, from Central, Peninsular, and Southeastern Thailand. The fish
is known also from Java, Borneo, Sumatra, Malacca, and Perak.

MYSTUS WYCKII (Bleeker)

Bagrus imjckii Bi^eekek, 1858 (189a), p. 156 (Java).

Mystus wi/cki Smith, 1929, p. 12 (Meyom).
Mystus tvycJcii Fowleb, 1935a, p. 104, fig. 31 (Bangkok).

The Thai record for this species, previously known only from
first

rivers of Sumatra and Java, was published in 1929 and was based on
a specimen 40.4 cm. long, obtained from the Meyom, north of Lampang,
in Northern Thailand, by Phya Daruphan Pithaks, chief conservator
of forests. Several specimens had been taken for the Siamese Bureau
of Fisheries in earlier years One in the upper Menam Chao Phya, No-
:

vember 26, 1923 one in the Lopburi River at Lopburi, Central Thai-
;

land, October 22, 1926; two in the east branch of the Kanburi River,
Central Thailand, September 10 and 12, 1928. A fish found in the
Bangkok market September 11, 1929, had come from Lante, on the
Menam Chao Phya, and another in that market November 19, 1929,
had been caught at Koh Yai, on the same river. In the Deignan col-
lection are one specimen 15 cm. long from the Meping at Chiengmai,
and another obtained by A. R. Buchanan, from the Mechem, a tribu-
tary of the Meping, at a point about 50 miles above its mouth.

The largest example met with was 48 cm. long, which is probably
near the maximum length attained.
The may be recognized easily by
species its very broad, flat head

with smooth upper surface and upward-directed eyes, the dark violet
back and sides, the white underparts, whitish areas on the upper side
of the orbit, in the interorbital space, and on the posterior margin of
the opercle, with a sharply defined creamy yellow edge on the upper
and lower borders of the caudal fin and on the anterior edge of the
anal and ventral fins. There is considerable variation in the length of
the barbels, depending doubtless on age. Normally the maxillary bar-
bels reach to the dorsal fin or even close to the adipose, but in a speci-
men from the Kanburi River these barbels extend beyond the base of
the anal fin, while the mandibulary barbels, which usually reach no
farther than the branchial openings, in this specimen reach to the tip
of the pectorals.
The vernacular name given the fish at its first-mentioned Thai lo-
calitywas pla kot hang mor (pot-sided catfish) Among the fishermen .

in the Bangkok region this rare fish is known as ;;>?« hot hao (crystal
catfish).
 — —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 389
MYSTUS HAVMOLLERI H. M. Smith

FiGUEE 86

Mystus havmolleri Smith, 1931a, p. 24 (Ronpibun).

Mystus stigmaturus Fowler, 1934a, p. 94, figs. 41, 42 (Nakon Sritamarat) ; 1939,
p. 58 (Trang).

This species seems to be limited to a comparatively small area in

the Province of Nakon Sritamarat, Peninsular Thailand. It was first
taken in 1927 in a small stream near Konpibun by the late R. Hav-
moller, and next met with in 1933 in the waterfall stream on Kao
Chong, near Trang.
The largest specimen in hand is 9 cm. long.

Figure 86. Mystus havmolleri H. M. Smith. Drawn by Nai Chote Suvatti; courtesy
of the Thailand Government.

It is believed that M. stigmaturus Fowler, described from six speci-

mens 6.8 to 8 cm. long, is this fish, the only difference mentioned by
Fowler being in the color pattern. His specimens, larger than the
type of M. havmolleri^ seem to represent simply a later, and probably
more typical, arrangement of the markings.
The vernacular name in the Trang district is pla hayeng khao.
MYSTUS CAVASIUS (Hamilton)

Pimelodus cavashts Hamilton, 1882, pp. 203, 379 (Gangetic provinces).

Eypselohagrus macroncma Bleekeii, 1865 (356), p. 175 (Siam).
Macrones nigriceps Peters, 1868, p. 271 (Siam). Webek and de Be:aufobt, 1913,
vol. 2, p. 337, fig. 145 (Siam).— Hora, 1923b, p. 171 (Nontaburi) 1924a, p. 468
;

(Tale Sap, inner lake).

Hypselobagrtis nigriceps Sauvage, 1881, p. 161 (Menam).
Macrones cavasius Kaeoli, 1882, p. 178 (Siam).
Mystus nigriceps Fowler, 1934a, p. 94 (Chiengmai, Chiengsen) 1934b, p. 337;

(Bangkok) 1935a, p. 102 (Bangkok) 1937, p. 146 (Bangkok, Pitsanulok,

; ;

Kemarat).
Mystus rhegma Fowleb, 1935a, p. 102, fig. 27 (Bangkok).
The range of this species extends from Java, Borneo, and Sumatra
to Malaya and Thailand, and thence to Burma and India. The species
590087 — i5 26
390 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

frequents rivers, canals, and lakes, and locally at least does not enter
salt or brackish water.
In addition to the Thailand localities cited in the synonymy, the
fish has been collected in various small streams in Nakon Sritamarat;
in the Tapi River near Bandon; in the Meklong at Potaram, in the
Menam Chao Phya as far north as Lopburi; and in the Sikuk and the
Chao Chet, tributaries of the Menam Chao Phya. In addition to the
record for Eastern Siam in the Mekong at Kemarat (Fowler, 1937),
there is at hand a specimen collected in February 1929 in the Pong
Kiver at Pong, in the Mekong drainage.
The maximum length of specimens collected in Thailand is 20 cm.
In the East Indies a length of 33.5 cm. has been reported, and Day
gives a length of 45 cm. for India.
The is usually plain colored.
fully adult fish In life the back and
sides may be
brassy green, the underparts whitish the dorsal, adipose,
;

and caudal fins bright green, the anal and ventrals pale salmon with a
milky white margin, the pectorals dusky. Young fish always show a
light longitudinal band, a dark band above separated from the color of
the back by a pale band, and a less distinct dark band below, these
juvenile markings sometimes being retained in the adult. A round
well-defined blackish or dark brown spot, somewhat larger than the
eye, on the side just behind the head is seen in some examples this spot
;

is indicated in the figure in Weber and de Beaufort (vol. 2, 1913, p. 336)

but is not referred to in their description.

The union of M. nigriceps Cuvier and Valenciennes (1839) with M.
cavasius (Hamilton) (1822) seems proper and desirable. Although
nigriceps has not been ascribed to Burma or India, cavasius was
reported from Thailand by Karoli (1882), and the existence in the
British Museum of two specimens labeled cavasius collected in the Me-
wang, Central Thailand, by Arthur S. Vernay has prompted an inquiry
as to the species represented by the two names. This inquiry has led
to the conclusion that no essential differences are disclosed by the de-
scriptions and figures of M. nigriceps as published by Bleeker and
Weber and de Beaufort and the description and figure of M. cavasius
as published by Day. Bleeker (301, vol. 2, p. 58, 1862) stated that his
species macronema (antedated by 7 years by nigriceps which he placed
in the synonymy) is very close to cavasius. The supposed differences
that he indicated {cavasius having its hood almost smooth, its body
more slender, its scapular base smooth, its dorsal higher and more
pointed, and its dorsal spine shorter), do not stand the test of analysis
and comparison of specimens.
A critical examination of specimens of the same size in the U. S.
National Museum, some called M. cavasius from the Irrawaddy at Man-
dalay, Burma, and some called M. nigriceps from the Tale Noi in Pen-
 . : —

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SUM, OR THAILAND 391

insular Siam, shows almost perfect agreement, with the exception that
in the Burmese examples the top of the head and the scapular bone are
much more rugose (whereas, according to Bleeker, the opposite condi-
tion should exist)
As bearing further on the question of the specific identity of M.
cavasius and M. nig7'iceps, the writer received from J. R. Norman, in
charge of the fish collection in the British Museum, the following
letter, dated March 1, 1937
On receipt of your letter I got out specimens of Macrones cavasius and M.
nigriceps and compared these carefully. I have no special knowledge of this
group of fishes and it is possible that somebody who knew them well might be
able to see minor points of difference. I am unable to detect any of importance
and am of the opinion that the two forms are identical.
The Mystus rhegma Fowler, based on a single specimen 6.8 cm.
fish
long, is believed to be the present species. The space between the
dorsal and adipose fins, the principal feature on which the species is
separated from M. nigriceps (Cuvier and Valenciennes), is somewhat
more than in average specimens but is thought by the present writer
to represent individual variation. The three indistinct dark longi-
tudinal bands on which stress is laid (although only two are men-
tioned in the description of the species) are characteristic of young
M. cavasius. Fowler (1935a) cites three specimens of M. nigriceps
with the "dorsal and adipose fins connected by a membrane," but his
figure of one of them shows the fins close together but unconnected,
and in the descriptions of the species by Weber and de Beaufort and
others these fins are referred to as contiguous but unconnected.
This fish throughout its range in Thailand is known as pla kayeng,
sometimes shortened to pla yeng. In allusion to the very large adi-
pose fin of a translucent light green color, the fish in parts of the
Menam Chao Phya is called pla Jcayeng bai khao {bai khao, rice leaf).
MYSTUS MICRACANTHUS (Bleeker)

Bagrus micracanthus Bleekee, 1846 (3), p. 151 (Batavia).

Hypselohagrus micracanthus Sauvage, 1881, p. 161 (Menam).
Mystus micracantlms Fowler, 1934a, p. 94 (Chiengmai) 1934b, p. 337 (Ban
;

Thung Luang); 1937, p. 146 (Kemarat). Herre and Myers, 1937, p. 69

(Singora).— FowLEB, 1939, p. 43 (Krabi).

Until a comparatively recent date this species was known only from
rivers of Sumatra, Borneo, and Java. It was first detected in Thai-
land in 1927, when, on February 7, a specimen 8 cm. long was col-
lected in theChantabun River, Southeastern region. In the next
year, on July 14, one 12.5 cm. long
was obtained in the Tadi River,
Nakon Sritamarat, Peninsular Thailand. Fowler extended the range
to the Meping (Northern area) and the Mekong (Eastern region).
392 BULLETIN 18S, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Herre and Myers (1937), besides recording specimens from Joliore,

Malacca, and Perak, apparently the first citations for Malaya, had
one specimen from the market in Singora, probably caught in the
Tale Sap, Peninsular Thailand.
This is a small species, possibly not much exceeding a length of
15 cm.

Genus HETEROBAGRUS Bleeker

Heterohagrus Bleekee (337), Versl. Meded. Akad. Wet. Amsterdam, vol, 16, pp.

354, 355, 1864. (Type, Eeteroiagrus bocoiirti Bleeker.)

HETEROBAGRUS BOCOURTI Bleeker

Heterohagrus bocourti Bleekkr, 1864 (337), p. 355 (Siara) 1865 (347), p. 34 ;

(Siam) 1865 (356), p. 175 (Siam).— Bocoukt, 1866, p. 19, pi. 1, figs. 1, la, lb
;

(Bangkok).— Sauvage, 1881, p. 162 (Siam).

Prajadhipokia rex Fowler, 1934b, p. 339, figs. 3, 4 (Bangkok) 1935a, p. 106 (cited
;

as synonym of Heterohagrus bocourti) 1937, p. 152 (cited as distinct from

;

H. bocourti).
Heterohagrus bocourtii Fowler, 1937, p. 150, figs. 48-51 (Pitsanulok).

This striking fish, peculiar to Thailand, collected by Bocourt from

the Menam Chao Phya at in 1861-2, was made the type of a
Bangkok
new genus and new by Bleeker in 1864 but it was not actually
species
described until 1866, when Bocourt published a very full generic and
specific account from the manuscript furnished by Bleeker.
For about 60 years after the fish was first collected and made known
to science it did not figure again in zoological literature. It was re-
discovered by the writer, who in 1923 found it abounding in parts
of the Menam Chao Phya between Paknampo and Bangkok and
in the Menam Sak below the barrage at Dha Luang. It was first
recorded from the Menam Mun near Korat, Eastern Thailand, in
1926, and 10 years later was collected by de Schauensee in the Menam
Nan near its mouth at Pitsanulok. During a number of years the
fish was found to be very abundant at Lopburi.
The type specimen was 23.5 cm. long, which seems to be about the
maximum length attained by the species.
Color note based on numerous living specimens from the Lopburi
River October 22, 1926. General color of head, back, and side bronze,
belly golden, a narrow dark longitudinal stripe in the bronze color of
the side a rounded blackish area larger than eye on lateral line imme-
;

diately behind the head, the area divided by a vertical crescentic or

lunular area of glistening white and the part of the spot anterior to the
white area more intense than that posterior thereto dorsal and ventral ;

fins green, blood-red at base and with dusky area on interradial mem-
branes adipose fin green
; ; caudal fin blackish green ;
pectorals green,
with blood-red base.
 : . ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 393

This fish may be readily recognized by its long, compressed body;

small, pointed head ; pair of maxillary barbels extending to the caudal
fin; very slender nondenticulated dorsal spine, its length twice the
depth of the body very long, high adipose fin arising closely behind
;

the dorsal; deeply forked caudal fin, with the upper lobe always the
longer and often filamentous.
Fowler (1934b) described Prajadhipokia rex as a new genus and
new species based on a specimen 17 cm. long from Bangkok. The next
year he pronounced P. rex a synonym of Heterohagrus hocourti. In
1937, however, having had before hira a specimen of H. hocourti 18.9
cm. long from the Nan River at Pitsanulok, which he described and
figured, he reconsidered P. rex as valid, owing to assumed differences
in such characters as gill rakers, teeth, coloration. The present writer
is unable to recognize as of generic or even specific value the minor
differences between specimens of H. hocourti and the description and
figures of P. rex, and believes they represent only individual variation.
Thus, Fowler records the gill rakers in P. rex as 4+9, slender, lanceo-
late, 0.75 of gill filaments, and in H. hocourti as 4+12, lanceolate, 0.8
of gill filaments. This difference of 3 gill rakers on the long arm of
the arch cannot be regarded as important, and 3 specimens
first gill

taken at random from a lot of E. hocourti from the Lopburi River have
the gill rakers on one side 4+7, 4+10, and 4+11.
The fish is well known to the fishermen and is given the name pla
kayeng with various qualifying adjectives. Thus, at Paknampo it is
called pla kayeng mu (mu, pig) in allusion to the shape of the muzzle,
at Lopburi and Korat it is known as pla kayeng tong or dong (tong,
banner) in allusion to the high dorsal fin, and on the Menam Sak the
long translucent adipose fin has given rise to the name pla kayeng hai
khao {hai khao, rice leaf)

Family SISORIDAE
The Thailand representatives of this family fall into four genera of
widely different aspect which may be recognized readily by the follow-
ing characters
la. No thoracic adhesive apparatus.
2a. Gill openings wide, extending on ventral surface dorsal fin with a strong
;

osseous spine; adipose fin short, its base about equal to that of anal;
caudal fin deeply forked pectoral and ventral fins not modified to act as
;

an adhesive apparatus.
3o. Head depressed, its upper surface naked and bony; eyes superior, mouth
crescentic ; bases of mandibular barbels in a strongly curved line ;
gill
membranes united, free from isthmus. Size large, in rivers__ Bagarius
3&. Head compressed, its upper surface covered with thin skin eyes lateral
;

mouth straight, transverse bases of mandibular barbels in a straight

;

transverse line; gill membranes joined to narrow isthmus. Size

medium or small, in mountain streams Gagata
 —

394 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

26. Gill openings narrow, restricted to side above pectoral fins; adipose fin
very long, its base 3 to 4 times length of base of anal caudal fin small,
;

lunate dorsal fin with no osseous spine pectoral and ventral spines en-
; ;

larged and transversely striated to form an adhesive apparatus, lips

broad, reflected, and flattened to serve as sucking organ. Size small, in
mountain streams Oreoglanis
16. A thoracic adhesive disk formed of longitudinal folds of skin. Size small;
in mountain streams Glyptothorax

Genus BAGARIUS Bleeker

Bagarius Bleekee (91), Verb. Batav. Genootfich., vol. 25 (Bengal), p. 121, 1853.
(Type, Pimelodiis 'bagarius Hamilton.)

BAGARIUS BAGARIUS (Hamilton)

Pimelodus bagarius Hamilton, 1822, pp. 186, 378, pi. 7, flg. 62 (locality not
given).
Bagarius yarreUi Boxjlengek, 1903, p. 303 (Patani River).
Bagarius sp. Vipttlya, 1923, p. 225 (Menam Chao Phya).
Bagarius bagarius Smith, 1930, p. 55 (Siam). Fowlee, 1934a, p. 93 (Chieng-
mai).

This species, very striking in form and color, ranges from India,
Burma, Thailand, and French Indo-China to Sumatra, Borneo, and
Java, It occurs throughout the length and breadth of Thailand in
the larger streams, but is not found in abundance anywhere. Among
the localities from which specimens have been examined are the Me-
ping at Chiengmai, the Mekok (tributary of the Mekong) at Chieng-
rai, the Menam Nan, the Meklong at Kanburi and the east branch
(Kwe Yai) of the Meklong north of Kanburi, and the Patani.
The species reaches a length in excess of 2 meters, but examples as
long as a meter are now rare in Thailand.
It is a voracious and predatory fish. Although feeding primarily
on small fishes, it consumes also frogs and shrimps. In the Menam
Chao Phya it is said by Prince Vipulya to hide under logs and floating
houses.
The vernacular name borne by the fish throughout Thailand is

pla kae.

Genus GAGATA Bleeker

Gagata Bleekes (1S9), Act. Soc. Indo-Neerl. (Siluri), vol. 4, pp. 35, 204, 1858.
(Type, Gagata typus Bleeker.)

GAGATA CENIA (Hamilton)

Pimelodus cenia Hamilton, 1822, p. 174, pi. 31, fig. 57 (Bengal).

Inhabiting the rivers of India and Burma, this species has not here-
tofore been reported from Thailand, but its presence was to be ex-
pected in the Salwin basin. Five specimens, 7.6 to 8.1 cm. long, taken
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 395

by Deignan at Ta Ta Fang, on the Salwin in Western Thailand, Octo-

ber 13, 1936, have been compared with and found to agree with speci-
mens in the U. S. National Museum from the Irrawaddy at Mandalay,
collected by Fea and reported on by Vinciguerra (1889-90, p. 249).
Adult fish,which reach a length of 30 cm., have a plain grayish body
color with the distal part of the dorsal, adipose, anal, ventral, and pec-
toral fins black and the caudal whitish. In the young in hand there
are four dark dorsal blotches, which extend on the side below the
lateral line, the adipose fin has a sharply defined black edge, and each
caudal lobe has at its base a black oblique stripe extending outward
from the apex of the fork.

Genus OREOGLANIS H. M. Smith

Oreoglanis H. M. Smith, Journ. Siam Soc, Nat. Hist. Suppl., vol. 9, p. 70, 1933.
(Type, Oreoglanis siamensis H. M. Smith.)

OREOGLANIS SIAMENSIS H. M. Smith

Oreoglanis siamensis Smith, 1933a, p. 70, fig. 4, pi. 3 (Mekang) ; 1934b, p. 293
(Melao).

The type Mekang, a clear,

locality for this interesting species is the
cold swift stream on Doi Angka tributary of the Meping. A Karen,
living in a village on the stream, with a cast net caught the first speci-
mens, in company with small serpentheads {Ophicephalus gachua
Hamilton), in December 1928. The type and paratype are 7.1, 9.1,
and 10.8 cm. long, taken from the same place in September 1935, and
a single specimen, 5.1 cm. long, the smallest example known, collected
June 8, 1935, by A. E. Buchanan in Huey Um
Meng, a swift brook
tributary to the Mechem, which is an afiluent of the Meping.
When the Harvard Primate Expedition visited Doi Angka in April
1937, the fish was again met with, and six specimens 7.8 to 12.1 cm.
long were preserved and have been examined.
The only other known specimen came from the Melao, a tributary of
the Meleng, which flows into the Meping; it was taken with a cast
net in December 1932, in company with 9 or 10 species of small fishes,
and came from a point 725 meters above sea level, where the Melao
was a swift brook.
The Melao specimen, caught shortly before dusk, was kept alive in a
wicker basket and examined the next morning. It was found to be
almost uniformly olive-green above, fleshy pink below, with a creamy-
white ovate spot on the back on each side of the base of the dorsal fin.
From an account of the fish published in 1934 (Smith, 1934:b) the fol- ,

lowing extract is made. In its normal resting attitude, the fish kept
its adhesive apparatus in action even in water having no current. It
 :

396 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

attached itself indifferently to any surface— stone, glass, porcelain,
wood basket-work, or vegetation —and the sucking action of the lower
lip was supplemented by corrugations on the front and sides of the
head ; these corrugations becoming less distinct in preservative.
The
respiratory movements of the opercular flaps were rapid but
not very marked. As the fish faced the current, the long nasal barbels
were fully extended vertically and at their base the nostrils were con-
spicuous as triangular openings, the apex of which reached nearly half
the length of the barbels. There was no obvious current of water into
the mouth and out of the branchial openings ; possibly a feeble current
of water to the gills through the branchial openings was induced by
the movements of the gill flaps.
fish, which differs so strikingly from the other catfishes in
This
the mountain streams of Thailand, seems to be known to the moun-
tain people, who give the name 'pla tit hin (stone-sucking fish) to no
other fish.

Genus GLYPTOTHORAX Blyth

Glyptothorax Blyth, Jonrn. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, vol. 29, p. 154, 1860. (Type,
Glyptothorax trilineatus Blyth.)

The Glyptothoraxfishes are small inhabitants of mountain streams,

in which they are aided in maintaining themselves by means of a cor-
rugated thoracic disk, wdiich acts as an adhesive apparatus. Criteria
for specific determination are the length of body and of caudal pe-
duncle with reference to depth, the degrees of depression of the head
and the ratio of length to width, the length of the occipital process, the
length of the maxillary and nasal barbels, the shape of the thoracic
disk, the degree of granulation of the skin, the length of serrature of
the dorsal and pectoral spines, the origin of the ventral fins with ref-
erence to the dorsal, and the coloration. The numerous local species
may be identified by the following characters
lo. Origin of ventral fins approximately under last rays of dorsal fin.

2a. Body very slender, its depth (in Siamese specimens)

contained 6 to 6.5
times in standard length; length of caudal peduncle 2 to 2.5 times its
least depth platypogonoides
26. Body less slender, its depth contained 4 to 5.5 times in standard length.
3a. Body dark brown, marked by sharply defined white longitudinal stripes
(one on midline of back from head to caudal fin, one along lateral line
from head to caudal fin, one on median ventral surface between ventral
and caudal fins) depth of body 4.6 to 5.5 times in standard length,
;

varying with age length of caudal peduncle 2.25 to 2.5 times its least
;

depth trilineatus
3&. Body not marked by white longitudinal stripes length of caudal
;

peduncle 1.3 to 2 times its least depth.

4a. Body with large blackish or dark brown blotches; depth of body 4.6
times in its length caudal fin much longer than head
; lampris
 — ;;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 397

4&. Body without large blackish or dark browa blotches caudal fia equal ;

longer than, or shorter than head.

to,

5a. Depth of body less than 4 times in standard length origin of dorsal ;

fin midway between tip of snout and midbase of adipose fin;

caudal fin longer than head; color above reddish brown; a few
small round black spots on side, most numerous on caudal
peduncle; lateral line whitish; abdomen and underside of head
pale yellow; dorsal fin black, with a narrow white edge and a
median white bar extending forward and upward from posterior
border of fin; caudal fin reddish brown spotted with black, its
upper and lower edges with white areas, lobes tipped with white,
central part white; anal fin white, with blackish base and an
isolated brown spot on median part of anterior rays ventral fins ;

white; pectoral fins white, obscurely mottled with brown on

\ipper surface callopterus
56. Depth of body 4.25 to 4.65 in standard length.
6a. Color above varying from gray or reddish brown to dark purple,
marbled with yellow or brown, and more or less thickly covered
with small black spots irregularly arranged; belly and under-
side of head yellowish; dorsal, adipose, and pectoral fins dark
brown with white border; ventral and anal fins white, with
one or two black bars, or dark color may involve most of fins
caudal fin mostly dark brown or black, tips of lobes white;
depth of body 4.25 to 4.65 in length length of caudal peduncle
;

1.3 to 2 times its least depth; origin of dorsal fin midway be-
tween tip of snout and adipose fin major
66. Color above dark brownish, with numerous small black spots
irregularly scattered over body and head; belly and underside
of head yellowish white fins darkish, without distinct pattern
;

depth of body 4.3 times in standard length; length of caudal

peduncle 2 times its least depth origin of dorsal fin midway be-
;

tween tip of snout and posterior base of adipose fin prashadi —

6c. Color above uniform dark brown; belly and under side of head
whitish lateral line white a wing-shaped yellow spot on back at
; ;

front of dorsal fin all fins dark brown at base, white distally,
;

pectorals with a median dark cross band depth of body 4.25

;

times in standard length length of caudal peduele 1.4 times its

;

least depth; oiigin of dorsal fin midway between tip of snout

and adipose fin buchanani
16. Origin of ventral fins posterior to a line drawn vertically from base of last
dorsal ray fuscus

GLYPTOTHORAX PLATYPOGONOIDES (Bleeker)

Phnelodus platypogonoides Bleeker, 1855 (136), p. 272 (Lahat, Sumatra).

Glyptothorax dorsalis Vinciguerka, 1889-90, p. 246, pi. 7, figs. 4, 4a (Metan,
Burma). Smith, 1934b, p. 298 (Meyuam).
Glyptothorax siamensis Hora. 1923b, p. 168, pi. 12, fi^s. 1-3 (Nakon Sritamarat).
Oymnothorax dorsalis Smith, 1933a, p. 75 (Peninsular Siam).
Glyptothorax platypogonoides Fowler, 1934a, p. 89 (Chiengmai).

The type and, until 1929, the only known specimen of Dr. Vinci-
guerra's Glyptothorax dorsalis came from Metan, in Tenasserim,
Burma, not far from the border of Western Thailand. From the time
 :

398 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

of Vinciguerra's description until 1929 the species seems to have been
lost sight of. At was clearly referable to
that time a specimen that
this form was collected Tapi River in Peninsular
in a tributary of the
Siam. In October 1932, five other specimens were obtained by the
Siamese Forest Department for the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries in
the Meyuam, at Mesarieng in Northern Thailand, and in January 1933
the writer took another specimen in the same place.
More recently this species has been found to be common in the
Meping at Chiengmai. Fowler recorded a series of 159 specimens
taken between December 1932 and March 1933 and Diegnan took a
;

dozen specimens in April 1935. The latter have the entire upper sur-
face of the brown body and head thickly covered with pale rounded
or elongate flattened tubercles, and all show, as their most conspicuous
marking, a whitish saddle-shaped spot corresponding with the inter-
spinous dorsal plate (as described and figured for G. dorsalis by Vinci-
guerra) and a similar spot involving the occipital process and the
skin on either side. The largest of three males was 9.3 cm. long, the
average being 9.1 cm. of 7 females the largest was 8.1 cm. long, the
;

smallest 7.4, and the average 7.7 2 females of 7.4 cm. had the abdomen
;

distended with well-developed eggs. A

fish of this lot that was partly
digested and had evidently been in the stomach of another fish was
a female, 9.1 cm. long to base of caudalfin, fully distended with ripe

eggs which were 0.8 mm. in longest diameter and 0.6 mm. in shortest
diameter. The midline of the back posterior to the dorsal fin showed
a continuous series of exposed bony scutes. Dr. Hora, who kindly
examined the specimen and identified it as G. platypogonoides^ wrote
The dorsal scutes are the ends of neural spines which, due to partial macer-
ation of the tissue, project beyond the skin. Such artifacts led some of the
earlier ichthyologists to distingush genera, and among siluroids we have an ex-
actly similar case in the genera Ailia Gray and Acanthonotus Gray. For the
latter it was stated by the author that "a series of small spines" is situated
before the adipose dorsal.

Vinciguerra compared his fish with various Indian species but not
with forms from the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Had he done so,
he would undoubtedly have observed the resemblance between G.
doi'salis and G. platypogonoides. In body proportions, fin rays, size
of fins, length of barbels, and other characters, the two forms agree
closely, and even in coloration there is little disagreement. With the
information now available, dorsalis is to be regarded as a synonym
of platypogonoides.
It seems probable that the single specimen of Glyptothorax col-
lectedby Dr. Malcolm Smith from a stream in the hills of Nakon
Sritamarat, Peninsular Thailand, and described by Dr. Hora (1923b)
under the name G. siamensis^ may likewise prove to be the present
species, formerly credited with being peculiar to Sumatra. A com-
 ,

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 399

parison of Hora's description and figures with Bleeker's Pimnelodus

platypogonoides indicates that the differences referred to by Hora
perhaps may not exist. At any rate, more material is certainly needed
before the distinctness of G. siamensis from G. platypogonoides can
be satisfactorily established.

GLYPTOTHORAX TRILINEATUS BIyth

Glyptothorax trilineatus Bltth, 1860b, p. 154 (Tenasserim).

Glyptothorax laosensis Fowler, 1934a, p. 88, figs. 28-30 (Bua Tai, Chiengmai) ;

1939, p. 57 (Trang).

Described from the Sittang Kiver in Burma in 1860, this species

has since been reported from other parts of Burma, from India, and
from Nepal, and in recent years it has been found in Thailand.
This is one of the largest members of the genus. In Burma it
reaches a length in excess of 30 cm. The largest Thai example, from
Doi Angka, is 18.3 cm. long.
Among the local members of the genus, this fish is easily recognizable
by uniformly blackish brown or chestnut -brown back and sides,
its

lighter underparts, and a definite arrangement of white or pale yellow

longitudinal stripes one median dorsal, from occiput to upper base of
;

caudal fin, one from the eye or the upper end of the gill opening along
fin, and one, the least dis-
the lateral line to the midbase of the caudal
from the postventral region to the lower base of the caudal fin.
tinct,
Under the name G. laosensis Fowler described as a new species a fish
6.8 cm. long taken in 1933 at Bua Yai, in Eastern Thailand, with a
paratype 5.6 cm. long taken in 1932 in the Meping at Chiengmai. Over
60 additional specimens 4 to 7.5 cm. long were noted by Fowler as
coming from a waterfall stream near Trang, Peninsular Thailand.
The Harvard Primate Expedition in April 1937 obtained 4 similar
specimens 11 to 18.3 cm. long from a tributary of the Meping on Doi
Angka, Northern region.
All these specimens are identifiable as G. trilineatus and are in agree-
ment with a specimen 10 cm. long from the type locality in the Sittang
drainage, Burma, sent to the U. S. National Museum by the Indian
Museum in Calcutta through the courtesy of Dr. S. L. Hora, and with
two small specimens from the Fea collection obtained on Mount Carin
in the Sittang basin. The differences between Fowler's specimens and
those from Burma referred to by Day (1878) and Hora (1923c, p. 29)
such as the presence or absence of papillae on the skin, may be due in
part to age; thus, while in Fowler's specimen the skin was thickly
covered with minute papillae and Hora in old specimens found the
papillae had become obliterated, in July 1940 Hora reported (in a
he had examined a large number of fresh specimens from
letter) that
Assam and Burma in all of which the skin was finely papillated.
 — ;

400 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

GLYPTOTHORAX LAMPRIS Fowler

OlyptotJiorax Inmpris Fowler, 1934a, p. 91, figs. 34-36 (Chieugmai).

This species, known from a single specimen 5.5 cm. long, is distin-
guished from other species "wholly by its color diilerences.

GLYPTOTHORAX CALLOPTERUS. new speciea

FlGTJKE 87

—
Description. Body rather strongly compressed, its greatest depth
contained 3.8 times in standard length length of caudal peduncle 1.75
;

times its'least depth and 1.6 times in length of head; head moderately
depressed, its length contained 3.4 times in standard length and 1.25
times width a well-marked median depression on top of head ex-
its ;

tending from nostrils to behind eyes; eye contained over 10 times in

length of head, 4.5 times in snout, and 3.3 times in interorbital space
nasal barbel extending halfway to eye, maxillary barbel reaching to
end of first fourth of pectoral spine, mandibular barbel reaching base
of pectoral spine, mental barbel more than half length of mandibular
and reaching beyond gill opening thoracic adhesive apparatus as long
;

as head less snout, its width 0.8 its length occipital process about 2.5
;

times as long as broad at its base body, head, and adipose fin thickly
;

covered with minute tubercles.

Figure 87. Glyptothorax callopter us,new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 109820). Drawn
by Miss Jane Roller.

Fins Origin of dorsal

: fin midway between tip of snout and middle
of base of adipose fin ; dorsal rays I, 6, the rather stout spine 0.5 head,
;'

longest branched ray 1.8 times in head and 1.5 times in depth of body
length of dorsal base contained 1.5 times in space between dorsal and
adipose fins adipose fin entirely over anal fin, its base somewhat longer
;

than base of dorsal; caudal fin longer than head, deeply forked, its
median rays less than 0.5 length of fin anal fin larger than dorsal, its
;

rays iv, 10, its longest ray 1.5 in head and its base 1.75 in head ventrals ;
 ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 401

approximately reaching origin of anal, less than two-thirds length of

pectorals, ventral rays i, 6; pectoral rays I, 7, the spine strong and
coarsely denticulated, longest rays about 0.8 head and equal to depth of
body.
Coloration : of body and head rich reddish brown, ab-
Upper part
domen and underside of head pale yellow; a few small round black
spots on side, most numerous on caudal peduncle lateral line whitish ;

dorsal fin black, with a narrow white edge and a median white bar
extending from posterior border of fin forward and upward about
halfway to anterior border caudal fin reddish brown, with small black-
;

ish spots, upper and lower edges with white areas, tips of lobes white,
and a white U-shaped area involving the central part of the fin anal ;

fin white, with a blackish brown base and an isolated brown spot on
median part of anterior rays; ventral white; pectoral whitish, anterior
rays obscurely mottled with light and dark brown on upper surface.
Tijpe and paratypes.—The type (U.S.N.M. No. 109820) 6.9 cm.
long was collected September 2, 1933, in a waterfall stream on Kao
Chong, near Trang, in Peninsular Thailand. Two paratypes
(U.S.N.M. No. 109819) are 6.5 cm. long.

GLYPTOTHORAX MAJOR (Boulenger)

Figure 88

Akysis major Boulenger, 1894a, p. 246 (Sarawak, Borneo).

Glyptosternon major Smith, 1929, p. 13 (hill stream, Kao Sabap).

This species, previously known from rivers of Borneo, was defi-

nitely added to the Thailand fauna in 1927, when two specimens, the
largest a female 6.5 cm. long with well-developed ova, were collected
by Luang Masya Chitrakarn in a waterfall brook near the base of

/
,.,-#'

'''=^»;

-^

Figure -Glyptothorax viajor (Boulenger). Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy of

the Thailand Government.
402 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Kao Sabap, Southeastern Thailand. The smaller specimen was sent

to the British Museum and there compared by J. R. Norman with
Boulenger's type of Ahysis inajor^ 13 cm. long.

GLYPTOTHORAX PRASHADI Mnkerji

Qlytotliorax prashadi Muberji, 1932, p. 281, fig. 1 (Kyenchaung River, Lower

Burma).
This species, otherwise known only from a single specimen about 6.5
cm. long from Burma, was collected by the writer at two places in
the Tadi River, Nakon Sritamarat, Peninsular Thailand, in July
1928. Five specimens, 6.8 to 8.9 cm. long, were preserved. Com-
parison with the type showed full agreement.
The relationship of this species to other local forms is indicated in
the key. The coloration is plain.

GLYPTOTHORAX BUCHANANI, new species

FiGTTKE 89

Description. —Body moderately compressed, its depth under dorsal

fin contained 4.25 times in standard length length of caudal peduncle
;

1.4 times its depth and 1.5 times in length of head; head moderately
depressed, its length 0.25 standard length and slightly greater than its

width eye
; 7.3 in head, 4 in snout, and 2.7 in interorbital space ; nasal
barbel extending 0.5 distance to eye, maxillary barbel reaching to
beginning of second third of pectoral spine, mandibular barbel reach-
ing base of pectoral spine, mental barbel somewhat more than 0.5
mandibular; thoracic adhesive apparatus of roughly quadrangular
shape, w^ith an acute point anteriorly, its width about 0.8 its length;
occipital process twice as long as broad entire surface of body and
;

head thickly beset with low, soft tubercles, which are lacking only
on the sucking apparatus and the median line of abdomen.
Fins Origin of dorsal fin midway between tip of snout and adipose
:

fin; dorsal rays I, 6, the spine 1.5 in head and the longest soft ray
equal to depth of body adipose fin entirely over anal fin, thickly cov-
;

ered with minute tubercles, separated from dorsal fin by a space about
twice the length of its base; caudal fin well forked, its longest rays
shorter than head anal rays iv, 8, longest ray equal to longest dorsal
;

ray and shorter than ventral; ventral rays i, 6, extending beyond

origin of anal, origin of fin under last dorsal ray pectoral as long as ;

head and reaching ventral, the rays I, 9.

Coloration: Back and sides, top and sides of head uniform dark
brown; belly and underside of head whitish; lateral line white; a
conspicuous yellowish wing-shaped spot on either side of the first dor-
sal ray all fins dark brown at base, white distally, the pectorals with
;

a median dark cross band.

 .

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SI AM, OR THAILAND 403

No. 117754) 6.9 cm. long

Tyve and paratypes.-T\i^ type (U.S.N.M.
was taken by A. R. Buchanan, of Chiengmai, June 20, 1935, m the
the Mechem, tributary of the Mepmg,
Metum, a small swift affluent of
Deignan collected at the same place
in Northern Thailand. H. G.
two others, 4.7 and 4.2 cm. long, paratypes (U. S. N. M. No. 119824)

Figure 89.—Glyptothorax huchanani, new species:

Type (U.S.N.M. No. 117754).
Drawn by Mrs. Aime M. Awl.
the described species of Glyptothorax from
Thai-
Remarks.—Yvom
and the Indo-Australian Archipelago, this form seems
land, India,
comparatively short body, moderately
to differ in the combination of a
of the ventral fins under the last ray
elongate caudal peduncle, origin
coloration: a sharply de-
of the dorsal fin, and striking and peculiar
lateral line and a yellow but-
fined narrow white stripe following the
terflylike spot on the back at the front of the dorsal fin.
a pleasure to name this species for A. R.
Buchanan, of the
It is

Borneo Company, Ltd., who in June, July, October, and November,

but valuable collections of fishes
1935, made for H. G. Deignan small
which no
from the Mechem and various tributaries thereof, from
fishes

had previously been obtained for scientific purposes.

GLYPTOTHORAX FUSCUS Fowler

31-33 (Chantabun. Nakon Srita-

Glyptothorax fuscus Fowi^R, 1934a. p. 89, figs.

marat).
from
Fowler regarded this species, known from nine specimens
Siam, to 7.9 cm. long, as
Southeastern Thailand and Peninsular 5.5

related to G. platypogon, of Java, Sumatra, and Borneo, differing m

backward extension of the base
proportions, longer nasal barbel, more
of the anal fin, and coloration. The species
agrees further with
404 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

flatypogon in having the insertion of the ventrals posterior to the

dorsal base, and is the only local form having this feature. In 1939,
however, Fowler said "Likely Glyptothorax fuscus Fowler 1935 [sic]
:

may be synonymous with G. prasJmdV This suggestion can hardly

be accepted if the position of the ventral fins with reference to the dor-
sal, the length of the maxillary barbels, coloration, and similar char-
acters have significance in this genus.

Family TACHYSURIDAE
The tachysurids are a largeand important family of fishes in Thai-
land, inhabiting both fresh and salt waters. Of the five local genera,
which may be easily distinguished by the characters given below,
three are known to practice oral incubation of their eggs.

la. Palatal teeth present.

2a. Barbels restricted to a minute mandibulary pair Batrachocephalus
2&. Barbels restricted to a stiff semiosseous maxillary pair__Osteogeneiosus
2c. Barbels in 3 pairs (maxillary, mandibulary, and mental) Tachysurus
1&. Palatal teeth absent.
3a. Mouth opening wide, extending behind eyes a single series of incisorlike
;

teeth in each jaw Ketengus

36. Mouth opening small, not extending nearly to eyes; a band of villiform
teeth in each jaw Hemipimelodus

Genus BATRACHOCEPHALUS Bleeker

Batrachocephalus Bleekeb (3), Nat. Geneesk. Arch. Ned.-Ind., ser. 2, vol. 3,

pp. 147, 176, 1S46. (Type, Batrachocephalus ageneiosus Bleeker.)

BATRACHOCEPHALUS MING (Hamilton)

FiGUBE 90

Ageneiosus mino Hamilton, 1822, p. 159 (Ganges).

Batrachocephalus mino Smith, 1931d, p. 179 (Chantabun and Nam Cheo Riv-
ers).—Fowlee, 1935a, p. 102 (Bangkok) 1939, p. 43 (Krabi).
;

One of the most curious of the catfishes, its range embraces Thai-
land, India and Burma, where it appears to be not common, and
Java, Borneo, and Sumatra, where, according to Bleeker, many speci-
mens were collected and distributed among various European muse-
ums. It one of the rarest catfishes in Thailand, being unknown
is

there until 1926. Only five specimens have as yet been recorded
locally, three from the Southeast area, collected for the Siamese
Bureau of Fisheries in 1926 and 1927, one from Bangkok, and one from
Krabi reported by Fowler in 1935 and 1939.
A length of 25 cm. is attained.
The resemblance of the head of this fish to that of a frog is striking.
The eye is large and placed near the tip of the short blunt snout. The
dorsal and pectoral spines are denticulated on both anterior and pos-
 —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 405

Figure 90. Bairachocephalus mino (Hamilton). Drawn by Nai Chote Suvatti;

courtesy of the Thailand Government.

terior edges. The development of barbels is less than in any other

local catfish, being restricted to a minute pair on the chin.

Genus OSTEOGENEIOSUS Bleeker

Osteogeneiosus BlEeker (3), Nat. Geneesk. Arch. Ned.-Ind., ser. 2, vol. 3, pp. 146,
173, 1846. (Type, Osteogeneiosus macrocephalus Bleeker.)

OSTEOGENEIOSUS MILITARIS (Linnaeus)

Sil'urus militaris Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, p. 305, 1758 (Asia).

Ranging from Java, Borneo, and Sumatra to India, this species is

one of the commonest catfi&hes around the shores of the Gulf of Siam,
in the lower courses of rivers, and in the inner lake of the Tale Sap.
It may at once be identified by the single pair of stiff, semiosseous
barbels that arise on the snout and extend to or beyond the base of the
pectorals.
A length of 30 cm. is reached in Thailand.
Oral incubation is practiced in this species. The egg-laying and
egg-hatching season appears to be prolonged and may extend over the
entire year. Thus, males 18 to 23 cm. long collected on July 2, 1923, in
the Bangpakong Eiver 8 miles from the Gulf of Siam, in fresh water
with a strong current, had mouthfuls of eggs in various shapes of
development; females collected in Bandon Bight, Gulf of Siam, on
September 21, 1923, had well-developed eggs, some 1 cm. in diameter; a
male taken in the Tale Sap on October 6, 1923, had in the mouth 12
undeveloped eggs of a rich yellow color a female, 30 cm. long, taken
;

in the Gulf of Siam at Pakpoon, Nakon Sritamarat, October 20, 1923,

contained large ovarian eggs; and females 25 and 25.5 cm. long, col-
lected from a trap in the Gulf of Siam off the mouth of Menam Cliao
590087—45- -27
406 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Phya December 22, 1923, had large transparent orange-red eggs nearly
or quite ready for extrusion.
The various species of Osteogeneiosus described by Bleeker and
properly placed by Weber and de Beaufort in the synonymy of 0.
militaris were for the most part based on such characters as the rela-
tive proportions of length of body, depth of body, and length of head,
in apparent ignorance of the variations due to sex.
In Thailand this fish has little repute as food, and is one of the
cheapest in the markets. In India a poor quality of isinglass is made
from its swim bladder.
This fish is known by a variety of names in different parts of its
Thailand range. Often it is not distinguished from species of Tachy-
surus and is given the same names, pla hot and fla uk (in allusion to
the sound made by the fish), with or without qualifying words, such
as pla hot hua on {hua on, soft head), pla hot nud, pla hot hokaso,
pla hot sorn oui {som oui, buxom or plump) and others. In Peninsular
,

Siam, as in the Tale Sap, the name pla hot hua on may be shortened
to pla hua on. In the Bangpakong River a name in use is pla uh hua
son.

Genus TACHYSURUS Lacepede

Tachysurus Lacepede, Histoire naturelle des poissons, vol. 5, p. 150, 1803. (Type,
Tachj/survs sinensis Lacepede.)

Some of the fishes of this genus are found regularly in fresh water
in Thailand, but the genus is primarily marine. It seems desirable,
however, to include in this account all the species known from Thailand
rather than to attempt an artificial separation.
The number of species is large, and some of them are very abundant
and economically important.
Oral incubation has been observed in nearly all the local species, and
it seems probable that this habit is common to the genus.
Secondary sexual characters are marked, involving the shape and
size of the head, the position and shape of some of the fins, and the
development of special appendages on the ventral fins.
There has been no opportunity to observe the spawning habits, and
it is not known how fertilization of the eggs is effected and how the

eggs are taken into the mouth of the male. During the protracted
period of hatching, which may cover 6 to 8 weeks, the male takes no
food, and his fasting is further prolonged by the retention of the young
in his mouth until the complete or partial absorption of the yolk sac.
By the time the young have left the shelter of the parental mouth, the
male undergoes considerable emaciation, and it may be assumed that
in fishes as ravenous and gluttonous as the catfishes the spawning season
is a time of great stress for the males.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 407

The ovaries undergo bilateral development and the eggs attain a

large size before extrusion. The number of eggs produced by a single
fish is relatively small, probably never exceeding 100 at one time in*
any local species. 1 to 1.5 cm. in diameter when
As they may be from
ripe, very little space is left in the abdominal cavity for liver, stomach,
intestines, and other organs, all of which undergo shrinkage or tem-
porary atrophy, and in the later stage of the ovarian development di-
gestion is necessarily suspended, with the intestines reduced to mere
strings and the passage of food physically impossible.
The most important characters for separating the species are the
teeth. Such characters, especially those of the palatine teeth, have
been used largely in the preparation of the key, which has been adapted
from Weber and de Beaufort's excellent presentation.
la. Palatine teeth in one group on each side.
2a. Patches of palatine teeth ovoid or elliptical.
3a. Palatine teeth coarsely granular or molarlike in large suboval parallel
patches.
4a. Band of teeth in upper jaw 6 to 8 times as long as broad and not
medianly constricted.
oa. Palatine teeth placed far back, separated from jaw teeth by a space
nearly equal to length of patch dorsal spine stout
; maculatus
56. Palatine teeth placed well forward, separated from jaw teeth by a
space equal to width of patch dorsal spine moderately
;

stout gagora
46. Band of teeth in upper jaw 3 times as long as broad and medianly
constricted : dorsal spine very slender sciurus
36. Palatine teeth villiform or sharply conical.
6a. Palatine teeth in small oval patches, smaller than eye, their long
axis oblique, separated from each other by a space 2 or 3 times
their least diameter truncatus
66. Palatine teeth in transverse ovoid or elliptical patches about 2 times
as long as broad, separated from each other by a space about equal
to their least diameter macronotacanthus
26. Patches of palatine teeth roughly triangular.
7c. Band of teeth in upper jaw long, narrow, arcuate, 8 to 10 times as long
as broad anterior side of palatine patch longest, rounded, and sepa-
;

rated from its fellow and from jaw teeth by a space somewhat less
than breadth of band head shields granular dorsal spine very long
; ;

and strong, granulated on anterior surface, equal to or longer than

head caelatus
76. Band of teeth in upper jaw 4 to 5 times as long as broad ;
patches of
palatine teeth large, compact, separated from each other and from
jaw teeth by a space about one-third breadth of jaw band ; head
shields mostly smooth; dorsal spine weaker, less granulated, shorter
than head venosus
16. Palatine teeth in 2 groups on each side.
8a. Patches of palatine teeth in antero-posterior series; teeth granular.
9a. Anterior patch of palatine teeth consisting of a few gi-anular ele-
ments, sometimes altogether wanting, far separated from jaw teeth
and from posterior patch, which is large, oval, with its long axis
inclined outward ; sides of occipital process straight, argyropleuron
 , —

408 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

9&. Anterior patch of palatine teeth small, oval, placed about midway
between jaw teeth and posterior patch, which is parallel with its
fellow, elongate pyriform, its anterior end rounded, its posterior
end terminating in a long point turned slightly outward occipital
;

process oval leiotetocephalus

86. Patches of palatine teeth in transverse series ; teeth villiform.
10a. Jaw teeth in a long, rather narrow band, which may have a median
constriction palatine teeth in 2 egg-shaped patches on each side,
;

the inner patch about half the size of outer ; occipital process large,
granular, almost circular, touching the broad butterfly-shaped
basal bone of dorsal spine sagor
10&. Jaw teeth in a long, rather broad, slightly curved band inner pala-
;

tine teeth in a small oval patch which is joined to long outer patch
curved downward and outward occipital process long, triangular,
;

its truncate posterior side reaching the crescentic basal bone of

dorsal spine stormii
Ic. Palatine teeth in 3 groups on each side, each group having a roughly triangular
shape, with its base directed anteriorly and formed by 2 small trans-
versely united quadrangular patches behind and connected with which
is an elongated subtriangular patch, with its rounded apex directed back-

ward (genus Netuma Bleeker) thalassinus

TACHYSURUS MACULATUS (Thnnberg)

Silurus maculatus Thttnbeeg, 1792, p. 31 (Japan)

Arius maculatus Weber and de [Link], 1913, vol. 2, p. 284 (Siam). ^Hoea,
1924a, p. 467 (Tale Sap).
Tachysurus maculatus Fowlee, 1935a, p. 100 (Bangkok, Sriracha).

This wide range (Indo-Australian Archipelago, Philip-

species, of
pines, China, and probably India), is abundant in Thailand and it is
known from all parts of the Gulf of Siam as well as from the outer
and inner lakes of the Tale Sap, and the Tapi, Chao Phya, Bangpa-
kong, and Chantabun Rivers. Four specimens taken July 2, 1923,
November 10, 1923, and August 16, 1924, from the Bangpakong and
Chao Phya Rivers, two being males with oral eggs, differ from typical
T. maculatus in having a shorter head, shorter band of teeth in upper
jaw, smaller eye, more acute humeral process, and longer dorsal and
pectoral spines.
The species reaches a length of 40 cm., but in Thailand the largest
examples observed have been 30 cm. Full maturity is attained in both
males and females 16 cm. long.
An unusually large number of vernacular names is borne by this
fish in different parts of its range in Thailand, some of them shared
with related species, some peculiar to it. In the Chantabun River,
where the fish abounds and large quantities of its eggs are marketed
at the town of Chantabun, the names in use are pla kot, pla hot kokaso,
pla kot tale {tale = sesi)^ and pla kot na nu {na ?iw=mouse face). In
 —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 409

the Bangpakong Kiver, a very muddy stream where ovigerous fish

gather in immense numbers, local names are pla hot khao {khao^
white), and pla uh hua san {hua san=sh.0Tt head). On the Menam
Chao Phya a name in use is pla hot nu (nw=mouse). Tapi River A
designation is pla hot pah huat {pah huat^\\zdiv6. mouth) while in the ,

Tale Sap one may hear the names pla hot and pla hua on.

TACHYSURUS GAGORA (Hamilton)

Pimelodus yagwa Hamilton, 1822, pp. 167, 376, pi. 10, fig. 54 (Bengal).
Arius macracantlius Guntheb, 1864, vol. 5, p. 167, 2 figs. (Siam). Saxjvage, 1881,
p. 162 (Siam).
Arius gagora Day, 1878, vol. 2, p. 465, pi. 107, fig. 2 (Siam).

This common fish of India isknown from Thailand by a specimen,

7.5 inches long, in the British Museum, obtained in the Jamrach pur-
chase. was described by Giinther, as Arius m/icr acanthus^ but it
It
was regarded by Day (doubtless properly) as the same as Hamilton's
Pimelodus gagora.
In India the fish reaches a length of 3 feet.

TACHYSURUS SCIURUS (H. M. Smith)

Arius sciurus Smith, 1931a, p. 30 (Tapl River).

In the type Tapi River near Bandon, Peninsular Thai-

locality, the
land, this fish is common and
it is said to reach a length of more than a

meter. The largest specimens observed by the writer were 60 cm.

long the type was 25 cm. The only other locality where the fish has
;

been met with is the lower Menam Chao Phya at Paknam, where a
specimen 18 cm. long was taken on November 10, 1923.
In the Bandon market eggs of this fish were seen exposed for sale
during a number of days in September 1923. They had been removed
from the mouths of the males in agglutinated clusters, looking like
bunches of grapes, the largest clusters being 18 cm. long and the eggs
1,4 to 1.5 in longest diameter.
This species belongs in the groups of tachysurids that Bleeker (Atlas
Ichthyologique) called Pseudarius, characterized by having the gran-
ular or molarlike palatal teeth in two large separated patches. Its
nearest relative is from rivers of Bor-
T. microcephalus, reported only
neo. In that however, the smaller head is much broader than
species,
deep (as contrasted with a head whose depth equals its breadth), the
maxillary barbels extend beyond the head (instead of reaching only
one eye-diameter beyond the eye), and the dorsal and pectoral spines
aremuch stouter.
The local vernacular name is pla hot.
 — —— .

410 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

TACHYSURUS TRUNCATUS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Arius truncatus Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1840, vol. 15, p. 64 (Java). Bleeker,
1865 (356), p. 175 (Siam).—von Martens, 1876, p. 400 (Bangkok).— Sauv age,
1881, p. 162 (Siam).— Weber and de Beauiort, 1913, vol. 2, p. 308 (Siam).
Cephalocassis truncatus Bleeker, 1859-60 (239), p. 102 (Siam).
Tachysiirus truncatus Fowler, 1934a, p. 93 (Bangkok).
? Eemipimelodus cochlearis Fowler, 1935a, p. 101, fig. 25 (Bangkok, Paknam).

An abundant, strongly marked species of Java, Sumatra, and west-

ern side of the Malay Peninsula, this fish in Thailand is found mostly
in the lower courses of the larger rivers, and at times may occur in
large numbers. From all the other members of the genus in Thailand,
it may be readily distinguished by its much-depressed head, truncate

snout, and greenish yellow color, often rich creamy yellow below.
The maximum length given for this species by Bleeker is 33 cm.
The average for a dozen adult specimens chosen at random in the
collection of the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries was 31 cm., the largest
being a female of 42 cm. with nearly ripe eggs, taken in the Tale Sap
on July 9, 1929.
Fowler's Hemipimelodus cochlearis bears a strong resemblance to
this species. It is described and figured ashaving a small patch of
teeth on each palatine, thus excluding it from the genus Eemipime-
lodus.
The vernacular names somewhat with the locality. In the
differ
Menam Chao Phya the fish is known
as pla uh lueng. In the Bang-
pakong, the next large stream to the eastward, the same name, to-
gether with pla hot lao {lao, spear), is in use, while in the Meklong,
the large stream entering the northwest corner of the Gulf of Siam,
the fishermen call this fish pla hot hua lao {hua lao^ spear head) Still .

another name is in general use in the inner lake of the Tale Sap, where
this fish is abundant and known as pla han lao {lean lao, spear handle)

TACHYSURUS MACRONOTACANTHUS (Bleeker)

Arius macronotacanthus Bleeker, 1846 (3), p. 150 (Batavia). Hoka, 1924a, p.

468 (Singora).

This species is known from the Straits Settlements, Sumatra, and

Java. Its place in the Thailand fauna rests on a single young speci-
men reported by Hora from Singora.

TACHYSURUS CAELATUS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Figure 91
Arius caclatus Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1840, vol. 15, p. 66 (Batavia). Weeee
and DB Beaufort, 1913, vol. 2, p. 310 (Siam).—Karoli, 1882, p. 178 (Siam).
Ceplialocassis coelatus Bleeker, 1859-60 (239), p. 102 (Siam).
Arius coelatus Bleeker, 1865 (356), p. 175 (Siam).
Tachysurus caelatus Fowler, 1935a, p. 100 (Bangkok, Paknam).
One of the common fishes of the genus, this species is found along all
the shores of the Gulf of Siam, in the Tale Sap, and in the tidal reaches
 .

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 411

of all the rivers. It is also common in the Dutch East Indies, and
ranges thence to the west coast of India.
The average length of 20 adult Thailand specimens was 20.5 cm the ;

longest, 28.3 and were females.

29.5 cm.,
A specimen, 27 cm. long, taken in the Gulf of Siam off Sriracha June
8, 1927, had its left maxillary barbel bifid at the tip.
Very long and thick dorsal and pectoral spines, coarsely granulated
on their anterior surface and serrated behind, characterize this species.
The adipose fin is either entirely black or bears a large black spot.

Figure 91. — Tachysurus caelatus (Cuvier and Valenciennes). Drawn by Luang Masya;
courtesy of the Thailand Government.

The species shares with the related ones the names pla hot and pla uk,
with such qualifications as pla hot deng {deng^ red, in allusion to a
general reddish color in life), pla hot lueng {lueng, yellow, in allusion
to a brassy yellow color of some freshly caught individuals), and pi a
uh pah htoang {pah hwang^ wide mouth)

TACHYSURUS VENOSUS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

FiGXJEE 926

Arms venosus CxniEii and Valenciennes, 1840, vol. 15, p. 69 (Rangoon).

lachysurns venosus Fowler, 1934a, p. 93 (Bangkok).

While Tachysurus venosus is of wide distribution (Philippines,

Dutch East Indies, Singapore, Malacca, Andamans, Ceylon, and
Madagascar), and common in parts of its range, it appears to be rather
rare in Thailand. In the large collections made for the Siamese
Bureau of Fisheries, the writer obtained the fish at only one locality,
at the mouth of the Chantabun Estuary, at Lem Sing, Southeast
Thailand, on June 9, 1926, while fishing with a hand line from a row
boat; three specimens 21 and 22 cm. long, all mature females were
caught.
412 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Figure 92. —Modified ventral fins of female Thailand catfishes (Tachysurus). The
"claspers" are developed on the pelvic fins to assist in holding the large eggs. The eggs
are extruded one at a time, so that the male fish may take them in his mouth, a, Left
pelvic fin of Tachysurus argyropleuron; b, left pelvic fin of Tachysurus venosus.

The local iBshermen called the fish pla hot lueng {lueng, yellow),
reported that it attained a slightly larger size, and said its food value
is very good.

TACHYSURUS ARGYROPLEURON (Cuvler and Valenciennes)

Figure 92a

Arius argyropleuron Cuvieb and Valenciennes, 1840, vol. 15, p. 104 (Java).

In the Dutch East Indies this fish is known from sea, estuaries, and
rivers, but the specimens collected by the writer in Thailand were
from Langsuen and Singora, on the western side of the Gulf of Siam,
and from Cham Ham Bight, on the eastern side of the gulf. These
were taken in iVugust, September, and October, and ranged from 13.5 to
33 cm. in length, as against a maximum of 46 cm. recorded by Bleeker.

TACHYSURUS LEIOTETOCEPHALUS (Bleeker)

Arius leiotetocephalus Bleeicee, 1846 (4), p. 292 (Batavia).

Tachysurus leiotetocephalus Smith, 1934b, p. 299 (Gulf of Siam).

The published records for this fish include Celebes, Java, Singapore,
and Malacca, in sea and estuaries, as well as the Gulf of Siam. It is
the most abundant of the sea catfishes of Thailand and is a schooling-
fish, usually going in very large numbers along both rocky and muddy

shores, and often being caught in immense quantities in bamboo traps.

As many as 5,000 fishes were taken in one day in February 1924 in a
single trap off Bangplasoi, at the northeast corner of the Gulf of
Siam. The appearance of the fish in a given section is irregular and
the abundance varies greatly from month to month or year to year.
The species may be readily recognized by the large ovate occipital
process that completely occupies the space between the head and the
basal bone of the dorsal spine. This process is easily detached and
may often be seen in numbers on sandy or gravelly beaches, where
carcasses of the fish have disintegrated.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 413

Almost everywhere on the Thailand coasts the fish has a name, 'pla
tukang, which is given to no other species. This designation may be
derived from pedukang and helukufng^ Malay names for the fish.

TACHYSURUS SAGOR (Hamilton)

Pimelodus sagor Hamilton, 1822, p. 169 (Ganges).

Many specimens of this broad-headed fish, with large subcircular

occipital process and with conspicuously granulated top of head and
humeral processes, have been taken on both sides of the Gulf of Siam,
in the sea, in the estuaries, and in the short tidal rivers. Besides the
Dutch East Indies, the species is known from the Straits Settlements
and India.
It reaches a length of 45 cm.
The striking palatine teeth masses, usually in 4 transverse patches,
are subject to some variation. An aberrant arrangement in a speci-
men, 35 cm. long, taken from Bandon Bight September 29, 1923, was
an undivided lenticular patch separated from its fellow by a space
wider than the diameter of the eye.
The fish in life usually shows silvery white or bluish green cross
bands on back and sides.
Oral incubation reaches a climax in this species. A male fish, 35
cm. long to the tip of the caudal lobes, taken on October 20, 1923,
at Pakpoon, on the west side of the Gulf of Siam, had in his mouth
48 eggs measuring 1.1 to 1.2 cm. in diameter. Another fish caught at
the same time had in his mouth an agglutinated mass of eggs, 39 in
number, resembling a bunch of grapes. In the posterior part of the
pharynx, behind the eggs, were 4 hatched fish 4 cm. long. Obviously
this male had taken in a fresh batch of eggs before all the young of the
previous batch had been able to leave the mouth.

TACHYSURUS STORMII (Bleeker)

Cephalocassis siormii Bleekh3i, 1858 (lS9a), p. 246 (Sumatra).

This is apparently a rare species in Thailand waters. Only a single
specimen is referable to it, this an ovigerous female, 40 cm. long, taken
in the Menam Chao Phya above Bangkok, on April 30, 1928. The
species is recorded from Sumatra and Borneo.

TACHYSURUS THALASSINUS (Ruppell)

Bagrus thalassinus RuppeJll, 1835-1840, p. 75, pi. 20, fig. 2 (Massaiia, Abyssinia).

As its name implies, this is a marine species, apparently rarely

entering streams but often approaching their mouths. To the many
localities from which this form has been reported (Australia, New
Caledonia, Red Sea, Zanzibar, Philippines, and East Indian islands)
it is possible to add the Gulf of Siam and Puket, a Thailand island

in the Bay of Bengal.

 — ;

414 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

The length of a meter is attained, but apparently not in Thailand

waters.
In life the rich reddish brown color of the back and sides shows
numerous narrow, parallel, transverse iridescent cross bands corre-
sponding with lines of pores, as in Bleeker's striking plate of T. sagor
[Hexanematichthys sundaicus) in Atlas Ichthyologique.
In the vicinity of Lem Sing, Southeast Thailand, the fish sometimes
goes in large schools both in the gulf and in the Chantabun Estuary
specimens taken January 6, 1924, and February 3 and 5, 1925, were
up to 30 cm. long; the local names are pla hot tale {tale^ sea) and pla
hot kokaso. A specimen 32 cm. long was taken September 24, 1923, in
the Gulf of Siam off Chumporn, Peninsular Thailand, where the fish
is called pla kot^ while at Puket the name is pla lutu {lutu, blunt).

Doubtful References

Tachysurus harmandi (Sauvage), 1883b, p. 154 (Menam). Few or

no diagnostic features are given. The teeth indicate Tachysurus
stormii or perhaps T. sagor.
Hemiarius liarmandi Sauvage, 1880, p. 230; also 1881, p. 162 (He
de Phu-Quoc, in Gulf of Siam) p. 171, pi. 8, fig. 3.
,

Tachysurus melanochir (Bleeker) Fowler, 1935a, p. 100, fig.. 22

(Bangkok). This species is otherwise known only from Sumatra
and Borneo. The teeth as figured by Fowler suggest T. melanochir^
but (1) all the barbels in his specimens are shorter than in the descrip-
tions and figures of Bleeker and Weber and de Beaufort; (2) the base
of the adipose fin in Fowler's figure is not longer than the bases of
the dorsal and anal but less than half the length of the anal base;
and (3) the absence of a black center in the yellow fins does not indicate
T. melanochir.

Genus KETENGUS Bleeker

Ketengus Bleeker (8), Nat. Geneesk. Arch. Ned.-Ind., ser. 4, vol. 2, p. 167, 1847,
(Type, Kete7igus typus Bleeker.)

KETENGUS TYPUS Bleeker

Ketengus typus Bleeker, 1847 (7), 9 (Java); 1865 (356), p. 175 (Siam).—
Sauvage, 1883b, p. 154 (Menam Chao Phya). Weber and de Beaufort, 1913,
vol. 2, p. 317 (Siam).— HoRA, 1923b, p. 170 (Nontaburi).— Fowler, 1934a, p. 93
(Bangkok) 1935a, p. 100 (Bangkok).
;

This fish frequents the lower courses of rivers in either fresh or

brackish water, and also ventures into the coastal waters within the
influence of rivers. Outside of Thailand, where it is not abundant,
it is found in theAndaman Islands, parts of Malaya, Sumatra, Borneo,
and Java. In addition to the Menam Chao Phya, it has been collected
in the Bangpakong Eiver, in the inner lake of the Tale Sap, and in
the Gulf of Siam from a stationary trap about 15 miles from the mouth
 : —

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 415

of the Menam Chao Phya, September 8, 1923, at a time when a great

volume of fresh water was entering the head of the gulf. A specimen
in the British Museum was collected by Flower in the Menam Chao
Phya.
This species may be recognized easily by its very wide mouth, short,
broad head, edentulous palate, and three pairs of short barbels.
A length of 25 cm.
is reached, but the usual size of specimens col-
Thailand is 12 to 15 cm.
lected in
Vernacular names for the fish are pla uk hua hin, reported for the
Bangkok area, pla Jcot hua to, heard on the Bankpakong River, and
pla kot hieng.
Genus HEMIPIMELODUS Bleeker

Hemipimelodus [Link] (189), Act. Soc. Sci. Indo-Nederl, (Siluri), vol. 4, p. 236,
1858. (Type, Pimelodus torneensis Bleeker.)

The hemipimelodids in Thailand are in general fishes of the lower

courses of the larger rivers. Of the five species ascribed to Thailand,
three are of somewhat doubtful status ; one, Hemipimelodus cochlearis
Fowler (1935a), is not a member of this genus, being excluded by the
presence of palatine teeth and only one {H. horneensis) is a common
;

and widely distributed which occurs also in Borneo and Sumatra.

fish,

It may now be announced, possibly for the first time, that H. hor-
neensis, and inferentially in other species of this genus, oral incuba-
tion is practiced as in Tachysurus and Osteogeneiosus. The eggs are
large and few in number, and as extruded they are taken into the mouth
of the male, where they are held during hatching and the absorption of
the yolk sac. Ovigerous females develop a large pad on the inner side
of the last ventral rays, the pair of pads serving to hold each egg as
extruded until it can be fertilized and taken into the male's mouth.
The following characters will differentiate the species of Hemipi-
Tnelodu^ inhabiting Thailand
la. Eyes subcutaneous length of head 4 to 4.5 in standard length gill rakers on
; ;

lower arm of first arch 10; anal rays 18 to 20 borneensis

16. Eyes with a free cutaneous rim; length of head 3.25 in standard length; gill
rakers on lower arm of first arch about 12 anal rays 15
; velutinus
Ic. Differential characters not known anal rays 16
; siamensis

HEMIPIMELODUS BORNEENSIS (BlecKer)

FiGITKE 93

Pimelodus dorneensis Bleekee, 1851 (49), p. 430 (Sambas, Borneo).

Hemipimelodus lorjieensis Bleekee, 1865 (347), p. 34 (Siam]^; 1865 (356), p. 175
—
(Siam). ^VON Martens, 1876, p. 400 (Bangkok). Weber and de Be^vufort.
1913, vol. 2, p. 327 (Siam).— Hoea, 1923b, p. 170 (Nontaburi).— Fowler, 1935a,
p. 101, fig. 24 (Bangkok).

This species has been found along the entire length of the Menam
Chao Phya and in some of its connecting streams. It has been col-
 —

416 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

lected also in both the upper and the lower reaches of the Menam Bang-
pakong. A specimen, 18.5 cm. long, taken in June 1923 in the Menam
Chao Phya at Pakret, a short distance north of Bangkok, was com-
pared, in December 1927, with Bleeker's type of H. horneensis, 17.6
cm. long, in the British Museum and found to agree perfectly.
The maximum length somewhat exceeds 25 cm. Fully
in local waters
mature specimens of both sexes are found from 15 cm. upward.

Figure 93. Hemipimelodus horneensis (Bleeker). Drawn by Nai Chote Suvatti;

courtesy of the Thailand Government.

The ovaries develop bilaterally, and in conjunction therewith a

peculiar pad forms on the inner side of each ventral fin, as in Tachy-

surus. There is no modification of the ventral fins in the male. The

fully mature ovaries occupy so large a part of the abdominal cavity
that the passage of food along the intestines is interfered with or
altogether stopped by. the time the large, clear, amber-colored eggs
are ready for extrusion. Some ripe fish taken in a haul seine March 29,
1928, were 15.6 to 22.1 cm. long, had dull reddish gray back and sides,
and showed a glistening white spot, smaller than the pupil, in the
median cranial fontanel.
The fish is caught in considerable quantities with seines, bag nets,
and other apparatus, and appears regularly in the markets of the larger
river towns.
The common vernacular name is pla uk, in allusion to the grunting
noise the fish makes when caught. Qualifying terms are added in
certain localities or for certain color or other peculiarities, such as
pla uh deng (deng, red), pla uk khao {khao, white), and pla uk khem
{khem, needle). A name heard only on the Bangpakong River is
pla kot poh^ kot being equivalent to uk and poh being the kind of trap
in which caught.
• HEMIPIMELODUS VELUTINUS Weber
Hemipimelodus velutinus Webee, 1908, p. 225 (New Guinea).
Hemipimelodus Mcolor Fowlee, 1935a, p. 100, fig. 23 (Bangkok).

Hemipimelodus velutinus has heretofore been known only from

northern New Guinea. It is therefore with considerable hesitation
 FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 417

that a specimen, 25.2 cm. long, collected in the Bangkok market in May
1934 and described by Fowler as new under the name Hemipimelodus
hicolor is referred to this species.
According to Fowler, H. hicolor may be known by its contrasted
coloration (not shown in the figure) and may be distinguished from
H. velutinus by having shorter barbels and an axillary pore. Not much
importance may usually be attached to the colors of market specimens
of fishes. In this case, the figure of H. velutinus in Weber and de Beau-
fort (1913, vol. 2, fig. 141) shows a much more striking contrast in color
than Fowler's figure. As regards length of barbels, this is often a
somewhat variable feature in catfishes, but Weber's description indi-
cates that the maxillary barbels extend "to base of pectorals or some-
what farther," while Fowler's figure indicates a maxillary barbel reach-
ing nearly the base of the pectoral. The presence of an axillary pore
in H. hicolor and its assumed absence in H. velutinus are important
points. Neither Weber in his original description nor Weber and de
Beaufort in their secondary description make any reference to an axil-
lary pore, although in the key to the species of Hemipimelodus occur-
ring in the Indo-Australian Archipelago, H. velutinus is placed in a
section characterized by the absence of an axillary pore. This, how-
ever, was an oversight. In a letter dated March 6, 1937, Dr. de Beau-
fort stated that he had just examined some typical specimens of velu-
tirms and found a small slitlike pore in all of them.
For the present at least, the single Thailand specimen described by
Fowler as H. hicolor may be referred to H. velutinus.

HEMIPIMELODUS SIAMENSIS Sauvage

Hemipimelodus siamensis Sauvaoe, 1878b, p. 234 (Laos siamois) ; 1881, p. 162,

172, pi. 8, fig. 5 (Laos siamois; He de Phu-Quoc, Gulf of Siam).—Hoba, 1923b,
p. 170 (Nontaburl).

The status of this species is uncertain. Sauvage's description is

deficient in diagnostic characters. His type, 20 cm. long, came from a

region where, in recent years, no hemipimelodid has been found or may
be expected to occur. His poor figure of the top of the head is not
suggestive. No statement is made as to depth of body, orbital margin,
teeth, gill rakers, axillary pore, relative position to adipose and anal
fins, and other features by which the fish might be distinguished from
other species. The description of the shape of the occipital process
with strong keel applies well to horneensis and other species. If the
its

species is really valid, the most promising of the features mentioned by

Sauvage are the short maxillary barbels (extending to opercles), the
adipose fin almost as long as the dorsal and separated therefrom by
2.5 times its own length, the pectoral spine longer than the dorsal spine
and 16 rays in the anal fin, the only other species having so few rays
being H. velutinus.
 :

418 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

A specimen, 15 cm. long, from the Menam Cliao Pliya above Bangkok
was identified by Hora as belonging to this species, but he did not give
differential features.

Family AKYSIDAE
This family is represented in Thailand by a single genus, Ahysis.
Regan, Jordan, and others have placed the genus in the family
Amblycipitidae (Amblycepidae) with Amblyceps; Fowler (1934a)
put Akysis in the Bagridae. The present writer follows Weber and
de Beaufort (1913, vol. 2) and Hora (1936a) in assigning Akysis to
a separate family to include Acrochordonichthys (Java and Sumatra)
and Breitensteinia (Borneo and Sumatra). The differential char-
acters given in the key to the families of Nematognathi, together with
others that might be indicated, seem to warrant the maintenance of
this as a distinct family.

Genus AKYSIS Bleeker

Akysis Bleeker (189), Act. Soc. Sci. Indo-Neerl. (Siluri), vol. 4, p. 234, 1S5S.
(Type, Akysis variegatus (Bleeker) —
Pimelodus variegatus Bleeker.)

The members of this genus are diminutive inhabitants of mountain

streams in Java, Borneo, Sumatra, Burma, and Thailand. Four
species have been ascribed to Thailand and another {A. pictus Gim-
ther) described from Tenasserim, may be looked for in the adjoining
,

parts of Thailand. The known species from Thailand may be char-

acterized as follows
la. Nasal barbel as loug as, or longer than, head maxillary barbels 1.2 to 1.25
;

times length of head ;all fins and barbels speckled with brown or
black maculipinnis
1&. Nasal barbel shorter than head.
2a. 7 to 10 antrorse denticles on posterior edge of pectoral spine; length of
caudal peduncle twice or less than twice its depth.
3a. 7 to 9 very strong teeth on pectoral spine as long as or longer than breadth
of spine; nasal barbel reaching branchial opening; maxillary barbel
extending to second third of pectoral spine dark red, with longitudinal
;

rows of yellow spots on head and transverse rows of yellow spots on

body armatus
3&. 10 moderately developed teeth on pectoral spine; nasal barbels not
reaching branchial opening; maxillary barbel not reaching base of
pectoral spine; body mostly whitish, with 3 irregular black cross
bands, snout white leucorhynchus
26. 4 or 5 denticles on posterior edge of pectoral spine; length of caudal
peduncle 3 times its depth or more macronem^us

AKYSIS MACULIPINNIS Fowler

Akysis maculipinnis Fowt^kr, 1934a, p. 97, flg. 46 (Southeastern Siam).

Known only from seven specimens 3.1 to 3.7 cm. long, from Chanta-
bun, Southeastern Thailand, presumably from a tributary of the
Chantabun Kiver.
 — — :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 419

AKYSIS ARMATUS Vaillant

Akysis armatus Yaitxant, 1902, p. 64 (Mahakam, Borneo). Smith, 1931d, p. 180

(Patani).

A specimen, 4 cm. long, from the Talebun district of Patani, Penin-

sular Thailand, is identified as this species, otherwise known only from
Borneo.
AKYSIS LEUCOEHYNCHUS Fowler

Akysis leucorhynchus Fowlee, 1934a, p. 97, figs. 44, 45 (Chiengmai).

Ten specimens, 2.2 to 3.3 cm. long, were reported by Fowler from
the Meping at Chiengmai, Northern Thailand. In April 1935 Deignan
collected eight specimens at the same place, the largest 3 cm., the
smallest 2 cm. long. All these have the space between the sharply
defined white snout and the first black cross band a rich dark brown.
A specimen 3 cm. long is a female with large ovaries containing nearly
ripe eggs.
AKYSIS MACRONEMUS Bleeker

Akysis macronema Bleekee, 1860 (271), p. 11 (Lahat, Sumatra). Smith, 1931d,

p. 180 (Chantabun River).

The validity of this species, described from Sumatra in 1860 and

apparently not again detected for 70 years, and the identification
therewith of eight specimens taken in the Chantabun River in South-
eastern Thailand in February 1927, are discussed in the writer's paper
cited above (Smith, 1931d).
The colloquial name for this tiny fish (largest 3.4 cm.) at Chanta-
bun is pla kayuy.

Order Cyprinodontes : Toothed minnows

This order, which reaches a very large development in the Western
Hemisphere, is comparatively sparsely represented in the Old World.
In Thailand there are only two known indigenous species and one in-
troduced species, which fall into two families, as follows
la. Oviparous ; anal fin in male not modified into an intromittent organ.
Cyprinodontidae
1&. Viviparous ; anal fin in male modified into an intromittent organ Poeciliidae —
Family CYPRINODONTIDAE: Killifishes

The local species of this world-wide family belong in two well-

marked genera to which various names have been applied. The nomen-
clatorial questions involved have been indicated in a paper by the
writer (Smith, 1938b), and the conclusions therein reached are em-
bodied in the present treatment.
 : :

420 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

The two genera of this family that are to be found in Thailand may
be differentiated by the following characters
la. Upper jaw protractile; mouth of moderate size with its corners abruptly-
bent downward vomer toothed pseudobranchiae present branchial mem-
; ; ;

branes free from each other and from isthmus pectoral fins with their upper
;

base at or below longitudinal axis of body Aplocheilus

1?». Upper jaw not protractile; mouth small with its corners obtusely bent down-
ward vomer toothless no pseudobranchiae branchial membranes united
; ; ;

across isthmus pectoral fins with upper base well above longitudinal axis
;

of body Oryzias

Genus APLOCHEILUS McClelland

Aplocheilus McClelland, Asiatic Researches, vol. 19, p. 301 (as -cJielus, p. 261),
1839. (Type, Aplocheilus chrysostigmus McClelland.)

This genus was established by McClelland in 1839 with three species

listed thereunder, chrysostigmus (new), melastigmus (new), and
panchax^ first described as Esox 'panchax by Hamilton in 1822. Mc-
Clelland made reference to a fourth species of Aplocheilus and pub-
lished a figure ofit based on a drawing in the Hamilton collection.

No name was given to the species which, on the figure, was indicated
as new. This figure was the basis for Bleeker's Aplocheilus mcClel-
landi. The genus was composite and no type was indicated. In 1846
Cuvier and Valenciennes, ignoring McClelland's Aplocheilus.^ created
the genus Panchax and placed therein four species, including Hamil-
ton's Esox panchax^ which they renamed Panchax huchanani.^ to-
gether with Panchax pictum, which is a Betta of the family Ana-
bantidae. The designation of a type species in Aplocheilus seems
to have been first made in 1863 when Bleeker ((301), 1863, vol. 3, p.
140), in a synopsis of his family Cyprinodontoides, definitely named
Aplocheilus chrysostigmus McClelland as the type. This action was
unfortunate because other published opinions of Bleeker indicate that
what he did in this case was opposite to what he intended to do, for
chrysostigmus is a synonym of jmnchax, which Bleeker, in the same
synopsis, placed in the genus Panchax.
As a contribution to the question of the proper generic name for the
fishes that have been placed in Aplocheilus by Weber and de Beaufort
and other recent authorities, reference may be made to an interesting
point raised by Dr. L. F. de Beaufort in a letter dated September 20,
1938, from which the following is quoted

It is true that Bleeker, Atlas Ichthyologique, III, 1863, p. 140, made A.

chrysostignia the type of the genus, but he did it in the belief that this species
shows the characteristics of the genus, as understood by Bleeker. This is clear
from the following. In 1853 (Verb. Bat. Gen., XXV, p. 144) Bleeker considered
 :

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 421

the. 8 species of Aplocheilus of McClelland, chrysostigmus, panchax, and

melastigmus, as synonyms of Panchax iucJianani, without having seen these
species. In 1854, however, he described Aplocheilus javanicus (Nat. Tijdschr.
Ned. Indie, VII, p. 323) after fishes he had found at Perdana, Java, and for
the first time gave a diagnosis of the genus, "Aplocheilus McCl. Bkr.," and
made the following remarks, which I translate from the Dutch
"Mr. J. McClelland was the first to designate this genus in Indian Cyprinidae
(Transact. Asiat. Societ. Beng. XIX, p. 301 and 426). The characters are well
indicated, but Mr. McClelland made the mistake to include Panchax iuchanani
C. v. (Esox panchax H. B.) among the species of Aplocheilus. This is the reason
why Mr. Cantor in his Catalogue of Malayan Fishes (p. 252) considers the diag-
nosis of Mr. McClelland very incorrect and why he rejects the genus. On the
authority of Mr. Cantor I formerly did the same, but after the discovery of my
specimens at Perdana, which agree in habitus almost entirely with the species
Aplocheilus nicClellandi Blkr., figured (but neither named nor described) by Mr.
McClelland on fig. 4, work cited above and made after a drawing in
plate 55 of his
the collection of Hamilton Buchanan and which, indeed, has the characters men-
tioned by Mr. McClelland, it appears to me that Aplocheilus must be kept as a

genus and that also a closer examination of the species, which Mr. McClelland has
described and figured as Aplocheilus chrysostigmus and Aplocheilus inelastigmus,
is very desirable, to be able to judge with certainty if these species have to be
accepted or rejected as synonyms of Panchax buchanani."
It is therefore clear that Bleeker considered at that time Aplocheilus mcClellandi
as the type of the genus and was still very much in doubt about the species chry-
sostigmus and melastigmus. Now Aplocheilus mcClellandi Blkr. is a synonym
of A. melastigmus (Day, Fishes of India, p. 522) and therefore this last named
species has to be considered as the type of the genus.

This would be a most desirable way

to dispose of this question. Un-
fortunately, the action of Day
making Aplocheilits TncGleUandi a
in
synonym of Aplocheilits melastigmus was unwarranted, as was the
action of Bleeker in assigning McClelland's unnamed figure to the
genus Aplocheilus. That figure, based on a drawing in Hamilton's
collection, was of a fish which Hamilton called Gyprinus {Cabdio)
dancena. This species does not belong in the Cyprinodontidae but is
one of the Cyprinidae of the subfamily Abramidinae. This is listed
as a synonym of Perilcmipus laubuca by Day (1878). See further,
Hora (1929b).
It has been impossible to find a basis for the statement by Regan
(1911, p. 324) that Bleeker "definitely restricted" Aplocheilus to the
melastigmMs group, a course which would have permitted the continu-
ance of recent usage as regards the names Panchax and Aplocheilus.
From the foregoing it thus appears that the name Aplocheilus must
be associated with fishes that have in recent years borne the name
Panchax^ and that Panchax is a synonym of Aplocheilus.
The genus Aplocheilus is represented in Thailand by a single species
of wide Oriental distribution.
590087 —45 28
 — —

422 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

APLOCHEILUS PANCHAX (Hamilton)

Figure 94

Esox panchax Hamilton, 1822, pp. 211, 380, pi. 3, fig. 69 (Bengal).
Panchax buchanani Bleeker, 1S63 (301), vol. 3, p. 141, pi. 144, fig. 3 (Bangkok) ;

1865 (347), p. 35 (Siam).

Eaplochilus panchax Von Martens, 1876, p. 401 (Bangkok).
Eaplochisus panchar KAroli, 1882, p. 181 (Siam).
Panchax panchax Webee and db Bexvufort, 1922, vol. 4, p. 374 (Siam). Hora,
1824a, p. 482 (Tale Sap).—Fowler, 1934b, p. 348 (Krat) 1937, ; p.214
(Bangkok).

The wide range of this species, from India to the Indo-Australian

Archipelago inchides Burma, the Malay Peninsula, and Thailand.
In Thailand it is a coastwise species, never found far from the sea
but sometimes in mountain brooks. In the Menam Phya it occurs at
least as far upstream as Nontaburi and probably goes farther. In the
lower courses of the Tachin and other rivers of Central Thailand it is
common, being usually found in drains, ditches, or pools connected
with the rivers. The records for the Southeastern area are for a
mountain stream on Kao Sabap (July 12, 1928), for a brackish pool at
Lem Sing (March 16, 1930) and for brackish waters at Krat. In the
lowlands of Koh Chang, Koh Samui, and Koh Pa-ngan, large islands
in the Gulf of Siam, the fish is common. In addition to Hora's record
for the Inland Sea, the present writer has taken the fish in other parts
—
of the Peninsula in small streams in the town of Nakon Sritamarat
and in isolated grassy pools at Singora.
The maximum size of this fish is 6.5 cm.

,~mrr^«''~'K^''?S*:'S^Wff'l'^^'-^x:T:!i'''''^r^n

~''**6»,i^

^^A.;^.,.,..

Figure 94 Aplocheilus panchax (Hamilton). Drawn by Nai Chote Suvatti; courtesy

of the Thailand Government.

This is a very attractive little fish whose coloration has not been
fully set forth in published accounts.
Color note on living specimens from Tachin River, at Tachalom,
Central Thailand, July 26, 1928 General color of upper parts light
:

grayish brown, each scale with a dark brown edge, below white under ;

side of head yellow in males, white in females, in both a narrow black

transverse band posterior to lower lip snout viewed from above trans- ;

lucent; dorsal fin yellow, with a jet black basal spot extending from
 I-REgH-WATER FISHE^ OF SlAM, Ofl THAILAND 423

anterior margin of fin to posterior rays but not involving the last one
or two rays or the bases of the first several rays, the black inclining
to blue in some individuals; yellow at anterior base of the dorsal fin
extending on back and in males making a conspicuous spot; caudal
fin dusky yellow-red, with a narrow blackish edge in males; anal fin
white at base, with a bright red zone extending its entire length and
one-third of its depth in males, with a pale red border in females;
ventrals rich lemon yellow in males, plain white in females pectorals ;

hyaline.
Specimens from a tide pool at Lem Sing, Southeastern Thailand,
March 16, 1930, males: Dorsal orange with black spot, caudal rosy
orange with a narrow blackish edge, anal bright orange, ventrals yel-
low, and pectorals hyaline. Females Dorsal pale orange with black
:

spot, caudal pale yellow with no dark edge, anal and ventrals white,
pectorals hyaline.
The fish swims at the surface, and its presence in shallow weedy pools
or in turbid drains may be disclosed only by tlie glistening silvery
white spot on the top of the head at the occiput. It renders a distinct
service to mankind by its destruction of mosquito larvae, which appear
to be its chief and favorite food.
It is a great jumper. When
put into a shallow vessel it may leap
several feet into the air in efforts to escape. This habit is doubtless
useful in enabling the fish to evade predatory animals.
This is one of the various small fishes employed by the Thai in
fighting contests. Only the males fight.
Note on a contest observed at Tachalom, Central Thailand, July
28, 1923: A
number of males that had been captured 2 days before
were brought out, and two that showed signs of a pugnacious dispo-
sition were placed in a large circular jar. The fish closed at once and
took a characteristic attitude head to tail, with sides closely applied
;

and with caudal fins everted at a rather sharp angle. The fish swim-
ming at or near the surface forced each other around the jar, and ap-
parently sought an opportunity to seize the caudal, anal, or other lower
fin and bite out a piece, the jaws being armed with bands of sharp
teeth and the upper jaw being protractile. The pair struggled for 10
minutes and then stopped from fatigue, without having inflicted any
damage to either. The action was much less spirited than in Betta.
The glistening white spot on the top of the head became dark in one
fish, and this is said to be usual in fighting contests. These fish are
matched only by boys who catch the wild fish and hold them in the
rectangular jars employed for the regular fighting fish; they will
fight after being in captivity 2 days, and their fighting qualities are
said to increase with prolonged captivity.
Notwithstanding its small size this fish is rendered conspicuous by
itspeculiar shape as well as by the shining spot on the top of the head,
 —
424 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

SO it is well known to the coastal people who have given it names borne

by no other species Pla hua talcua (lead-head fish) and fla hua ngem
:

(silver-head fish) in allusion to the lustrous spot, and pla hua ngon
(scoop-head fish).
fish has usually been called Panchax panchax.
In recent years this
The genus Panchax established by Cuvier and Valenciennes in 1846,
with Hamilton's Esox panchax becoming the type species by tauto-
nymy, was a synonym of Aplocheihis, which has the same type species.

Genus ORYZIAS Jordan and Snyder

Oryzias Joedan and Snyder, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 31, No. 14S6, p. 289, 1906.
(Type, Poecilia latipes Temminck and Schlegel.)

The name Oryzias is equivalent to Aplocheilus of Weber and de

Beaufort. The applicability of this name in its present connotation
was discussed by the writer (Smith, 1938b) There are various species
.

of India, Burma, Malaya, and the Indo- Australian Archipelago in ad-

dition to the type species {Poecilia latipes) from the ricefields of
Japan. The single species known from Thailand appears to be unde-
scribed.

ORYZIAS MINUTILLUS. new species

Figure 95

Description. —Body compressed, head and anterior part of back de-

pressed and flattened; depth of body 3.5 in standard length; caudal
peduncle longer than deep; head 4.1 in standard length; eye large,
scarcely reaching above dorsal profile of head, about 2.4 in head snout ;

2.25 in eye and greater than interorbital space; mouth extending

0.5 distance from tip of snout to eye scales in lengthwise series 27 or 28,
;

in transverse series, 10, in predorsal region 19 a broad anal papilla.

;

Figure 95. Oryzias minutillus,new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 107958).

Drawn by Mrs. Aime M. Awl.

Fins Dorsal rays 6, longest ray 1.8 in head, origin of fin slightly
:

before posterior base of anal caudal fin as long as head, its margin
;

rounded anal rays 19, longest ray equal to longest dorsal ray, origin
;

of fin midway between pupil and base of caudal ventrals 0.5 length of ;
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 425

head, their origin midway between tip of snout and posterior end of
anal base ;
pectorals slightly longer than ventrals.
Coloration: Body translucent, the blackish peritoneum showing
through the abdominal walls back minutely speckled with black, the
;

spots concentrated medianly and forming a rather well-marked stripe

from occiput to caudal fin a straight black line on side from over ven-
;

trals to base of caudal; a black line running along base of anal fin,
above it a similar line which diverges anteriorly and joins the basal
line at posterior end of anal fin, the two continued as a single line on
under side of caudal peduncle; top of head, opercles, preorbital, and
lips with black specks forming line on lips; a few widely scattered
black specks on lower side of body dorsal, caudal, and anal rays faintly
;

outlined with black.

—
Type and paratypes. The type (U.S.N.M. No. 107958) is an
ovigerous female 16.3 mm. long, taken in a small canal in Bangkok,
Central Thailand, May 10, 1934. Of four other specimens obtained at
the same place and time three 17 mm. long were females with well-
developed eggs and one 15.5 mm. long was apparently a male. Para-
types are uTs.N.M. No. 109789.
—
Remarks. Of the described species from southern Asia and the
Indo-Australian Archipelago, the present form most closely resembles
Aplocheilus javanicus Bleeker, recorded from fresh and brackish
waters of Java, Singapore, Malaya, and other localities. The differ-
ences, while not wide, seem to justify the recognition of the Thai fish
as distinct. Thus, javanicus has 7 dorsal and 21 to 24 anal rays, as
against 6 and 19, respectively, in minutilhcs; the squamation is quite
similar, 29 or 30 scales in the lateral line in the former and 27 or 28 in
the latter, with the scales in transverse series 10 in both, but while in
javanicus the predorsal scales number 22 or 23, in minutillus they are 19.
In color pattern this fish conforms with species of the Indo-Austra-
lian Archipelago in having a dark stripe along the median line of
the back, a very thin dark stripe along the middle of the side, and a
similar stripe above the base of the anal fin converging toward its

fellow on the opposite side and meeting it behind the base of the
just
anal fin, the combined line continued along the under side of the caudal
peduncle. An additional dark line along each side of the anal fin at
the very base of the rays is not referred to in descriptions of any other
species of this general region.
This appears to be the smallest of the described species of Oryzias^
attaining full maturity when only 17 mm. long. It seems altogether
probable that it is not uncommon in the Bangkok region and has
heretofore been overlooked because of its small size and inconspicuous
coloration.
 : :

426 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Family POECILIIDAE : Top Minnows

This family is naturally restricted to temperate and tropical waters
of the Western Hemisphere. Its inclusion in the present catalog is

based on the introduction of the following species into Thailand

Genus GAMBUSIA Poey

Gambtisia Poey, Memorias sobre la historia natural de la isla de Cuba, vol. 1,

p. 382, 1854. (Type, Oamhusia punctata Poey.)

GAMBUSIA HOLBROOKII (Girard)

Heterandria holbrookii Girakd, 1859, p. Gl (Charleston, S. C).

Gambusia holirooki Smith, 1029, p. 14 (Siam, introduced).
This well-known and well-tested destroyer of mosquito larvae,
native to the coastal waters of the United States from New Jersey
southward, was introduced into Thailand in 1929 from Palestine, where
the fish had been taken in 1922 from Augusta, Ga. From a single small
lot brought into Thailand by Mrs. Emily J. Collins, many thousands
have resulted, and numerous waters in the Bangkok region, in Eastern
Thailand and in other parts of the country have been stocked.
The females reach a maximum length of about 5 cm., and the males
2 to 2.5 cm. Frequent broods are produced throughout the year, and
in protected waters a very large number may result from a single pair
in a short time. The young, about 0.8 cm. long at birth, swim actively
as soon as they are born.

Orcier Synentognathi : Gars and Half beaks

Family BELONIDAE : Gars
The gars inhabit temperate and tropical waters in all parts of the
world, and are much more prominent in the sea than in rivers and
lakes. Some of the marine species have a tendency to ascend rivers,
and some entire genera are restricted to fresh water.
These fishes may be recognized easily by their long and slender
bodies, by the prolongation of their jaws into a beak armed with rows
of sharp opposing teeth, and by the insertion of the dorsal and anal
fins oppositeeach other in the posterior fourth of the length. Besides
a number of some of large size, in the coastal waters of Thai-
species,
land, there are two genera represented in rivers and lakes often far
from the sea
la. Second, third, and fourth pairs of upper pharyngeal bones tooth-bearing;
lower pharyngeal bone with a median tonguelike patch Strongylura
1?». Only third pair of upper pharyngeal bones tooth-bearing; lower pharyngeal
bone with a median elliptical patch Xenentodon
Genus STRONGYLURA van Hasselt
Stronffylura Hasselt, Alg. Konst. Letterbode, vol. 2, p. 130, 1823. (Type, Strongy-
lura caudimaculata van Hasselt=.Betone strongylura van Hasselt.)
 ;
;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 427

STRONGYLURA STRONGYLURA (van Hasselt)

Belone strongylwa van Hassext, 1823, p. 130 (Java).

Mastacembelus caudimaciila Bleekeh, 1865 (356), p. 176 (Siam).
Tylosurus strotigylurua Weber and de Beaufokt, 1922, vol. 4, p. 121 (Siam).
Strongylura strongylura Fowlek, 1934a, p. 144 (Bangkok, Chiengmai) 1935a, ;

p. 130 (Bangkok, Paknam, Khao Nam Poo) 1939, p. 75 (Trang).

;

This is the only member of the genus regularly entering the fresh
waters of Thailand. The species, of wide distribution in the Pacific
and Indian Oceans, and primarily marine and estuarine, has been col-
lected in the inner lake of the Tale Sap and in the Tale Noi in the
Peninsula, in the lower reaches of the Menam Chao Phya, in the Meyom
at Mepoon, in the Menam Sak at Khao Nam Poo, and in the Meping
at Chiengmai.
The fish attains a length of 45 cm. Two fishes 27.5 and 34.5 cm. long,
taken August 23, 1929, in the fresh flood water off the mouth of the
Menam Chao Phya, were females with asymmetrical ovarian develop-
ment the right ovary in each fish contained nearly ripe eggs, the left
:

ovary was less than half the size but with well-formed eggs, which
would doubtless have been expelled at a second spawning time.
The vernacular name, shared with other members of the family, is
pla hatung heo. A
variation heard in the inner lake of the Tale Sap
at Pak Bhayoon is pla ^tung kwai.

Genus XENENTODON Regan

Xenentodon Began, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, vol. 7, p. 332, 1911. (Type,
Belone cancila Hamilton.)
The gars of this genus are of strictly fresh-water habitat in India,
Burma, Ceylon, Thailand, Malaya, Borneo, Sumatra, and probably
French Indo-China (Cambodia). Two closely related forms are re-
corded from Thailand waters.
la. Scales in lateral line about 250 depth of body 1.5 times its width and contained
;

8 to 12 times in distance from tip of upper jaw to midbase of caudal fin

distance of dorsal origin from midbase of caudal contained 5.S times in
total length cancila
16. Scales in lateral line 200 to 220 depth of body equal to its width and contained
;

14 to 18 times in distance from tip of upper jaw to midbase of caudal fin

distance of dorsal origin from midbase of caudal contained 4.8 times in
total length canciloides

XENENTODON CANCILA (Hamilton)

Esox cancila Hamilton, 1822, pp. 213, 380, pi. 27, fig. 70 (Gangetic provinces).
Mastacembelus cancila Bleeker, 1865 (347), p. 35 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. 176
;

(Siam).
Belone cancila PeJters, 1868, p. 272 (Siam).
Xenentodon cancila Hora, 1923b, p. 175 (Bangkok) ; 1924a, p. 471 (Tale Sap).

From India, Ceylon, and Burma the range of this species extends
through Thailand to Malaya. Kecords for Thailand are the Menam
 : «

428 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Chao Pliya at Bangkok Klong Sok,

; a tributary of the Tapi River, and
the inner hike of the Tale Sap, in the Peninsula. Specimens from
Bangkok are in the British Museum as a gift from the Siamese Mu-
seum. The species ranges far inland. Two specimens 30 and 32 cm.
long were obtained by H. G. Deignan near the headwaters of the Nan
River at Muang Ngop, Northern Thailand, April 23, 1936, and one,
10 cm. long, from the Meping at Chengmai, Northern Thailand, April
22, 1935.
Day (1878) refers to a "variety" in the Central Provinces and at
Hurdwah in which a hump on the anterior part of the back is some-
times continued as a ridge as far as the dorsal fin. specimen, 30 cm. A
long (which appears to be about the maximum length attained by this
species) from the basin of the Tapi River, possesses the ridge observed
,

in some Indian examples.

The vernacular name of 'pla katung heo borne by fishes of this type
is, in the Bangkok region, expanded for this species into pla hatwng heo

Tneuang.
XENENTODON CANCILOIDES (Blcekcr)

Belone canciloides Bleieker, 1S53 (85), p. 454 (Pontianak; Panguboeang, Lam-

pong Province, Sumatra).
Xencntodon canciloides Fowlek, 1935a, p. ISO (Bangkok) ; 1937, p. 214 (Bangkok,
Kemarat).
This species had been known only from the fresh waters of Borneo
and Sumatra until reported by Fowler from Bangkok and Kemarat
(on the Mekong, opposite Cambodia).
The maximum length seems to be less than 30 cm.
The fish is extremely like X. cancila.

Family HEMIRAMPHIDAE : Halfbeaks

Of thisworld-wide family of marine, estuarine, and fresh-water

fishes, there are three genera represented in the fresh waters of Thai-
land.
The three genera are characterized as follows
la. Dorsal fin with its rays in about equal number to those in anal fin, and its
origin over or in advance of that of anal.
2a. Dorsal and anal rays in male not modified; species oviparous; maximum
size about 30 cm Hyporhamphus
2b. Some anal rays in male enlarged and greatly modified; dorsal fin in some
species with some rays elongated species viviparous
; maximum size ;

about 20 cm Zenarchopterus

8 The results of Dr. Albert W. Herre's recent studies of this family (A review of the

halfbeaks or Hemiramphldae of the Philippines and adjacent waters, Stanford Univ. Publ.,
biol. sci., vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 41-86, 1944) could not be incorporated herein, as they appeared
while the present publication was in press. —
L. P. S.
 : ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 429

16. Dorsal fin with fewer rays than in anal fin, and its origin behind that of anal
anal fin in male with the first ray elongated and modified, and several fol-
lowing rays elongated; species viviparous; maximum size about 7 cm.
Derinogenys

Genus HYPORHAMPHUS Gill

Eyporhamphus Gnx, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1859', p. 131, 1860. (Type,
HyporMmphus tricuspidatus Gill.)

HYPORHAMPHUS UNIFASCIATUS (Ranzani)

Hemiramphiis unifasciatus Ranzani, 1842, p. 326 (Brazil).

Eemirhamphus unifasciatus Hoea, 1924a, p. 472 (Tale Sap, inner lake).

This widely distributed and common fish of the Indian, Pacific, and
Atlantic Oceans represented in collections from Thailand by speci-
is
mens from the inner lake of the Tale Sap, as well as from the Gulf of
Siam. The first fresh- water specimens, four young, taken by Dr. N.
Annandale January 12-16, 1916, were reported on by Hora (1924).
Further specimens were obtained in the same locality by the writer
on September 27, 1924, and July 4, 1929, the largest example, 14.8 cm.
long, being taken in July. The water in the inner lake is fresh, and
the dates given indicate that the species may be a permanent resident,
although there is an open passage to the sea.
The name applied to this fish by the local fishermen is pla tak.

Genus ZENARCHOPTERUS Gill

Zenarchopterus Gnx, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1863, p. 273, 1864. (Type,
Hemiramphus dispar Cuvier and Valenciennes.)
The nomenclature of the species of this genus is much confused. The
best account of the taxonomic and nomenclatorial questions involved is
by Mohr (1926a), who gives for the 13 species recognized a valuable
table, including a sketch of the dorsal and anal fins in the male of each
species.
All of the members of this genus are viviparous and have secondary
sexual characters in the dorsal and anal fins and also in the shape of
the anal papilla.
Five species are recognized from Thailand, with the following dis-
tinguishing characters
la. Upper jaw 2 times or nearly 2 times as long as broad.
2a. Projection of lower jaw beyond upper jaw 4 times length of latter dorsal ;

rays in male apparently unmodified seventh anal ray in male enlarged

;

and thickened but not produced beyond other rays clarus

26. Projection of lower jaw beyond upper jaw 2 to 3 times length of latter;
second to fourth dorsal rays in male enlarged and elongated fifth and ;

sixth or sixth and seventh anal rays in male enlarged and thickened
but not extending beyond other rays ectuntio
 —

430 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

1&. Upper jaw as broad as long.

3a. Projection of lower jaw beyond upper jaw 7 to 8 times length of latter.
4a. Fifth dorsal ray in male thickened and more than twice length of other
rays sixth anal ray in male greatly enlai'ged and lengthened, in some
;

examples extending to end of caudal fin gilli

46. Fourth dorsal ray in male broadened, thickened, bowed, and in fully
mature examples may be nearly 4 times length of other rays, the end
club-shaped sixth anal ray in male enlarged, thickened, and twice
;

length of other rays dunckeri

3&. Projection of lower jaw beyond upper jaw 6 times length of latter dorsal ;

rays in male unmodified sixth anal ray in male enlarged, thickened, and
;

moderately elongated, seventh and eighth rays slender and

elongated pappenheimi

ZENARCHOPTERUS CLARUS Mohr

Zenarchopterus clarus Mohe, 1926a, p. 241 (Bangkok).

At the time the original description of this species was published

only two females were known and 15 cm. long, were found
; these, 16.5
in the Lubeck Museum and had come from Bangkok. Later in the same
year Mohr
(1926b) published a notice of three additional specimens
found in Vienna, two of them females 15 and 15.2 cm. long, one a male
12.2 cm. long, all from Kangoon, Burma.
The differential features on which the species
is based are Length :

of upper jaw twice its width at base; length of lower jaw beyond the
tip of the upper jaw 4 times the length of the lower jaw; dorsal rays
13 or 14, none modified in the male anal rays 11 to 13, the middle ray
;

in the male enlarged and thickened but not produced beyond the other
rays. Various characters that would be of interest in comparing this
species with related forms have not been published.
The possibility that this species is Z. ectimtio (Hamilton) is to be
considered.
ZENARCHOPTERUS ECTUNTIO (Hamilton)

Esox ectunfio Hamilton, 1822,, pp. 212, 380 (Gangetic provinces).

Hemiramphus horneensis Bleekeb, 1865 (347), p. 35 (Siam) 1865 (356),
; p. 176
(Siam).
Eetnirhamphus mnblyurus GtJNxHER, 1866, vol. 6, p. 273 (Siam). Karoli, 1882,
p. 182 (Siam).
Zenarchopterus ectuntio Webee and de Beaufort, 1922^ vol. 4, p. 165 (Siam).
Xe7iarchoptcrus ectuntio Hora, 1923b, p. 176 (Bangkok).
Zenarchopterus amUyurus Mohr, 1926a, p. 243, fig. 11 (Siam).

This very common and has a wide distribution in Thailand,

fish is
It occurs in most of the rivers of Central Thailand, ranges at least as
far south as the Tale Sap in Peninsular Thailand, and has been ob-
served in Southeastern Thailand at Krat. From its habit of swim-
ming at the surface and actively darting about in search of food, the
fish is conspicuous and easily recognized; the tip of the lower jaw is
glistening white. In the Menam Chao Phya at Paknam on July 13,
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 431

1923, eight specimens were caught from a launch in a few minutes on

a hookless line, to which a small particle of raw shrimp was attached.
The maximum length appears to be about 18 cm.
The exact status of the fish of the Ganges basin that Hamilton in
1822 calledEsox ectuntio remains to be determined satisfactorily, but
from the information available to the present writer he feels that the
name ectuntio may appropriately be retained for a common Thailand
species. Wliile the original description was long, few diacritical fea-
tures were brought out, and some statements were directly contradic-
tory. In one place the lower jaw was said to be three times longer
than the upper and in another place thrice as long, but in a detached
highly abbreviated key the jaws were given as subequal and the body,
which was elsewhere credited with large scales, was stated to be
scaleless.
Bleeker (1866-72 [301], vol. 6, p. 62) recognized ectuntio as a Zenar-
chopterus and suggested it was identical with Z. huffonis (Cuvier and
Valenciennes, 1846), which latter name he unwarrantedly held should
apply to the species if the two forms should eventually prove to be
the same. On the basis of the relative length of the jaws, iuffonis,
with the lower jaw 5.75 to 7 times as long as the upper, could not be
ectuntio, with the lower jaw only 3 or 4 times as long as the upper.
Zenarchopterus hufonis, rated as a distinct species by Giinther, Weber
and de Beaufort, Mohr, and others, has interest in the present catalog
only because of its assumed identity with ectuntio.
"Weber and de Beaufort (1922, vol. 4) recognized Z. ectimtio as a
distinct species of wide distribution (Indo- Australian Archipelago,
Singapore, Siam, Hongkong, Burma, etc.) and assigned Z. horneensis
(Bleeker) and Z. ainblyurus (Bleeker) to the synonymy. Characters
attributed to the species of these authors are: Triangular part of
upper jaw nearly twice as long as broad; length of lower jaw beyond
tip of upper jaw 3 to 4 times in total length of fish; entire head 2 to
2.3 times in standard length scales in the lateral line 48 to 50 dorsal
; ;

rays 13 or 14; the second to fourth rays in the male enlarged and
elongated anal rays 10 to 12 the sixth and seventh rays in the male
; ;

enlarged and thickened.

Day (1878), listing this species under the name Remirliainp'hus
ectuntio, described the upper jaw as twice as long as broad and gave
a figure (plate 119, fig. 6) in which the lower jaw projects beyond
the upper jaw for twice the length of the latter, thus agreeing with
one of Hamilton's statements. Day recorded H. aniblymms and H.
horneensis as synonyms of H. ectv/ntio.
In a valuable revision of the genus Zenarchoptejnis, Mohr (1926a)
did not recognize Hamilton's ectuntio as a valid species. He consid-
ered it not even a hemiramphid, much less a Zenarchoptei^us, and sug-

gested that one might regard it as a Belong, a genus of gars with

432 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

equal jaws. Such a view does not, however, seem justified in view
of Hamilton's two positive statements in the description of the spe-
cies: (1) That the lower jaw is three times as long as, and (2) three
times longer than, the upper.
Mohr (1926a) gave Zenarchopterus ainblyurus full specific rank and
regarded the fish that Day described and figured as ectuntio as the
female of Z. amhlyurus^ although Day referred to the thickening of
anal rays in the male. In Mohr's description of airiblyurus and in the
synoptical table of the characters of the recognized species, this form
is shown to have the length of the upper jaw more or less than twice

its width, the length of the lower jaw beyond the tip of the upper jaw

2 to 2.75 times the length of the latter, dorsal fin with second to fifth
rays elongated in the male, and anal fin with the fifth and sixth rays
enlarged and thickened in the male. The description and figure of
Z. amblyurus given by Bleeker (301) indicate a lower jaw which
projects 0.5 times the length of the upper jaw beyond the point of the
latter. If the ratio of the length of the upper jaw to that of the lower
jaw is of significance in this genus, as Mohr's studies would seem to
indicate, two species or varieties may have been included under the
name amblywims.
Throughout Thailand the fish is known as pla katung heo.

ZENARCHOPTERUS GILLI, new name

Hemirhamphus 'brevirostris GtJNTHEB, 1866, vol. 6, p. 274 (East Indian

Archipelago).
Uemiramphus dispar \on Martens, 1876, p. 401 (Bangkok).
Hemirhamphus dispar Sauvage, 18S3b, p. 151 (Menam Cliao Phya).
Zenarchopterus dispar Weber and de Beaufort, 1922, vol. 4, p. 169, fig. 58 (Siam).
Zenarchopterus brevirostris Mohb, 1926a, p. 250, fig. 15 (East Indies, Singapore,
Siam, Caroline Islands, Fiji Islands, Guam, Andamans, Seychelles, Mada-
gascar, Mozambique).

This species in Thailand is known from the lower Menam Chao

Phya.
The contention of Mohr (1926a) that the Z. dispar of Weber and
de Beaufort, and of various other authors, is not the species originally
called dispar {Hemiramphus dispar Cuvier and Valenciennes) seems
justified. The sixth and seventh anal rays in dispar are greatly en-
larged, thickened, and elongated, and one or both of them may extend
well on the caudal fin. In brevirostris only the sixth anal ray is notice-
ably enlarged and lengthened, with a large number of subsidiary rays
developed on its posterior side, and it may reach as far as the posterior
end of the caudal fin the seventh ray, however, shows a tendency to
;

become longer and thicker than the remaining rays. In Weber and
de Beaufort's account of the form called Z. dispar, which Mohr
synonymizes with Z. brevirostris, it is stated that "in males the 6th and
7th ray are enormously enlarged and thickened," indicating that true
 —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 433

dispar is included, although their figure, showing noteworthy en-

largement of only the sixth ray, is considered by Mohr as representing
Z. hrevirostris. The two forms are otherwise very similar, both hav-
ing some of the dorsal rays in the male thickened and lengthened,
and both having the upper jaw and the ratio of its length to the length
of the lower jaw essentially the same.
The specific name hrevirostris is not available for the zenarchopterid
fish so called by Giinther, Mohr, and others. The name Hemirham-
phus hrevirostris given by Giinther (1886, vol. 6, p. 274) to a new
species was a pure homonym for Hemirainphiis hrevirostris Cuvier
and Valenciennes (1829, vol. 2, p. 286, footnote), based on the descrip-
tion and plate published by Eussell (1803, p. 61, fig. 177). Russell
erroneously identified his fish, the Jcuddera of the Coromandel natives,
with the American species Esox hrasiliensis Linnaeus.'^
For the fish thus left without a valid name, the name gilli is now pro-
posed, in memory of Dr. Theodore Gill, who established the genus
Zenarchopterus in 1863.
Z. gilli bears the same vernacular name {pla hatwng heo) as Z.
ectuntio. No distinctive information has been recorded regarding its
abundance, habits, and size.

ZENARCHOPTERUS DUNCKERI Mohr

Zenarchopterus dunckeri Mohb, 1926a, p. 257 (New Guinea, New Pomerania, New
Mecklenburg, Amboina). Fowlee, 1987, p. 214, fig. 192 (Rayong).

The inclusion of this species in the Thailand fauna is based on a

notice by Fowler of eight specimens, 7.5 to 14 cm. long, taken at Rayong,
a fishing town on the coast of Southeastern Thailand. The fish is
known otherwise from New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, and
the Dutch East Indies. According to Mohr, who described this fish
in 1926, the club-shaped fourth dorsal ray in the male is greatly en-
larged and elongated and may touch the back posteriorly to the fin,
and the sixth anal ray is enlarged and thickened and may be two to
three times as long as the adjoining rays.
A maximum length of 17.5 cm. is reported for New Guinea.

ZENARCHOPTERUS PAPPENHEIMI Mohr

Zenarchopterus pappenheimi Mohr, 1926a, p. 258, 1 fig. (Bangkok).

This species was based on specimens, found in some Berlin Museum,

that had been collected in Bangkok at a time and by a person not indi-
cated in the specific description. The material consisted of three males,
16 to 16.8 cm. long. A male, 19.3 cm. long, collected in the Andaman

'Singularly enough in Cuvier and Valenciennes (1846, vol. 19, p. 32), Cuvier's Hemi-
ramphus hrevirostris was rejected, partly because the specific name was inappropriate,
and a new species, Hemiramphus russellij was described, based on Russell's kuddera and
his plate as cited by Cuvier.
 —

434 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Islands in 1886 was subsequently found in a Vienna museum and was

listed by Mohr (1926b) . The female was unknown untilMohr (1936)
described specimens, one male and one female, in the Colonial and
Oversea Museum in Bremen, which had been collected in Penang in
1906.
In this fish the length of the upper jaw is equal to its width at base,
and the lower jaw in front of the tip of the upper jaw is six times the
length of the upper jaw. The dorsal fin, with 12 or 13 rays, has no
ray modified. In the anal fin, with 11 or 12 rays, the sixth ray is very
broad and elongated, the seventh and eighth rays are slender and
elongated, and the remaining rays are unmodified.

Genus DERMOGENYS van Hasselt

Dermogcnys van Hasselt, Alg. Konst. Letterbode, vol. 2, p. 131, 1823. (Type,
Dermogenys pusillus van Hasselt.)

DERMOGENYS PUSILLUS van Hasselt

Dermogenys van Hasselt, 1823, p. 131 (Java). Webee and de Beaufoet,

pusillus
1922, vol. 140 (Siam).—Mohr, 1935, p. 41 (Siam).
4, p.
HemirhampJitis fluviatilis Karoli, 1882, p. 182 (Siam).
Dermogenys Smith, 1927d, p. 219 (Siam) 1934a, p. 82 (Siam).
;

Demogenys siamensis Fovtleb, 1934a, p. 144, figs. 83, 84 (Chiengmai, Metang).

Dermogenys siamensis Fowler, 1937, p. 214, fig. 191 (Bangkok, Paknam) ; 1939,
p. 41 (Huey Yang).

This remarkable little fish, whose range includes Java, Borneo, and
Sumatra, extending through the Malay Peninsula, is found through-
—
out Thailand in quiet waters rivers, rivulets, canals, drains, ponds,
and lakes.
The small to have any food value for human beings, but
fish is too
by itsconsumption of mosquito larvae it acquires some importance
to man. The chief interest in the fish arises from its viviparity and
from the extraordinary combativeness of the males. The fish has a
more prominent place in Thailand than in any other country to which
it is native, because it is there employed in contests of endurance and

strength, and because it is cultivated in order to increase its pugnacious

qualities.
From early times the Thai people have had, as a national trait,
the strongly developed desire to match various kinds of small animals
in contests of strength and skill. Most noteworthy of these animals
is the celebrated fighting fish {Betta) Next in importance is Dermo-
.

genys^ which, though not less interesting from the zoological view-
point, has been only slightly noticed in the literature of ichthyology,
geography, travel, and sport.
The effects of cultivation and selective breeding have been mani-
fested in a slight increase in the average size of the fish and in a very
marked increase in the wrestling or fighting ability.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 435

Cultivated fish have a keener inclination to attack and exhibit a

technique decidedly superior to that of wild fish, but the most striking
result of cultivation is the improvement in the stamina and endurance.
Fish collected in open waters and kept in suitable vessels for a few days
will, when brought together, struggle actively for supremacy, but their
ardor is of short duration, one or both of the contestants will soon tire
or lose interest, and a combat lasting more than 15 or 20 minutes would
be unusual. On the other hand, cultivated fish may fight on hour
after hour, and the contest is decided only when complete exhaustion
overcomes one or both of them.
While the use of Dermogenys in matched contests began in a rather
remote past, the cultivation of the fish was instituted about 1863 or
1864 and is now completely depended on for supplying candidates for
pugilistic encounters.
Cultivation as now conducted for this fish in Thailand consists in
the retention for breeding purposes of fish of proved stamina, the
holding of them in pure water in spacious vessels, and the administra-
tion of appropriate food in sufficient quantity.
Only vessels of earthenware or other opaque material may be used
for retaining the fish. Owing to inability to adapt themselves to the
transparency, they break the lower jaw or otherwise injure themselves
against the sides of glass vessels. Favorite receptacles are the large,
wide-topped glazed or unglazed terra cotta water jars such as are to
be found in every Thai household.
A wrestling match is arranged by providing a large earthenware
basin three-quarters filled with clear water and introducing therein
two male fish that have been kept in separate vessels. Instantly, and
with great rapidity, the fish dart at each other, maybe from opposite
sides of the wide basin, and grasp each other by their jaws. The usual
hold is an interlocking of jaws at their base, with the long axis of the
bodies at right angles, but there is considerable variety in the holds,
and the outcome of a contest may be determined by the particular hold
that one fish obtains at the start or seeks to reobtain after each break.
Effective and disabling holds, which some individuals are observed to
strive for regularly,and which place their adversaries at a decided
disadvantage, come from the exercise of a peculiar knack that may
result from generations of selective breeding. No holds are barred by
the rules which wrestling-fish contests are held. One fish may grasp
the other across the base of the jaws without interlocking, across the
tip of the lower jaw, obliquely across the base of the lower jaw so
that the adversary is kept on his side or back, across the eyes, across
the gill covers, and from either above or below across the gill openings,
so that respiration may be impaired and exhaustion be rapidly induced.
Other holds that may be observed in the course of a series of contests
are head on, with the lower jaw of one fish in the mouth of the other;
436 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

the grasping by one fish of the pectoral or caudal fin of the other, and
the closing of the jaws either straight or obliquely across the body.
Only rarely is any injury done to either combatant. The lower jaw,
perhaps inadvertently used for stabbing, may occasionally draw blood
from the gills. The tip of the lower jaw may very exceptionally be
broken. Very rarely one or both fishes, without having sustained any
apparent injury, may die after being separated. The contest, in the
great majority of cases, is ultimately decided by the ability of one fish
to maintain, and, after a breakaway, to regain an advantageous hold
that will cause exhaustion or affect the stamina. With evenly matched
fish in a long-drawn-out struggle, determination of the victor may have
to be based on points rather than on a single decisive act. Ordinarily
the climax is reached when one fish shows unwillingness or inability to
lock jaws with the other.
Phya Akaraja Varadhara, former Thai minister to Washington and
London, on the conclusion of his long diplomatic career devoted him-
self for many years to the cultivation of Dermoge7iys at his Bangkok
residence, and made interesting observations of the breeding, growth,
and wrestling qualities of the species. One noteworthy observation,
which should be confirmed by zoologists, indicated that virgin females
may under certain conditions produce a limited number of young
without ever having been associated with males.
The position of the ventral fins with reference to the gill openings
and the base of the caudal fin seems to be subject to considerable
variation. Weber and de Beaufort said of the ventrals, "their base
a little nearer to caudal than to branchial openings," and Bleeker's
figure (Atlas, 1866-72 [301], vol. 6, pi. 253, fig. 2) agrees with that
description. The form called Dermogenys siamensis by Fowler, based
on the more anterior insertion of the ventrals, appears to be referable
to the present species. While the figure of the type of D. siameiisis^ a
specimen 69 mm. long, apparently a female, from Chiengmai, shows the
ventral base midway between the midbase of the caudal fin and the
anterior margin of the eye. Fowler's figure of another specimen of
the same form, a male 36 mm. long, from Bangkok, represents the
ventral base as nearly midway between the caudal base and the gill
opening.
In allusion to its long, slender lower jaw, this fish is called pla khem
(needle fish) by the Thai. In allusion to its characteristic habit,
it was dubbed wrestling fish by the present writer after search for a
distinctive English name.

Order Heterosomata : Soles and Flounders

This world-wide order has many genera and species in Thailand
waters. All the forms that regularly inhabit fresh water belong in
 ) :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 437

the families Synapturidae and Cynoglossidae, which locally have many

salt-water forms also. Both these families are included in the
Soleidae by Weber and de Beaufort (1929, vol. 5), while Norman
(1928) places the Synapturidae in the Cynoglossidae. The arrange-
ment here followed is that of Jordan (1923). The somewhat differ-

ent treatment of this matter by various authors is of no great impor-

tance, and represents simply individual opinion as to the taxonomic
value of certain characters. In the Cynoglossidae the eyes are on
the left side and pectoral fins are lacking; in the Synapturidae the
eyes are dextral and pectoral fins are present (although not fully
developed in all examples) in one local genus and absent in the other.
There is a deep-seated and widespread belief in Thailand that the
soles of the genera Synaptura and Cynoglossus attach themselves to
the bottom of boats and there make musical sounds. This belief per-
sists from generation to generation and loses little strength with the
passage of the years, notwithstanding that no one has ever seen a sole
attached to either a stationary or a moving boat, and no one has ever
observed the fish while making musical or other sounds either in or
out of the water. The basis for this belief, and the explanation of
the sounds wrongly attributed to soles, were discussed at some length
by the writer (1927b).

Family SYNAPTURIDAE: Soles

The two local genera are distinguished chiefly by the presence or

absence of pectoral fins, as follows :

la. Pectoral fins present Synaptura

11). Pectoral fins wholly absent Achiroides

Genus SYNAPTURA Cantor

Synaptura Cantor, Jouru. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, vol. IS, p. 1204, 1850. (Type,
Pleuronectes commcrsonianl Lacepede.

Small right-sided soles inhabiting both salt and fresh waters. Four
local fresh-water species are recognized as follows

la. Color of blind side whitish or yellowish.

2a. Pectoral fins well developed, right pectoral as long as ventrals and 3 times
diameter of eye dorsal rays 61 to 65, anal rays 44 to 50 scales in lateral
; ;

line 75 to 85 orlentalis
26. Pectoral fins rudimentary, right pectoral about as long as diameter of
eye.
3a. Dorsal rays 48, anal rays 38; scales in lateral line 54 harmandi
^h. Dorsal rays 81 to 83, anal rays 63 scales in lateral line
; 110— panoides
lb. Color of blind side reddish brown pectoral fins rudimentary
;
; dorsal rays 54,
anal rays 45; scales in lateral line 66 aenea

590087 —45 29
 — — —
438 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
SYNAPTURA OKIENTALIS Bloch

Pleuronectes orientalis Bloch, in Schneider, 1801, p. 157 (Tranquebar).

Synaptura orientalis Hora, 1923b, p. 182 (Nontaburi). Fowler, 1935a, p. 132,
figs. 79-83 (Bangkok).
Brachirus orientalis Fowler, 1937, p. 216 (Bangkok).

Of wide distribution in the Orient (such as India, East Indies,

Singapore, Indo-China, China), this species is fairly common in parts
of Thailand, in brackish and fresh waters. Fresh-water specimens
have been collected in the inner lake of the Tale Sap (one fish 14.7 cm.
long July 4, 1929) in the Tapi River above Bandon (a fish 16.8 cm. long
,

September 20, 1923), and in various parts of the Menam Chao Phya
from Paknam to Ayuthia, the largest examples being about 22 cm. long.
In six specimens from fresh waters, the lateral-line scales ranged
from 77 to 85 (average 82.6), the dorsal rays numbered 58 to 67 (aver-
age 61.5), and the anal rays numbered 45 to 47 (average 46).
Common names borne by the fish in most places are fla lin ma and
pla lin ktoai. In the Tale Sap the name pla pluk is in use.

SYNAPTUEA HARMANDI Sauvage

Synaptura (AnisocMrus) harmandi SAtrvAGB, 1878a, p. 94 (Mekong).

There seems to be no record for this species following the original

description by Sauvage of a specimen collected in the Mekong by
Harmancl. The reduced number of dorsal and anal rays and of scales
in the lateral line would seem to validate the species. Sauvage placed
it in Giinther's subgenus AnisocMrus^ characterized by having the pec-
toral fin on the blind side longer than that on the other side.

SYNAPTURA PANOIDES Bleekcr

Synaptura panoides BLEEKm, 1851 (49), p. 440 (Bandjermassing, Borneo) 1865 ;

(347), p. 33 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. 172 (Siam).— von Maktens, 1876, p. 398
;

(Bangkok). Saltvagb, 1883b, p. 151 (Menam Chao Phya). V^ebee and de

Beatjtort, 1929, vol. 5, p. 174 (Siam).
Synaptura siamensis Sauvage, 1878a, p. 94 (Stung Strang, Laos).

Inhabiting the sea and the lower courses of rivers in Borneo, Su-
matra, Malaya, and Thailand, this species is common in the last-named
country, and besides being known from the Gulf of Siam pushes its
way far inland into waters that are always fresh. Specimens have
been examined from Bangkok, Nontaburi, Pakret, Koh Yai, and
Ayuthia in the Menam Chao Phya and in December 1923 specimens
;

were collected at the head of the Menam Chao Phya near Paknampo,
several hundred kilometers from the sea. The fish has been taken also
from the Tapi River above Bandon in Peninsular Thailand.
A maximum length in excess of 24 cm. has been met with in Thailand,
and many over 20 cm. long have been examined.
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 439

The species, with S. orientalis, is very well known to the river people
in Central Thailand, and is the subject of the erroneous popular belief
that it attaches itself to the bottom of boats and makes a musical sound.

There is a considerable variation in the number of lateral-line scales

and of dorsal and anal rays in this species. This variation is illus-
trated in the following table of 15 specimens from the Menam Chao
Phya and Menam Tapi. The scales are counted in the row above the
lateral line, from the upper angle of the gill opening to the base of
the caudal fin

Record of the dorsal and anal rays and lateral line scales in 15 specimens of Synaptura panoides
from the Chao Phya and Tapi Rivers, Thailand

Length (cm.)
 —
440 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

-
,-%'0^' :' \:^!?%*

y:;^

Figure 96. Synaptura aenea H. M. Smith. Drawn by Nai Chote Suvatti; courtesy
of the Thailand Government.

a connection through a folded membrane with the upper part of

the branchiostegal membrane."

Genus ACHIROIDES Bleeker

Achiroides Bleeker (35) (38), Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 1, pp. 262, 404,
1851. (Type, Plagusia melanorhyncTius Bleeker.)

In this genus the pectoral fins are entirely absent.

ACHIROIDES LEUCORHYNCHOS Bleeker

Achiroides leucorJiynchos Bleekee (38), 1851, p. 411 ( Surakarta, Java).

Previously known only from was found

a river in Java, this species
in Klong Sok, an upper Tapi, in the Bandon district of
affluent of the
Peninsular Thailand, in December 1929 by K. Havmoller, who pre-
sented a specimen to the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries. This specimen,
7.7cm, long, with lateral line 67, dorsal rays 54, anal rays 42, agreed
fairly well with Bleeker's description and plate. In 1937 Herre and
Myers recorded the species from the coast of Sumatra.
In this species the upper side has in its general brown color a white
area behind and above the angle of the mouth.

Family CYNOGLOSSIDAE: Soles

Genus CYNOGLOSSUS Hamilton: Tonguefishes

Cynoglossus Hamilton, Fishes . . . River Ganges, pp. 32, 365, 1822. (Type,
Cynoglossus lingua Hamilton.)

All the local representatives of this family belong in the genus

Cynoglossus^ which has sometimes been split into genera or subgenera
 —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 441

on the basis of the nostrils, whether one or two on the left side and
whether, if two, one of them is placed between the eyes or both are in
front of the lower eye. By far the larger number of species of the
genus frequent salt or brackish waters and are never found in fresh-
water streams.
Fowder (1934a, 1935a, 1937) has credited to Bangkok and other com-
munities on the lower courses of rivers in Central Thailand many
strictly marine species of Gynoglossus^ of which specimens were simply
collected in the markets of those places. Among these species for
which the impression might be conveyed that they have a fresh-
water habitat are C. arel (Bloch), hilineatus (Lacepede), honieensis
(Bleeker), cynoglossus^ macrolepidotus (Bleeker), monoj)us (Bleek-
er), puncticeps (Richards), and semifasciatus (Day). The only
species that are known to frequent fresh water regularly are those
herein listed.
All the fishes of this genus bear the vernacular name of pla lin ma
(dog-tongue fish) in Thailand. It is noteworthy that this name is an
exact translation of the Greek generic name.
la. No lateral line on blind side scales in lateral line 126 to 135
; tip
;

of rostral hook not extending beyond vertical from front margin

of upper eye xiplioideus
1&. A lateral line on blind side; scales in lateral line 132 to 150; tip
of rostral hook reaching behind vertical from posterior margin of
lower eye microlepis

CYNOGLOSSUS XIPHOIDEUS Gunther

Cynoglossus aiphoideus GtJNTHEE, 1862, vol. 4, p. 495 (Siam) 1864, p. 179 (Siam
;

and Cambodia).— Bleeker, 1865 (347), p. 33 (Siam); 1865 (356), p. 173

—
(Siam). HoEA, 1923b, p. 182 (Nontaburi). Weber and db Beaxifort, 1929,
vol. 5, p. 193 (Siam).— Smith, 1933a, p. 83 (Menam Chao Phya).

Collections made in Thailand by the celebrated traveler Mouhot

contained the specimens on which this species was based by Giinther
in 1862. The fish has since been found to be fairly numerous in the
Menam Chao Phya as far upstream as Ayuthia, and may often be seen
in the river markets, where it has some reputation as a food fish.
Examples over 20 cm. are common. The largest observed, taken
at Koh Yai March 16, 1928, was 28 cm. long.
The original description of the species gave a single lateral line on
the blind side, but none of the specimens examined in Thailand had any
such lateral line, and according to information received from J. R.
Norman the type material in the British Museum lacks a lateral line
on the blind side.
A specimen 22.5 cm. long from Koh Yai had no upper eye, its posi-
tion being represented simply by a socket, from which it was impossible
 ;

442 BULLETIN 18S, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

to determine with certainty whether the lack of the eye was due to
development defect or to an accident.
The vernacular names of this fish are pla lin ma and pla lin kwai.

CYNOGLOSSUS MICROLEPIS (Bleeker)

Plagusia microlepis BuEMKER, 1851 (38), p. 413 (Bandjermassing, Borneo).

Cynoglossus {Arelia) solum Sauvage, 1883b, p. 151 (Menam Chao Phya).

A strictly fresh-water river fish, heretofore known only from Bor-

neo and Sumatra, this species is recorded from Thailand on the basis
of specimens taken in the Lopburi River at Lopburi, October 22, 1926,
and at the head of the Menam Chao Phya at Paknampo, December 8,
1923. These specimens, 13.5 to 24.5 cm. long, conform with the de-
scriptions as given by Bleeker and Weber and de Beaufort, although
the resemblance to C. xiphoideus is close. The principal points of
difference seem to be that in C. mlcrolepis there is a single distinct
lateral line on the blind side, and the number of scales in the median
lateral line of the colored side averages more but the minimum number
is overlapped by the maximum number in C. xiphoideus.

It seems likely that Cynoglossus (Arelia) solum,, described by

Sauvage in 1878 (a) from the Mekong and noticed by him in 1883 as
having been collected by Harmand in the Menam Chao Phya, is the
present species. It was characterized as having 3 lateral lines on the
colored side, 1 lateral line on the blind side, 160 scales in the lateral
line,110 dorsal rays, and 88 anal rays, and one of the nostrils situated
between the eyes (genus Arelia of Kaup).
Vernacular name, pla lin ina.

Family SYNGNATHIDAE : Pipefishes

This family, with very numerous representatives in tropical and tem-

perate watei*s throughout the world, has in the fresh waters of Thai-
land seven species that fall into four genera, characterized below.
Among the family characteristics are the encasement of the elongate
body in bony plates, which correspond with the vertebrae, the elonga-
tion of the head into a tubular snout with a small terminal mouth, and
the feeble development of fins. The fish live among aquatic plants,
swim in a vertical position by the undulatory movements of the dorsal
fin, and have extraordinary reproductive habits, the eggs being carried
in a groove or pouch on the ventral surface of the male.
All the pipefishes bear in Thailand the vernacular name of pla jim
fan jorake, meaning crocodile toothpick fish.
la. Brood pouch abdominal ; superior cristae of trunk and tail discontinuous.
2a. Snout much longer than remainder of head ; anal opening behind midlength
of fish Microphis
26. Snout equal to, very slightly longer or shorter than, remainder of head
anal opening before midlength of fish Doryichthys
 : ) — —
FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 443

1&. Brood pouch subcaudal.

3a. Superior cristae of trunk and tail continuous Ichthyocampus
3&. Superior cristae of trunk and tail discontinuous Syngnathus

Genus MICROPHIS Kaup

Microphis Kaup, Arch. Naturg., vol. 19, pt. 1, p. 234, 1853. (Type, Syngnathus
deocata Hamilton.

The brood pouch in this genus is abdominal region

restricted to the
and is comparatively deep, with its sides protected by diverging plates
projecting from the lower edges of the trunk shields. The small,
numerous eggs occupy open cells in the swollen skin of the abdomen.
Two species from Thailand are distinguished by the following
characters
la. Dorsal rings 21 to 24, tail rings 34 to 40, subdorsal rings 2 to 5+6 or 7,

dorsal rays 47 to 61 ; shields of trunk and anterior part of the tail with
blue vertical bands (silvery in preservative) boaja
16. Dorsal rings 17, tail rings 28, subdorsal rings 1+5, dorsal rays 30; fifth to
fifteenth trunk shields with prominent black oval spots annandalei

MICROPHIS BOAJA (Bleeker)

Syngnathus boaja Bleeker, 1851 (28), p. 16 (Borneo).

Microphis boaja Bleeker, 1865 (356), p. 172 (Siam).— Sauvage, 18S3b, p. 155
(Menam Chao Phya). Webek and de Beaufort, 1922, vol. 4, p. 47 (Siam).
HoRA, 1923b, p. 183 (Bangkok, Nontaburi).
—
Doryichthys boaja Peters, 1868, p. 276 (Siam). GtJNTHEB, 1870, vol. 8, p. 180
—
(Siam). voN Martens, 1876, p. 407 (Bangkok).

The range of the fish includes China, French Indo-China, Malaya,

and various large islands in the East Indies. This is the commonest
and largest of the Thailand pipefishes. Specimens have been exam-
ined from the Tale Sap and the Tale Noi, in Peninsular Thailand,
and from the Menam Chao Phya at Bangkok, Nontaburi, and
Ayuthia.
In the last-named region a length of 47 cm. is attained. The largest
examples met with in Thailand have been 30 cm. long.

MICROPHIS ANNANDALEI Hora

Microphis annandalei Hoba, 1924a, p. 472 (Tale Sap).

Known from an adult and two young collected by Dr. Annandale

in the inner lake of the Tale Sap at Patalung, this species is very close
to M. boaja^ differing therefrom, according to Hora, in having fewer
dorsal rays (30 as against 47 to 61), fewer trunk and tail rings (17+28
as against 21 to 24+34 to 40), and coloration. The type, 10.25 cm.
long, is a male, and the young were thought by Hora to have dropped
from its brood pouch. A male and a female 12 to 13 cm. long from
a small brook in the town of Nakon Sritamarat, July 17, 1928, have
black spots on the fifth to the thirteenth trunk rings very distinct.
 ;:

444' BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Genus DORYICHTHYS Kaup

Donjichthys Katjp, Arch. Naturg., vol. 19, pt. 1, p. 233, 1853. (Type, Doryichthys
bilineatns Heckel.)

In this genns of fresh-water and brackish-water pipefishes, the brood

pouch is restricted to the abdominal region and the rather large eggs,
occupying cells in the skin, are protected but not covered by broad
plates converging from the sides of the pouch.
Two species have been recorded from local fresh waters as follows
Iff. Rings 15 to 17+38 to 38 operculum with a complete longitudinal keel with
;

diverging ridges snout equal to or less than remaining part of head eye
; ;

4.5 to 5.5 in head, 2.3 to 2.75 in snout martensii

1&. Rings 17 to 20+31 to 35 operculum with a complete longitudinal keel with-
;

out diverging ridges snout longer than remaining part of head eye 6.5
; ;

to 7 in head, 4 in snout deokhatoides

DORYICHTHYS MARTENSII (Peters)

Syngnathus martensii Peters, 1869b, p. 459.

Doryichthys drachyrhynchops Fowler, 1934a, p. 145, figs. 119, 120 (Chantabun).

This species, of strictly fresh-water habitat, has previously been

known from Borneo, Sumatra, and Malaya.
Its maximum lengthabout 12.5 cm.
is

It seems probable that Doryichthys hrachyrhyncJiops does not differ

from D. martensii^ to which Fowler says it is closely related. The as-
sumed differences are of such a minor character that, where actually
existent, they can hardly constitute specific distinctness. Thus, while
Weber and de Beaufort state for D. martensii that the snout equals the
remaining part of the head. Fowler gives the snout as going 21/10 to 2%
times in head and his figure shows the snout as practically 2 in head
whereas the eye in 7nartensii is described as going "about 4.5 times in
head, about 2.3 times snout," the eye in hrachyrhynchops is given as
514 to 5% in head and 2% to 2% in snout, but according to the pub-
lished figure the eye goes approximately 4 in head and 2 in snout and ;

the length of caudal fin, given by Weber and de Beaufort as twice as

long as eye, is stated by Fowler that it "appears to exceed II/2 times
eye," but his figure definitely shows the caudal fin as of eye. %
DORYICHTHYS DEOKHATOIDES (Bleeker)

Syngnathus deokhatoides Bleekbii, 1853 (89), p. 17 (Palembang, Sumatra;

Pontianak, Borneo).
Doryichthys deokhatoides Hoba, 1924a, p. 474 (Tale Sap).

As was known from fresh waters in the southern part

this species
of the Malay Peninsula, as well as from Borneo and Sumatra, its oc-
currence in the Thailand part of the Malay Peninsula vras to be ex-
pected. Hora records a single specimen collected by Dr. Annandale
in the inner lake of the Tale Sap at Lampam.
The fish reaches a length of 17.5 cm.
 : ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 445

Genus ICHTHYOCAMPUS Kaup

IcJithyocampus Kaxtp, Arch. Naturg., vol. 19, pt. 1, p. 231, 1853. (Type, Ichthyo-
campus helcheri Kaup.)

ICHTHYOCAMPUS CARCE (Hamilton)

Syngnathus carce Hamilton, 1822, p. 13 (Ganges).

Ichthyocampus carce Smith, 15J33a, p. 84 (Meklong aud Bangpakong Rivers).

There is no record of the finding of Thailand prior

this species in
to the collections made for the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries, but as
the fish is Imown from Malaya as well as from Sumatra, Java, Bali,
Celebes, India, and Ceylon, occurrence is not unexpected.
its local

The specimen taken in local waters came from the Meklong on

first

June 12, 1927, and was brought in by Luang Praserth Aksorn, of the
Bureau. It was a male, 13.5 cm. long, with young in its pouch.
Other specimens examined came from the Bangpakong River on June
4, 1928, and June 27, 1933. Two specimens on the latter date were
males 10.1 and 11.2 cm. long, the larger having eggs in the pouch.
In this genus the brood pouch is restricted to the under side of the
tail, and the eggs, occupying cutaneous cells in the skin, are completely

enclosed by lateral folds, which may contain osseous plates.

Genus SYNGNATHUS Linnaeus

Syngnathus Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 10, p. 336, 1758. (Type, Syngnathus
acus Linnaeus.)

In this genus, most of whose numerous members live in salt water,

there are two species that have been found in the fresh waters of
Thailand. The brood pouch is restricted to the anterior half of the
tail. The eggs, deposited in individual cutaneous cells, are completely
covered by folds of skin, which may contain bony plates. For the
release of the young the pouch splits lengthwise. The two species
from Thailand may be distinguished as follows
la. Snout definitely longer than postorbital part of head; eye 6 to 7 in head;
ventral part of trunk with 13 to 15 narrow white cross bars separated by
broader black cross bars spicifer
1&. Snout equal to, or slightly longer or shorter than, postorbital part of head
eye 4 to 5 in head trunk without cross bars 3 black stripes radiating
; ;

from eye djarong

SYNGNATHUS SPICIFER Ruppell

Byngnuthus spicifer RUppell, 1840, p. 143, pi. 33, fig. 4 (Abyssinia).— Smith,
1033a, p. 84 (Chantabun River) .—Fowleb, 1935a, p. 133 (Paknam).

This species of the Indo-Australian Archipelago, Malaya, India,

East Africa, China, Philippines, and various Pacific islands, seems to
live indifferently in the sea, in brackish estuaries, and in fresh-water
streams.
 : — ;

446 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

The Thailand records are two fish, 9.4 and 11 cm. long, from the
Menam Chao Phya at Paknam, reported by Fowler one fish, 16 cm. ;

long, from the Chantabun Eiver at Chant abun, collected by Luang

Masya in August 1927 and one taken in salt water at Sriracha, South-
;

eastern Thailand, June 14, 1927. This was a male, 13.4 cm. long, with
the brood pouch full of young.

SYNGNATHUS DJARONG Sleeker

Syngnathus djarong Bleeker, 1853 (89), p. 22 (Panimbang, Java). Fowleb,

1935a, p. 133 (Bangkok) 1937, p. 219, fig. 196 (Bangkok).
;

This species is distributed widely through the Indo-Australian

Archipelago, New South Wales, the Philippines, and Ceylon. While
it occurs in brackish water, it also frequents fresh-water brooks and

ponds, and it is known from Thailand by two specimens, 9 and 12.2

cm. long, from the Menam Chao Phya at Bangkok.

Order Labyrinthici : Labyrinth Fishes

Family ANABANTIDAE
The anabantids are among the most interesting and outstanding
of the fresh-water fishes of Thailand. They present a wide range in
shape, size, and coloration, but have as a characteristic feature the
possession of an accessory respiratory organ, situated in a cavity above
the by means of which oxygen may be taken directly from the
gills,

atmosphere. While the gills are functional, they appear inadequate

to sustain life, and all the numerous members of the family living in
Thailand are partly dependent on atmospheric air, which they take in
through the mouth.
Associated with the air-breathing habit is the blowing by the male
fish of air-bubbles which form into clusters at the surface and serve
as nests in which the eggs are laid and hatched. A mucous secretion
from the buccal cavity strengthens the bubble walls.
This family in Thailand has 10 members belonging in 6 very dis-
tinct genera, as follows

la. Origin of dorsal fin over or slightly in advance of base of pectorals dorsal ;

fin longer than anal ventral fins with a spine and 5 soft rays, none of
;

which is produced into a filament.

2«. Fixed conical teeth in jaws ; a band of teeth on vomer ; mouth rather
large, oblique, nonprotractile, cleft extending to or beyond edge of orbit
opercle and preopercle serrated ; dorsal soft rays 7 to 11 ; anal soft rays
8 to 12 Anabas
2b. No teeth in jaws, movable teeth on lips; no teeth on vomer; mouth small,
horizontal, protractile, cleft extending about halfway to orbit; opercle
and preopercle entire; dorsal soft rays 13 to 16, anal soft rays
17 to 19 Helostoma
 — — —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 447

lb. Origin of dorsal fin far behind base of pectorals ; dorsals fin shorter than anal;
ventral fins with first soft ray produced into a filament.
3a. Ventral fins with a well-developed spine.
4a. Lateral line complete; first of 5 soft ventral rays produced into a very
long articulated filament size large
; Osphronemus
4b. Lateral line absent or vestigial first of 5 soft ventral rays more or less
;

produced into a filament size very small.

;

5a. Preorbital serrate dorsal spines II-VI, anal spines IV-VIII.

;

Trichopsis
56. Preorbital entire a single dorsal spine, anal spines I to IV
; Betta
3b. Ventral fins with a vestigial spine and 3 or 4 rays, the first ray pro-
duced into a very long unarticulated filament lateral line present.
;

Trichogaster

Genus ANABAS Cuvier and Cloquet

Anabas Crrvms. and Cloquet, Dictionnaire des sciences naturelles, ed. 2, vol. 2,
suppl., p. 35, 1816. (Type, Perca scandens Daldorff.)

ANABAS TESTUDINEUS (Bloch)

Anthias testudineus Bloch, 1792, vol. 6, p. 121 (Japan).

Anaba.'i scandens Bleekeb, 1865 (356), p. 173 (Siam).— Satjvage, 1881. p. 159
(Siam). Kaeoli, 1882, p. 172 (Siam). Satjvage, 1883b, p. 151 (Menam Chao
Phya).— Smith, 1930, p. 58 (Siam).
Anal)ns scandens von Martens, 1876, p. 394 (Bangkok).
Anabas macrocephalus Karoli, 1882, p. 172 (Siam).
Anahas testudineus Peters, 1868, p. 259 (Menam Chao Phya). Weber and
DE Beaufort, 1922, vol. 4, p. 334 (Siam).— Hora, 1923b, p. 181 (Bangkok).—
ViPULTA, 1923, p. 224 (Bangkok).—HoEA, 1924a, p. 483 (inner lake, Tale
Sap).—Fowler, 1934a, p. 146 (Hua Mak, Chiengmai) 1935a, p. 137 ;

(Bangkok).— Smith, 1936a, p. 249 (Siam).— Fowler, 1937, p. 222 (Tachin,

Pitsanulok, Mepoon).

This is the celebrated walking fish or climbing perch, whose habitat

covers south China, French Indo-China, Thailand, Malaya, Burma,
India, Ceylon, Philippine Islands, and the Indo-Australian Archi-
pelago. In Thailand the distribution is wide, extending from the ex-
treme north to southern part of the Peninsula and from the Mekong to
the Salwin.
A length somewhat in excess of 23 cm. is attained, but full maturity
is reached in Thailand when the fish is 10 to 15 cm. long.

The fish lives in all kinds of fresh water, including large streams, but
flourishes most in canals, ditches, lakes, ponds, and swamps. By means
of its supplementary breathing apparatus, it can thrive in water de-
ficient in oxygen, and has, in fact, ceased to depend entirely on its gilis
for its respiratory requirements. Associated with the air-breathing
function is the habit of deliberately leaving the water and going con-
siderable distances on dry land. Progress is jerky and ungraceful
and is accomplished by lateral movements of the tail while the fish
maintains an upright position supported by the spread paired fins.
448 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

The fish is very hardy and able to live out of water for protracted
periods, depending on the moisture of the air-breathing parts. In
Thailand, where Anabas is an important and staple food fish over the
whole country, it is the custom to take it to market in wicker baskets
or in tubs with little or no water and to expose it for sale out of water
on wooden or stone slabs, and the only attention during a long day in
the market may be infrequent sprinkling with water.
In view of the widespread public interest in this fish, it may be
appropriate to give the following somewhat detailed account of its
history, habits, and special structures, as abstracted and adapted from
an article by the present writer published in 1936.
In 1791 a Dane named Daldorfif, while in Tranquebar, at that time a Danish
possession in India, came upon a fish which, during a heavy rainfall, was climb-
ing a Palmyra palm and had reached a point 5 feet above the ground. There
it was apparently enjoying itself in a little stream running in a fissure in the

palm's trunk from a broad frond, which collected the rain water as in a funnel.
Nearby was a swamp from which the fish had pi-obably come.
Daldorff published his observations in the Transactions of the Linnaean Society
of London 1797 and described the fish as a new species under the name Perca
scandens, or climbing perch. He was the first European to give an account of the
live fish, but the species had already received the name testudineus (in reference
to its hard covering like a turtle shell) by the German zoologist Bloch in 1795,
so the significant name applied by Daldoitf had to yield to the law of priority.
The name "climbing perch" by which the fish has generally come to be known
among English-speaking people and in English works of reference is somewhat
inappropriate. The fish is not a perch and is not even remotely related to the
true perches, common fresh-water fishes of America, Europe, and northern Asia.
The generic name Perca first borne by the fish had no nomenclatorial standing,
and in 1817 the fish was brought by Cuvier under the new generic name Anabas,
or climber, and became the type of the oriental family Anabantidae, which in-
cludes such well-known species as the diminutive paradise fish, the Siamese figlit-
ing fish, and the giant goramy.
Other common names by which this fish has been called are "climbing fish" and
"walking fish," but these are borne also by several gobies, catfishes, serpent-
head fishes, and others. On the whole, it may be best to adopt the perfectly dis-
tinctive generic name as the common designation of the fish in European lan-
guages and call it Anahas.
The blunt head is very hard and the gill covers are bordered with backwardly
projecting spines. The body is enclosed in a thick, tough coat covered with hard
overlapping scales, which are edged with spinules. The dorsal and anal fins
contain sharp spiny rays. The thick skin retards the loss of moisture from the
tissues when the fish is out of the water, and the spinous armament discourages
or altogether prevents the attacks of water and land snakes, water lizards, birds,
and other fishes. The small, conical teeth are in bands in each jaw, and are
adapted for crushing insects, shrimps, and snails, which constitute a large part
of the food.
There are such as ordinary fishes possess, but the gills in the long process
gills
of evolution have become less important and now seem quite inadequate to
sustain life. This is easily shown by putting a fish in an aquarium with a wire-
mesh screen just below the surface. With inability to take in atmospheric
air, the fish begins to suffer and will soon die. The reduced gills represent only
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 449
a small proportion of the total respiratory surface, and the major part of
respiration is carried on by means of a special structure occupying a cavity
over the gills and consisting of a series of thin, concentrically arranged bony
plates covered by a vascular mucous membrane, which enables the fish to absorb
atmospheric oxs'gen. Some writers have apparently failed to appreciate the
exact role of the accessory branchial organ in Anabas. Thus, Dr. Francis Day,
who spent many years in India and Burma and published a monumental work
on the fishes of those countries, stated that the "hollow supei'branchial
oi'gan * * * enables the climbing perch to retain water for a considerable
time, so that it can moisten its gills and live whilst out of its native element."
This enables the fish to breathe atmospheric air when the gills cannot be used.
The gills function only when the fish is submerged the superbranchial orgati
;

functions only when the fish is out of the water.

In the Dravidian language of Ceylon and India and in some Malayan dialects
the namefor Anabas means a tree climber, but the tree-climbing powers of the
fish have been viewed with doubt or altogether denied by some of the leading
ichthyologists of India. There is no reason why Anabas should climb trees as a
regular habit, and in my rather extensive acquaintance with the fish in India,
Burma, Ceylon, Siam, French Indo-China, Malaya, the Philippines, and some
of the ludo-Australian islands I have never known one to climb a tree or to be
found in a tree except at its base. But from what I know of the out-of-water
movements of this fish I would have no difficulty or hesitation in accepting
Daldorff's statement. A Palmyra palm, with its rough bark and its fronds
beginning near the ground, would be no more formidable for an Anabas to ascend
than would be the vertical side of a wicker basket. For a fish that for weeks or
months may have been suffering from a deficiency of water, a stream of rain
water flowing down an inclined palm trunk would have strong appeal.
The climbing powers of Anabas are exercised chiefly in leaving its home in a
pond, swamp, or canal and seeking other waters that may afford better living
conditions. In making this change of quarters the fish may have to travel on
dry land, and it is this habit that is characteristic and well known to oriental
people. In Siam, I not infrequently came upon an Anabas, usually at night,
crossing a dusty road or traversing a dry lawn or field. It was easy to discover
the water that a fish was leaving but it was not always possible to determine the
particular water to which it was heading. In some cases the body of water to
which the fish was obviously bound did nor seem to the human observer to be
more attractive than the water that had been left. The banks of drying canals
and ponds, up which the fish has to climb, may be high and steep, and skill and
patience may be required to negotiate them but on arriving at a new body of
;

water the fish may exercise much less care in descending, and I occasionally saw
one, apparently deliberately, roll or fall down a steep bank and go into the water
with a splash.
As would be expected in a fish that regularly leaves the water and travels
overland, Anabas displays no conspicuous color that might attract attention.
The adult fish is of a uniform dark brown while the young is light brown, with
a few blackish transverse stripes.
The walking powers of Anabas seem to be exercised only when it is in quest
of a new aquatic environment, and there appear to be no observations indicating
that the fish feeds regularly when out of the water, although it may conceivably
seize insects or worms that happen to be in its tei-restrial path.
The walking movements lack the grace and ease of those of a lizard and some
of the gobies, such as the mudskipper (Periophthalmus) . The gait is jerky but
comparatively fast, and the efforts are usually persistent, so that a fish may
travel a considerable distance in a short time. I have a note on the actually
 — —

450 BULLETIN 18S, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

observed out-of-water movements of an Anahas in Peninsular Siam. This fish

had been living in a small pool in a detached circular garden thickly planted
with flowers and shrubs, but was removed when the pool was to be cleaned.
It was taken by a servant for release in a stream on the edge of the compound.
The servant, however, was called away and he put down the basket containing
the fish just before reaching the stream. The fish immediately climbed out and,
instead of entering the nearby stream, headed back in the direction of the pooL
Its subsequent movements were partly conjectured but were under observation
during the latter half of the journey. The fish first passed through grass and
then over a metaled driveway between houses; and on arriving at the garden
it continued on the driveway to the far side and then made a short turn,

plunged through the flower beds, and reentered the pool. The distance traveled
was about 300 feet and the time occupied was about 30 minutes. This particu-
lar fish, in addition to progressing readily on dry land and breathing atmospheric
air, had well-developed aerial vision (which is rare in fishes) and seemed to
exhibit a homing instinct.
AnaMs a valuable food fish in India, Burma, Siam, Malaya, China, and the
is

islands lying off the southeast coast of Asia. Its importance to man arises
from the inherent edible quality of its flesh, from the adaptability of the fish to
almost any kind of water, and from its hardiness, which permits easy handling
in commerce.
Young Siamese anglers sometimes insert the head of a newly caught AnaMs
between their teeth so as to leave both hands free to rebait and recast the line,
while in India fishermen often kill their catch by putting the fish in their mouths
and biting the backbone just behind the head. On rare occasions this practice
has led to dire consequences, for the fish has given a jerk, wriggled into the back
of the angler's mouth, and become lodged in the pharynx, from which extraction
is almost impossible owing to the strong backward-projecting spines on the

sides of the head. When in India I learned of several deaths from suffocation
when Anahas became tightly impacted over the windpipe of fishermen, and Dr.
E. W. Gudger, of the American Museum of Natural History, has published
accounts of these and many other cases in which oriental children and adults
have been killed by having live fish wedged in the pharynx.

Over most of Thailand this fish is known as pla mor (doctor fish),
sometimes, as in the Bangkok region, amplified to fla mor thai. In
parts of Northern Thailand the Lao name 7>?<2 sadet is in common use.

Genus HELOSTOMA Kuhl and van Hasselt

Helostoma Ktjhl and van Hasselt, in Cuvier, Le r§gne animal, ed. 2, vol. 2,
p. 228, 1829'. (Type, Helostoma temminckii Cuvier and Valenciennes.)

HELOSTOMA TEMMINCKII Cuvier and Valenciennes

Helostoma temminckii Cuvier, and Valenciennes, 1831, vol. 7, p. 342 (Java).

Bleekek, 1859-60 (239), p. lOl (Siam).— Sauvage, 18S1, p. 160 (Siam);
1883b, p. 151 (Menam Chao Phya).
Helostoma temmincki Bleekek, 1865 (356), p. 173 (Siam). Webeb and de Beau-
POBT, 1922, vol. 4, p. 340 (Siam).
Helostoma Smith, 1925, p. 59 (Siam).

From
Java, Borneo, and Sumatra the range of this species extends
through the Malay Peninsula well into Central Thailand. While
 —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 451

found in sluggisli streams, it is essentially a fish of swamps, ponds, and

lakes, and in Thailand it is known particularly from the Talc Noi,
near the Tale Sap, and other sluggish waters in the Peninsula, and
from Bung Borapet in Central Thailand.
A length of 30 cm. is reached. The largest actually measured in
Thailand was 25.5 cm. over all. Several specimens, 21 cm. long,
obtained at Nakon Sritamarat October 19, 1923, were ripe males.
Fish as long as 10 or 12 cm. from Bung Borapet proved very attrac-
tive in small balanced aquaria in Bangkok. The general bright silvery
skin is relieved by vertical black bars on the head, black longitudinal
stripes on the body following the rows of scales, a black vertical band
at the base of the caudal fin, and black spinous dorsal and anal fins.
They were hardy and quickly adapted themselves to aquarium life,
feeding on small bits of raw fish, insects, and shrimps.
In different parts of its range in Thailand this fish bears different
vernacular names not applied to other species. In the region of vast
lakes and swamps about the head of the Menam Chao Phya and the
lower Menam Nan in Central Thailand it is variously called fla ikoh,
pla itan, pla mor tan, and pla hai tan. In Nakon Sritamarat and other
parts of Peninsular Siam the name commonly in use is pla wee or wi.

Genus OSPHRONEMUS Lacepede

Osphronemus Lacep6de, Histoire naturelle des poissons, vol. 3, p. 116, 1802.

(Type, Osphronemus goramy Lacepede.)

OSPHRONEMUS GORAMY Lacepede

Osphroneme goramy Lacepede, 1802, vol. 3, pp. 116, 117 (France).

Osphromenus olfax Bleeker, 1859-60 (239), p. 101 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. 173
;

(Siam).— VON Maetens, 1876, p. 394 (Bangkok).—Kaeoli, 1882, p. 172

(Siam).— BoTXLENGEE, 1903, p. 303 (Patani River).
Osphronemus olfax Sauvage, 1881, p. 160 (Siam).
Osphronemus goramy Webeb and de Beaufobt, 1922, vol. 4, p. 344 (Siam).
Smith, 1930, p. 59 (Siam) ; 1933c, p. 276 (Siam).

The original habitat of this species is usually given as Java, Borneo,

Sumatra, and other East Indian islands. Lacepede (1802) stated it
was indigenous to China, but it has been naturalized in India and
various other parts of the world, and in some Oriental countries the
transplanting may have begun at an early date, so that it is now
difficult, if not impossible, to decide with certainty whether the fish

is native or introduced. This is true of Thailand. The fish is so

hardy and bears transportation so readily that it could easily have
been taken into Thailand from Sumatra, Borneo, or Java. There is,
however, no available history of such introduction, and there is no
record for Thailand, as there is of Java, of the cultivation of the
fish in ponds, although in south -central Thailand the goramy has been
 — — —
452 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

kept for many years and attained a large size in ponds in the com-
pounds of certain Buddhist temples.
The goramy occurs in open waters in tributaries of tlie Menam Chao
Phya in Central Thailand and the Tapi River and the Inland Sea
in Peninsular Thailand. The most abundant supply is in the Tapi
River, and especially in its lakelike expansion known as IQiun Tale
some distance above the town of Bandon. Specimens seined there in
September 1923 were 33 to 47 cm. long; a definite record of 50 cm. was
obtained for a fish taken in September 1924, and the local fishermen
report a maximum length of 60 cm.
The reputation that this fish has as food in other parts of its natu-
ral and extended range is not borne in Thailand, where the flesh is
considered of somewhat rank flavor. Cultivation in suitable ponds,
with selected food, would no doubt improve its comestible qualities,
and the fish has been strongly recommended for pond culture in
Thailand.
It is interesting to note, as bearing on the question whether this
species was indigenous to Thailand, that the vernacular name gourami
applied to this fish in the East Indies has not been adopted in Thai-
The names given
land, even in the parts largely populated by Malays.
by the Thai are pla min and pla raet (rhinoceros
in the Peninsula
fish) in the Central area. Sauvage (1881) attributed to Dr. Bocourt
the following note in regard to Osphronemus olfax in Thailand "Ce :

poisson, dont la chair est tres delicate, est designe a Siam sous le nom
pla-duk." This is in error ;
pla duk is the Thai name for catfishes of
the genus Clarias and has never been applied to any other fishes.

Genus TRICHOPSIS Kner

TricJwpsis Kner, in Canestrini, Verb, zool.-bot. Ges. Wien, vol. 10, Abh., pp. 702,
708, 1S60. (Type, Trichopsis striatus Bleeker.)

TRICHOPSIS VITTATUS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

FiGUKE 97

Osphromenus vittatus Cuvieb and Valenciennes, 1831, vol. 7, p. 387 (Java).

Trichopus striatus Bleekeb, 1859-60 (239), p. 101 (Siam). Sauvage, 1S81, p.
160 (Siam).
Osphromenus striatus Guntheb, 1861, vol. 8, p. 386 (Siam, local variety).
Bleeker, 1865 (347), p. 34 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. 173 (Siam).— Eaeoli, 1882,
;

p. 172 (Siam).
Ctenops vittatus Regan, 1910, p. 776 (Siam). Webeb nnd de Beaufort, 1922, vol.
4, 351 (Siam).— HoBA, 1923b, p. 182 (Bangkok); 1924a, p. 482 (inner and

outer lakes, Tale Sap).

Trichopsis harrisi Fowlek, 1934b, p. 348, figs. 11, 12 (Krat) 1937, p. 222 ;

(Bangkok).
Trichopsis vittatus Fowler, 1937, p. 222 (Mepoon).

The range of this species includes Java, Borneo, Sumatra, Malaya,

Indo-China, and Thailand. It is found throughout Central, Penin-
 FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SI AM, OR THAILAND 453

sular, and Southeastern Thailand, but definite records for Northern

and Eastern regions seem to be lacking. It abounds in small weedy
streams, and is often found in company with Betta. In Southeastern
Thailand it occurs in brooks on Kao Sabap at an elevation of 2,000
feet. In Januar}^ 1926 young specimens were collected by the writer
in a pond in the grounds of the celebrated temple of Angkor Wat in
Cambodia.
The maximum length attained in Trailand is about 6.5 cm.

Figure 97. — Trichopsis vittatus (Cuvier and Valenciennes). Drawn by Nai Chote
Suvatti; courtesy of the Thailand Government.

The species is subject to considerable variations in color, even in

examples from the same locality. Giinther (1861, vol. 3) noted in two
specimens collected in Thailand by Mouhot a difference in coloration
from that shown in fishes from Java and Borneo the Thailand fishes :

having three blackish longitudinal bands with a round bhick spot at

or near the shoulder in the uppermost band, as against two brown
longitudinal bands in Javanese fish and four black longitudinal bands
in specimens from Borneo. A numerous lot of adult and young speci-
mens from a canal in Bangkok, May 1934, showed the three blackish
longitudinal bands, which are the normal in Thailand fish, with some
of the adults having a distinct black shoulder spot and others no such
spot. Dissections made by Dr. Leonard P. Schultz indicate that this
spot characterizes the males.
T. vittatus is an attractive and hardy aquarium fish, and it has
become popular in occidental countries. In Thailand it was less active
and more reserved than Betta., often refusing food when Betta would
take it, but it was a determined pursuer of mosquito larvae. Like
590087—45 30
 . : ;

454 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Betta^ needs to take in atmospheric air at frequent intervals.

it A
dozen to 20 fishes in a balanced aquarium in Bangkok regularly
moved as one fish in rapid excursions to the surface and back again to
the bottom.
The fish makes a high-pitched croaking sound, and in aquarium
literature has come to bear the name of croaking gourami. In Thai-
land the males are sometimes made to fight like Betta^ but the action
is much less spirited and less sustained than with the fighting fish.

This species, for many years called Gtenops vittatus, has been pro-
nounced by Myers (in Herre and Myers, 1937) as not congeneric with
Ctenops 7iohiUs McClelland, the orthotype of the genus. The earliest
available name seems to be Trichopsis (Kner) Canestrini, 1860.
Herre and Myers (1937) have expressed the opinion that Trichopsis
harrisi Fowler from Southeastern Thailand is a doubtful species.
Fowler separated harrisi from vittatus on the possession of eight anal
spines as against six or seven and on color. Specimens in the U. S.
National Museum, from widely separated points in Thailand rep-
resenting typical vittatus, have seven or eight anal spines, and some of
them show the coloration ascribed to harrisi, including the extension
of the lowest longitudinal band along the cheek and under side of head.
It is believed that harrisi falls within the limits of variation of vittatus.
It may be noted that Giinther (1861, vol. 3) gave the anal spines as
numbering six to eight.
The common vernacular name is pla hrim. A name used in the
Chantabun region is pla hat pa (wild biting fish)

Genus BETTA Bleeker: Fightingfishes

Betta BUEKEE (25), Verb. Batav. Genootsch. (Ichth. fauna Java), vol. 23, p. 14,

1850. (Type, Betta trifasciata Bleeker.)

Most of the dozen or more species of Betta inhabit Borneo, Sumatra,

and Java and several occur in Malaya. Only two closely related forms
have been found as far north as Thailand, as follows
la. Head broad interorbital space wide and flat anal rays II, 20 to 25 caudal
; ; ;

rays produced back bluisb black, sides light brown, belly whitish 2 or
; ;

3 blackish longitudinal bands, one from snout to base of caudal, one from
under eye across opercle and thence along base of anal fin, one (often
indistinct in life) from upper edge of eye to upper part of caudal peduncle
gill membranes light colored; dorsal fin light brown, with obscure lines

of dark spots; caudal and anal fins brown; ventral and pectoral fins
whitish taeniata
1&. Head less broad intex'orbital space narrow and convex anal rays II to IV,
; ;

21 to 24 caudal rays not produced dark greenish above, red below, scales
; ;

dark edged; a dark oblique stripe from eye to subopercle; sometimes 2

dark longitudinal bands from eye to base of caudal gill membranes black-
;

ish rays of dorsal fin dark, membranes green with dark undulating
;

stripes; caudal rays red, membranes green; anal and ventrals red; pec-
torals pale splendens
 — —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 455

BETTA TAENIATA Regan

IBetta trifasciata Karoli, 1882, p. 172 (Siam).

Betta taeniata Regan, 1910, p. 781, pi. 78, fig. 1 (River Senah, Sarawak). Smith,
1929, p. 12 (Nakon Sritamarat, Chantabun). Masya aud Inurambarya, 1932,
p. 279 (Koh Samui).
Betta macrophthalma Fowlee, 1934a, p. 146 (Chatabun).
'i

Originally described from Sarawak, Borneo, and later ascertained

to be an inhabitant of Sumatra also, this species was added to the Thai-
land fauna in 1928, when specimens were collected in such widely sepa-
rated localities as Nakon Sritamarat in the Peninsula and Chantabun
in the Southeastern area. A specimen from the former place was sent
to the British Museum and compared with Regan's types by J. R.
Norman, who reported that the differences were such as would fall
within the limits of variation. In 1931 the fish was collected on Koh
Samui, a large island in the Gulf of Siam off the Malay Peninsula.
More recently Herre and Myers (1937) have reported the species as
"common all through the Malay States."
The maximum length seems to be somewhat in excess of 8 cm.
In Klong Nakon Noi, a clear, weedy brook flowing through the town
of Nakon Sritamarat, this species was found to be common in July
1928, in association with Trichopsis, Trichogaster, Nandus, Rashora^
and Aplocheilus. The fish has a superficial resemblance to Trichopsis^
but the body is stouter, the snout is shorter and broader, and the caudal
fin is rounded. In a mountain brook at Ban Ang, on Kao Sabap,
Southeastern Thailand, a number of specimens were taken in company
with Trichopsis.
Life colors of fish from Nakon Sritamarat, July 1928 Back bluish :

black; two dark longitudinal bands, one from snout, through eye, to
base of caudal, one from under eye, across opercle, thence along base
of anal fin; a third band, from upper edge of eye to upper part of
caudal peduncle, scarcely visible in life but appearing in alcohol;
belly white cheek and lower opercle flecked with white all scales of
; ;

cheeks, lower opercle, under side of head, and lower side as far as anal
fin with minute, round, whitish spots dorsal fin light brown, with ob-
;

scure lines of dark spots; caudal and anal fins brown; ventrals and
pectorals whitish.
It is believed that Fowler's record of Betta macrophthalma for
Southeastern Thailand should be credited to Betta taeniata. Weber
and de Beaufort (1922, vol. 4) consider 7nacrophthalnia a synonym of
picta, which is similar to taeniata in general appearance but has only
a single spine in the anal fin, while for his material Fowler gives two
spines as in taeniata.
The local vernacular name is pla krim hua mong (big-head krim
fish).
 : —

456 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

BETTA SPLENDENS Regan
Bctfa splendcns Regan, 1910, p. 782 (Siam).— Myeks, 1926, p. 97 (Siam).— Smith,
1927a, p. 126 (Siam) 1927cl, p. 217 (Siara)
; 1930, p. 60 (Siam).— Choola,
;

1930, p. 91 (Siam).— Smith, 1932b, p. 181 (Siam).— Fowler, 1934a, p. 146

(Cheingmai, Metang River); 1935a, p. 137 (Bangkok).— Smith, 1937b, p.
264, pi. (Siam).
Bctta pugnax Bleeker, 1865 (356), p. 173 (Siam). von Martens, 1876, p. 395
(Bangkok).— Sauvage, 1881, p. 160 (Siam).

This, the celebrated fightingfish of Thailand, has a wide natural

distribution in ponds, ditches, drains, and sluggish waters generally
throughout the country. appear to have been indigenous
It does not
to any other country, but it is now
found around the world because
to be
of its attractiveness, hardiness, and adaptability to small aquariums.
The maximum length of wild fish is about 5 cm. for males, females
being somewhat smaller. A length of 6 to 6.5 cm. is attained by male
fish bred in captivity.
Earlier references to this species were usually under the name of
Betta fugnax (Cantor). It remained for Regan in 1910 to point out
that B. pugnax is native to the island of Pinang and that the Thailand
form is distinct.
For several hundred years the fish has been used locally for sporting
purposes, and for more than 90 years it has been domesticated and cul-
tivated. Cultivation has increased the size, improved the colors, and
enhanced the fighting qualities.
The and fighting of this fish are the subjects of
habits, cultivation,
a rather voluminous literature. Accounts based on first-hand infor-
mation and personal observations and experience have been published
by the present writer (1937a, 1937b). From the latter account the
following statements have been abstracted
In a wild state the fighting fish is an inconspicuous, I'etiring little creature,
seeking protection from the glare of the sun's rays and from fish-eating birds
like egrets, herons, and kingfishers by hiding beneath and among water plants.
The general coloration of a quiescent fish is dull grayish brown or green with
or without obscure dark lateral bands, and conveys no suggestion of the won-
derfully brilliant hues assumed by the male under proper stimulation. Under
the stress of excitement the male fish exhibits a remarkable change. All the
fins are widely spread, the gill membranes are expanded and project like a frill
or rulf suggestive of the raised hackles of fighting cocks, and the entire body
and fins become Intensely suffused with a lustrous blue or red color, which makes
the figliting fish one of the most beautiful of all fresh-water fishes. The normal
incitement to the display of latent colors is the approach of another male, but
the same effect is produced when a fish sees his reflection in a mirror.
Observations on fishes kept under the most favorable conditions in aquaria
indicate that this species is normally short-lived. Possibly as a result of its
strenuous activity and rapid metabolism, possibly because its span of life is pre-
determined by some immutable hereditary requirement, the fish in Siam appears
to reach its age limit in 2 years, but under domestication in colder climates a
somewhat greater age may be attained.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 457
The common human custom of making animals compete among themselves fov
individual supremacy, and of laying wagers on the outcome of the contests, has,
among the Siamese, been directed particularly to fish. At least four different
kinds of fishes belonging in three families are employed by the Siamese in
matched encounters, but only one of these has ever attained national importance
or international celebrity.
Just hovF early in Siamese history the fighting fish acquired its reputation is
not known, but for several hundred years its pugnacious qualities have been
recognized and utilized in popular contests.
Up to the year 1850 or thereabouts, the use of the fighting fish in sportive con-
tests in Siam was confined to fishes obtained in open waters but, in order to
;

insure a regular supply for fighting and betting purposes, domestication and
cultivation were then instituted and have since been conducted on an increasingly
large scale. It may be noted, however, that in recent years cultivation has been
less important as a factor in fighting contests and has represented a better
appreciation of the fish's beauty of color and form.
While many kinds of fishes exhibit a belligerent attitude both among themselves
and toward other species, it seems probable that in few other fishes is the com-
bative instinct so highly developed as in Betta splendens. It is certainly true that
in no other fish has the fighting ability been so much improved by cultivation.
The fighting instinct is peculiar to the males and is so strong that a normal
fish exhibits it under every condition and at every opportunity. One might rea-
sonably infer that the fighting instinct would develop at the approach of maturity.
As a matter of fact, the pugnacious tendency shows itself at an early age and in
;

captivity fish only 2 months old and less than half-grown should be separated to
prevent continual scrapping.
Because of their ever-present eagerness to fight, adult male fish must not only
be kept in separate aquaria but the view of rivals in nearby vessels should be cut
off by pieces of cardboard; otherwise their vitality and fighting ability will
become impaired by incessant futile effort.
The fighting fish has responded well to efforts to produce changes to meet the
popular demand. Even in the hands of persons ignorant of the laws of heredity,
noteworthy improvements in form, size, coloration, and fighting ability have been
brought about and there is reason to believe that still further improvements may
;

be made.
A person seeing for the first time a wild fighting fish would never suspect the
wonderful possibilities in coloration that have been realized under cultivation.
The most noteworthy of the color phases that have been established, in addition
to intensified reds and blues, are lavenders, iridescent greens, cornflower blue,
blue and white, and yellowish and reddish creams with bright red fins. The
latter, first produced about 1900, are known to the Siamese as pla kat khmer
(Cambodian biting fish), probably from having originated among fanciers in
French Indo-China.
Along with the development of intensified and new colors, there has come
about an increase in the size of the vertical fins, culminating in graceful crapelike
effects, which vie with those in the veiltailed and other highly cultivated Jai>-
anese goldfish, so that there are now fighting fish whose caudal fins are about as
long as the head and body combined.
Fishes caught in open waters and taken indoors will, after a few days, readily
respond to an opportunity to fight. The fighting stamina of the wild fishes, how-
ever, is not sufficiently developed for present-day requirements in Thailand, and
practically all matched combats are now between fishes that have been bred
in captivity. Wild fishes may fail to show any pugnacious spirit after a few
458 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

minutes of active attack, and for an encounter between tliem to last more than
15 to 20 minutes is unusual.
On the other hand, in fishes reared under careful domestication and intelligent
selection of parents, the inherent desire and ability to fight are markedly
strengthened. Well-matched fishes may continue their attacks hour after hour
without intermission, with only brief excursions to the surface for air. There is
a partial respite from active effort while the fishes are in a sparring position,
but even then the fins are kept extended, the gill membranes remain expanded, the
body muscles are taut, and an alert attitude is constantly maintained. Some of
my own fishes have remained pugnacious after 6 hours of uninterrupted combat,
but fights do not ordinarily last moi-e than 3 hours. From reputable Siamese
informants has come the information that fish have been known to struggle for
a whole day and night.
In Siam. as in the various countries into which the fish has been ijitroduced,
the usual procedure in arranging a fight is to select two males of approximately
the same size and bring them together in separate jars. If they spread their
fins, show their colors, and make head-on efforts to reach each other, they are

placed together in the same vessel. An ordinary porcelain or tin washbasin

makes a good arena, but a rectangular glass receptacle, such as a battery
jar, affords a better view. The fish immediately approach each other and indulge
in a preliminary display of spread fins, expanding gill membranes, and color
waves, A common sparring position finds the fishes side by side with the
heads pointing in the same direction and with one fish slightly behind the other.
This position may be held for a period varying from a few seconds to several
minutes. Then, in quick succession, the fishes attack, their movements being
so swift that the human eye can hardly follow the actual impact of the teeth, and
the assaults are repeated with short intermissions, during which the same
sparring attitude is taken.
The most common points of attack are the anal, caudal, and dorsal fins. The
ventral and pectoral fins may be practically untouched at the end of a protracted
encounter, but may receive early attention from one or both contestants. The
vertical fins, however, are always involved. The first evidence of a spirited en-
counter is likely to be torn or split fins. As the contest proceeds, there may be
extensive loss of fin substance, and with well-matched fishes the vertical fins may
utimately be reduced to mere stubs.
The loss or extensive damage of the fins impairs the swimming, steering, and
balancing powers and hence places a fish at a disadvantage, but in evenly matched
fishes this is not likely to be a final factor in deciding the issue.
Another point of attack is the side of the body. Single scales or clumps of
scales maybe loosened or detached by a quick nipping act, but in many contests
this kind of injury may not occur. Exceptionally the gill covers may be bitten
and slight injury may be done to the gills.

An interesting variation in fighting tactics ensues when the fishes come to-
gether in a head-on assault and lock jaws. With their jaws firmly locked and
their bodies extended, the fishes struggle while partly or completely rotating on
their long axis. In my observations, the locked-jaw attack was always com-
paratively brief and was invariably terminated by the fishes settling to the
bottom and remaining perfectly still for, say, 10 to 20 seconds. The hold was
then broken and the fishes rapidly sought the surface for air, and then resumed
their ordinary tactics. The locked-jaw position interferes with respiration and
lasts only as long as the fishes can resist the call of the system for extra oxygen.
During the short interludes in fighting when the demand for oxygen forces the
fishes to go to the surface for gulps of air, attacks are always suspended. I
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 459
have never known one fish to assail another at such a time. It is literally a
breathing spell provided for in the fighting fish's code of ethics.
Fighting contests are decided by the general exhaustion and the failure of
stamina in the combatants rather than by a definite injury or a knock-out as-
sault. Sooner or later one fish shows a lack of ability or desire to continue the
fight and swims away —
literally turns tail —
when his rival assumes a position
for attack. The engagement is then over, the fishes separated, the wagers, if
any, are paid, and the owners put their charges into jars and go their respective
ways.
At the end of a protracted contest both fishes may present a most unattractive
appearance because of their mutilated fins, but they seem to experience no dis-
comfort and, if permitted, would fight again the next day. The fins regenerate
rapidly and completely, and at the end of a few weeks may show no signs of
injury. Loss of scales may be more serious, inducing the development of fungus.
Myexperience, which extended over 12 years and covered many hundreds of
exhibitions, coincides with that of most observers in finding nothing brutal, cruel,
or repulsive in fighting-fish contests. The participants seem to get so much satis-
faction from their encounters, their physical discomfort apparently so negligible,
is

and their recovery is so complete that there is little occasion to expend sympathy
over them, while their graceful movements, muscular agility, acumen, tenacity,
and wonderful color displays cannot fail to arouse enthusiasm even in the most
sensitive spectators.
Wholly erroneous impressions on this subject have been conveyed in some
published articles. In an account that has often been quoted, one of the un-
fortunate combatants always terminates his fighting career and his vei^y existence
by literally bursting because of his futile efforts to reach his adversary kept in a
separate jar. Another description of the fish and their fights concludes with a
statement which, if true, would enlist our sympathy:
"The two [fishes] are brought together in the same bowl and they forthwith
begin to tear at each other with their mouths and sharp spines, until the one is
overpowered. The victor seldom lives to enjoy his triumph."
As has been pointed out, fighting is done wholly with the teeth, and one fish
is not overpowered. I never knew the victor, or even the vanquished, to suc-
cumb to a fight or to undergo serious injury.
An outstanding peculiarity of the fish is its dependence on atmosjjheric air.
In an open water course, just as in a well-aerated aquarium, the fish cannot
obtain through its gills dissolved oxygen in amount sufficient for its needs, and
hence it has to make frequent excursions to the surface to take in mouth-
fuls of air which it utilizes by its accessory respiratory apparatus. The fish
does not loiter at the surface where, in a wild state, it is exposed to attack by
birds and other fish-eating animals. It projects its mouth for only an instant,
expelling a bubble of vitiated air and taking in a new supply, and then rapidly
retreats toward the bottom.
The air-breathing apparatus is of simpler construction than in some related
species, the "climbing perch" for example, which can and do spend considerable
time out of water. Above the gills there is in each side of the head a cavity lined
with vascular epithelium, the absorptive surface being increased by several pro-
jecting laminae.
The bubble-blowing habit is strongly developed in the male fish. At the time
the bubbles aremade there is a viscid mucous secretion of the mouth or pharynx,
which strengthens and makes more lasting the walls of the bubbles and tends to
keep the bubbles in a compact mass.
460 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

—
The purpose of the bubbles to serve as a nest for the eggs and a hover for the
—
newly hatched young is admirably achieved. As the bubbles gradually lose
their stickiness and become scattered or ruptured, one may observe the male con-
stantly engaged in renewing the supply.
If one day a mature female fish is introduced into a vessel with a male fish
that has been blowing bubbles, the probability is that next morning the bubble
mass will be found to contain several hundred minute transparent eggs not easily
distinguished from bubbles without a magnifying glass.
At egg-laying time the fishes consort near the surface, and at short intervals
the eggs are extruded in small batches. As the eggs slowly sink toward the
bottom, both the male and the female fishes go after them, gently take them in
their months, and returning quickly to the surface blow the eggs into the bubble
nest, repeating the performance as often as may be necessary to gather up all
the eggs. This continues for several hours until all the ripe eggs have been
voided.
The mother fish is almost entirely restricted to the production of
role of the
eggs. After the eggs are once placed in the nest, her family duties cease, and
all subsequent care of eggs and young devolves wholly on the male.
The fish is rather prolific. At one spawning period from 200 to 700 eggs may
be expelled, the average number for a fully developed normal fish being 400 to 500.
A month after one batch of eggs has been produced, a given female may be ready
to yield another lot, so that in the course of a year one fish may be responsible
for 2,500 to 5,000 or more eggs.
Aided partly by capillary attraction, partly by the viscidity of the bubbles, the
eggs are held in the nest until hatching ensues. The incubation period is re-
markably short, covering only 30 to 40 hours in water at 80° to 85° F. Should any
of the eggs drop from the nest and fall to the bottom, the male recovers them and
blows them back.
The newly hatched fishes find shelter under the bubble nest, and remain there
while their yolk sacs are being absorbed and their fins are developing. If they
stray from their proper place before they are old enough, the male carries them
back to the nest and gently ejects them and during the entire period of infantile
;

helplessness the male repeatedly takes the young in his mouth and blows them
out with new bubbles, thus insuring proper oxygenation.
Throughout the nesting period the male fish is extremely busy and his vigilance
never relaxes. In addition to making and maintaining the bubble nest, replacing
eggs that may drop from the nest, rounding up the straggling young, and mouth-
ing the young at iutei"vals, he is constantly on the alert to protect the eggs and
young from intruders that may devour them. The chief offender is the mother
fish. In a wild state, she can be forcefully driven off and kept at a distance, but
in the restricted quarters of an aquarium she must be removed as soon as egg
laying is completed.
The presence male seems to be essential in the development and hatching
of the
of the eggs. male is removed from the aquarium, the eggs, or most of them,
If the
will fail to hatch. Those that fall to the bottom will suffocate while the vitality
;

of those that remain in the nest may be impaired by the lack of the aeration that
comes from mouthing and bubble blowing.
It is of interest to note that the forbearance of the male from eating the eggs
and young is not due to any temporary impediment to his digestive powers, such
as a ijhysiological closure of the esophagus. He can and does eat mosquito larvae
throughout his period of guard duty.
 .

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 461

With all the solicitude shown by a male for his progeny, it may be noted that
he cannot distinguish his own young from those of another parent introduced
into his aquarium. Foster offspring receive the same care as his own.
Another aspect of the interesting behavior of Betta is shown when a male
parent is taken away from his nest and returned after a few days he promptly ;

devours his young.

The fighting fish is a confirmed carnivore. This would be indicated by its dental
equipment and short intestine even if not shown by direct observation on wild
and domesticated fish.
In a wild state, the fish renders a useful service to mankind and to land animals
generally by its destruction of mosquito larvae. The fish inhabits the same kinds
of weedy waters in which the eggs of various mosquitoes are laid and hatched,
and mosquito larvae are the favorite, often the exclusive, food throughout the
year. As the fish's appetite is keen, its digestion rapid, and its feeding activities
more or less continuous during daylight, the daily consumption of potential blood-
sucking pests is large. Based on the observed requirements and the actual con-
sumption of mosquito larvae by fighting fish in small aquaria, I would not hesitate
to estimate an annual intake of 10,000 to 15,000 larvae per adult wild fish under
normal conditions.
When the young fishes first begin to feed their mouths are too small to admit
mosquito larvae, and during a period of 10 to 12 days following the absorption of
the yolk sac tliey subsist chiefly on minute crustaceans, which swarm in the local
waters.
The preference is for living, moving food. Given the choice of both active and
dead larvae, the fishes may entirely reject the latter until driven by extreme
hunger. Under the and
stress of necessity they will take selected nonliving food
thrive on it. A lot of fishes that I took from Bangkok
San Francisco were, after
to
the first few days of the voyage, fed successfully on minute scrapings of raw fish
provided by the ships' stewards.
In Siam, mosquito larvae are regarded as essential for the proper nourish-
ment of fish under domestication. For supplying the daily needs of my fighting
fish in Bangkok, two coolies spent much of their time in locating breeding places
of mosquitoes, collecting the larvae with flne-mesli nets, separating the larvae from
plant and animal debris, and feeding the clean larvae to the fish at regular times
and in quantities based on the reactions of the fish. The wrigglers, held in a
coffee cup or rice bowl, were administered with a spoon.
In the capital of Siam where there are some thousands of amateur fighting-fish
fanciers and many professional breeders and dealers, there is a large and steady
demand for mosquito larvae. To meet this demand, which becomes acute during
the dry season, there has sprung up the strange business of breeding mosquitoes
and selling their larvae to owners of fightingfish and a number of people thus
;

gain a livelihood.

The Thai name is pla hat (biting fish)

Genus TRICHOGASTER Bloch

Trichogaster Bloch, in Schneider, Systema ichthyologiae, p. 164, 1801. (Type,

Latrus trichoptcrus Pallas.)

As pointed out by Myers (1923, p. Ill) the fishes usually called

Trichopodus (Lacepede, 1802) should bear the name Trichogaster^ first
used by Bloch (1801), Trichopodus being a synonym. The type spe-
 . —

462 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

cies of Trichogaster (and of Trichopodus) , namely trichopterus^ was

first The Indian fishes
indicated by Cuvier and Valenciennes in 1831.
formerly called Trichogaster should properly bear the name Colisa of
Cuvier and Valenciennes (1831), with fasciata Bloch (1801) as the
type.
These fishes are a rather conspicuous feature of the fresh-water fauna
of Thailand, one or several species being taken in almost every haul of
seines or traps in suitable localities. They blow masses of glutinous
bubbles in which their eggs are deposited, and they are partly depend-
ent on atmospheric air for the oxygenation of their blood, the gills
being supplemented by a special air-breathing apparatus.
All the known species, four in number, are found in Thailand. They
are:
Id. Dorsalfin with 3 or 4 spines ; scales in longitudinal series above lateral line
58 to 65; coloration plain microlepis
16. Dorsal fin with 5 to 9 spines.
2a. Anal rays XII-XIV, 25-30 body with no dark oblique cross bands, but with
;

a reddish brown networlc on a pale green bacliground, a dark stripe from

eye to base of caudal fin diameter of eye much more than 0.5 postorbital
;

part of head leerii

26. Anal rays IX-XII, 33-38; body with numerous dark oblique cross bands;
diameter of eye 0.5 postorbital part of head or less.
3a. Dorsal soft rays 8 or 9; scales in longitudinal seriesabove lateral line 40
a large round black spot on middle of side and another on caudal
to 52 ;

peduncle near base of caudal fin trichopterus

36. Dorsal soft rays 10 or 11 scales in longitudinal series above lateral line
;

55 to 63 no round black spot on middle of side or on caudal

;

peduncle pectoralis

TRICHOGASTER MICROLEPIS (Gunther)

OspJiromenus microlepis Gunthee, 1861, vol. 3, p. 385 (Cambodia) 1864, p. 176 ;

(Siam and Cambodia ) .—Peters, 1868, p. 260 (Siam).

Trichopus microlepis Sauvage, 1881, p. 166 (Siam).
Trichopus parvipinnis Sauvage, 1883b, p. 151 (Menam Chao Phya).
Trichopodus microlepis Regan, 1910, p. 784 (Bangkok, Monam Chao Phya).
Fowler, 1935a, p. 137, fig. Ill (Bangkok) 1937, p. 222, fig. 214 (Bangkok.
;

Tachin, Mepoon).
Deschauenseeia chryseus Fowlek, 19a4a, p. 147, fig. 117 (Bangkok).

Described from Cambodia when it was a part of Thailand, this fish

in recent years has been found to have a rather wide distribution in
Central Thailand. Most of the records are for Menam Chao Phya and
tributaries, but Fowler records one specimen from the Tachin.
A length of 15 cm. is attained. The species is easily recognizable by
its plain coloration, small scales, and reduced number of dorsal spines.

The generally used vernacular name pla kadi is shared with other
members of the genus. Under the notion that the fish is the female of
T. trichopterus, it is sometimes called pla kadi nang {nang, woman or
female)
 — ) —— — —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 463

TRICHOGASTER LEERII (Bleeker)

Trichopus Bleekek, 1852 (67), p. 577 (Palembang, Sumatra).

leerii
Osphromenus Bleekee, 1865 (356), p. 173 (Siam).
leerii
Trichopodus leeri Webeb and de Beaufort, 1922, vol. 4, p. 367 (Siam). Hoba,
1923b, p. 182 (Bangkok).
Trichopodus leeri Fowler, 1939, p. 41 (Huey Yang).
From Sumatra and Borneo, the range of this species extends to Ma-
laya and Thailand. It is not rare in the Bangkok region.

A length of 10 to 12 cm. is attained.

The body and vertical fins are pale green with a reddish brown net-
work; a dark stripe extends from the snout, through the eye, to the
base of the caudal fin, where it ends in a spot and in the male at egg-
;

laying time the breast becomes bright red. An excellent and attrac-
tive aquarium fish.

The vernacular name is pla kadi nang {nang, female).

TRICHOGASTER TRICHOPTERUS (Pallas)

FiGUBE 98

Labrus trichopterus Pallas, 1770, pt. 8, p. 45 (no locality given).

Trichopus trichopterus Bleeker, 1859-60 (239), p. 101 (Siam). Sauvage, 1881,
p. 160 (Siam) 18S3b, p. 151 (Menam Chao Phya ) .— Fowlee, 1935a, p. 137
;

(Bangkok).
Osphromenus siamensis Guntheb, 1861, vol. 3, p. 385 (fresh waters of Siam) ;
1864, p. 175 (Siam and Cambodia .—Bleekee, 1865 (347), p. 34 (Slam);
1865 (356), p. 173 (Siam).—von Martens, 1876, p. 395 (Bangkok).—
KlROLi, 1882, p. 172 (Siam).
Osphromenus trichopterus Bleekeb, 1865 (356), p. 173 (S'iam). Pe^'ees, 1868,
p. 260 (Siam).
Trichopus siamensis Sauvage, 1881, p. 166 (Bangkok) 1883b, p. 151 (Menam
;

Chao Phya).
Trichopodus trichopterus Weber and de Beaufort, 1922, vol. 4, p. 366 (Siam).
HoRA, 1923b, p. 182 (Bangkok) 1924a, p. 483 (inner and outer lakes. Tale
;

Sap). Fowler, 3934a, p. 149 (Bangkok, Chiengmai, Metang River) 1934b, ;

p. 350 (Bangkok, Krat) 1937, p. 222 (Bangkok, Mepoon, Pitsanulok, Ra-

;

yong) 1939, p. 41 (Huey Yang).

;

Trichopodus maculatus Vipulya, 1923, p. 225 (Bangkok).

This species, of the Indo-Australian Archipelago, Malay Penin-

sula, and French Indo-China, is the most abundant and most widely
distributed member of the genus in Thailand. It has been collected
in Peninsular, Central, Southeastern, and Northern districts, and
in the last-named region it is known from the basins of the Salwin,
Menam Chao Phya, and Mekong.
A length of 12 cm. is attained, but full maturity is reached at about
8 cm.
The fish is found in streams, canals, ditches, lakes, ponds, and
swamps, and is partial to a weedy environment, which affords pro-
tection from predatory fishes and birds and provides a suitable loca-
tion for its bubble-nest.
 .

464 BULLETIN 1S8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

This is the most beautiful of the local species. It makes an attrac-

tive aquarium fish.
The number of dorsal and anal rays is considerable,
variation in the
as noted by Weber and de Beaufort. In specimens from the Meyuam
a tributary of the Salwin, at Mesarieng, Northern Thailand, the fin
formulae in a limited number of examples examined were dorsal VII,
8, VIII, 9, and IV, 8, and anal XI, 35 and XII, 34, while in specimens

from the Mekang, a tributary of the Meping, Northern Thailand, the

dorsal rays were uniformly VIII, T and the anal rays XI, 34 and
XII, 32.

.-:SS:^^%^^.

Figure 98.--TrichogasUr trichopterus (Pallas). Drawn by Nai Chote Suvatti; courtesy

of the Thailand Government

Over most of Thailand the vernacular name is pla kadi^ often ex-
panded to pla kadi mor {nwr, a cooking pot) to distinguish from other
species. Along the Mekang, tributary of the Meping at the base of
Doi Angka in Northern Thailand, the fish is called pla salark, and the
same name is used on the Meyuam at Mesarieng. Another local north-
ern name is pla sdlaring.

TRICHOGASTER PECTORALIS (Regan)

Tiichopodus pecioralis Regan, 1910, p. 784, pi. 79, fig. 1 (Siam).— Fowler, 1934a,
p. 149 (Bangkok) 1934b, p. 350 (Bangkok) 1937, p. 222 (Bangkok, Pitsanu-
; ;

lok, Mepoon, Kemarat).— Indeambaeya, 1939, p. 127, pi. 1 (Bung Borapet).

Trichogaster pecioralis Smith, 1933b, p. 259 (Siam, Malaya).

This the largest and most important of the local trichogastrids.

is

The species, singularly enough, was without a name until 1910 when
Regan, having before him specimens from Thailand and Singapore,
described it as Trichopodus pecioralis^ in allusion to the large pectoral
fin which in adults is longer than the head.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 465

The fish is at home in ponds, lakes, and shiggish waters generally,

and has a wide distribution over the Central area. It is naturally ab-
sent from Peninsular, Northern, and Western Thailand. The range
extends to Cambodia and probably to other provinces of Indo-China.
A length in excess of 20 cm. is attained. On account of its size and
food qualities, the fish is very popular all over the country, and in sec-
tions where it does not live there is an extensive trade in a product pre-
served by air-drying.
This fish is well adapted for ponds, and its cultivation in Thailand
after the manner of the fresh- water basses in the United States will no
doubt be taken up in time. In the Malay States where it was introduced
from Thailand it is now widely distributed, abundant, and an im-
portant food article. (See Smith, 1933b.)
In the Supanburi district of Central Thailand, in Klong Kok Kam-
yan, there is, or has been, a local race of pla solid which is very much
larger than fish elsewhere. broad as a
It has been reported to be as
man's hand is long, and its local reputation as a food fish has been very
high. Owing to active demand and lack of protection, supplemented
by possible curtailment of spawning facilities, the fish had become very
scarce by 1925 and no examples were obtainable on a special visit made
by the writer in that year.
In the mature male the dorsal fin when flexed reaches to or beyond
the base of the caudal fin, while in the female the dorsal fin falls far
short of the caudal base, as pointed out in a paper (1930) by Boon
Chuay Indrambarya of the Thailand Department of Agriculture and
Fisheries. This is a point of practical value in pond-cultural
operations.
An excellent colored plate was published by Chevey (1932b) but un- ,

fortunately the title reads Trichofodus trichofterus^ and in the text

(pp. 65-67) the two species appear to be confused, for the Thai names
'plasolid and flo. kodi are attributed to trichopterus. In Thailand the
name pla solid is always given to pectoralis and to no other species.
The Thai also recognize this fish by the name pla hai mat.

Family OPHICEPHALIDAE : Serpent-head Fishes

Genus OPHICEPHALUS Bloch

Ophicephalus Bloch, Naturgeschichte der auslandischen Fische, vol. 10, p. 117,

1797. (Type, Ophicephalus piinctatus Bloch.)

The serpent-head fishes, representing many species, are a very con-

spicuous element of the fish life in almost every part of Thailand, in
lowland streams and canals, in upland and mountain streams, and in
lakes, ponds, and swamps. The various species exhibit a wide range
in size, from about 10 cm. in O. gochuo to over a meter in O. micro-
peltes. All the species are eaten by the Thai people, and one of them
 : ;

466 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

iO. stinatus) may

be considered the commonest of the staple food
fishes of the country. The various species are very hardy and, if kept
moist, can remain alive for a long time out of water, owing to the
possession of a suprabranchial cavity. This cavity, communicating
with the pharynx, is not nearly so complicated as in Anaha^ and other
members of the Anabantidae; it has no labyrinthine organ but is lined
with a thin epithelium. The assertion by Giinther (1861, vol. 3) that
the purpose of this cavity is to retain water is open to question. The
obvious function of the cavity in the ophicephalids (in which it is of
simplest form) as in other fishes of the order Labyrinthici is to permit
aerial respiration.
Under the strict rules of zoological nomenclature, the proper generic
name for these fishes is Channa. The present writer feels, however,
that the time-honored name of Ophicephal/us should, if possible, be
retained and that the International Commission on Zoological
Nomenclature might very properly bring in a special rule to cover the
case.
The eight species of Ophicephalus from Thailand may be diiferen-
tiated as follows

la. Vomer and palatines with a more or less continuous pluriserial band of small
teeth, none of them canine.
2a. A conspicuous black light-edged ocellus at upper base of caudal fin.
3a. Aposterior row of about 12 large conical teeth on each ramus of lower
jaw lateral line scales 60 to 70, dropping 2 rows at 16th to 18th per-
;

forated scale scales in transverse series 4.5-1-11 to 13 rows of scales

; ;

between ej'e and angle of preopercle 10 dorsal rays 45 to 55 anal rays

; ;

28 to 36; 4 or 5 dark blotches along side below lateral line marulius

36. Posterior teeth in lower jaw uniserial, small, interspersed with widely
separated blunt caniniform teeth; lateral line scales 55 to 08, dropping
abruptly 2 rows at 17th to 20th perforated scale scales in transverse ;

series 35-1-10 rows of scales between eye and angle of preopercle 5

;

dorsal rays 45 to 47; anal rays 30 or 31; no dark blotches on

side marulioides
26. No ocellus at base of caudal fin ; a posterior row of about 5 canine teeth
on each ramus of lower jaw; lateral line scales 52 to 57, dropping
abruptly 2 rows at 17th to 20th perforated scale scales in transverse line ;

4 to 5.5-1-8 to 10 dorsal rays 37 to 45 anal rays 21 to 27 back dark

; ; ;

green, dark brown, or black; side usually with dark strii)es running
obliquely upward above, obliquely downward below; underparts white,
irregularly blotched with black or brown striatus
16. Vomer and palatines with 1 or 2 series of teeth which are mostly canine or
caniniform.
4a. Lateral line scales 41 to 45, dropping 1 row at 10th to 13th perforated
scale scales in transverse series 3 or 4.5-1-7 rows of scales between eye
; ;

and angle of preopercle 4 or 5 rows of scales on opercle 3 dorsal, caudal,

; ;

and anal fins with a narrow bright red margin (turning white in
alcohol ) , „ .V g-achua
 " —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 467

4b. Lateral line scales 50 to 65.

5a. Lateral line scales 50 to 55, dropping 3 rows at 14th to 16th perforated
rows of scales
scale; scales in transverse series 4 or 4.5-1-8 or 9;
between eye and angle of preopercle 6 or 7dark green or dark blue
;

above, yellowish brown or reddish brown below; a red band from

snout to caudal fin in young melasomus
5b. Lateral line scales 58 to 65 scales in transverse series 5 or 5.5-1-10 or
;

11 rows of scales between eye and angle or preopercle 10 to 13.

;

6a. Lateral line dropping 2 rows at 18th to 20th perforated scale; interor-
bital space less than length of snout; brown above, yellow below,
a double row of dark spots on side with a zigzag light stripe between
the spots lucius
6b. Lateral line dropping 1 row at 15th to 20th perforated scale interor- ;

bital space greater than length of snout olive green, with a light
;

stripefrom eye to caudal fin, and a series of dark blotches above

light stripeand another below; three oblique brown bands on side
of head sianiensis
4c. Lateral line scales 82 to 95 [110 (Day) ] without an abrupt drop; scales in
transverse series 5.5 or 6.5-1-15 or 16 rows of scales between eye and
;

angle of preopercle 15 to 17 rows of scales on opercle 8 dark brown or

; ;

dark blue above, white below 2 narrow parallel black stripes extending
;

from eye and angle of mouth to tip of caudal fin, interspace I'ed (the
stripes breaking up into irregular spots and blotches in older ex-
amples) micropeltes

OPHICEPHALUS MARULIUS Hamilton

Ophiocephalus maruliufi Hamilton, 1822, pp. 65, 367, pi. 17, fig. 19 (India).
Kaeoli, 1882, p. 171 (Siam).
Ophicephalns maruUus Smith, 1934b, p. 324 (Bangkok, Kanburi, Pakjong).

The range of this species extends from India to China. It is one

of the rarest of the serpent-heads found in Thailand, and is definitely
known from only two specimens. One, 27 cm., long was obtained in
Tonburi, Bangkok; the other, 40 cm. long, said to have come from
Kanburi, on the Meklong, in west-central Thailand, was exhibited alive
at a fair in Bangkok in December 1933. Karoli's record for "Siam"
may be accepted as authentic. The present writer's reference (1934b)
to numerous small specimens taken in May 1925 in headwaters of the
Menam Mun in Eastern Siam was incorrect the species involved was:

O. melaso'ina, q. v. A
length of 4 feet is said to be attained in India.
Hamilton (1822) noted of this fish that "in the lower parts of Ben-
gal, the persons dedicated to religion, from some old prejudice, think
it unlucky to say that it is either good or bad." Day (1878) quotes
Mason as stating "Some of the Karens in Burma regard these fishes
:

with superstitious awe, and abstain from eating them. They have a
legend that they were formerly men, changed into fish for their sins,
and the Karens of Tavoy say, 'if people eat them, they will be trans-
formed into lions.'
 — —— ;

468 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

In the Bangkok region this fish has received the name of yla chon
ngu hao {ngu hao^ cobra) and its bite is reputed to be very poisonous, a
belief without foundation in fact.

OPHICEPHALUS MARULIOIDES Bleeker

OpJiiccphalus maruUoides Bleekeb, 1S51 (49), p. 424 (Sambas, Borneo). Heree

and Myers, 1937, p. 71 (Tale Sap).
The only Thailand record for this species is that of Herre and
Myers, who a specimen 14 cm. long obtained at Singora, the Penin-
list

sula. Dr. Herre writes that the specimen was obtained in the Singora
market and undoubtedly came from the inner lake of the Tale Sap.
The range of the fish otherwise covers Sumatra, Borneo, and several
nearby small islands of the East Indies.

OPHICEPHALUS STRIATUS Blocli

Ophicephalus striatus Bloch, 1797, vol. 10, p. 117, pi. 359 (Malabar). Fowler,
1934a, p. 149 (Chiengmai, Metang, Chantabun).
Ophiocephalus striatus Bleeker, 1865 (347), p. 34 (Siam) 18G5 (356), p. 174
;

(Siam).— Sauvage, 1881, p. 160 (Siam).— Kakoli, 1882, p. 171 (Siam).—

SauvagE, 18S3b, p. 151 (Menam Chao Phya). Weber and de Beaufort, 1922,
vol. 4, p. 317 (Siam).— HoRui., 1923b, p. 180 (Bangkok, Koh Chang).— Vipulya,
1923, p. 224 (Bangkok).
Ophiocephalus vagus Sauvage, 1881, p. 160 (Bangkok).
Channa striata Fowler, 1937, p. 222 (Bangkok, Pitsanulok, Tachin, Kemarat).
This, the most widely distributed and economically the most im-
portant member of the genus, ranges from China to India and Ceylon,
and through East Indies and Philippines, in rivers, canals, lakes,
ponds, swamps, and marshes. In Thailand the fish is found through-
out the length and breadth of the coastal plains, central plains, eastern
plateau, and piedmont districts, but is replaced by minor species in the
mountainous regions. It is known throughout Thailand as pla chon
or pla chorn.
A
length of fully a meter is attained by this fish, but so large a size
is rarely observed in recent years. Examples up to 60 to 75 cm. are
fairly common, but the largest demand in the retail fresh-fish markets
is of a fish under 30 or 40 cm. long.
The interesting nesting habits of this species, together with the de-
velopment of the eggs and young, have been best described by Dr. A.
Willey (1909), whose observations, while made in Ceylon, are entirely
in conformity with the less comprehensive ones in Thailand. The
nest is prepared by the parent fish's biting off the aquatic vegetation
over a roundish area in shallow water near the edge of a lake or canal
and when the eggs are laid they form a thin film at the surface and
are assiduously guarded by the male parent.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 469

The eggs, 1.25 to 1.5 mm. in diameter, owe buoyancy to the

their
presence of a large oil globule. They float flush with the surface, have
a rich yellow or amber color, and are usually mixed with small leaves
and bits of vegetable matter such as is ordinarily found in quiet, shal-
low, weedy waters.
Incubation rapid and is completed within 3 days, varying within
is

narrow limits with the temperature of the water and the amount of
direct sunlight. On the day of hatching the larva is 3.5 mm. long.
In 4 days, at a length of 6.75 mm., the larva leaves the surface and
swiins freely at different levels, and respiratory movements have begiin,
although with the cessation of active effort the larva rises to the surface
and cannot remain at the bottom. By the end of the fifth week, having
reached a length of 10 to 12 mm., the larva can live comfortably at
or near the bottom of a small aquarium, and go to the surface at short
intervals to take in air. With the coming of the ninth week, having
attained a length of IT to 20 mm., the young goes to the bottom, hides
in the mud, and thenceforward assumes the habits of the adult.
A fish about 6 cm. long, carried from Bung Borapet to Bangkok
early in 1932, was kept in an aquarium with other fish of the same
lot and on September 20, having attained a length of 21 cm., spawned.
The eggs were removed to a separate tank and hatched September 22,
the young shortly after hatching being 4 mm. long, with a brown yolk
sac 1.8 mm. long. When at rest the young remained at the surface of
the water with the yolk sac uppermost, the long axis of the body
being parallel with the surface they were able to maintain themselves
;

on the bottom or below the surface only by active swimming effort.

On September 23 some of them began to swim with the back uppermost,
and by September 25, having reached a length of 7 mm., most of them
had assumed the upright position.
The fish is carnivorous and subsists on a variety of living creatures,
including fish, frogs, snakes, and insects. While ordinarily it is read-
ily taken by hook and line, the male fish cannot be caught during the
period when it is protecting its eggs and young. A very simple trap
desig-ned especially for use at that time consists of a wide-mesh bamboo
cone kept in place by a small stake or wooden pin stuck into the bottom.
Although one of the astute fresh-water fishes, Ophicephalus striatus
tries to pass through the trap and is unable to disengage itself.
The fish has the regular habit of settling in the bottom mud of lakes,
swamps, and canals as the waters dry up and of going deeper and
deeper into the mud as desiccation proceeds. As long as the skin and
breathing apparatus keep moist, the fish can survive without water for
a number of months, occupying pockets in the stiff mud sometimes
nearly a meter below the surface and subsisting on the stored fat until
the rains set in.
590087—45 31
 — — ;

470 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Enormous numbers of fla chori^ running into millions of individ-
uals each year, are consumed by the Thai. In addition to use in a
fresh condition, large numbers are preserved by being sun-dried; the
fish are decapitated, split, deeply gashed in regular lines, and cured in a
fiat shape, which facilitates packing and transportation.
The high reputation as a food fish that the pJa chon has among the
Thai is deserved. The flesh is firm, white, practically boneless, and of
a most agreeable flavor. The writer found the flavor suggestive of
that of the American black bass.
One of the daily sights in Bangkok and other communities with
fish markets is that of someone walking home with a live pla chon
dangling head upward from a short length of bamboo fiber, secured
around the fish just back of the pectoral fins.
A curious fishery is carried on about the Tale Noi and in other
swampy areas in which the pla chon abounds. With the progress of
the dry season and the evaporation of the water, the fish go deep into
the mud and are there sought by the fishermen, who wade into the stiff
mud to their waist or above and reach the fish by using a long knife
to cut away the mud in layers, the fish being found singly or in clus-
ters in cavities in the mud. This is a laborious occupation, but it is
justified by the high esteem in which the pla chon is held as a food
fish.
OPHICEPHALUS GACHUA Hamilton

Ophioceplialufi gacliua Hamilton, 1822, pp. 68, 367, pi. 21, fig. 21 (Bengal).
Kakoli, 1882, p. 171 (Slam).— Sauvagb, 1883b, p. 151 (Menam Chao Phya).—
Webeb and de Beaufort, 1922, vol. 4, p. 321 (Siam). Hoka, 192ob, p. 181
(Bangkok, Koh Chang).
Ophicephalus gachua Fowler, 1934a, p. 149 (Chieugmai, Doi Sutep, Chiengdao,
Metang, Chantabun, Bua Yai) 1934b, p. 330 (Ban Thung Luang).
;

Vhanna gachua Fowler, 1939, p. 75 (Trang).

The distribution of this species is wide. From Java, Borneo, Suma-
tra, and other East Indian islands, the fish ranges to Indo-China,
Malaya, Thailand, the Andaman Islands, Ceylon, Burma, India,
Baluchistan, and Afghanistan.
In Thailand this fish, while found in lowland waters as at Bangkok
and in lakes, is characteristic of mountain streams. Specimens from
such streams have been examined from Ronpibun, Peninsular Siam
Koh Chang, in the Gulf of Siam off Southeastern Thailand and from ;

various brooks in the Northern area tributary to the Meping, the Me-
kong, and the Salwin. In the Khun Tan Mountains the fish has been
found in Huey Luk at an elevation of 2,000 feet, while on Doi Hua Mot,
in Huey Melao, it has been collected at 3,300 feet. Specimens from a
pool in a hill stream on Koh Yao Yai, an island off the west coast of
Thailand, were obtained by Dr. A. F. G. Kerr. The collections made
for the U. S. National Museum by H. G. Diegnan contain numerous
specimens from the Northern region Nong Pratip, off the Meping at
;
 FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 471

Chiengmai Hiiey Kao, a branch of the Meping Melong, a tributary of

; ;

the Mechem Meklang, on Doi Angka and Huey Mekong Kha, a trib-
; ;

utory of the Salwin at the foot of Doi Mekong Kha also Huey Nam ;

Puat, a tributary of the Mekong in French Laos, just over the border of
Nan Province.
O. gachua is one of the smallest members of the genus, rarely exceed-

ing 20 cm., and in the restricted habitat of small mountain brooks it

reaches maturity when 10 cm. long.
It displays the hardiness of its relatives and is an attractive little
creature. Although of dull coloration, the dorsal, caudal, anal, and
pectoral fins have a narrow, sharply defined blood-red margin (which
becomes white in alcoholic specimens and is referred to as white in some
of the published descriptions), and the pectorals are prettily marked
in many of the full-grown examples with a black spot at the base and 5
or 6 narrow, distinct, black cross bands (referred to by Day but not
by Weber and de Beaufort).
The lateral line varies within narrow limits. It usually stops at the
eleventh to thirteenth perforated scale and resumes on the next scale
of the next row. Variations met with in a lot of specimens from a
tributary of the Meping in Northern Thailand were: (1) Lateral line
stopping at tenth scale on each side and resuming on the next scale
of the next row; (2) lateral line stopping at tenth scale on one side
and resuming at thirteenth scale of row below, and stopping at thir-
teenth scale on other side and resuming at fourteenth scale of row be-
low; (3) lateral line stopping at eleventh scale of one side and twelfth
scale of other side ; (4) lateral line stopping at eleventh scale of one
side and resuming at thirteenth scale of next row, and stopping at
thirteenth scale of other side and resuming at fourteenth scale of next
row; (5) lateral line stopping on thirteenth scale of one side and four-
teenth of other side, and resuming on next scale of row below.
This fish is known in all parts of Thailand as pla hang.

OPHICEPHALUS MELASOMUS Bleeker

OphicepJialus melasoma Bleeker, 1851 (49), p. 424 (Sambas, Borneo).

Ophiocephalus melanosoma Bleekeb, 1865 (347), p. 34 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. ;

174 (Siam).— Sauvage, 1881, p. 160 (Siam).—Webek and de Beaufort, 1922,

vol. 4, p. 319 (Siam).
Channa melasoma Fowler, 1937, p. 224, fig. 215 (Mepoon, Kemarat).

The range of this species extends from Indo-China through Thai-

land to Sumatra, Borneo, and Palawan. Definite localities for Thai-
land are those given by Fowler (1937) and headwaters of the Menam
Mun at Pakjong in the Eastern district. From the last-named place
numerous small specimens, taken May 12, 1925, exhibit the character-
istic coloration :Generally dark green or dark blue, with a bright red
band from snout to caudal fin.
A maximum length of 30 cm. is attained.
 — — — —

472 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

The figure ascribed to this species by Fowler from a specimen about
7 cm. long from Mepoon differs in some essential features from the
descriptions of Bleeker and of Weber and de Beaufort. Thus, these
latter authors represent the lateral line as dropping abruptly for three
scales at the fourteenth or fifteenth perforated scale, whereas in
Fowler's figure the lateral line drops abruptly for one scale after the
—
tenth perforated scale a difference that seems too great to fall within
the limits of individual variation. Another difference is in the lateral
line scales, given as 50 to 52 by Weber and de Beaufort and as 54 or 55
by Giinther but represented as 44 in Fowler's figure.
This fish is rare in Thailand and seems to be unknown to the fisher-
men, having received no distinctive name that has been recorded.

OPHICEPHALUS LUCIUS Cuvier and Valenciennes

OpMoephalus lucius Cxtvier and Valenciennes, 1831, vol. 7, p. 416 (Java).

FowLEB, 1934a, p. 149 (Bangkok) 1934b, p. 350 (Southeastern Siam).
;

Ophiocephalus lucius Bleekee, 1865 (356), p. 174 (Siam). Weber and de Beau-
fort, 1922, vol. 4, p. 326 (Siam).— Hoba, 1923b, p. 181 (Bangkok).
Channa lucius Fowles, 1935a, p. 138 (Bangkok) 1937, p. 224 (Bangkok, Pitsanu-
;

lok, Mepoon).

Besides inhabiting Thailand, this species occurs in Java, Sumatra,

Borneo, and other islands of the Indo-Australian Archipelago, Malaya,
Indo-China, and China. The range covers most of Central Thailand,
and extends to the Southeastern district (Chantabun River) and to the
Peninsula (upper tributaries of the Tapi River and Patani Province).
No specimens are known from Northern, Eastern, and Western Thai-
land. Most of the local records are for streams, but the fish inhabits
also lakes and ponds.
The maximum length of the fish is 35 to 40 cm. Of the various
adult examples preserved or examined in Thailand, the usual length
has been from 22 to 25 cm. The head has a more snaky appearance
than in most of the other local species.
The Thai vernacular name for the fish is pla Jcasong, applied to no
other fish. Malays in some parts of Patani Province call the fish ikan
hujok.
OPHICEPHALUS SIAMENSIS Giinther

Ophiocephalus siamensis Gunther, 1861, vol. 3, p. 476 (Siam) 1864, p. 178

;

(Siam and Cambodia). Bleeker, 1865 (356), p. 174 (Siam). Sauvage,

1881, p. 160 (Siam).—Kaeoli, 1882, p. 171 (Siam).— Sauvage, 1883b, p. 151
(Menam Chao Pbya).
This species was based on a single specimen collected in Thailand
by Mouhot, and is the only ophicephalid peculiar to this country.
Following Giinther's description in 1861, the species was cited by
Bleeker in 1865 and recorded by Karoli in 1882 and by Sauvage in
1883. Since Sauvage's citation of a specimen from the Menam Chao
Phya, the species has not been detected in the extensive collections
 — : : — — —;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 473

made in all parts of Thailand. The explanation may lie in the rarity
of the species or in the failure of collectors to recognize it or to
distinguish it from other species. Giinther made no comparison
with related forms, and his description falls far short of present-day
requirements. The type, 44 lines (7.4 inches) long, is in the British
Museum, and the original description is as follows
D 42. A 27. L. Lat. 65. L. transv. 5/11.
Large teeth in the lower jaw, on the vomer and the palatine bones. The
height of the body is contained six times and four-fifths in the total length,
the length of the head three times and two-fifths, the length of the caudal six
times. The width of the interorbital space is more than the extent of the
snout, and two-ninths of the length of the head. Cleft of the mouth wide,
the maxillary not extending to the vertical from the posterior margin of the
eye (in old specimens it probably reaches to below that margin). There are
eleven series of scales between the eye and the angle of the praeoperculum
scales on the upper surface of the head of moderate size. The pectoral extends
to the origin of the anal fin, and its length is less than one-half of that of
the head the ventral is not much shorter than the pectoral. Greenish-olive,
;

with darker streaks along the series of scales; a light longitudinal band from
the eye to the middle of the caudal fin two series of alternate darker blotches,
;

one above the light band, the other below side of the head with three oblique
;

brown bands dorsal and anal fins with oblique blackish stripes caudal with
; ;

blackish spots the lower side of the head blackish, with white spots.
;

Dr. Ethelwynn Trewavas, of the department of fishes of the British

Museum, has by request examined the type and has kindly indicated
the peculiarities of the lateral line, as follows
In the type of Ophiccphalus siamensis the lateral line runs nearly straight
to the 14th (left) or 16th (right) perforated scale. The drop to the lower
row involves the 15th to 20th (left) or 17th to 20th (right), and from here
onwards the line continues to the caudal. At the drop an anterior row of
scales seems to taper out, so that a continuation backwards of the anterior
part of the lateral line would lie in the scale-row above the posterior, but a
continuation forwards of the posterior part would lie two rows below the
anterior.
OPHICEPHALUS MICROPELTES Cavier and Valenciennes

OpJiicephalus micropelfes Cltvier and Valenciennes, 1831, vol. 7, p. 427 (Java).

Fowler, 1934a, p. 150 (Chiengmai).
Ophicephalus serpentinus CtJviER and Valenciennes, 1831, vol. 7, p. 429 (Siam).
Oi)hiocephalus mici-opeltes Gunther, 1861, vol. 3, p. 482 (Siam). Bleeker, 1865
(347), p. 36 (Siam); 1865 (3.j6), p. 174 (Siam).— Saxjvage. 1881, p. 160
(Siam) 1883b, p. 151 (Menam Chao Phya). Weber and de Beaufort, 1922,
;

vol. 4, p. 328 (Siam).— Hora, 1923b, p. 181 (Nontaburi).— Vipulya, 1923, p.

223 (Bangkok).
Ophiocephalus stevensi Bleeker, 1865 (356), p. 174 (Siam). Sauvage, 1881, p.
160 (Siam).
Ophiocephalus mlcropeltis Karoli, 1882, p. 171 (Siam).
Channu micropcltes Fowler, 1937, p. 224 (Kemarat).
Wliile inhabiting all parts of Thailand this fish is primarily an in-
habitant of the larger streams and canals. Its range includes also
Indo-China, Malaya, the East Indian islands, Burma, and India.
474 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

The fisli reaches a length of nearly a meter and a weight of more

than 20 kilograms in Thailand. It is thus the largest of the ophi-
cephalids, and combines with its large size a predatory disposition,
which makes it one of the most destructive of the local fresh-water
fishes. It consumes fishes of all kinds and sizes and also kills far in
excess of its actual needs.
There are no special observations on its spawning habits. That it is
very savage in guarding its nest and eggs, and will then attack human
beings, is well known, however.
As a game fish this species has quite a reputation among anglers in
Thailand. It fights hard, sometimes jumps like a salmon after being
hooked, and is difficult to land.
The food quality is high but among the Thai is rated below 0.
striatus. The fish are taken to market and kept alive in tubs of water.
Wlien a fish is sold, it is stunned by a blow on the head with a wooden
club, decapitated with a cleaver just behind the pectoral fins, and the
viscera are removed with a narrow median strip of skin and muscle
extending from head to vent.
Cuvier and Valenciennes (1831, vol. 7) also described this fish
from Thailand under the name Ophicephalus serpentinus^ basing it
on a drawing by Dr. Finlayson. The type, 18 inches long, from the
collection of the East India Company, is in the British Museum.
Over most of Thailand this fish is called 'pla cliado. In the Bangkok
region the usual designation is pla inelang pu. Along the upper
reaches of the Menam Chao Phya young fish bear the name pla ai pdk.

Order Percomorphi
Family PHALLOSTETHIDAE
The remarkable small fishes of fresh and brackish waters of the
Philippines, Malaya, and Thailand constituting the family Phallo-
stethidae have been known less than 30 years and have been recognized
as forming a distinct family less than half that time. Material col-
lected in Thailand first raised doubt as to the allocation of this family
with the Cyprinodontes by displaying a second dorsal fin, which was
overlooked by Regan in his descriptions of the first two genera, Phal-
lostethus and Neostethus^ from Malaya. Recent activities of Herre,
Myers, and Aurich have shown that the family is rather extensive and
that eight genera are now known. Two of these are represented in
Thailand, one of them having a single species peculiar to the country
and apparently of very limited distribution in fresh water, the other
with species in the Philippines and Malaya and a local species of
restricted habitat in brackish water.
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 475

The local phallostethids may be recognized readily by the backward

position of the 6- to 8-rayed soft dorsal fin, which is preceded by a
highly reduced spinous dorsal fin consisting of a single short spine or
two short spines by the absence of ventral fins and by the presence
; ;

in the male of a complicated fleshy appendage (priapium) suspended

from the head and shoulder girdle, supported by a complex skeleton,
having anal, urinary, and genital openings, and bearing certain long,
free, slender, curved bony structures presumably used as claspers one ;

of these bony processes (toxactinium) may project from the anterior

part of the priapium, and one or two (ctenactinia) may project from
the posterior part. In the female the ventral opening is between the
pectoral fins.

In 1935 Myers proposed a new suborder (Phallostethoidea) for

and in 1940 Berg gave them full ordinal rank under the
these fishes,
name Phallostethiformes, recognized the families Phallostethidae and
Neostethidae separable on the presence or absence of the toxactinium,
and placed them immediately after the Cyprinodontes, to which he con-
sidered them related, but as manifesting a step toward the Percif ormes.
The two genera of Phallostethidae known from Thailand may be
differentiated as follows

la. Toxactinium present, its base covered by a shieldlike mass (pulvinulus) ;

posterior end of priapium without soft comblike projections first dorsal ;

fin with a single spine Phenacostethus

lb. Toxactinium absent pulvinulus not shieldlike posterior end of priapium
; ;

with soft comblike projections first dorsal fin with two spines in local
;

species (one spine in outside species) Neostethus

Genus PHENACOSTETHUS Myers

Phenacostethus Mtees, Amer. Mus. Novit., No. 295, p. 6, 1928. (Type, Phena-
costethus smithi Myers.)

PHENACOSTETHUS SMITHI Myers

Phenacostethus smithi Myeks, 1928, p. 6, figs. 1, 2 (Bangkok).— Smith, 1929,

p. 13 (Bangkok).— Myers, 1937, p. 138 (Bangkok).—te Winkel, 1939, pp.
59-69, figs. 1-5 (detailed account of internal anatomy).
Phenacostethus thai Fowiek, 1937, p. 219, figs. 189, 190 (Bangkok).

When the writer first went to Thailand in 1923, he was attracted

by certain small, transparent fishes that inhabited fresh waters within
the city of Bangkok, and he saw at once that they were representa-
tives of the extraordinary family that had been brought to light by
Regan in 1913 and 1916. They were similar to the species described
from the Malay Peninsula as Neostethus lankesteri Eegan, and the
writer assumed they represented that form and published (1927e) a
note about them under that name. The next j-ear (1928) Dr. George
S. Myers, having examined 19 specimens collected by the present
476 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

author in 1926, found they differed from Neostethus in having no

toxactinium and in other characters, and described them as represent-
ing a new genus and a new species under the present name. From
the account as already published (Smith, 1929), the following notes
are taken in part:

The species abounds in fresh-watex- pools, ditches, and smaller canals in the
Bangkok region, living in water that is nearly always muddy or turbid. It occurs
in small, scattered schools that normally remain at or close to the surface, and
subsists on planktonic microorganisms. Small numbers put in balanced aquaria
did well for a time but ultimately died from starvation as the food supply became
exhausted. By the daily introduction of raw ditch or canal water, fish in
aquarium jars were kept alive for a month and could doubtless have been sus-
tained much longer. The larvae of anopheline mosquitoes, which are the chief
food of most of the small fresh-water fishes of the area, are entirely too large
for this fish to ingest, but there is no difficulty in taking minute crustaceans,
protozoau,s, worms, and similar organisms, which swarm in these waters.
The color of the back harmonizes with the water in which the fish live, and
they would be diflacult to see when at or near the surface veere it not for a
glistening yellovp area on the top of the head this is of triangular shape, with
;

its apex on the nape. Viewed from the side the fish is transparent, the heart
and abdominal viscera are distinctly visible, the vertebrae may easily be counted,
and the presence of eggs is readily made out.
The maximum total length of specimens measured was 20 mm., with the
females averaging slightly larger than the males. In one lot of 108 adult fish
comprising 46 males and 62 females, the largest number of males (28) measured
18 mm. and none of them 20 mm., the largest number of females (30) measured
19 mm. and 10 measured 20 mm. the average for males was 17.8 and for females
;

18.7 mm.
Itwas not possible to make observations on spawning habits. The species
is oviparous, and the toxactinium and ctenactinium are undoubtedly used as
clasping organs to insure fertilization of the eggs as they are laid in the muddy
water. The egg-bearing and spawning periods are protracted, corresponding with
the rainy season and subsequent high water in river canals, and may extend
from May to December. Fish with enlarged ovaries were observed in July;
young 9 mm. long were collected in September and 10 to 12 mm. long in Novem-
ber; and eggs approaching maturity and numbering 67 were dissected from a
full-sized fish in November.

The discovery in this species of a short, highly refractive spine, with

attached membrane, situated a short distance before the soft dorsal fin
raised the question of the systematic position of the Phallostethidae,
following the finding of a similar structure in Regan's material for
Neostethus in the British Museum, and led to the generally accepted
allocation of this family with the Percomorphi.
The species called Phenacostethus thai by Fowler (1937) based on
specimens sent by the writer from Bangkok, can hardly be other than
the present species. The differences from the original description are
such, as Fowler himself suggested, as might arise from changes caused
by preservation.
 —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 477

Genus NEOSTETHUS Regan

Neostethus Regan, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1916, p. 2. (Type, Neo.^tethus lankes-
teri Regan.)

NEOSTETHUS SIAMENSIS Myers

Neostethus siamcrtsis Myers. 1937, p. 139 (Cliantabun Estuary).

The type and only known specimen of this species, a female 2.87 cm.
in standard length, 3.6 cm. in total length, was collected by the writer
in April 1933 in the estuary of the Chantabun River, Southeastern
Thailand, The fish may be looked for in the lower reaches of the
where the large volume of fresh water from the river
river as well as
mixes with the brackish water of the estuary, and it is very desirable
that additional specimens, especially males, be obtained so that Dr.
Myers or some other competent student of this group may determine
the exact relations of the species.

Family POLYNEMIDAE: Threadfins

Genus POLYNEMUS Linnaeus

Polynemus Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 10, p. 317, 1758. (Type, Polynemus
paradiseus Linnaeus.)

Numerous members of the family of threadfins are found on the

coasts of Thailand, but only one species can be given a fresh-water
habitat. A ready means of recognition of the threadfins is the divi-
sion of the pectoral fins into two parts, the upper composed of normal
rays, the lower consisting of free filaments, which may be moved inde-
pendently and are tactile organs the number of filaments varies with
;

the different species (3 or 4, 5, 6, 7, and 14). All the polynemids are

considered good as human food, and some of the larger forms ( genus
Eleutheronema) attaining a length of 2 meters, are of great commer-
,

cial importance in the salt and brackish waters.

The general vernacular name is pla kurao.

POLYNEMUS PARADISEUS Linnaeus

Polynemus paradiseus Linnaeus, 1758, p. 317 (India). von Martens, 1876, p.

390 (Menam Chao Phya at Paklat).— Hoea, 1923b, p. 177 (Nontaburi, Bang-
kok).

This species of the coastal waters of India, Burma, Thailand, and

Malaya regularly enters fresh-water streams during the spawning sea-
son and probably at other times. Locally it is sometimes found in great
abundance as far up the Menam Chao Phya as Koh Yai, about 40
kilometers above Bangkok, and ascends also the Bangpakong and
other large streams debouching into the Gulf of Siam.
 :

478 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

The maximum length is about 25 cm. Full maturity is reached at
17 or 18 cm.
In the fine-meshed (pongpang) operated in the Menam
set nets
Chao Phya and other and in the fine-meshed seines hauled at
rivers,
the head of the Gulf of Siam, incredible quantities of adult and young
of this species are caught during the rains. At times, between June
and September, literally millions may be taken daily, the larger fish
being sent to market and the young, from 2 cm. upward, being used as
duck feed and fertilizer. Both old and young are of a golden yellow
color, with the back gray or green.
The seven detached pectoral filaments are of very unequal length;
the three upper may be twice the length of the fish.
In allusion to the sparse chin whiskers worn by the Braliman priests
in Thailand, this fish is called pla nuad pram (Brahman beardfish).

Family CENTROPOMIDAE
The arrangement proposed by Regan and by Weber and de Beaufort,
by which the genera Lates and Amba^sis {Chanda) are placed in this
family, is here followed. Jordan (1923) assigned these genera to
separate families (Latidae and Ambassidae). The differential char-
acters of the two genera here allocated are as follows

la. Scales ctenoid parietal and occipital bones with a crest a supplementary
; ;

maxillary bone; maxillary reaching beyond ej^e; preoperculum with a

single edge; caudal fin rounded; size large lates
lb. Scales cycloid only occipital bone with a crest no supplementary maxillary
; ;

bone maxillary not extending beyond eye preoperculum with a double

;
;

edge; caudal fin forked; size small or medium Chanda

Genus LATES Cuvier and Valenciennes

Lates CuviEE and Valenciennes, Histoire naturelle des poissons, vol. 2, p. 88,
1828. (Type, Lates nilotica (Cuvier and Valenciennes) =Perca nilotica
Linnaeus.)

LATES CALCARIFER (Bloch)

Holocentrus calcarifer Bloch, 1790, vol. 4, p. 100 (Japan).

Lates calcarifer Bleekeb, 1865 (356), p. 173 ( Siam ) .—Hoba, 1923b, p. 176
(Nontaburi).—ViPULYA, 1923, p. 223 (Bangkok).— Smith, 1930, p. 56 (Siam).

From the Persian Gulf to Australia and China, this is a well-known

and important fish in marine, brackish, and fresh waters. It occurs
on all the coasts of Thailand, and it is especially common about the
head of the Gulf of Siam and in the streams debouching therein. In
the Menam Chao Phya this fish is regularly found as far upstream as
Nontaburi or some distance farther. It is most common in the river
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 479

in March and April, and is much sought by anglers using live prawn as
bait.
A length of 1.7 meters is attained by this fish in the Indo-Aus-
tralian Archipelago, according toWeber and de Beaufort. Ex-
amples meter long are known from Thailand waters, but, owing to
a
active fishing and lack of pi'otection, fish as long as a meter in length
have become scarce in recent years.
A few figures showing correlation of length and weight of large
examples are available for fish caught in the Ban Yao River, South-
eastern Thailand, in April (1924) Length over all, 65 cm., weight
:

19.8 kilograms; length 75 cm., weight 28.7 kilograms; length 87 cm..

weight 33.1 kilograms.
In Thailand this fish may be rated as anadromous; that is, it as-
cends streams for short distances for the puipose of spawning. There
is much information indicating that the lower Menam Chao Phya

and various short streams, especially the Paknam Wain and the Ban
Yao, in Southeastern Thailand are favorite spawning grounds. The
young fish find suitable shelter and food in littoral waters, and grow
rapidly.
This is one of the best of the local food fishes, and among both Si-
amese and foreigners is in high repute. It brings a high price to
fishermen and in the retail markets, and is an almost indispensable
item on the menu of hotels and formal dinners.
The most extensive special fishery for the pla hapong is conducted
in short rivers of Southeastern Thailand by Annamite women using
hand lines baited with fishes or shrimp. The fishery is active during
about 10 months out of the year (April to January), and 4,000 to
6,000 fish weighing 3 to 30 or more pounds are caught in an average
year and sent to the Bangkok market in small-stream vessels making
regular trips to that section.
The vernacular name is pla kapong.
for this fish As the same name,
with qualifying adjectives, applied to various sea fishes of some-
is

what similar appearance, the present species when caught away from
the sea is sometimes called pla kapong nam chut (fresh- water ka-
pong).

Genus CHANDA Hamilton

Chanda Hamilton, Fishes * * * River Ganges, pp. 103, 370, 1822. (Type,
Chanda nalua Hamilton.)
The local fishes of this genus are mostly small, whitish or silvery,
some of them translucent, found in salt, brackish, and fresh waters.
Some are strictly fresh-water forms, and some occur regularly in both
the sea and estuaries and in fresh-water rivers and lakes. In addition
to the species herein considered, all of which have been observed in the
 :

480 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

fresh waters of Thailand, there are several others {C. tnyops (Giin-
ther), C. urotaenia (Bleeker) ) that in other regions are known to enter

fresh water and may be looked for in the lower courses of Thailand
rivers.
These fishes are eaten locally and sometimes reach the city markets,
but they are very bony and their food value is low. They are well
known to the fishermen, and throughout their range in Thailand have
the name pla kamao.
The genus Ghanda, established by Hamilton (1822) comprised a
number of species that in later years have usually been called Ambassis.
The first unquestioned species named by Hamilton was C. ruconius;
ruconius, however, is a Leiognathus (Lacepede, 1802) Chanda setifer,
.

which Hamilton doubtfully referred to his genus, is a Gerres ( Cuvier,

1829). All the other species, seven in number and congeneric, were
adopted by Cuvier and Valenciennes (1828, vol. 2, pp. 175-187) as their
own and placed in their genus Ambassis, with additional species of
their own and of Lacepede. In 1839 Swainson established the genus
Hamiltonia, as a substitute for Chanda, and gave thereunder two
species, one, ovata, identified as Chanda nama Hamilton by Swainson's
reference to Hamilton's figure, the other lata ( an obvious misprint for

Chanda Hamilton, which by another obvious error was assigned

lala
the same figure number as C. nama). Swain (1882, p. 276) designated
Hamiltonia ovata as the genotype. The history of Chanda became fur-
ther complicated in 1853 when Bleeker established the genus Bogoda
and described thereunder a single species {''''Bogoda nama Blkr.") put- ,

ting in the synonymy Chanda nama, 'phula, and bogoda of Hamilton

and Ambassis nama, phida, and bogoda of Cuvier and Valenciennes.
Bleeker subsequently (1876-77 (301), vol. 8, p. 131) regarded Bogoda
as a synonym of Hamiltonia, but retained the generic name Ambassis
for various species of the Indo-Australian Archipelago and India,
including Cha,nda nalua Hamilton. A still further encroachment on
Chanda was made by Bleeker in 1874 when he established the genus
Pseudambassis, with Ambassis lala as the type. According to Day
(1878) Ambassis lala is the young of Chanda rang a Hamilton.
From the foregoing statements it would appear that Chanda is a
valid generic name and that Ambassis^ Hamiltonia, Bogoda, and
Pseiidambassis are synon^^ms of Chanda.
Weber and de Beaufort ( 1929, vol. 5) in their definition of the genus
,

Ambassis (i. e., Chanda), say: ^^Ventrals * * * without a scaly

axillary process." This is an oversight. All specimens of many spe-
cies examined in Siam (Smith, 1933d) had well-developed axillary
scales; and Dr. de Beaufort, when his attention was drawn to the mat-
ter, found axillary scales in all of his material in Amsterdam.

The species of Chanda known in Thailand may be distinguished as

follows
 — ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 481

la. Lateral line continuous.

2a. Scales in lateral line 26 to 33 2 rows of scales on cheeks.
;

3a. Predorsal scales 8 or 9 depth 2.3 to 2.4; interopercle feebly serrated;

;

anal rays III, 8 or 9 second and third anal spines subequal

; kopsii
3&. Predorsal scales 17 to 22 depth 2.5 to 2.8 interopercle smooth except for
; ;

a single spine at posterior angle; anal rays III. 9 or 10; second anal
spine longer than third commersonii
26. Scales in lateral line 35 to 46; predorsal scales 25 to 33; 7 or 8 rows of
scales on cheeks ; interopercle serrated ; anal rays III, 9 or 10.
4a. Scales in lateral line 35 to 41 ; depth 2.3 second anal spine equal to
;

third in length and stoutness thomasi

4b. Scales in lateral line 43 to 46 ; depth 1.9 to 2.2 ; second anal spine much
longer and stouter than third wolffii
2c. Scales in lateral line 51 to 53 4 or 5 rows of scales on cheek depth 2
; ;

anal rays III, 13 or 14 second anal spine shorter than third

; siamensis
2d. Scales in lateral line 60 to 80 ; interopercle entire.
5a. Scales in lateral line60 to 70 depth 1.8 anal rays III, 14 to 16 second
; ; ;

anal spine as stout as but shorter than third spinous dorsal fin with- ;

out a sharply defined black edge ranga

56. Scales in lateral line 70 to 80 depth 2.5 anal rays III, 13 second and
; ; ;

third anal spines nearly equal spinous dorsal fin with a sharply
;

deQned black edge baculis

16. Lateral line discontinuous, interrupted under eighth dorsal spine and re-
sumed a few scales farther back 2 rows of scales on cheeks predorsal
;
;

scales 13 to 16; scales in lateral line 27 to 30; anal rays III, 8 to 10;
second anal spine shorter than third.
6a. Supraorbital ridge with 3 or 4 spines on its posterior edge depth 2.8 to ;

3.3; least depth of caudal peduncle 1.5 in its length and equal to post-
orbital part of head gymnocephala
66. Supraorbital ridge smooth, with a single spine posteriorly depth 2.3 to ;

2.7 least depth of caudal peduncle about equal to its length and longer
;

than postorbital part of head buruensis

CHANDA KOPSII (Bleeker)

Ambassis kopsii Bleekeb, 1858 (186), p. 253 (Singapore). Fowlee, 1935a, p. 146
(Bangkok).

Fowler (1935a) records from Bangkok this species of the East

Indies, Philippines, and Malaya. The writer found it widely dis-
tributed in the Gulf of Siam, on both coasts, but always in salt water.
It is suggested that the Bangkok specimens referred to by Fowler may
have been market fish from the gulf, as fish from the nets in the upper
part of the gulf are sent regularly from Paknam to Bangkok by boat
and rail.
CHANDA COMMERSONII (Cuvier and Valenciennes)
Amiassis commersonii Cuvieb and Valenciennes, 1828, vol. 2, p. 176 (Bourbon,
Malabar, Java, Batavia).
Ambassis commersoni Hoea, 1924a, p. 485 (Tale Sap). WEaBER and de Beaufort. —
1929, vol. 5, p. 406 (Siam).
Amhassis safgha Fowler, 1937, p. 232 (Rayong) 1939, p. 41 (Huey Yang). ;

A species of very wide distribution (Australia, east coast of Africa,

India, East Indies, Philippines, and other localities), this species is en-
 — ——

482 BULLETIN 188, tJNiTED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

titled to a place in this catalog from Hora's record of three young
specimens taken in the Tale Sap, and also Weber and de Beaufort re-
cord it from Siam. The maximum length appears to be about 10 cm.
Under the name Amhassw safgha (Forskal) Fowler (1937 and
1939) recorded the species from Rayong, a fishing village on the coast of
Southeastern Thailand and from a brook in the Peninsula. If For-
skal's Sciaena safgha is identifiable with the present species, safgha
becomes the proper specific name.

CHANDA THOMASI (Day)

Ambassis thomassi Day, 1870a, p. 369 (Calicut and Mangalore, India). Hora,
1923b, p. 170 (Menam Chao Phya at Bangkok, Nontaburi).

The only Thailand record for this Indian species is that of Hora, who
had before him two specimens from the Bangkok region. In view of
Duncker's reporting of the species in Malaya, its occurrence in Thai-
land is not unexpected.
In India the fish reaches a length of at least 18 cm.
This species was named for H. S. Thomas by Day (1870) who, in
the original description and subsequently, used the name thoinassi.
This form is an obvious error.

CHANDA WOLFFII (Bleeker)

Ambassis wolffii Bleekek, 1851 (26), p. 9 (Bandjermassing, Borneo). Fowlee,

1934a, p. 151 (Bangkok).
Ambassis wolffi Bleeker, 1S65 (356), p. 173 (Siam) ; 1870-77 (301), vol. 8, p. 133
(Siam). Weber and de Beaufort, 1929, vol. 5, p. 401 (Siam). Fowler,
1935a, p. 144 (Bangkok).
Acanthoperca ivolffli Fowler, 1937, p. 230, fig. 227 (Bangkok, Paknam, Tachin).

This fish of the rivers of Borneo and Sumatra is the commonest and
most widely distributed member of this genus in Thailand. It has
been found in numerous places in the basin of the Menam Chao Phya
as far north as Lopburi and in the lower Bangpakong. In November
1923 it was very common in the Sikuk River at Ban Pan in company
with C. baculis.
It is the largest of the local species, reaching a length in excess of
20 cm. A
specimen 18,5 cm. long taken in the Menam Chao Phya at
Bang Torani February 6, 1927, was a female with ripe eggs.
The vernacular name in general use is pla kamao.

CHANDA SIAMENSIS Fowler

Chanda siamensis Fowler, 1937, p. 230, fig. 228 (Bangkok, Kemarat).

Described from numerous specimens, 2.5 to 6 cm. long, from the

Menam Chao Phya at Bangkok and the Mekong at Kemarat, this spe-
cies may be recognized by the characters indicated in the foregoing
 FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 483

key. Its closest relative seems to be G. ranga^ of India, Burma, and

Thailand, which has smaller scales and a deeper body. ventral axil- A
lary scale, described as going 2.8 times in the length of the ventral fin,
is not represented in the drawing which accompanies the account of

this species. Three specimens 3 to 3.9 cm. long obtained by H. G.

Deignan in January 1937 from the Mekong at Chiengsenkao, Northern
Thailand, may
be referable to this species, although they are slightly
more elongate; lateral line tubules 53, dorsal VIII, 13, anal III, 13
and III, 14.

CHANDA RANGA Hamilton

Chanda ranga Hamilton, 1822, pp. 113, 371, pi. 16, fig. 38 (Gangetic provinces).

This Indian species has once been taken in Thailand waters and may
be looked for throughout the Salwin drainage in the Northern and
Western districts. Two specimens 6.7 and 7.7 cm. long were obtained
in a small affluent of the Pai Kiver at Mehongsorn, Northern Thailand,
in June 1932.
According to Day (1876,vol. 1), Hamilton's Chanda Ma is the
young of this species. Bleeker in 1874 (457) made lala the genotype
of his new genus Pseudamhassis^ which would thus seem to become
void.
The local vernacular name for the fish is pla peer.

CHANDA BACULIS Hamilton

Chanda lacuHs Hamilton, 1822, p. 112 (Ganges).

There has been no previous Thailand record for this species of fresh
waters of Burma and India. It has been found to be common in Cen-
tral Thailand in the Sikuk River, in the headwaters of the Menam
Chao Phya at Paknampo, in the lower Menam Nan, and in Bung
Borapet and several of its outlets. The fish is recognizable in the
field by the intensely black edge on the spinous dorsal fin and the
glistening golden spot on the occiput.
This is one of the smallest species of Chanda. The maximum length
of local specimens has been 4.5 cm.
The vernacular name pla kamao is given to this fish as well as to other
species of the genus.

CHANDA GYMNOCEPHALA (Lacepede)

Lutjavus gymnocephalvs Lacepede, 1802, vol. 3, pi. 23, fig. 3; vol. 4, p. 216 (Su-
matra).
Amhassis gymnoccpJiahts Fowlek, 1937, p. 232 (Bangkok, Paknam, Tachin).

The range little species extends from East Africa and Aus-
of this
tralia to India, Malaya, East Indies, Philippines, and China. It was
first detected in Thailand in October 1923, when three specimens were
 : — — ;;

484 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

obtained in the inner lake of the Tale Sap at Pak Bhayoon, in the
Peninsula. More recently Fowler has reported it from the Chao Phya
and Tachin Rivers in the Central district. The species, while pri-
marily marine, regularly enters fresh water.
A maximum length not exceeding 7.5 cm. is reported.
CHANDA BURUENSIS (Bleeker)

Amhassis burnetisis Blekker. 1856 (151), p. 396 (Boeroe). Fowler, 1935a,

p. 146 (Bangkok, Keng Sok).

The only record for this fish in Thailand is that given by Fowler,
based on three specimens 3.5 to 4.1 cm. long from Bangkok and
Keng Sok. The species is otherwise known from Malaya, Philippines,
Sumatra, Celebes, and other islands in the Indo-Australian Archi-
pelago.

Family LOBOTIDAE
Genus DATNIOIDES Bleeker

Datnioides Bleeker (85), Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl. Indie, vol. 5, pp. 428, 440, 1853.
(Type, Coins polota Hamilton.)

The systematic position of this genus has been viewed differently

by various [Link] placed it in the Pristipomatidae
Boulenger, Bridge, Jordan, and Weber and de Beaufort in the Lobo-
tidae and Herre and Myers in the Theraponidae.
;

Only two species are recognized, from streams and lakes of India,
Burma, Thailand, Indo-China, Malaya, and the Indo-Australian
Archipelago. They are as follows
la. Scales in lateral line about 70 rows of scales between origin of dorsal fln
;

and origin of venti-al tin about 10 to 12-1-20 to 23; branched dorsal

rays 13 or 14; body and head with 8 to 10 dark brown cross bands some
of which become confluent with age a dark round spot on
;

opercle quadrifasciatus
1&. Scales in lateral line about 105 rows of scales between origin of dorsal fin
;

and origin of ventral fin about 20-1-40; branched dorsal rays 15 or 16;
body and head with black cross bands, which remain distinct at all ages
no round dark spot on opercle microlepis

DATNIOIDES QUADRIFASCIATUS (Sevastianov)

Chaetodon quadrifasciatus Sevastianov, 1809, p. 448.

Datnioides polota Bleeker, 1859-60 (239), p. 101 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. 173;

(Siam).— FowiER, 1935a, p. 148 (Bangkok) 1937, p. 236 (Bangkok) 1939,

; ;

p. 49 (Krabi).
Datnioides quadrifasciatus Bleeker (301), vol. 8, 1876-77, p. 32 (Siam). Hora,
1923b, p. 176 (Nontaburi) 1924a, p. 486 (Tale Sap).—Webee and de Beau-
;

fort. 1936, vol. 7, p. 462 (Peninsular Siam).—Koumans, 1937a, pp. 63, 64

(Tale Sap).

The range of this species extends from Ganges to Burma, Thailand,

Malaya, and the Indo-Australian Archipelago, in the lower courses
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 485

of streams, and in coastal lakes. The fish has been taken in small num-
bers in the Menam Chao Phya in the vicinity of Bangkok and in the
]\Ienam Bangpakong, in the Menam Tapi near Bandon, and in the
inner lake of the Tale Sap. It is apparently commoner in the last-
mentioned locality than elsewhere in Thailand. Specimens from the
Menam Chao Phya are in the British Museum.
A length in excess of 25 cm. is Fish up to
attained in Thailand.
at least 30 cm. long are reported from India and the East Indies. A
specimen, 25.5 cm. long, from the Tapi Eiver September 29, 1923, was
a male with large gonads.
The appearance of the fish is so different from that of D. microlepis
that it is always known by different vernacular names. In Central
Thailand it is called pla kapong lai (lai, striped) in the Tapi Kiver
,

pla kapong sema, and in the Tale Sap pla kapong kin {hin, rock).
The large basslike fish Lates calcarifer is pla kapong.
DATNIOIDES MICROLEPIS Bleeker

Figure 99

Datnioides microlepis Bleekek, 1853 (85), p. 442 (Poutianak, Borneo) 1859^60

;

(239), p. 101 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. 173 (Siam) 1876-77 (301), vol. 8, p. 32
; ;

(Siam).

This fish, of striking form and color, inhabits Borneo, Sumatra,

Cambodia, and Thailand. Locally it has been reported only from the
Central section, in the Menam Chao Phya, the Menam Sak, the Menam
Nan, and Bung Borapet.
A length of 40 cm. is attained but the usual size of adult fishes in
recent years is under 20 cm.
The general color varies from clear creamy white or pink to pale
yellow, pale yellowish green, and light tan, depending on the water in
which it is living, whether weedy swamp, lake, or muddy, turbid, or
clear stream. Against this background are sharply defined jet black
cross bands. Chevey (1932b, p. 68) points out that in the Indo-Aus-
tralian Archipelago this species has seven bands while on the Asiatic
mainland there are 6 bands, the third and fourth bands described and
figured by Bleeker (Atlas Ichthyologique) as being fused. Thai
specimens conform with those from Cambodia, although there is some
variation in the position, shape, and obliquity of the bands. Chevey
regarded the mainland fish as a distinct geographic race, but was
unwilling to give it a varietal name based on the single color character.
Most of the observations on this fish in Thailand have been made in
Bung Borapet. It was the habit of the fish to enter the bung at the
period of high water in summer for the purpose of spawning, and to
leave during the subsidence of the flood water in autumn. Since the
bung has been converted into a vast permanent lake, with the ingress
590087—45 32
 — :

486 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

and egress of water and fishes regulated by elaborate barriers, there

is for Datnioides, as for various other fishes, no necessity to leave, and
most of the adults remain throughout the year.
The fish is hardy and soon adapts itself to aquarium life. A fish
from Bung Borapet taken to Bangkok was under daily observation
for many months. It was very deliberate in its movements, paid no
attention to other fish in the aquarium, usually remained quiescent
under water plants, and rarely took the normal posture of a fish, that
is, the body was kept obliquely, with the head turned either up or down.

It thrived on shrimp and raw meat.

X^ *«!../ .

•m«. A ^^ A

Figure 99. Datnioides microlepis Bleeker. Drawn by Nal Cliote Suvatti; courtesy of
the Thailand Government.

The fish has a high reputation for its food qualities, and is in such
local demand where caught that only small numbers reach the regular
markets. In Bung Borapet the fish is regarded as the most delicious
of the local species.
The usual name given to this fish in Thailand is pla seua taw {taio,
stump), and in some sections of the Menam Chao Phya pla lad. The
Cambodian name is trey Ma (tiger fish).

Family NANDIDAE
The Thailand members of this famil}^ belong in two genera and
comprise three species. The outstanding family characters are
Single dorsal fin with 12 to 16 strong spines and very much shorter soft
portion containing 11 to 16 branched rays, rounded caudal fin, anal fin
 — — j ) —:

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 487

with 3 Strong spines, ventral fins attached under the pectorals and
with a strong spine, compressed body, head and body covered with
ctenoid scales which form a sheath for the dorsal and anal spines,
lateral line interrupted under the soft dorsal fin and continued several
scales lower to the base of the caudal, terminal mouth, which may be
strongly or moderately protractile, maxillary exposed, teeth in villi-
form hands on jaws and palatines, villiform or conical or globular on
vomer and parasphenoid, gill membranes united or separate, and
opercle with one or several spines.
The two genera may be diiferentiated by the following characters
la. Mouth small, slightly protractile, maxillary reaching to vertical from anterior
part of eye ; nostrils well separated, in an oblique line, posterior very
close to eye; gill membranes broadly united; iuterbranchial space broad
and two flat spines
fully scaled; opercle with Pristolepis
16. ilouth large, very protractile, maxillary reaching to or beyond vertical
from posterior border of eye nostrils close together, in a vertical line,
;

both close to eye gill membrane not united, interbranchial space narrow
;

and unsealed ; opercle with a single flat spine Nandus

Genus PRISTOLEPIS Jerdon

Pristolepis Jerdon, Madras Journ., vol. 15 (1848), p. 141, 1849. (Type, Pristolepis
maryinutus Jerdon.

PRISTOLEPIS FASCIATUS (Bleeker)

Catopra fasciata BleekePv, 1851 (42), p. 65 (Bandjermassing, Borneo) 1865 ;

(Siam); 1865 (356), p. 173 (Siam).— Sauvage, 1883b, p. 151

(347), p. 33
(Menam Chao Phya).—Boulenger, 1903, p. 303 (Patani River).
Catopra slamensis Gunther, 1862, vol. 4, p. 191, pi. 26, flg. A (Siam) 1864, p. ;

177 (Siam and Cambodia .—Peters, 1868, p. 257 (Menam).

Pristolepis fasciatus Day. 1876, p. 131 ( Siam ) .— Hora, 1924a, p. 489 (Tale
Sap). Fowler, 1934a, p. 155 (Chiengmai, Hua Mak, Bua Yai, Chantabun,
Bangkok) 1934b, p. 351 (Bangkok, Ban Thung Luang) 1935a, p. 153
; ;

(Bangkok). Webek and de BeaxjK)kt, 1936, vol. 7, p. 479, fig. 95 (Siam).

Fowler, 1987, p. 242 (Bangkok, Taehin).— Koumans, 1937a, p. 63 (Tale
Sap).— Fowlek. 19o9. p. 75 (Trang).
Catopra nandoides, Sauvage, 18S3b, p. 151 (Menam Chao Phya).
Pristolepis fasciata Hoka, 1923b, p. 177 (Bangkok).— Vipulya, 1923, p. 224
(Bangkok).

This fish is found throughout the entire length and breadth of

Thailand, in rivers, lakes, swamps, and ponds, and in some places it is
very abundant. The range extends to Indo-China, Burma, Malaya,
and some of the East Indian islands.
In life the general color is greenish or brownish yellow, and although
occasional examples show no cross bands, the body in most specimens
is marked by 8 to 12 narrow blackish cross bands, most distinct in the
young.
The fish is incidentall}^ caught in large quantities in various kinds of
apparatus set primarily for other species, and is eaten locally and sent
 :

488 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

to market. The flavor of the flesh is good, but it is generally regarded

as inferior to that of fla mor {Anabas testudineus (Bloch) ).

Prince Vipulya records (1923) that in angling for this fish, worms,
prawns, crickets, and grasshoppers are used as bait, and while the
usual run of the catch is only 2 to 3 ounces, he has known a fish of 2
pounds to be taken. The largest examples met by the author in Thai-
land were about 15 cm. long. A
length of 20 to 21 cm. is recorded for
the East Indies and Burma.
Prince Vipulya writes: "It digs down into the mud of stagnant
ponds and on account of its flat appearance is supposed to have been
trodden on by elephants going to bathe. Hence the name."
Giinther (1862), having specimens obtained in Thailand by Mouhot,
described them as new under the name Gatopra sianiensis. Peters
(1868) identified under the same name specimens from the Menam
Chao Phya. This nominal species must be regarded as coming within
the normal limits of variation in P. fasciatus.
The usual name given to this fish by fishermen, marketmen, and the
general public is pla mor chang yieb or ylep, sometimes contracted to
pla chang yieb. In the Peninsula the fish is called pla paio7ig, pla na
nuan, and pla pkrok. In the upper Menam Chao Phya, a variant is
pla mor nam. Still another name, pla takrab^ is heard in the Chanta-
bun region.
Genus NANDUS Cuvier and Valenciennes

Nandus Cuvier and Valenciennes, Histoire naturelie des poissons, vol. 7, p. 481,
1831. (Type, Nandus marmoratus Cuvier and Valenciennes.)

Small lowland fishes, sometimes entering brackish water, feeding on

shrimps, and insects. Two closely related species are known
fishes,
from Thailand, as follows
la. Scales in lateral line 46 to 57; scalesbetween lateral line and ventral base
17 to 20; dorsal rays XII to XIV, 11 to 13 anal rays III, 7 to 9__- nandus
;

16. Scales in lateral line 34 scales between lateral line and ventral base 10.5
;

to 12.5 dorsal rays XIV to XVI, 11 or 12 anal rays III, 5 or 6-_ nebulosus
; ;

NANDUS NANDUS (Hamilton)

Coins nandus Hamilton, 1822, p. 96, pi. 30, fig. 32 (Gangetic provinces)

This Indian-Burmese species is very rare in Thailand. The only

definite occurrence was a small specimen collected by the writer No-
vember 20, 1923, in an outlet of Bung Borapet, Central Thailand. The
specimen was sent to Dr. L. F. de Beaufort and the identification was
confirmed by him in a letter of June 12, 1925.
The maximum size attained by this species in India is at least 20 cm.,
according to Day.
 .

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 489

NANDUS NEBULOSUS (Gray)

Bedula neMlosus Gray, 1833-34, pi. 88, fig. 2 (no locality given).
Nandus neliulosus Fowler, 1934a, p. 155 (Chantabun) 1934b, p. 351 (Ban
; Thung
Luang)
Outside of Thailand, the fish is known from Malaya, Sumatra, Bor-
neo, and other East Indian islands. While found in widely separated
localities in Thailand, this species does not appear to be very common
anywhere. The first known specimen was obtained by the writer in
Bung Borapet, November 20, 1923. The next notice of the fish was in
September 1926, when R. Havmoller collected three specimens, the
largest 8.5 cm. long, in Huey Sai Nok Riang, a tributary of the river
Poon Duang, in Chaiya Province, in the Peninsula. The present au-
thor next took three specimens July4, 1928, in Klong Nakon Noi in the
town of Nakon Sritamarat, Peninsular Thailand. In January 1929 a
small brook at the base of Kao Sabap near Chantabun, Southeastern
area, yielded three specimens, and in April 1920 one specimen was
taken in the same stream. A Boy Scout corps sent to the Siamese
Bureau of Fisheries two specimens collected in June 1930 at Saiburi on
the Menam Sak, central region. More recently, Fowler (1934a, 1934b)
has recorded six specimens from Chantabun and two from Ban Thung
Luang.
The maximum size represented by Thailand specimens has been 9.7
cm. These were from a stream on Kao Sabap.

Family TOXOTIDAE: Archerfishes

Genus TOXOTES Cuvier and Cloquet

Toxotes CuviEE and Cloquet, Dictionnaire des sciences naturelles, ed. 2, vol. 2
(Suppl.), p. 116, 1815. (Type, Labrus jaculator Schneider, in Bloeh.)

The archerfishes have a wide Oriental distribution. From the

Philippine Islands and Australia their range extends through the
Indo-Australian Archipelago to Malaya, Thailand, French Indo-
China, Burma, and India.
They are readily recognizable by their peculiar shape and color as
well as by the extraordinary habit from which they have received their
generic and popular names.
The peculiar mechanism of the archerfishes by which they are able
to propel drops of water with force and accuracy seems to have been
first determined as late as 1936, when Dr. George S. Myers, then act-

ing curator of fishes in the U. S. National Museum, and the writer

dissected the mouth parts of specimens of Toxotes in the Museum
collection and disclosed the anatomical setting.
The three local species are similar in general appearance, size, and
feeding habits. All are called pla seua (tiger fish) by the Thai, in
 — ;

490 BULLETIN 18S, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

allusion to the black stripes, bands, or spots on a yellowish back-

ground. They are for the most part restricted to the waters of streams
and canals near the coast, within tidal limits, but in the Menam Chao
Phya they are found at least as far inland as Hangkraben, north of
Ayuthia. Another species {Toxotes hlythi Boulenger), with black
longitudinal markings, described from Tenasserim, may occur in the
contiguous parts of Thailand.
Three species of archerfishes are known from Thailand, with the
following distinguisliing characters:
la. Spines in dorsal 4; scales in lateral line 28 to 30; scales between dorsal
fin

fin and head and body with about 5 or 6 vertical black bars
lateral line 4 ;

extending to below longitudinal axis, including a narrow one through eye

and one at base of caudal fin .jaculatrix
16. Spines in dorsal fin 5.

2a. Scales in lateral line 33 or 34 scales between dorsal fin and lateral line 5
;

head and body with 6 or 7 round or oblong black blotches in an irregular

longitudinal series from eye to a point under posterior base of dorsal
fin . chatareus
2&. Scales in lateral line 40 to 42; scales between dorsal fin and lateral line 6;
head and body with black blotches or bands variable in number (usually
4 or 5), position, and shape, including one encircling base of caudal
fin microlepis

TOXOTES JACULATRIX (Pallas)

Figure 100
Scdaena jaculatrix Pallas, 1766, p. 187 (Batavia, Java).
Toxotes jaculator Bleeker, 1865 (356), p. 173 ( Siam ) .— Saitvaoe, 1883b, p. 150
(Menam Chao Phya).— Smith, 1927d, p. 223 (Siam) 1930, p. 58 (Siam).—
;

Fowler, 1935a, p. 153 (Bangkok, Paknam). Weber and de Beaufort, 1936,

vol. 7, p. 199 (Siam).

Burma, Malaya, the East

This, the celebrated archerfish of India,
Indies, Philippines, and French Indo-China, is common in all the
coastal regions of Thailand, abounding in estuaries and the mouths of
rivers and ascending streams for short distances into strictly fresh
water.
A maximum length of 23.5 cm. is recorded by Bleeker. In Thailand
examples over 20 cm. long are uncommon.
There appear to have been no recorded observations on the spawn-
ing habits of Toxotes jaculatrix in Thailand. In the Bangkok region
the newly hatched young are seen in May, and by the first week in
July a length of 1.3 to 1.5 cm. is attained. At that early age the fishes
are very strikingly colored and are conspicuous as they swim at the
surface in the turbid river and canal water. The general body color
is gray; there are 4 sharply defined black cross bands, one through
the eye, one behind the head, one from the front of the first dorsal
fin, and one under the second dorsal fin; the dorsal, anal, and ventral

fins are black, the caudal and pectoral fins are white.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SUM, OR THAILAND 491

In Thailand, Toxotes is often sought by anglers, who use a light

rod and line, armed with a small hook baited with a shrimp or insect.
—
Favorite resorts for the fishes and hence for anglers are the inlets —
and outlets of canals, near locks. A person in a small boat, casting
his hook well away from the boat and doing nothing to frighten the
fishes, may often catch many at one place. The food value is high.
The species jaculatrix, which has received more notice and been
under closer observation than other species and may be regarded as
tj'pifying all the archerfishes in habits, is one of the most extraordinary
and celebrated of Oriental fishes. From an account published by the
present writer (Smith, 1936b) on observations made in Thailand,
the following excerjDts are taken and some additions thereto are made.

Figure 100. —Upper jaw of Toxotes jaculatrix (Pallas). Drawn by Miss Jane Roller.

In the eighteenth century and earlier, vague accounts reached

Europe regarding an Oriental fish that obtained its food, consisting of
insects, by knocking them down with drops of water propelled from
its mouth. These accounts, unsupported by reliable evidence, doubt-
less met with a mixed reception on the part of zoologists and the gen-
eral public and it may be imagined that the scientific world of that
;

day was eager to obtain authentic information concerning a creature

whose behavior was so different from that of any other known fish.
The printed reference to the fish in a European lan-
first definite

guage seems to have been published in the year 1765, in the Philosophi-
cal Transactions of the Royal Society of London. At a meeting of
the society held on March 15, 1764, a communication was read from
John Albert Schlosser, M. D., F. R. S., of Amsterdam (1765), an-
nouncing the presentation to the society of a specimen of the fish which,
to quote him, "I believe, hath never been observed by any writer on
natural history." The communication carried a description of the
peculiar habits of the fish on the authority of a Mr. Hommel, gover-
nor of a hospital in Batavia, who was also the collector of the speci-
 : ;

492 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

men. Designated as "the jaculator or shooting fish, a name alluding
to its nature," the creature was described as follows

It frequents the shores and sides of the sea and rivers, in search of food
When it on the plants, that grow in shallow water, it swims
spies a fly sitting
on to the distance of four, five, or six feet, and then, with surprizing dexterity,
it ejects out of its tubular-mouth a single drop of water, which never fails strik-

ing the fly into the sea, where it soon becomes its prey.
The relation of this uncommon action of this cunning fish raised the gover-
nor's curiosity though it came well attested, yet he was determined, if possible,
;

to be convinced of the truth, by ocular demonstration.

For that purpose, he ordered a large wide tun to be filled with sea-water
then had some of these fish caught, and put into it, which was changed every
other day. In a while, they seemed reconciled to their confinement; then he
determined to try the experiment.
A slender stick, with a fly pinned on at its end, was placed in such a direction,
on the side of the vessels, as the fish could strike it.
It was with inexpressible delight, that he daily saw these fish exercising their
skill in shooting at the fly, with an amazing velocity, and never missed the mark.

Unfortunately for the accuracy of the record, the fish to which

Hommel referred and the specimen that he sent to London were en-
tirely different species. Appended to the article was a copy of a de-
scription given in 1754 by Linnaeus of a species called Chaetodon ros-
tratuin (known in later years as Ghelmo rostratus) and the accom- ^

panying plate was of that fish of the coral reefs. There were thus
precipitated the misunderstanding and doubt concerning this fish that
lasted for nearly a century and a half.
A second communication on this fish by Dr. Schlosser (1767) con-
tained a description in Mr. Hommel's own words and gave additional
information on the fish's peculiar habits. Dr. Schlosser at this time
presented another specimen, and a description of it under the name
Sciaena jaculatrix was given by the German zoologist Pallas. A poor
but easily recognizable illustration accompanied the article. The al-
location of the species with the sciaenid fishes was unfortunate, and in
1817 Cuvier corrected the error and established the genus Toxotes for
its reception.
During practically the whole of the nineteenth century there seem to
have been no new observations on the shooting powers attributed to
the archerfish and no confirmation of the statements made by Hommel
in 1765 and 1767. On the contrary, the leading authorities on Orien-
tal fishes denied that the fish did or could perform as claimed.
Dr. Pieter Bleeker, who spent more than 35 years studying the
fishes of the Orient, was the author of more than 400 volumes and
papers thereon, and was long a resident of the same city (Batavia) as
Hommel. He was unable to verify the early accounts of the jaculator
fish and in 1875 expressed the belief that it did not deserve the celebrity
that had been imposed on it and that its reputation was based on error
of observation.
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 493

Dr. Francis Day, who devoted more than a quarter of a century

to the investigation of the fishes of India and Burma and published
monumental works thereon, withheld from Toxotes any credit what-
ever for its extraordinary shooting ability and erroneously ascribed
to the coral-reef fish Chelmo the same ability.
The original cause of misunderstanding as disclosed by the early
publications, and the perpetuation of the error by Bleeker, Day, and
others, was doubtless due, in part at least, to the fact that among the
Malays both Toxotes and Chelmo are called by the same name, sum'pit-
sumpit (from sumpitan^ a blowpipe).
Several minor articles on the habits of Toxotes appeared in Euro-
pean periodicals in the last 2 or 3 years of the nineteenth century,
but it was not until the twentieth century had dawned that this fish
may be said to have come into its own. Observations of the Russian
ichthyologist Zolotnisky on the behavior of the fish in captivity fully
established the long-disputed habits. Zolotnisky's (1902) article was
made the basis for a critical review of a paper by Dr. Theodore Gill
(1909). The following facts regarding Toxotes were recorded by
Zolotinsky and have since been largely confirmed, although Gill found
it difficult to accept some of them

(1) The fish subsists largelyon insects, which hover over the water or rest
on overhanging vegetation. When a fish approaches within a certain distance
of an insect, it becomes stationary, points its head and turns its eyes directly
at the prey, brings the front of its mouth to the surface of the water, partly opens
the mouth, and forthwith propels a drop, or several drops of water at the insect,
which ordinarily is 12 to 20 inches distant, but may be 40 inches or more. The
aim is true and the insect falls into the water and is at once devoured.
(2) The fish frequently swims backward. This habit is often observed when
the fish reconnoiters a prospective prey, and backs from it in order to secure a
good position for observation and attack.
(3) The eyes sparkle with seeming intelligence and their mobility is note-
worthy. They can be directed laterally, upward, and backward, but may not be
turned downward.
(4) Aerial vision is acute. Even small insects may be seen at a great distance
and fall a prey to the fish's amazingly accurate aim.
(5) Discrimination and selection are apparently exercised in the choice of food ;

considerable ingenuity is sometimes employed in obtaining food and in shooting

;

at insects the distance and the force are gauged.

In recent years in America many people have become acquainted

with the archerfish and its performances through examples in aquaria
in New York, Philadelphia, and other cities and a motion picture of
;

a fish in action has been made at the New York Aquarium. The
present generation of fish students everywhere may be pardoned for
expressing surprise at the protracted skepticism, and wonder at the
failure of doubting Oriental ichthyologists to conduct practical tests.
The doubt shown by zoologists of the last century in regard to the
reputed shooting powers of the fish was partly due to their failure to
494 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

detect in the fish's mouth any special mechanism by which drops of

water could be formed and expelled. It is, of course, obvious that
that there must be some peculiar adaptation or apparatus in Toxotes
to account for its extraordinary accomplishment. By carefully watch-
ing the fish at close range on many occasions in Thailand, the writer
formed an opinion of the probable propelling mechanism, and subse-
quently verified that opinion by holding the fish in a basin or bucket
of water in the position regularly assumed when shooting and making
them perform almost at will. This he accomplished by the quick,
forceful compression of the gill covers with his fingers, and by so do-
ing he was able to cause a fairly satisfactory imitation of the normal
shooting act, and had no difficulty in propelling drops of water for
distances up to 3 feet.
This compression of the gill covers would in itself not account for
the escape from the mouth of water in the form of individual drops of
uniform size, and it is to the peculiar shape and structure of the
mouth parts that we must look for the additional factors necessary for
the complete and perfect performance.
The mouth cavity of Toxotes is long but its diameter is much re-
stricted by the projecting sides of the roof and by the large tongue,
which when raised may completely close the passage to the pharynx.
The anterior part of the tongue from the floor of the mouth,
is free
and its rounded tip is of paperlike thinness and fits snugly against the
palate posteriorly the tongue is thick, bears minute teeth, and has a
;

conspicuous fleshy prominence. Extending along the median line of

the roof of the mouth, from a point just behind the band of vomerine
teeth to the pharynx, is a deep groove which, when the tongue is ap-
plied to the roof of the mouth, becomes converted into a tube. This
groove-tube, which in a fish 7 inches long is less than a sixteenth of an
inch in diameter, not previously described or referred to in ichthy-
ological writings,may readily be seen when the tongue is depressed.
That should have been so long overlooked is something of a mystery
it

when one recalls the vain efforts made by Oriental ichthyologists to

discover any special adaptation for drop shooting.
It is not the manner in which the shooting fish
difficult to discern
operates. Withtongue closely pressed against the palate, the
its

sudden compression of the gill covers will force water from the phar-
ynx into the palatine canal, and with the tip of the tongue acting as a
valve, the flow of water under pressure from the anterior end of the
tube is regulated. With the jaws partly separated and the mouth
reaching or projecting slightly above the surface, the water is ejected
with a force and for a distance that depend on the pressure. It is
easy to understand how, with the pharyngeal cavity serving both as a
reservoir for water ammunition and a compression chamber, it is
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 495

possible for the fish to shoot drops of water in quick succession, to

propel the water in the form of a jet when the valve is kept open longer.
The drop-propelling function would be useless if Toxotes did not
possess, in addition, the ability to use its eyes in the air and to gauge
accurately the distance, size, and suitability for food of small crea-
tures flying or resting near the water's edge. an outstanding
It is
point that, for a fish, the aerial vision of Toxotes
very keen, and it
is

was always a surprise to the present author to note the readiness

with which insects and spiders were sighted as the fish explored the
vegetation on the bank of a pond or stream.
The archerfish, with shapely, compressed body propelled by its
broad caudal fin, is a graceful swimmer, moving quickly without ap-
parent effort. It regularly swims at or just below the surface, and
may go a long distance in a perfectly straight line, making a wake
with the tip of its jaws. This wake is characteristic and enables an
observer to detect the presence of a fish before he has actually seen it.
The habit of swimming at the surface is ascribable to two circum-
stances: The food on which the fish chiefly subsists is obtainable
there, and the on which the fish largely depends, could not other-
eyes,
wise function properly, for during most of the year the waters in
which Toxotes lives are very muddy or turbid and aquatic vision is
much restricted.
While Toxotes prefers the live food that it shoots for itself, it regu-
larly eats shrimps, insect larvae, and other creatures living in the
water and insects that have fallen into the water. A large nest of
carpenter ants impaled on a stake in a pond provided food for fish
for several days as the ants fell into the water and were eagerly
devoured. Under both semidomesticated and wild conditions the
fish does not reject bits of raw and cooked meat, fish, crabs, and
prawns. Specimens that the writer kept in a pond regularly came
to be fed on raw chopped pork and fish. The cavity of this fish's
mouth is too narrow and the sides are too rigid to permit the pas-
sage of a large mass of food; and it is apparent that seized insects
and other food must first be reduced to a slender bolus between the
tongue and the various bands of minute teeth on the roof of the
mouth before swallowing is possible.
Some of the standard modern works of reference and textbooks
make inadequate allusion to the exercise of the shooting power. Thus,
when Boulenger (1904, p. 658) stated that '^Toxotes jaculator derives
its name from its habit of capturing insects flying near the surface
of the water by shooting drops of water at them," he overlooked
the much more common and characteristic habit of stalking insects
that are resting on plants in the water or at the water's edge. In
reality, insects shot on the wing represent a very small percentage
496 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

of the total food intake. The fishes will, however, sometimes be-
come very active in shooting at insects on the wing. One day in
April, after a heavy rain, large winged termites appeared in great
numbers in the yard of the author's residence in Bangkok and many
flew low over a pond which Toxotes had been introduced. The
into
fishes were observed to follow the termites with great eagerness and
often bring them down with a single shot or a series of shots. Marks-
manship at moving insects was not nearly so accurate as when exer-
cised against insects at rest on overhanging vegetation. On this
occasion, when termites flew within a foot of the surface of the pond,
the fishes sometimes jumped entirely out of the water, and caught
them on the wing.
The range, accuracy, and force of the shooting powers of Toxotes
always cause surprise and admiration. In the author's experience in
Thailand the distance within which the fish could always be depended
on to score a direct hit was 3% to 4 feet. A much longer effective
range has been recorded. Two fishes in the New York Aquarium
could without difiiculty hit a small cockroach at a measured height
of 5 feet above the water.
Failure to hit a resting insect within proper range may be due to
movements of the vegetation or, in the case of a spider dangling
on a thread, to swaying caused by wind. When the first shot misses
a mark, other shots usually follow in quick succession.
The force with which the watery pellets may strike an object is
sometimes most astonishing to a human observer. An insect may be
knocked high in the air or may fall on the bank beyond a fish's reach.
At short range the drops may strike a person's face with a distinctly
stinging sensation. On many occasions, during exhibitions in Thai-
land, a spider at the end of a thread hanging from the end of a pole
was knocked far up on the thread or even over the pole.
The shooting habit begins to develop early and may be observed in
fishes only an inch long. It is most amusing to see the inexperienced
youngsters emulating the actions of their parents and sending out
tiny drops that may go only 2 or 3 inches. In half -grown fish the
habit is well developed, but the highest expression of the shooting
powers as regards accuracy, force, and range is to be seen only in
the fully matured fish.
A peculiar feeding trait was exhibited by both river fishes and
pond fishes in Thailand when a spider on a thread was lowered to
within about a foot of the surface of the water. A fish, which may
have been shooting at the spider when it was 2 or 3 feet distant,
would with little apparent effort rise vertically from the water and
seize the lure in its mouth, sometimes holding on when the line was
raised several feet. This was done so readily and regularly as to
 — —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 497

suggest a normal habit, although as a matter of fact I never saw it

tried on insects hovering near the surface or resting on plants.
Probably spiders and caterpillars hanging from their threads are
the principal victims of this method of attack.
Among all the Oriental fresh-water fishes with which the writer is

acquainted in the wild state, none gives such an impression of

intelligence and efficiency as does Toxotes. This impression grows
on an obser^^er as he notes the purposeful way in which a fish moves
about in a stream, canal, or pond; the zeal and thoroughness with
which it explores aquatic and overhanging land plants for insects;
the high development of its sense of sight in both air and water;
the skill displayed in dislodging insects and seizing them as they fall
into the water; the alertness in avoiding danger; and the readiness
in adapting itself to life in small ponds and responding to the atten-
tions of persons who provide food.

TOXOTES CHATAREUS (Hamilton)

FiGUBE 101

Coins chatareiis Hamilton, 1822, pp. 101, 370, pi. 14, fig. 34 (mouths of the Ganges).
Toxotes chatareus Hoea, 1924a, p. 491 (Tale Sap). Fowlee, 1937, p. 246, figs.
251-258 (Bangkok) 1989, p. 52 (Krabi).
;

Toxotes chatereus Webeb and de Beaufokt, 1936, vol. 7, p. 203 (Siam).

The distribution of this species in Thailand corresponds with that of

T. jaculatrix. It is particularly common in the upper lake
of the Tale
Sap, where many sp)ecimens have been collected.
Material has been
examined also from the Tapi Eiver near Bandon, the Meklong at Raja-
buri, the Menam Chao Phya from its mouth as far up as Ayuthia, and

^lyp*!?^"

^^||:^^SSg^'

Figure 101. Toxotes chatareus (Hamilton). Drawn by Luang Masya ; courtesy of the
Thailand Government.
 — — — .

498 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

the lower Bangpakong. Besides being found in the Indo-Australian

Archipelago, Mala5^a, French Indo-China, and India, this species ex-
tends its range to Northwest and South Australia.
A length of 27 cm. is reported by Weber and de Beaufort, but
examples 20 cm. long are uncommon in Thailand, the largest specimens
examined have been 15.5 to 16 cm. long. Full maturity is attained at a
length of 10 cm.
TOXOTES MICROLEPSIS Gunther

Toxotes microlepsis Gunthee, 1860, vol. 2, p. G8 (Siam) 1864, p. 174 (Siam and
;

Cambodia). Bleekek, 1865 (356), p. 173 (Siam [after Giinther]). Sauvage,

ISSBb, p. 150 (Menam Chao Phya ) .— Hoka, 1923b, p. 177 (Bangkok, Nonta-
—
buri). FowLEB, 1934a, p. 155 (Bangkok). Webee and de Beaufort, 1936,
vol. 7, p. 202 (Siam).

Originally described from specimens collected in Thailand by Mou-

hot, this species has since been found in Borneo and Sumatra. It may
be recognized easily among the local species of Toxotes by the small
scales, 40 to 42 in the lateral series and 20 or 21 in crosswise series.

T. microlepsis is a river fish, and in Thailand it seems to push its

way farther inland than do the other species. It is common in the
lower Menam Chao Phya and it is found regularly as far north as
Ayuthia and Hangkraben. Specimens have been examined also from
the Nakon Nayok, one of the branches of the Bangpakong.
A length of 15 cm. is attained by the local specimens.
Order Gobioidea: Gobioid Fishes
The gobies constitute a rather diversified group occurring in Tem-
perate and Tropical Zones throughout the world but especially well
represented in the Tropics, and only the Arctic and Antarctic regions
are entirely destitute of them. About 300 genera and TOO species have
been described, and each year new genera and new species are added
to the long list. Some species have a very wide distribution, some
are markedly localized. Most of them are marine but many, including
both the largest and the smallest forms, frequent fresh water.
They are mostly small, carnivorous bottom dwellers, living along
the shores of bays, estuaries, and river mouths, and also in streams,
lakes, and swamps. Some are confined to coral reefs or coral heads
and tide pools, some lie on or are partly concealed in sandy bottoms,
some are among the most outstanding mud lovers among fishes. Some
regularly leave the water and chase insects on strand, on mud flats,
and in mangrove swamps. Some cling to the bottom of turbulent
streams. Some species, which pass most of their life in fresh water,
go down to the sea to spawn, thus exhibiting a definite catadromous
habit such as shown by the common fresh-water eels (Herre, 1927)
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 499

Outstanding and invariable physical features of the gobies are the

insertion of the ventral or pelvic fins in the thoracic region, under or
in advance of the pectorals, and the absence of a lateral line. The
shape of the ventral fins is a prime character used in the classification
of families, genera, and species in combination with the shape and
structure of the fins, the dentition, and the squamation. Osteological
characters of the order include the small number of vertebrae (not
exceeding 37) and reduction or even vestigial condition of the scapula
and coracoid.
The number and arrangement of the cutaneous papillae and pores
on the head in the gobies are very important in the study of the genera
and species. The subject is worthy of much more attention than has
heretofore been given except by a very few modern ichthyologists,
among whom may be especially mentioned Luigi Sanzo (1911) and
Isaac Ginsburg, of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. In
the present work it has not been possible to devote to the subject the
detailed study that is required in order to cover it thoroughly, but it
is known that many of the Oriental gobies, including those of Thailand,
present features of special interest in the development of the systems
of pores and papillae, and it is hoped that qualified students may find
opportunity to devote the necessary time and effort to the elucidation
of these organs, not neglecting their functions.
The nomenclature, taxonomy, and classification of many Oriental
gobies have been much involved. Important contributions to the
classification of Pacificand Oriental gobies have been made by Jordan,
Scale, Snyder, Fowler, Herre, Koumans, and others, but much remains
to bedone before a wholly satisfactory correlation of Indian, Burmese,
Thai, Malayan, Indo-Australian, Philippine, and Chinese forms can
be achieved.
In no other order of fishes does there exist such an opportunity to
add to the knowledge of the fish fauna of Thailand as in the gobies.
It is certain that many new or rare forms remain to be discovered,
and even among well-known species much valuable information may
be acquired in regard to habits, spawning, growth, variation, and
other characteristics.
Mention may be made here of a paper of special interest by Prof.
A. S. Pearse (1933), dealing chiefly with four goby species common on
the mud beaches near the mouth of the Menam Chao Phya. The gobies
are considered with reference to their ecology, evolutionary tenden-
cies, and parasites, and the following paragraphs are extracted from
Pearse's very valuable paper
The beach-skipping gobies are of particular interest because they are at pres-
ent in the very act of becoming land animals. They live on wet, mucky beaches
but are veritable terrestrial vertebrates and may live for several days out of
 ;

500 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

water. * * * The beach-skippers or mud-skippers, though they do not wander

far from water, have eyes well adapted for vision in air. In this respect they
are better adjusted to land life than species, such as the climbing-perch (AnaMs
testudineus) which often make long journeys overland but nevertheless have
,

eyes adapted for seeing in water. * * * Their eyes are better suited for
distant perception than those of fishes which are active in water. The fins and
tails of beach-skippers are also adjusted to locomotion in air. An active goby
can progress much faster than a man over a mud fiat. The skins of such fishes
are thicker than those of aquatic gobies and thus conserve water. * * * The
respiratory organs show anatomical and physiological adaptations for breathing
in air. * * *
Four species were studied in some detail * * * Periophthalmus koelreuteri
(Pallas), Periophthalmodon sclilosseri (Pallas), Boleophthalmus ioddaerti
(Pallas), and Glossogohius giuris (Hamilton).
The first three species lived on the mud flats, the third usually somewhat
lower down than the first and second, but all three went up and down together
with the tides and even invaded the zone above high-tide mark, where they hunted
for food among mangrove roots and hydrophytic plants. The first species was a
strictly aquatic goby, which never came out of the water. In Java, Harms * * *
found beach gobies arranged in more or less definite zones. This was not
true of the three common species at Paknam, which continually mingled to-
gether. Though these fishes lived together, they were not competing to any
extent. They were different in size, food, length of intestine, and type of
parasites. * * *

The long-intestined, vegetarian Boleophthalmus was the only fish which har-
bored intestinal flagellates. This agrees with the observation of Hegner * *
"

on the relation of diet to flagellate infestation in mammals. Tapeworm and

acanthocephalan cysts were present only in the largest land gobies. Adult
nematodes, tapeworms, trematodes, acanthocephalans, copepods, and Spmitecttis
cysts were found only in the aquatic goby. * * * Agamofilaria cysts occurred
in the carnivorous land gobies. Parasitic isopods * * * were often en-
countered on ti>e gills of all the gobies, but were most abundant on the aquatic
species. The largest land goby [Boleophthalmus] was most often infested with
parasites; hut the largest number of parasites per individual and the largest
number of species of parasites occurred on the aquatic goby. Perhaps the
former was more often infested because it visited a greater variety of habitats
perhaps tlie latter contained more parasites per individual because it lived
continually in water and was thus susceptible at all times to aquatic parasites.
By taking up land life, gobies appear to have escaped from certain types of
parasites.
Land gobies have also attained other desiderata by becoming terrestrial. They
move faster in air than in water and can thus, with their peculiarly adapted eyes
and limbs, seek food and escape enemies better than their aquatic relatives.
They probably escape some aquatic enemies besides parasites when they leave
the water. They also encounter new dangers in the way of astute enemies and
parasites. For example, the Agamofilaria cysts which occur in land gobies
probably come to maturity in fish-eating birds or naammals.
When a fish changes from an aquatic to a terrestrial mode of existence, pro-
found changes in its anatomy and physiology must take place. These must, in
such a highly organized animal as a fish, be accompanied by modifications in the
nervous system. * * * During past ages aquatic vertebrates undoubtedly
gave rise to land vertebrates. It appears probable that many aquatic types were
able to breathe air before they attained land life, probably as an adaptation to
lack of oxygen in shallow, stagnant bodies of water. * * *
 : ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 501

In speculations as to how and why animals have left the stable, dependable
ocean in order to take up a precarious existence in highly variable land habitats,
various factors have been stressed. Doubtless enemies, desirable foods, lack of
oxygen, reproduction, and other things have been more or less effective as con-
tributing causes to such migrations. The writer * * * ij^s suggested that an
important factor in the adjustments of animals to land life is the avoidance of
interspecific competition. Many species of animals along the shores of oceans are
arranged in definite zones and thus avoid competition. * * * Incidentally,
some of them acquire such qualities that they can live on land. The species of
beach gobies at Paknam are not arranged in definite zones but compete very little
with one another because they are somewhat specialized in their food habits.
They are thus together but not segregated. Wherever there is vacant territory
or habitat in nature there is a chance for a new species. Safety, unconsumed
resources, lack of competition, desirable breeding places, and other desiderata
make the enduring of new hardships expedient. Thus land animals have evolved
because certain types could avoid old competitions by acquiring new ranges of
adjustment so that they could live in vacant habitats.

In Thailand as in various other tropical or subtropical countries

the size, abundance, and food value of the gobies make them of con-
siderable economic importance. In the Philippines and elsewhere the
newly hatched young on their way from the sea back to the stream
from which their parents migrated are taken in immense quantities
and are the basis of an important industry.
Eather than attempt to separate the species living in fresh and in
brackish waters from those in brackish and salt waters, it has been
thought advisable in the case of the present order to depart from the
general treatment observed in the catalog and to enumerate all the
known local species. These are included in the following genera and
subgenera
la. Form not eellike; dorsal fins separate (rarely united at base).
2a. Eyes not stalked no free movable lower eyelid teeth in one or several to
; ;

many rows in each jaw; pectoral fins with no noteworthy muscular de-
velopment at their base.
3a. Ventral together but not joined
fins close Eleotridae
3&. Ventral united and having across their base a membrane or frenum
fins
which forms a sucking disk, or basal membrane partly or wholly
deficient Gobiidae
4a. Body more or head and body compressed or depressed
less elongate ;

head scaleless or partly scaled; body scaleless, partly scaled, or

fully scaled; gill openings restricted to sides or extending more or
less forward ventral fins united into a disk or joined basally with
;

or without a connecting membrane.

5a. Teeth in several rows in each jaw (in one row in upper jaw
in Oxyurichthys Gobiinae
56. Teeth in a single row in each jaw Sicydiinae
4b. Body elliptical and strongly compressed head and body entirely scale-
;

less or body covered with large ctenoid scales gill openings re-
;

stricted to sides ; ventral fins short, united into a disk or tube.

Gobiodontinae
590087 — 45 33
 ;;

502 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

2&. Eyes on short stalks and erectile above surface of head lower eyelid free
;

and movable; teeth in upper jaw in one or two rows; teeth in lower jaw
in one row, with no postsymphyseal canines pectoral fins with a
;

strongly developed muscular base; second dorsal fin with 12 to 15

branched rays Periophthalmidae
2c. Eyes on short stalks or not; lower eyelid free and movable or not; teeth
in upper jaw in one row teeth in lower jaw in one horizontal row, with
;

or without a pair of postsymphyseal canines pectoral fins without a

;

strongly developed muscular base ; second dorsal fin with 13 to 31

branched rays Apocrypteidae
1 h. Form very elongate and more or less eellike ;a single very long dorsal fin,
anal fin very long, both joined to caudal or closely approximated
thereto Gobioididae
6a. Ventral fins completely united into a funnel-shaped disk or more or less
separated and joined only at their base; above each opercle a slit
opening into a blind pouchlike cavity Trsrpaucheninae
Oft. Ventral fins united no pouchlike cavity above opercle
; Gobioidinae

Family ELEOTRIDAE: Sleepers

The eleotrid gobies are characterized, among other features, by the

more or less complete separation of the ventral which never form
fins,

a disklike sucking organ. They abound in bays and the mouths of

rivers, but some live exclusively on marine reefs, and some push their
way into the fresh parts of rivers or even into fresh-water lakes.
Those that have at times a fresh-water habitat are believed generally
to go into salt water to spawn. By far the largest of the gobies belong
in this family.
These fishes lie quietly on the bottom, and are able to obtain pro-
tection by adapting their color or color pattern to the surrounding
bottom.
Many of the local individuals of salt-water genera have a tendency
to push their way into the brackish or fresh parts of coastal streams;
and in order to render the treatment of the whole family more com-
plete all the genera represented in Thailand are included. They may
be differentiated as follows:
la. Ventral fins with 4 branched rays; body very elongated and strongly com-
pressed scales very minute, embedded, cycloid, covering body posteriorly
;

no scales anterior to first dorsal fin; mouth very oblique; teeth small,
pluriserial, none canine or caninoid; dorsal rays VI, 16 anal rays 15
;

caudal fin with several rays produced into filaments Herreolus

1?>. Ventral fins with 5 branched rays.

2a. Preopercle armed with a single decurved spine, which may be con-
cealed Eleotris
.

26. Preopercle unarmed.

3a. Vomer with a -semioval patch of minute teeth a large black white-edged
;

ocellus at upper base of caudal fin; scales very small (130 to 140 in
longitudinal series) Bostrichthys
 ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 503

36. Vomer without teeth.

4a. Head with bony crests in interorbital space and around eyes; scales
in longitudinal series 26 to 30a large black spot at base of pectoral
;

fin with two small white (pink) spots in the anterior part of the
black spot.
5a. Head long, pointed, its depth equal to its breadth lower jaw strongly
;

projecting supraorbital ridge low and smooth or nearly so_ Butis

;

5b. Head short, obtuse, its depth less than its breadth lower jaw very ;

slightly or not projecting; supraorbital ridge strongly serrated.

Prionobutis
4&. Head without bony crests in interorbital space and about eyes.
6a. Canine teeth absent.
7a. Scales in longitudinal series 30 to 40 ; branched rays in dorsal and
anal fins 7 to 9 Ophiocara
76. Scales in longitudinal series 60 to 90 ; branched rays in dorsal and
anal fins 8 to 10 Oxyeleotris
66. Canine teeth present.
8a. Lower jaw with one or several pairs of posterior canine teeth
scales ctenoid, 70 to 110 in longitudinal series branched rays of
;

dorsal and anal fins 11 to 18 Valenciennea

86. Lower jaw with one or two pairs of canine teeth behind symphysis ;

scales cycloid, 110 to 170 in longitudinal series branched rays of

;

dorsal and anal fins 19 to 32 Ptereleotris

Genus HERREOLUS H. M. Smith

Hirrrolu.s H. M. Smith. Journ. Siam Soc, Nat. Hist. Suppl., vol. 8, p. 190, 1931.
(Type, Heirea formosa H. M. Smith.)

The name Eerreolus (Smith, 1931d, September), was proposed for

Herrea (Smith, 1931a, March), which had been preoccupied by Whit-
ley in 1930. Another substitute for Herrea., namely, Ilerreich thys^ was
proposed by Koumans (1931), but that designation is an undoubted

synonym of Herreolus. Koumans' paper bears no date of publication

but the title page indicates that proof sheets were offered to the faculty
of science and natural history of the University of Leiden December 4,
1931, which would be the earliest possible date assignable to the
publication.
The original description of this genus was defective and incorrect in
a number of important elements. For instance, the definition left
doubtful the actual family, whether Gobiidae or Eleotridae, to which
the fish belongs. For this reason it is deemed desirable to offer a new
generic description and to indicate relationships.
The genus 'Herreolus is an eleotrid, having the ventral fins entirely
separate. The body is very elongate, and both body and head are
strongly compressed. The head is of moderate size, blunt, with large
eye, wide and flat interorbital, short snout, and very oblique mouth,
with maxillary extending to a point under anterior margin of eye. The
teeth are small and pluriserial, those in the outer row of the lower jaw
enlarged but not caninoid. The gill openings are restricted to the sides
 :

504 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

opposite the base of the pectoral fins, and the isthmus is correspond-
ingly broad. Posteriorly to the front of the dorsal fin the body is
covered with extremely minute cycloid scales, and the predorsal region
and head are naked; a row of large pores surrounds the eye. The
dorsal fins are contiguous, the having 6 spines, the second 16 rays
first

in the type species. The caudal

rounded, and one or two of the
fin is

median rays in each lobe are produced into short filaments. The anal
fin is like the second dorsal and has 15 rays. The ventrals are rather
long and pointed and consist of a spine and 4 branched rays. The
pectorals are of moderate length, with broad base, and contain 16 rays.
The possession of only 4 branched rays in the ventral fins separates
Herreolus from all the other local eleotrid gobies and associates this
genus with a small Oriental group of which Oxi/metopon Bleeker
(1861), Orthostovius Kner (1868), and Vireosa Jordan and Snyder
(1901) are other members. The single American genus, loglossus
(Bean, 1882, Gulf of Mexico), was placed by Jordan and Gilbert
(1882) in the subfamily Oxymetopontinae on the basis of 4 branched
ventral rays, and the Oriental eleotrids with the same feature of the
ventral fins are obviously referable to the same subfamily. The rela-
tions of Herreolus with the related Oriental genera are indicated as
follows
la. Chin with a large flat median barbel, which is followed by several smaller bar-
bels; body covered with minute embedded cycloid scales, head naked;
teeth in upper jaw in 2 series, the outer consisting of a few fanglike ca-
nines, the inner minute and simple and growing close to and between the
canines; lower jaw with canines at sides, 2 of them noticeably larger, and
minute teeth among the larger ones; outer rays of each caudal lobe pro-
longed into filaments; dorsal rays VI-25, anal rays 25, pectoral rays
21 (Japan) Vireosa
16. Chin without barbels.
2a. Top of head compressed into a scaly keel or crest; body covered with
minute deciduous ctenoid scales teeth in both jaws in several rows, the
;

outer row with larger teeth upper jaw with 4 canine teeth anteriorly,
;

outer row with larger teeth upper jaw with 4 canine teeth anterioi'ly,
;

and pointed dorsal rays VI-32, anal rays 32, pectoral rays 20 or 21 ( Sea
;

of Timor) . Oxynietopon
2b. Top of head not compressed into a keel or crest.
3a. Minute ctenoid scales regularly covering entire body and predorsal re-
gion to eyes fine canine teeth in both jaws and 4 fanglike teeth in mid-
;

dle; caudal fin obtusely rounded, none of the caudal rays produced
into filaments; dorsal rays VI-29, anal rays 30, pectoral rays 18
(Singapore) Orthostomus
36. Extremely minute embedded cycloid scales covering body to anterior
part of first dorsal fin no predorsal scales teeth in several rows,
; ;

those in anterior row in lower jaw enlarged a median ray in each

;

caudal lobe produced into a filament; dorsal rays VI-16, anal rays
15, pectoral rays 16 (Thailand) Herreolus
 .

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 505

HERREOLUS FORMOSUS (H. M. Smith)

Herrea formosa Smith, 1931a, p. 40 (Koh Chula).

This is a minute, apparently rare, species, first made known from a

specimen 2.3 cm. long taken in a tide pool on Koh Chula, off the Chant-
abun Estuary in Southeastern Thailand in 1930, and subsequently
found in a tide pool on Koh Samet, Southeastern region, where four
specimens 2.4 to 3 cm. long were caught in 1931.
Notwithstanding its very small size, this goby is rendered conspicu-
ous by its coloration Head and body pale olive-yellow; a broad black
:

lateral band from mouth, through lower half of eye to base of caudal fin
and thence in the lower part of that fin to its extremity a black median ;

dorsal band from tip of snout to base of caudal fin and thence spread-
ing out on the upper caudal rays all fins pale yellow.
;

Owing to the apparent loss of the type (U.S.N.M. No. 90324), never
received in the U. S. National Museum, it is proposed to designate as
a neotype one of the later specimens (U.S.N.M. No. 119611) and to
make neoparatypes of the other three specimens now in hand
(U.S.N.M. No. 119612).
It is a matter of considerable interest to note that Herre (1940) has
found this fish in the Philippines, and collected 11 specimens 12 to 31
mm. long in Negros and Basilan in 1936-37. At Port Holland,
Basilan, "a school of these fish lived in the growth on the piling of the
wharf, whence they would emerge and swim about freely on the sur-
face of the water, which is deep enough for ships to lie alongside the
dock. At the slightest alarm they would dart back into the protection
of the growth on the piling, so that it was very difficult to get at them."
Some of the Port Holland fish had an increased number of branched
rays in the dorsal (13 to 16) and anal (12 to 15) fins, but were otherwise
in full agreement with the original description calling for 12 such rays.
Herre's excellent halftone plate, the first representation of this species,
shows only five spines in the first dorsal fin, but the description of the
material indicates six spines.

Genus ELEOTRIS Bloch

Eleotris Bloch, in Schneider, Systema Ichthyologiae, p. 65, 1801. (Type,

--' Goiius pisonis Gmelin)

ELEOTRIS FUSCUS (Bloch)

Poecilia fusca Bloch, in Schneider, 1801, p. 453 ("Oriadeae insulae rivulis").

Eleotris fusca Fowlee, 1934a, p. 155 (Bangkok) 1935a, p. 160 (Bangkok) ; 1937,
;

p. 248 (Tachin).

This species, of very wide distribution in both fresh and salt waters
of the Orient (east coast of Africa, India, Ceylon, Malaya, Dutch East
 )

506 BULLETIN 1S8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Indies, Philippines, and other localities), has been reported by Fowler

for Bangkok and Tachin from a number of specimens 6.6 to 15.6 cm.
long. This fish is of a very retiring habit, and lies quietly on the bot-
tom when not in search of food.
A length of 25 cm. is reported from other waters.
Genus BOSTRICHTHYS Dumeril

Bostrichthys Dumeril, Zool. Anal., p. 120, 1806. (Type, Bostrychus sinensis

Lacep^de.

BOSTRICHTHYS SINENSIS (Lacepedc)

Bostrychus sinensis Lacepede, 1802, vol. 3, p. 141, pi. 14, fig. 2 (China).
Bostrichthys sinensis Suvatti, 1936, p. 149 (upper Bangpakong River).

This an extremely widespread species in the Pacific and Indian

is

Oceans. On the mainland of Asia it ranges from China to Malaya.

In Thailand it has not been often reported or recognized, and the only
definite records are for the lower Menam Chao Phya in the Bangkok
district and the upper Menam Bangpakong.
A length of about 16 cm. is attained in local waters.
The fish may be recognized by its brown body color marbled or
streaked with darker brown, its large black white-edged caudal ocellus,
its very small scales (up to 140 in longitudinal series), and its fine teeth

in a band in each jaw and in a semioval patch on the vomer.

Genus BUTIS Bleaker

Butis Bleekee (453), Arch. Neerl. Sci. Nat., vol. 9, p. 304, 1874. (Type, Butis
iutis (Bleeker) =Chcilodiptertis butis Hamilton.)

BUTIS BUTIS (Hamilton)

Cheilodipterus hutis Hamilton, 1822, pp. 57, 367 (Calcutta).

Butis melano stigma Bleekee, 1865 (347), p. 34 (Siam) 1865 (356),p.l74 (Siam>.
;

Eleotris butis Sauvage, lS83b, p. 151 (Menam Chao Phya).

Butis butis HoRA, 1923b, p. 179 (Nontaburi, Bangkok ) .—Fowler, 1934a, p. 157
(Bangkok) 1935a, p. 160 (Bangkok, Paknam, Keng Sok)
; 1937, p. 248 ;

(Bangkok, Tachin) 1939, p. 53 (Krabi).

;

From the Indo- Australian Archipelago and the Philippines, this

species ranges to Malaya, Thailand, and India, in salt, brackish, and
fresh water. In Thailand it has been found along the shores of the
Gulf of Siam from Patani to Chantabun, often pushing its way into
streams but never going very far from their mouth. Nontaburi on the
Menam Chao Phya is about as far inland as the fish has been detected.
Other rivers in which it has been collected are the Tapi near Bandon
and the lower Bangpakong.
 . ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 507

The species is small. The largest examples observed locally have

been 11.5 cm, long.
A vernacular name, apparently applied to no other species, is pla hu
klet kheng (hard-scale goby)

Genus PRIONOBUTIS Bleeker

Prionobutis Bleekee (453), Arch. N^evl. Sci. Nat., vol. 9, p. 305, 1874. (Type,
Eleotris dasyrhynchus Giinther.)

PRIONOBUTIS KOILOMATODON (Bleeker)

Eleotris koilomatodon Bleeker, 1849 (15), p. 21 (Surabaya and Kammal).

Prionobntis koilomatodon Fowlee, 1937, p. 248, fig. 259 (Paknam, Tachin).

This fish, ranging from India through the Indo-Australian Archi-

pelago to the Philippines and China, is almost exclusively a salt-water
form, but may be noticed here because of its reported occurrence in
the lower Menam Chao Phya and lower Tachin Kivers. specimen 3.3 A
cm. long was collected by Layang Gaddi November 27, 1929, near Pak
Jong, in headwaters of the Menam Mun in Eastern Thailand, and
another specimen 2.6 cm. long was taken by the writer March 17, 1930,
on Koh Chula, a rocky islet off the Chantabun Estuary in Southeastern
Thailand; and in both of these specimens the supraorbital ridge is
very strongly serrated. Herre (1927, p. 52) found the fish several

kilometers up the Pasig Kiver near Manila.

A length somewhat over 10 cm. is attained.

Genus OPHIOCARA Gill

Ophiocara Gnx, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Pliiladelpliia, 1863, p. 270, 1864. (Type,
Eleotris ophiocephalus Cuvier and Valenciennes.)

OPHIOCARA POROCEPHALA (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Eleotris porocephala Ctjviee and Vaxenciennes, 1837, vol. 12, p. 237 ( Seychelles
New Ireland).
Ophiocara porocephala Smith. 1934b, p. 325 (Chantabun Estuary, Paknam Wain,
Koh Chang, Patani, Singora).
This species has a wide distribution in the Indian and Pacific
Oceans. Thailand is well within its range and has yielded many
specimens from both fresh and salt waters, although there are few
published records of its occurrence. In addition to the localities in
Southeastern and Peninsular Thailand, noted above, specimens were
taken in October 1927 in the Patani River at Yamoo by Masya and
Suvatti, of the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries.
The maximum size recorded for local specimens is 21 cm. for a fish
from the Paknam Wain River May 21, 1931.
 : ;

608 BULLETIN 1S8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

The fishermen appl}^ to the fisli several distinctive names. On the

Paknam Wain Eiver, in Southeastern Thailand, the name pla chon
nam hem (salt-water serpent-head fish) is apt, as the fish bears a
strong superficial resemblance to an OphicephalU'S. In the Chantabun
section of Southeastern region, a vernacular name pla makua has refer-
ence to a local fruit (guava) with somewhat the same shape. At
Yamoo in Patani Province a name reported is pla hu hua man (fat-
head goby).
In his paper on fishes of the Tale Sap, Hora doubtfully records as
Ophioeara amhoiemsis (Bleeker) a fish only 17 mm. long.

Genus OXYELEOTRIS Bleeker

Oxyeleotris Bleekek (453), Arch. N^erl. Sci. Nat., vol. 9, p. 302, 1874. (Type,
Eleotris marmorata Bleeker.)

The genus Oxyeleotris^ established by Bleeker in 1874, with 0. mxir-

moratus as the type, is represented in the Thailand fauna by three
fresh-water species as follows
la. A large black light-edged ocellus at upper base of caudal fin.

70 to 75 predorsal scales about 30 no barbel

2a. Scales in longitudinal series ;
;

on upper jaw; snout scaly; general color dark green urophthalmus

2&. Scales in longitudinal series 90; predorsal scales 40; a short barbel on
upper jaw snout unsealed
; general color brown, whitish below
; 2 ;

oblique dark stripes radiating from eye on cheek siamensis

16. No ocellus at base of caudal fin scales in longitudinal series 70 to 90
;

general color yellowish, marbled with brown in large pattern brown ;

stripes along rows of scales marmoratus

OXYELEOTRIS UROPHTHALMUS (Bleeker)

Eleotris urophthalmus Bleekee, 1851 (45), p. 202 (Bandjermassing, Borneo) ;

1865 (347), p. 34 (Siam) ; 1865 (856), p. 174 (Slam).— Satjvage, 1883b, p. 151
(Menam Chao Phya).
Described from fresh water in rivers at Bandjermassing, Borneo,
and later recorded from rivers of New Guinea, this species was re-
ported from Thailand by Bleeker in 1865. The only other reference
to the fish in Thailand waters is that by Sauvage (1883b), who lists
it as being represented in a collection made in the Menam Chao Phya
by Dr. Harmand. The species has not been recognized in Thailand
in recent years.
The two specimens on which Bleeker based the species in 1851 were
11 and 14 cm. long.
This resembles O. siamensis in having a black light-edged ocel-
fish
lus at the upper base of the caudal fin. The apparent difi'erences as
brought out in the description by Bleeker are the fewer scales in the
longitudinal series, scaly snout, absence of a small barbel on each side
fii the upper jaw.
 — — . —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 509

OXYELEOTRIS SIAMENSIS (Gunther)

Eleotris siamensis Gunther, 1861, vol. 3, p. 129 (Siam) ; 1804, p. 174 (Siam and
Cambodia).— Bleeker, 1865 (356), p. 174 (Siam).
Oxyeleotris siamensis Hoba, 1923b, p. 179 (Bangkok, Nontaburi). Smith, 1930,
p. 58 (Siam).

The fish has its center of distribution in the lower Menam Chao
Phya, and in recent years is represented by many specimens from the
Bangkok region. and
It has been reported as far north as Nontaburi,
thence to Paknam. Another stream where the fish has been found to
abound is the Tapi River near Bandon, whence numerous living speci-
mens were received in Bangkok by the Bureau of Fisheries.
A maximum length of 17 to 20 cm. is shown by the specimens exam-
ined. A female 16 cm. long, from a canal in Tonburi, Bangkok, in
June had well-developed ovaries and would have spawned in a few
weeks. A fish kept in a glass jar for nearly a month remained motion-
less on the bottom without even a fin moving. The habit in a wild
state is to lie partly buried in soft mud in shallow water, and it is then
easily possible to catch the fish by hand.
The fish resembles Bostrichthys sinensis (Lacepede) and may easily
be mistaken therefor on superficial view. It may be recognized by its
dark-brown or smoky-blue general color, dark radiating lines behind
the eyes, black ocellus at upper base of the caudal fin, and very small
scales, 90 in longitudinal series.

OXYELEOTRIS MARMORATUS (Bleeker)

Eleotris marmorata Bleeker, 1852 (55), p. 424 (Bandjermassing, Borneo).

GiJNTHER, 1861, vol. 3, p. 123 (rivers of Siam).— Bleeker, 1865 (347), p. 34
(Siam) 1865 (356), p. 174 (Siam).— Sauvage, 1883b, p. 151 (Menam Chao
;

Phya).
Oxyeleotris marmorata Hora, 1923b, p. 179 (Bangkok, Nontaburi). Fowler,
1935a, p. 160 (CallieleotHs platycephalus noted as a synonym) (Bangkok) ;

(Bangkok).
1937, p. 248
Oxyeleotris marmoratus Smith, 1930, p. 58 (Siam).
Callieleotris platycephalus Fowler, 1934a, p. 156, figs. 123, 124 (Bangkok)

The range
of this species covers Borneo, Sumatra, Malaya, and
Thailand. Locally it occurs throughout the Menam Chao Phya as far
north as Paknampo, in Bung Borapet, in the Menam Lopburi, in the
Menam Tachin (at Phra Pathom), and in the Peninsula, where there
is a record of a specimen taken in the Tale Noi.
This not only the largest of the local gobies, but it is also one of
is

the largest in the world. Examples 30 to 40 cm. long are not infre-
quently met with, and a maximum length of 50 cm. is reported.
In the Thai vernacular this fish is called pla hu and pla hu sai (sand
goby).
 :

510 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Genus VALENCIENNEA Bleeker

Valenoiennea Bleekeb (390), Versl. Meded. Akad. Wet. Amsterdam, vol. 2, p. 275,
1868. (Type, Eleotris hasselti Bleeker.)

VALENCIENNEA MURALIS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Eleotris muralis CuviE2i and "Valenciennes, 1837, vol. 12, p. 253, pi. 357 (Tukopia).

Thailand is included in the very wide range of this goby, which

extends from India to Australia, East Indies, Philippines, and some
of the islands of the Fiji and Samoan groups. In local waters the
fishhas not been found to be common, and the few local records are
from Southeastern Thailand. Two specimens, 5.6 and 5.7 cm., were
taken by the writer in March 1930 in a tide pool in the Chantabun
Estuary, and one specimen of 6.4 cm. was obtained by H. G. Deignan in
May 1937 in a tide pool on Koh Chang.
Genus PTERELEOTRIS Gill

Ptereleotris Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat Sci. Philadelphia, 1863, p. 271, 1864. (Type,
Eleotris microlepis Bleeker.)

Among the eleotrid gobies this genus stands out prominently because
of very numerous rays in the anal and second dorsal fins, the rays
being described as undivided the body covered with minute cycloid
;

scales (150 or more in longitudinal series), with the head scaleless;

one or two jDairs of postsymphyseal canine teeth in the lower jaw; and
caudal fin either truncate or emarginate.
The genus was named by Gill in 18G3, with Eleotris microlepis
Bleeker designated as the type. In the first description of the genus,
given by Bleeker in 1874 (453), an important feature is the nondivided
condition of the anal and second dorsal soft rays. Herre (1927, p. 83)
reaffirms this peculiarity of the genus but in his figure of a new species
(dispersus) from the Philippines he shows all those rays fully divided.
Two species are ascribed to Thailand

la. Second dorsal and anal rays 26 to 29 an oblique black stripe at base of lower
;

pectoral rays; no black spot on base of caudal fin microlepis

15. Second dorsal and anal rays 19 or 20 no black stripe at base of pectoral rays;
;

a roundish jet black spot on base of median caudal rays stigmaturus

PTERELEOTRIS MICROLEPIS (Bleeker)

Eleotris microlepis Bleeker, 1856 (149), p. 102 (Banda).

Originally described from the East Indies, this species was subse-
quently reported from east Africa (Play fair, 1866, p. 75, pi. 9, fig. 5)
and herein noted from Thailand. On March 10, 1926, on an exposed
is

tide flaton the island of Pipidon, off the west coast of Thailand in
the Bay of Bengal, the writer found several specimens under a stone
in company with a holuthurian and ophiurans.
 —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 511

A length of 12 cm. is recorded for the species, but the Thailand

specimens were less than half that size.
The oblique black stripe across the lower base of the pectoral fin is
a characteristic feature of the fish.

PTERELEOTRIS STIGMATURUS. new species

Figure 102

—
Description. Elongate, slender; body and head rather strongly
compressed, dorsal profile from head to caudal fin nearly horizontal,
ventral profile slightly decurved; depth 5.2 in standard length; least
depth of caudal peduncle 0.5 depth of body; head 4.2 in standard
length, its width contained 2.5 times in its length mouth very oblique, ;

lower jaw projecting, maxillary extending to a point under anterior

margin of eye teeth pluriserial, small, a pair of canines behind sym-
;

physis of lower jaw; snout short, less than eye and about equal to
interorbital space; branchial openings separated by a broad isthmus.
Squamation Head scaleless body covered with minute, embedded
: ;

cycloid scales, about 100 or 115 more in longitudinal series.

//// /f¥////r/^f.

Figure 102. Pureleoiris stigmaturus, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 119639)
Drawn by Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

Fins: Dorsal fins well separated; first dorsal rays VI, the longest
0.6 length of head rays in second dorsal 19 or 20, the longest equal to
;

the longest in the first fin; caudal fin as long as head, its posterior
edge slightly emarginate; anal fin similar to second dorsal, its origin
slightly posterior to origin of latter, its rays 20; all rays of dorsal
and anal fins unbranched; ventral with bases close together, the
fins

finsnarrow, pointed, and 0.6 length of head; pectoral fins somewhat

shorter than head and 1.5 times length of ventrals.
Coloration (in life) Generally milky white; a large jet-black spot
:

on the base of the middle rays of the caudal fin fins otherwise plain. ;

Type and paraty pes.—The type (U.S.N.M. No. 119639), 2.6 cm.
long, was taken in the estuary of the Chantabun Kiver, Southeastern
Thailand, April Eight other specimens taken
5, 1930. at the same
time and place are paratypes, U.S.N.M. No. 119640.
 : ;

512 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Remarks. —^This fish may be distinguished from the previously de-

scribed species of Ptereleotris by the reduced number of rays (19 or
20) in the anal and second dorsal fins (which rays in species of the
Indo-Australian Archipelago number 28 to 32 and in a Philippine
species 25), by the conspicuous jet-black spot on the base of the caudal
fin, and other characters. In P. heteropterus Bleeker from fresh
water in Borneo, the median caudal rays are black throughout and
the anal and second dorsal rays number 30 to 32.

Family GOBIIDAE: Gobies

As far as genera, species, and individuals are concerned, the great

majority of gobies belong to this family. Most of the local species
are small, and some of them exhibit much beauty of color, much
shapeliness of body, and interesting habits and habitats. Some spe-
cies are found as far inland as the headwaters of rivers in mountain
streams, in which the ventral cup assists in maintaining their posi-
tion; others inhabit the lower courses of the large rivers; a few live
indifferently in either fresh or brackish water; and many are estu-
arine or coastal. The genera herein recognized number 25. Those
most closely related are not always easily distinguishable from each
other, hence the following key must be used with discrimination

la. General shape elliptical body strongly compressed, the depth 2 to 3 times the
;

width dorsal tins contiguous or united basally ventral fins short, united,
; ;

forming a disk or tube gill openings restricted to sides, opposite base of

;

pectorals; teeth in several rows in each jaw, a pair of postsymphyseal

canines in lower jaw.
2a. Head and body scaleless, covered with thick skin Gobiodon
26. Head naked, body covered with large ctenoid scales Paragobiodon
16. General shape moderately to very elongate; head and body compressed or
depressed head partly scaled to entirely naked body scaled or naked
; ;

dorsal fins well separated ventral fins wholly united and provided with a
;

basal membrane, or united only at their base and the basal membrane more
or less deficient gill openings restricted to sides or extending more or
;

less forward ;teeth in one, several, or numerous rows in each jaw.

3ff. First dorsal fin with 5 spines.

4a. Teeth in both jaws uniserial head and anterior part of body scaleless,
;

body covered with weak ctenoid scales behind first dorsal fin second
;

dorsal fin with 8 branched rays, anal fin with 11 branched rays.
Gobiopterus
46. Teeth in both jaws pluriserial head scaleless, body fully scaled second
; ;

dorsal and anal fins with 6 to 8 branched rays.

5a. Very elongate; mouth small, maxillary not reaching vertical from
anterior edge of eye; lower jaw with numerous short fleshy fila-
ments scales cycloid, about 39 in longitudal series
; Pipidonia
56. Moderately elongate, mouth exceedingly large, maxillary extending on
preopercle; lower jaw with no fleshy filaments; scales ctenoid,
about 29 in longitudal series Eugnathogobius
 . ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 513

36. First dorsal fin with 6 spines; teetli pluriserial in both jaws (uniserial
in one jaw in Oxyurichtliys) ; head naked or partly scaled; body fully
scaled.
6a. Maxillary greatly produced backward, extending to, or nearly to,
or onto the preopercle.
la. Lower jaw and snout with short barbels Pogonogobius
76. Lower jaw and snout without barbels head depressed or com- ;

pressed.
So. Head depressed, scaled on opercle and to eyes ; tongue truncate
or emarginate.
9a. Branched dorsal and anal rays 6 or 7; caudal fin short,
bluntly pointed most anterior scale on top of head large,
;

median, unpaired gill openings wide, isthmus narrow

;

interorbital space narrow, less than eye__ Pseudogobiopsis

96. Branched dorsal and anal rays 8; caudal fin short, rounded;
no anterior median unpaired scale on top of head gill ;

openings restricted, isthmus narrow, interorbital space

wide, twice eye Gnathogobius
86. Head strongly compressed, unsealed on top and on opercles
branched dorsal and anal rays 9 or 10 tongue rounded. ;

Mahidolia
66. Maxillary not greatly produced backward, extending to, under, or
slightly behind eye.
lOfT. Teeth in upper jaw in one row, strong, caninoid teeth in lower ;

jaw in 2 to 4 rows, inner row may be enlarged branched dorsal ;

and anal rays 10 to 13 caudal fin long and pointed.

;

Oxyurichthys
106. Teeth in both jaws pluriserial.
11a. Upper pectoral rays free and silky head depressed top of ; ;

head scaled backward from eyes; tongue bilobed.

Bathygobius
116. Upper pectoral rays not free and silky (except in some species
of Acentrogohius)
12a. Scales ctenoid posteriorly, often becoming cycloid anteriorly,
24 to 50 in longitudinal series.
13c. Top, sides, and under parts of head with conspicuous
ridges and flaps of skin 48 to 50 scales in longitudinal
;

series; predorsal scales extending over anterior part

of opercles or nearly to eyes opercles and preopercles
;

with embedded scales tongue rounded ; Macgregorella

136. Head without ridges and flaps of skin.
14a. Scales on opercle, if any, cycloid.
15a. Scales on top of head extending to or between eyes.
16a. Foremost scale in median line on top of head large
and unpaired; head compressed; opercles scaled
or not outer row of teeth in each jaw enlarged
;

outer row in lower jaw extending only half length

of jaw, last teeth not strongly developed a pair ;

of postsymphyseal canines and some canines in

inner row of lower jaw may be present ; tongue
rounded Stigmatogobius
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514 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

16&. Noenlarged unpaired scale in median line on top of

head anteriorly.
17a. Head compressed or cylindrical.
IScf. Opercle and preopercle more or less covered

with large scales, scaled only on upper part,

or scaleless head compressed gill openings
; ;

restricted scales on top of head not extend-

;

ing between eyes some teeth enlarged.

;

Ida. Scales in longitudinal series 25 to 45; teeth

in outerand inner rows of both jaws en-
larged and caninoidteeth in outer row of
;

lower jaw extending only half length of

jaw, the last teeth recui-ved canines tongue ;

truncate to bilobate; branched dorsal and

anal rays 6 to 12 Acentrogobius
19&. Scales in longitudinal series 50 to 75; teeth
in outer row of both jaws enlarged, those
in outer row of lower jaw extending only
half length of jaw, the last teeth recurved
canines tongue rounded or truncate
;

branched dorsal and anal rays 12 to 16.

Amblygobius
18&. Opercle, and cheek fully covered
preopercle,
with large scales, which may be in regular
horizontal rows separated by longitudinal
grooves scales in longitudinal series 24 to
;

32 outer row of teeth in each jaw enlarged,

;

last teeth in outer row of lower jaw may be

canine, or caninoid.
20a. Head compressed interorbital space narrow,
;

0.5 diameter of eye or less scales on top of

;

head extending to eyes or very slightly into

interorbital space; scales on cheek and pre-
opercle forming an unbroken covering or
divided by a horizontal groove- Gnatholepis
20&. Head cylindrical; interorbital space wide,
more than diameter of eye; scales on top
of head extending on interorbital space
nearly to line from anterior margin of eyes
scales on cheek and preopercle in about 6
horizontal bands divided by 4 horizontal
grooves Aulopareia
18c. Opercle, preopercle,and cheek naked; scales on
body ctenoid, confined to posterior part, and
22 to 30 in longitudinal series teeth in upi)er
;

jaw with outer row enlarged, in lower jaw

with inner row enlarged, no canines.
Zonog'obius
17fi. Head depressed.
21a. Operclemore or less covered with large scales,
preopercle and cheek naked scales in longi-
;

tudinal series 23 to 40; no teeth noticeably

enlarged; tongue truncate or slightly emar-
ginate Vaimosa
 ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 515

21&. Opercle and preopercle sometimes with a few

large scales on upper part ; scales in longitu-
dinal series 25 to 40 outer and inner rows of
;

teeth in each jaw enlarged, unequal, wide-set,

outer gill openings wide
row curved ;
chin ;

tongue bilobed
prominent ; Glossogobius
17c. Head globose upper part of ojjercle, preopercle,
;

and cheek with patches of small scales scales in ;

longitudinal series 29 to 40 teeth in 4 to 6 rows ;

in front of each jaw, reduced to 2 or 3 rows at

sides outer row more or less enlarged a pair
; ;

of recurved canines laterally on lower jaw

tongue truncate mouth small, maxillary usu-
;

ally not reaching vertical from anterior margin

of eye Creisson
156. Scales on top of head not extending to eyes.
22o. Predorsal scales not extending beyond opercle oper- ;

cle and preopercle naked; scales in longitudinal

series 38 to 42 teeth in upper jaw with outer row
;

enlarged, in lower jaw with inner row enlarged,

some teeth at symphysis of lower jaw and poste-
riorly may be canine or caninoid tongue truncate ;

or slightly emarginate caudal fin bluntly or acute-

;

ly pointed Oligolepis
22&. Head nearly or entirely naked sometimes a post- ;

orbital row of scales extending above opercle;

scales in longitudinal series 25 to 45 ; teeth in outer
row of each jaw enlarged, in outer row of lower
jaw extending only half length of jaw, the last
tongue broadly rounded, trun-
teeth caniniform ;

cate, emarginate, or mucronate Ctenogobius

146. Scales on opercle ctenoid, head otherwise naked; pre-
dorsal region naked, with a median groove scales in ;

longitudinal series about 25 outer row of teeth in each

;

jaw enlarged, no canines ; tongue truncate ;

gill open-
ings restricted, isthmus broad Brachygobius
126. Scales cycloid, 75 to 140 in longitudinal series; head com-
pressed opercles and cheeks naked tongue truncate max-
; ; ;

illary extending beyond eye; caudal fin obtusely to

acutely pointed and longer than head gill openings very ;

wide Cryptocentrus

Genus GOBIODON Bleeker

Gobiodon Bleekek (151), Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl. Indie, vol. 11, p. 407, 1856.
(Type, Goiiodon heterospilos Bleeker.)

The gobies of this genus are widely distributed in the Pacific and
Indian Oceans and easily recognizable by their small size oyate, com- ;

pressed, scaleless body; large, deep head; small, oblique mouth; plu-
riserial teeth, with postsymphyseal canines in lower jaw; dorsal fins
contiguous or partly united short rounded caudal, and pectorals, and
;

very small, cup-shaped ventrals. The color variations have given rise
 : ;

516 BULLETIN IS 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

to many nominal species. Two local species are recorded, which may
be differentiated as follows
la. Head deeper than long ;
profile in front of eyes snbvertical ; head and body
green, with 5 irregular scarlet cross bands on head and about 5 scarlet
longitudinal bauds on body interspersed with scarlet spots on back; a black
spot at upper end of opening i)ectorals and ventrals uniform green
gill ;

dorsal, caudal, and anal green at base, yellow distally head and body
fins ;

may lack red bars, all fins may be plain green, and black spot at upper end
of gill opening may be absent verticalis
16. Head about as long as deep profile in front of eyes strongly arched but not
;

subvertical; head and most of body red, back and caudal peduncle dark
brown or reddish brown head with about 6 narrow wavy cross lines of
;

silvery blue, a straight silvery blue line from origin of first dorsal fin across
pectoral base; all fins reddish brown; a pale line at bases of dorsal and
anal fins rivulatus

GOBIODON VERTICALIS Alleyne and Macleay

Plate 8, a, &

Qobiodon verticalis Atjeyne and Macleay, 1877, p. 333, pi. 12, fig. 4 (New
Guinea).— Smith, 1933a, p. S3 (Gulf of Siam).
Originally described from New Guinea, this species is now known
from Australia, Polynesia, and the Gulf of Siam.
Of four specimens, 2.5 to 4 cm. long, taken by the writer in coral
heads at Koh Tao, the two largest, 3.5 and 4 cm. long, were uniformly
green with red bands on head and body, while the two smallest, 2.5
and 2.8 cm. long, possibly females, were uniformly green without any
red bands. Another lot, collected by Masya Chitrakarn and Boon
Chuay Indrambarya among corals on Koh Kahten, comprised seven
specimens, 3.5 to 4 cm. long, all of which showed red bands on head
and body.
GOBIODON KIVULATUS (Ruppell)

Plate 8, c

Gobius rivulatus RiJppELL, 1828, p. 138 (.Tubal Island, Abyssinia).

Gobiodon rivulatus Smith, 1933a, p. 82 (Gulf of Siam).

Hanging from the Red Sea and Madagascar to Australia, Polynesia,

and China, this species was to be expected in Thailand waters. A lot
of eight specimens was collected by the writer in coral heads at Koh
Tao, Gulf of Siam. Two of these specimens were removed from a
coral clump that had been snagged at a depth of 30 meters. One fish,
placed in a bottle of sea water, adhered to the glass, head downward,
by its small ventral fins serving as a sucking disk. Other specimens
have been taken at Koh Kahten.
The maximum size represented by these specimens was 4 cm.
 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 188 PLATE 8

Mf

Two SPECIES OF SIAMESE GOBIES

A, B, (Jobiodon vcrticalis AUcyne and Macleay, showing two color phases; C, Gohiodon
rivulatus (Ruppell). Drawn b\- Luang Masya; courtesy of the Thailand Government.
U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 188 PLATE 9

X^VVV^"-"^*'

B
Two NEW SIAMESE GOBIES
A, Vaimosa rambaiae, new species: Type (U. S. N. M. No. 119646); B, Cryptocenlrus
callbpterus, new species: Type (U. S. N. M. No. 119572). Drawn by Luang Masya;
courtes\- of the Thailand Government.
 ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 517

Genus PARAGOBIODON Bleeker

ParagoUodon Bleekeb (453), Arch. N6erl. Sci. Nat., vol. 9, p. 309, 1874. (Type,
Oobitis melanosoma Bleeker=Go6iMS gohiodon Day?)

The genus Paragohiodon of Bleeker is readily distinguishable from

Gobiodon of Bleeker by having the body fully covered with large
ctenoid scales. These two genera, with PseudogoModon of Bleeker
characterized by the absence of scales and the absence of post-sym-
physeal canine teeth, constitute the subfamily Gobiodontinae (phal-
anx Gobiodontini of Bleeker, 1874). The oblong-ovate body is com-
pressed, the head is obtuse and scaleless, the teeth are pluriserial and
simple, the mouth is small and curved, theopenings are restricted
gill
with 6 spines in
to the side of the head, the dorsal fins are contiguous,
the first dorsal and 9 to 11 branched rays in the second dorsal, the
caudal fin is rounded, and the anal has 9 or 10 branched rays.

PARAGOBIODON KERRI H. M. Smith

Paragotiodon kerri Smith, 1931a, p. 42, fig. 20 (Koh Tao).

This minute but very striking goby remains known only from the
type, taken from a small coral head in shallow water on Koh Tao in
1928. The body in life was brownish red, darker on back, abdomen
pale yellow, head pale crimson, and all the fins except the ventrals
were uniformly jet-black, the ventrals being black at base and dusky
distally.

Genus GOBIOPTERUS Bleeker

Gobiopterus Bleeker (453), Arch. N6erl. Sci. Nat, vol. 9, p. 311, 1874. (Type,
Apocryptes hrachypterus Bleeker.)

The gobies referable to this genus are of very small size, and inhabit
fresh and salt lakes, streams, and estuaries in eastern India, Thailand,
Malaya, and some East Indian islands. Since Bleeker established the
genus for the accommodation of a species {hrachypterus) from Java,
very few species have been recognized. The principal generic char-
acters are: Transparent body; very oblique, nearly vertical mouth;
wide-spaced uniserial conic teeth in both jaws, with a pair of post-
symphyseal canines in the lower jaw; bilobate tongue; scaleless head;
weak ctenoid scales covering all of the body or only the part posterior
to the pectoral base 5 spines in the first dorsal fin, 6 to 8 branched
;

rays in the second dorsal, and 7 to 13 branched rays in the anal fin
ventral fins united into a long, narrow tube.
Gohiopterus is the only local genus referable to the subfamily Si-
cydiinae, as established by Gill in 1860. The action of Koumans
(1931) in coining a new subfamily name, Sicydiaphiinae, based on the
generic names Sicydium and Aphia, does not seem to have been desir-
590087—45 34
 —
:

518 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

able or sound. The International Rules of Zoological Nomenclature

provide for the formation of a family or subfamily name from the stem
name of its type genus, thus excluding the use of two or more generic
names in forming a new family or subfamily name.
The local species comprise one common and well-known form and
one whose status is doubtful but which may be identified tentatively
with the JaA'an form. They may be distinguished by the following
characters
Irt. Caudal fin truncate ; body white, translucent, a few round black spots on side
and abdomen and a row of minute black spots at base of anal fin chuno
1&. Caudal fin obtusely rounded; body greenish translucent; upper lip black; a
faint black band on anal fin brachypterus

GOBIOPTERUS CHUNO (Hamilton)

Figure 103

GoUus chiino Hamilton, 3822, pp. 53, 366 (below Calcutta).

Gohiella peUucida Smith, 1931a, p. 33, lig. 16 (Bangkok).— Fowleb, 1937, p. 248
(Bangkok).
Oobiopterns chuno MuiiERji, 1936, p. 9, figs. 1, 2 (Bangkok, Tale Sap; Singapore;
India).

Minute transparent gobies found in abundance in fresh water in

Bangkok appeared to represent a new genus and new species and were
described under the name Gohiella pellucida. It subsequently de-
veloped that Gohiopterus Bleeker (1874 [453] with the type
(brachypteinis) from Java, is an earlier name for the same kind of
goby, and Gohiella became a synonym.

Figure 103. GobiopUrus chuno (Hamilton). Drawn by Na,i Chote Suvatti; courtesy
of the Thailand Government;

Hamilton (1822), under the [Link] GoMus chimo, described a fish

that for over a hundred years seems to have been left in an uncertain
.status until Hora (1934), collecting in the type locality, the mouth of
the Ganges, was able to reidentify the species and give it proper generic
allocation. Hamilton's description w^as so defective in essential par-
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 519

and Day (1870-78) made no men-

ticulars that Giinther (1861, vol. 3)
tion of the species. It remained for Mukerji (1936) to point out that
GohieUa pellucida from Thailand, as well as Gobiella birtwistlei Herre
(1934) from Singapore, is specifically the same as Gohiopterus chuno.
Mukerji gave figures of the jaws and teeth and of the tongue based on
specimens from Bangkok. These figures show a single row of wide-
spaced conical teeth in each jaw, with a pair of postsymphyseal canines
in the lower jaw, and a bilobed tongue.
There appears to be a numerical disproportion of the sexes, the
females being more numerous in every lot collected, in the ratio of 2 or
4 to 1. Fully mature fish of both sexes range from 18 to 21 mm, in total
length, with no difference in the average size of males and females.
The transparent abdominal walls permit a clear view of the eggs.

GOBIOPTERUS BRACHYPTERUS (Blecker)

Apocryptes Irachypterus Bleekeb, 1855 (138), p. 401 (Java).

Micrapocryptes sp. Hoba, 1924a, p. 495, fig. 7 (Tale Sap).

This species was first described as Apocryptes hrachypt&rus by

Bleeker and later made the type of his genus Gobiopterus. Hora
(1924a) reporting on fishes collected in the Tale Sap by Dr. Annandale,
found two specimens, 16.5 and 18 mm. long, which were referred to
Hora's new Indian genus Micrapocryptes^ which Hora later synony-
mized with Gohiopterus. The specimens could not be identified sat-
isfactorily as to species but were thought by Hora to be closest to
Gohiopterus hrachypterus from Java. On the basis of the foregoing
information, the assignment of this species to Thailand, while entirely
plausible, must be regarded as tentative.

Genus PIPIDONIA H. M. Smith

Pipidonia H. M. Smith, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 79, art. 7, p. 39, 1931. (Type,
Pipidonia quinquecincta H. M. Smith. )

PIPIDONIA QUINQUECINCTA H. M. Smith

Pipidonia quinquecincta Smith, 1931a, p. 39, fig. 19 (Koh Pipidon).

This rare goby is known from

a specimen, 2.6 cm. long, taken in a
tide pool on the island ofPipidon lying a short distance off the west
coast of Peninsular Thailand south of Puket. The type, assigned
U.S.N.M. No. 90317, appears not to have been received hence it is not ;

possible to verify and amplify certain details of the original descrip-

tion. Especially desirable is the verification of the presence of five
spines in the first dorsal fin, Thai
as represented in the dravv'ing of a
artistand as independently determined by the writer.
Attention should be drawn to the goby called Hetereleotris arenarius:
by Snyder (1908, p. 100; 1912, p. 513, pi. 67, fig. 3), based on a few
 —
520 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

specimens from the islands of Kiushii and Okinawa, Japan. Although

the genus Hetereleotris belongs in the family Eleotridae, with ventral
fins separated, Snyder's description specifies united ventral fins, which
would make the fish one of the Gobiidae. The figure of H. arenarius
is strongly suggestive of Pipidonia, in which genus the fish was placed

by Tomiyama (Gobiidae of Japan, 1936) with a question as to whether

,

Pipidonia quinqiiecincta may not be Hetereleotris arenarius. The

similarity is close but the differences in structure and coloration are
suflScient to separate the two species.

Genus EUGNATHOGOBIUS H. M. Smith

Eugnathogo'bius H. M. Smith, Proc. U. S. INat. Mus., vol. 79, art. 7, p. 37, 1931.
(Type, Eugnatlxogo'bius microps H. M. Smith.)

EUGNATHOGOBIUS MICROPS H. M. Smith

Eugnathogobius microps Smith, 1931a, p. 37, fig. 18 (Bangpakong River).

Described from a specimen, 3.3 cm. long, from the lower Bangpa-
kong Kiver in Central Thailand, this species has been found in other
parts of that river, including the upper reaches where the water is
quite fresh. It has not been reported from other localities but should
be expected in the lower Menam Chao Phya, the lower Tachin, and
other rivers discharging into the head of the Gulf of Siam.
The fish may be recognized by its small size, very large oblique
mouth, which extends nearly to the posterior margin of the preopercle,
small eyes on the top of the head, and comparatively plain coloration,
together with naked head, dorsal rays V-I, 7, anal rays I, 6, and con-
spicuous rows of pores on the top and sides of the head and along the
ramus of the lower jaw.
During a number of years the fish was taken as far up the Bangpa-
kong Kiver as the town of Petrieu. The genotype, a male 3.3 cm. long,
has the maxillary contained 1.4 times in the head and equal to the
postorbital space. In a female 3.1 cm. long from Petrieu, the max-
illary is 0.5 the length of the head. Paratypes in the U. S. National
Museum bear the numbers 119591 and 119593.

Genus POGONOGOBIUS H. M. Smith

Fogonogobius H. M. Smith, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 79, art. 7, p. 37, 1931.
(Type, OoMus planifrons Day.)

POGONOGOBIUS PLANIFRONS (Day)

OoMus planifrons Day, 1873, p. 108 (Bombay).

Fogonogobius planifrons Smith, 1931a, p. 37 (Menam Chao Phya at Paknam,
Chantabun Estuary). Fowleb, 1935a, p. 161 (Paltnam).
The genus Pogonogohius (Smith, 1931a) has a single known species,
P, planifrons (Day) (1873) , recorded from India and Thailand. The
 —

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 521

peculiar generic characters are the compressed body greatly depressed ;

head large nearly horizontal mouth, with jaws reaching far beyond
;

the eyes; small teeth in several rows in each jaw, none canine; about 8
fleshy barbels on each side of the snout, 1 large pair of barbels on the
chin, and 1 pair on each side of the lower jaw under the anterior
nostrils; body covered with ctenoid scales, about 46 in longitudinal
series, opercles and cheeks naked; conspicuous rows of pores on
opercles, cheeks, snout, and under side of lower jaw dorsal rays VI-I, ;

9 or 10, anal rays I, 9 or 10.

Locally the fish is found in brackish and fresh water. It was first
met with at Paknam on the Menam Chao Phya in June 1927, when two
specimens, 6.5 and 7.5 cm. long, were taken. In 1935 Fowler reported
one, 7.8 cm. long, from the same place. From the Chantabun Estu-
ary in Southeastern Thailand three specimens 6.8 to 8.7 cm. long were
July 1928.
collected in
Day's type was 10 cm. long.

Genus PSEUDOGOBIOPSIS Koumans

Pseudogobiopsis Koxtmans, Zool. Meded., vol. 18, p. 131, 1935. (Type, Gobiopsis
oUgactis Bleeker.)

PSEUDOGOBIOPSIS OLIGACTIS (Bleeker)

Gobiopsis oligactis Bleeker (461), Arch. Neerl. Sci. Nat., vol. 10, p. 113, 1875
(Amboyna).
Pseudogobiopsis oligactis Kotjmans, 1935, p. 131, fig. 4 (Bangpakong River, Am-
boyna, Indo-Australian Archipelago). Fowler, 1937, p. 251 (Bangkok).

The known range of this species is restricted. The type, and the
only specimen referred to by Bleeker, was found by Koumans in the
Royal Natural History Museum in Leiden, together with five addi-
tional specimens in the Bleeker collection, and one without indication
of locality in the Zoological Museum in Amsterdam. The only other
habitat is Thailand in two of the large rivers debouching into the head
of the Gulf of Siam.
Excellent series of 25 specimens were taken by the writer in the
Bangpakong River in June 1928 and 35 specimens in June 1933, and 12
specimens were reported by Fowler (1937) as coming from the Menam
Chao Phya at Bangkok. Two of the specimens from the Bangpakong,
sent to Dr. Koumans were used by him in defining the genus
in 1934,
PseudogoMopsis.
The type was 2.6 cm. long. Other Bleekerian specimens were up to
5.3 cm. The largest Thailand examples are 4.5 cm.
In his description of Pseudogohiopsis oligactis^ Koumans (1935)
stated that the maxillary extends to the posterior margin of the opercle.
In his 1931 paper, p. 66, he described the genus Gobiopsis, which then
included oligactis, as having the maxillary "prolonged posteriorly to
 ;;;

522 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

the posterior margin of preoperculum." Koumans' figure, together

with the specimens now in hand, shows that the long maxillary reaches
no farther backward than the anterior margin of the preopercle.

GNATHOGOBIUS, new genus

Genotype. — Gnathogobius aXiceae^ new species.

Moderately elongate body compressed head broad, depressed, flat

; ;

interorbital space wide; mouth large, maxillary produced backward

nearly or quite to opercle; tongue truncate; in upper jaw an outer row
of small teeth and a row of very fine teeth behind, in lower jaw a pluri-
serial patch of small teeth anteriorly, with some of the lateral teeth
enlarged but none canine or caninoid gill openings restricted to sides,
;

isthmus broad; body covered with weakly ctenoid scales becoming

cycloid anteriorly; region in front of dorsal fin fully scaled to eyes;
opercle, base of pectoral fin, and breast scaled; conspicuous lines of
papillae on cheek and opercles; dorsal rays VI-I, 7; anal rays I, 7;
caudal fin short, rounded pectoral fin without free rays.
;

This genus represents one of a group of Oriental gobies of the family

Gobiidae characterized by a marked development of the jaws, with the
maxillary extending on the preopercle or even to the opercle. Other
genera in the group are Waitea (Jordan and Scale, 1906), Eugnatho-
golius (H. M. Smith, 1931), Mahidolia (H. M. Smith, 1932), and
Pseudogohiopsis (Koumans, 1935). The relations of these genera to
one another are shown in the following synopsis, in which Waitea. a
non-Thailand genus, is included because it has become involved with
Mahidolia:
la. First dorsal finwith 5 spines branched dorsal rays 7, branched anal rays 6
;

caudal fin rounded, shorter than head head depressed interorbital space
; ;

2 times eye; eyes very small; gill openings restricted; isthmus broad;
head scaleless Eugnathogobius
16. First dorsal fin with 6 spines eyes of moderate size.
;

2a. Scales on top of head extending to eyes scales on opercle head depressed.
; ;

3a. Most anterior scale on top of head large, median, unpaired gill openings ;

wide, continued well forward isthmus narrow ; interorbital space ;

narrow, less than eye branched dorsal rays 6 or 7, branched anal rays
;

6 caudal fin short, bluntly pointed

; Pseudogobiopsis
3&. No median unpaired scale on top of head; gill openings restricted, not
continued well forward isthmus broad interorbital space twice as
; ;

wide as eye; branched dorsal rays 8, branched anal rays 8; caudal

fin short, rounded Gnathogobius
2&. A few small scales in front of dorsal fin, but none extending to eyes; no
scales on opercle head compressed gill openings wide, extending well
; ;

forward isthmus narrow interorbital space less than half eye branched
; ; ;

dorsal rays 10, branched anal rays 9 caudal fin short, rounded.
;

Mahidolia
2c. No scales on top of head or on opercle; head compressed; gill openings
restricted ; isthmus broad interorbital space less than half eye
;

branched dorsal rays 10, branched anal rays 12; caudal fin long,
lanceolate "Waitea
 ;
;

FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 523

GNATHOGOBIUS ALICEAE, new species

FiGUEE 104

—
Description. Body moderately compressed depth about 5 in stand- ;

ard length least depth of caudal peduncle 1.9 in its length and 2.4 in
;

head head depressed, broad, flattened on top, 3.2 in standard length,

;

its width 0.75 its length; mouth large, horizontal, maxillary 1.2 in

head, extending to posterior margin of preopercle snout broad, evenly ;

rounded, 4 in head eyes well separated, 5 in head, 1.8 in the flat inter-
;

orbital space; teeth as in the generic description; tongue thin, with

rounded tip gill openings narrow, corresponding with base of pectoral
;

fins.

Squamation: Body fully covered with weakly ctenoid scales be-

coming cycloid anteriorly, the scales extending on predorsal region tO)
eyes, on breast, and on base of pectorals thin cycloid scales on opercle
;

scales in longitudinal series 35 or 36, in transverse series between ori-

gins of second dorsal and anal fins 11, in predorsal area 17, and around!
caudal peduncle 12 cheek and opercle with prominent lines of papillae.
;

Figure 104. — Gnathogohius new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 119604).

aliceae, Drawn
by Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

Fins: Dorsal rays VI-I, 7, all of moderate length; caudal fin

rounded, shorter than head anal rays I, 7, similar to second dorsal
;

ventrals not reaching anal opening, 1.8 in head, basal membrane weak
pectorals 0.6 length of head, pectoral rays 17 in both fins.
Coloration Pale yellow, scales of back and top of head dull brown,
:

each scale of sides with a yellowish brown edge opercle and base of ;

pectorals with small round black spots; first dorsal blackish, with a
narrow white edge; second dorsal with reddish brown spots on rays
and membranes forming irregular transverse rows other fins plain. ;

Type and paratype.—T\\Q type (U.S.N.M. No. 119604), a male 4.7

cm. long, was taken in Bangkok on May 2, 1931. A paratype (U.S.N.M.
No. 119605), a female 3.9 cm. long, was obtained at the same place and
date.
 —

524 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Remarks. —The not rare in a certain area of a canal in

little fish is

the city of Bangkok but has not been taken elsewhere, probably be-
cause it was not sought in suitable places. The specimens in hand
were found in association with a goby of similar size, a new species of
Vairtiosa described on p. 538, and were kept in good condition in a small
aquarium at the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries for a period of 7 months,
fed on mosquito larvae and entomostracans.
This species may be recognized at once by its broad, depressed head
and broad, rounded snout, combined with the greatly extended maxil-
lary, which may reach to the opercle.
Named for the writer's daughter, Alice Hanf ord Cowdry.

Genus MAHIDOLIA H. M. Smith

ilahidolia H. M. Smith, Journ. Siam Soc, Nat. Hist. Suppl., vol. 8, p. 255,
1932. (Type, Mahidolia normani Smith and Koumans.)

MAHIDOLIA MYSTACINA (Cavier and Valenciennes)

OoMus mystacinus Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1S37, vol. 12, p. 124 (Java).
Waited mystacina Jordan and Seale, 1906, p. 407, fig. 94 (Samoa, Java) (not
Gobius mystacinus Cuvier and Valenciennes). Koumans, 1935, p. 133, fig.
2 (Java, Amboyna, Siam, east coast of Africa, Philippines) (Gobius mysta-
cinus Cuvier and Valenciennes in part).
Mahidolia normani Smith and Koumans, in Smith, 1932a, p. 256, pi. 23, fig.
1 (Chantabun Estuary).
Mahidolia mystacina Smith, 1941b, p. 413 (Siam).

Described by Cuvier and Valenciennes in 1837 from a specimen 2

inches long sent from Java by Kuhl and van Hasselt and called by
them fulverulentus in manuscript {-fide Cuvier and Valenciennes),
this fish was apparently completely lost sight of for many years, turn-
ing up in Southeastern Thailand in 1926. It is common in the
estuary of the Chantabun River, and specimens were taken on various
occasions in 1926 and 1931.
A maximum length of 6.5 cm. is attained by the fishes examined.
A peculiar feature is disclosed by a specimen, 6.4 cm. long, as
taken from a fine-mesh bag net in the Chantabim Estuary in June
1931. An anchovy {Stolephorus) 3.2 cm. long had its head in the
anterior part of the goby's mouth and the posterior part of its
body and caudal fin projecting from the left branchial opening, hav-
ing evidently reached this position during the struggles of the goby
among the congested small fish contents of the net. The violent
gasping efforts of the goby also resulted in the turning of each project-
ing maxillary into the mouth.
An examination by Dr. Koumans in 1934 of the type specimen of
Gobius mystacinus in the Paris Museum disclosed agreement of that
species with the Thai form described by Smith and Koumans (in Smith,
1932) under the name Mahidolia normani, but the contention of
 FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SI AM, OR THAILAND 525

Koumans (1935) that 'Waitea mystacma of Jordan and Seale (1906)

from Samoa is the same species cannot be accepted. As has been
shown elsewhere (Smith, 1941b), the genus Waitea of Jordan and
Seale is to be regarded as distinct from Mahidolia^ and the species
called Waitea mystacina has been given another name.
The two gobies, 45 and 46 mm. long, described by Herre (1927, p.
208) from Panay under the name Waitea mystacina are believed to
be referable to the present species, whose range is therefore now
known to include Java, Thailand, and the Philippines.

Genus OXYURICHTHYS Bleeker

Oxyurichthys Bleeker (453), Arch. Neerl. Sci. Nat., vol. 9, p. 324, 1874. (Type,
Oxyurichthys delosso Bleeker.)

OXYURICHTHYS MICROLEPIS (Bleeker)

GoMus niicrolepis Bleeker, 1849 (15), p. 35 (Surabaya and Sumanap).

Oxyurichthys sp. (near niicrolepis) Hora, 1924a, p. 495 (Tale Sap).

Known from Penang, Java, Madura, the China Sea, and the Philip-
pines, this very beautifulgoby has been found to be common in the
Chantabun Estuary in Southeastern Thailand but does not appear
to have been detected elsewhere in that country with the possible ex-
ception of three young specimens collected by Dr. Annandale in the
Tale Sap and identified by Hora as probably representing the present
species.
Collections in the Chantabun Estuary have included two in June
1926, 10.2 and 10.5 cm. long ; one in May 1927, 9.5 cm. long; one in July
1928; two in June 1931, 9.2 and 9.5 cm. long; and one in April 1933,
8.8 cm. long.
Genus BATHYGOBIUS Bleeker

BathygoUus Bleeker (491), Arch. N6erl. Sci. Nat., vol. 13, p. 54, 1878. (Type,
Oobius nehulopunctatus Cuvier and Valenciennes.)

BATHYGOBIUS FUSCUS (Ruppell)

Gobius fuscus Rtjppell, 1828, p. 187 (Red Sea).

BathygoHus fuscus Fowler, 1937, p. 250 (Paknam, Rayong).

This fish has the distinction of being perhaps the most widely dis-
tributed of all Pacific gobies, known from Africa and India to the
East Indies, Hawaii, Samoa, and elsewhere in the South Pacific Ocean.
The contention that the species occurs in the Atlantic (Koumans,
1935) is not confirmed, although the genus is represented there by the
species soporator.
On the coasts of Thailand the fish is common, and exhibits the great
variation in coloration that has been noted in other places. It shows
a tendency to push its way up streams, and is known from the Chan-
 )

526 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

tabim Estuary and the loAver Menam Chao Phya. It is, however, pri-
marily a salt-water form.
It reaches a length of 9 cm. but averages smaller.

Genus MACGREGORELLA Scale

Macgregorella Seam;, Philippine Journ. Sci., ser. A, gen. sci., vol. 4, p. 533, 1909.
(Type, Macgregorella moroana Seale.)

The suggestion of Koumans (1931, p. 76) that the genus Macgreg-

orella may be synonymous with CaUogobius (Bleeker, 187-1) cannot be
accepted. The latter genus, which as far as the ventral fins are con-
cerned near the border line of the eleotrids, has the basal membrane
is

very weakly or not at all developed, which is not true of Macgregorella.

MACGREGORELLA MOROANA Seale

Macgregorella moroana Seale, 1909, p. 533 ( Jolo, Jolo Island, Philippine Islands) ;

Smith, 1933a, p. 81 (Chantabun Estuary).

Known otherwise only from the Philippines, this species has been
detected in Southeastern Thailand, where two specimens 3.8 and 4.8
cm. long were collected in 1931. Differences from the type specimens
as described by Seale are in the extension of the predorsal scales nearly
to the eyes and in the presence of imbedded and scarcely visible scales
on opercles and preopercles (as pointed out by Herre) and in the pres-,

ence of ctenoid scales on the caudal peduncle, the scales otherwise being
cycloid.

Genus STIGMATOGOBIUS Bleeker

StigmatogoMus Bleekee (453), Arch. Neerl. Sci. Nat., vol. 9, p. 323, 1874. (Type,
GoMus pleurostigma Bleeker.)

The genus Stigmatogohius of Bleeker (1874) is very close to Vai-

mosa. The genotype is Gohius pleurostigma Bleeker, from the fresh
waters of Java, which is regarded as a synonym of sadanimdio. The
teeth in both jaws are in several rows, although in the original descrip-
tion of the genus the teeth in the upper jaw were erroneously stated to
be uniserial. The anterior margin of the tongue is rounded. The
scales on the back extend to or between the eyes, and the most anterior
scale isenlarged and unpaired the opercle is scaled.
;

STIGMATOGOBIUS SADANUNDIO (Hamilton)

OoUus sadanundio Hamilton, 1822, pp. 52, 366 (near Calcutta).

Oobius apogonius Kakoli, 1882, p. 164 (Bangkok).
Vavmosa spilopleura Smith, 1933a, p. 66, pi. 2, fig. 2 (Chantabun River, Chao
Phya, Bangpakong, and Tachin Rivers ) .—Hebke and MYEn?s, 1937, p. 41
(Negri Sembilan, Malaya .—Fowler, 1937, p. 252, fig. 279 (Tachin).
Stigmatogohius sadanundio Fowler, 1935a, p. 161 (Bangkok).

If the fish from Thailand and the Malay States that has been
called Vaimosa spilopleura is identifiable with the fish imperfectly
 FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SI AM, OR THAILAND 527

described by Hamilton (1822) as Gobius sadanundio from the estu-

aries of the Ganges near Calcutta, as seems highly probably, this species
has a range extending from India and Burma to the Indo- Australian
Archipelago and Southeastern Thailand. Locally this fish thrives in
both brackish and fresh water, and, in addition to the estuary of the
Chantabun River, from which the type of Vaimosa spilopleura came,
it has been found to be common in the Menam Chao Phya at Bang-

kok, in the Bangpakong, and in the Tachin.

A length of about 7 cm. is attained in Thailand. Bleeker re-
ported fish up to 8.5 cm. from Singapore and Java.
Examples from a canal in Bangkok, kept in a small jar of fresh
water for several months, thrived on a diet consisting chiefly of
mosquito larvae, and increased in size.
The fish shares with other gobies the vernacular name of pla hu.

Genus ACENTROGOBIUS Bleeker

AcentrogoUus Blkeker (453), Arch. N^erl. Sci. Nat., vol. 9, p. 321, 1874. (Type,
Gobius chlorostigma Bleeker.)

Local species referable to this genus are numerous and not always
readily distinguishable from one another. They are mostly to be
found in estuaries and the mouths of rivers, and show a tendency
to extend their movements upstream, so that they are sometimes
captured in fresh water.
The combination of features by which fishes of this genus may be
distinguished from Gtenogohius and Vaimosa, as indicated in the
key to the family, is: Squamation extending on the top of the head
to the posterior edge of the eyes; opercle and preopercle scaled,
partly scaled, or naked; teeth in several rows in each jaw, some of
them enlarged, with the outer row in the lower jaw extending only
half the length of the jaw and the last teeth recurved canines. In
Gtenogohius the head is entirely naked except, sometimes, for a line
or band of scales extending backward from each eye, and the teeth
are similar to those in Ace^itrogohius. In Vaimosa the top of the
head is scaled to the eyes and a patch of large scales more or
less covers the opercle and none of the teeth is enlarged.
;

Very close to Acenfrogohius, and not always easily separable there-

from, are fishes assigned to the genus Gnatholepis. While Acentro-
gobius may have the preopercles and opercles fully scaled, in Gnatho-
le-pis these parts are always scaled, with the scales extending under the

eyes, usually in regular horizontal rows, and sometimes divided into

two or three groups or series by horizontal grooves. According to
Dr. Kouman's latest conclusions regarding these fishes, the only char-
acter separating Acentro gobius from Gnatholepis is the width of the
istlimus, which is wider in Acentrogobius because the gill openings
are more restricted.
 : ;
;
;;

528 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

With the exception of A. nebulosus^ of which too few specimens

are avaihible for comparison with other species, the Thai representa-
tives of the genus Acentrogobius are distinguishable by the following
characters
la. About 30 or fewer scales in longitudinal series.
2a. Upper pectoral rays free and silklike no scales on opercle or preopercle
;

scales in longitudinal series 2G to 28, in transverse series 9, in predorsal

region 10 to 12 ; body and head greenwith 6 to 8 longitudinal
to yellow,
lines of dark brown or black spots, several of the lower rows of larger,
elongate spots all fins except ventrals with rows of dark spots ventrals
; ;

brown or black ornatus

2b. Upper pectoral rays not free and silklike.
3a. Opercle and preopercle scaleless.
4a. Predorsal scales about 21 scales in longitudinal series about 28, in
;

transverse series 9, body and head light brown 4 diffuse dark ;

brown spots along middle of side alternating with 4 similar spots on

back; a large round black spot at upper end of gill opening; first
dorsal fin rich brown, most intense on either side of fifth and sixth
rays, and dorsal fin elaborately decorated with brown and plumbeous
in transverse lines, with a narrow brown border, a series of elongate
plumbeous spots edged above and below with a narrow colorless
stripe, a broad median band of brown and plumbeous, and a basal
band of plumbeous spots separated from the median band by a clear
line caudal rays brown, membranes mostly clear anal fin dusky
; ;

ventral fins with central part plumbeous pectorals pale brown. ;

simulans
46. Predorsal scales about 9 to 14 ; scales in longitudinal series about 30, in
transverse series 8 or 9.

5a. Any or all of first 3 dorsal spines in male produced into a long
slender filament.
6a. General color green, each scale of back and sides with a round spot
of pearly blue a blue-black spot at upper angle of gill opening
;

first dorsal fin green to yellowish, with a basal row of pale

yeUow spots; second dorsal, caudal, and anal fins dark violet
to black, with transverse rows of white spots and with a very
narrow edge of red or orange ventrals black, with red tips
;

pectorals black, with narrow light margin and broad green base.
cyanomos
6&. General color dusky, with obscure darker blotches; dorsal, anal,
and ventral fins dusky purple; caudal and pectoral fins deep
orange or orange-red, the pectorals purplish at base, the caudal
with small black spots on membranes forming 6 to 8 transverse
bands oligactis
5&. None of rays of first dorsal fin produced into a long slender filament.
7a. A brown spot at upper base of caudal fin body green, with snowy ;

spots each scale of side with a round brown spot.

;

chlorostigmatoldes
76. Five brown blotches or doubled spots along midaxis of body, the
last at midbase of caudal fin smaller and fainter brownish
;

spots on body reichei

 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 529

3&. Upper part of opercle scaled.

80. Body and head light brown, a round dark brown spot on each scale of 3
abdominal rows of scales all fins except pectorals black or blackish,
;

pectorals dusky a small black spot at upper base of caudal fin.

;

atripinnatus
86. Body and head olive, with a blue or pearly spot on each scale and some
blackish spots along side all tins except pectorals black pectorals
;
;

yellow, with black margin masoni

Sc. Body and head green, with about 5 black dorsal blotches, the first on
head behind eye, the last under posterior end of second dorsal, and
with about 5 roundish black spots along middle of side at upper end ;

of gill opening a large round lustrous emerald-green spot side of ;

head with small green siwts; each scale on side of body with a
golden green spot caninus
1ft. Thirty-four to 40 scales in longitudinal series; scales in transverse series
12; predorsal scales 30 to 32; general color olivaceous to dusky, with a
series of indistinct dark blotches along side a large emerald-green shoulder
;

spot, and nape and sides of head variously spotted with green many ;

scales along sides have emerald-green spots tins variously tinged with
;

pink, blue, or violet second dorsal with a submarginal green band and a
;

light edge; caudal, anal, and ventrals dark green to blackish, caudal with
a lavender upper edge, anal sometimes gray, with a submarginal green
band viridipunctatus

ACENTROGOBIUS ORNATUS (Ruppell)

Oohius ornatus Ruppeill, 1828, p. 135 (Massaua, Red Sea).

One of the most beautiful of the local gobies, this species ranges
from the east coast of Africa to Australia, the East Indies, Philip-
pines, Samoa, and Fiji. The numerous specimens taken in Thailand
have come from Koh Samui, in the western part of the Gulf of Siam;
from Koh Chang, Koh Chik, Sriracha, and the Chantabun Estuary, in
the Southeastern district.
The maximum length of local specimens is 8.7 cm. Examples of
7 to 8 cm. are common.
is the only local species in which the upper pectoral rays are
This
free and sillry, a feature that, with the characters noted in the key,
makes identification easy.
The fish shares with some of the related forms the vernacular name
of pla bu hua to (big-head goby).

ACENTROGOBIUS SIMULANS (H. M. Smith)

RhinogoMus similis Smith, 1931a, p. 43 (Bandon Bight).

Rhinogobius simulans Smith, 1931c, p. 64 (substitution of new specific name).

Described in 1931 from specimens, 7.7 and 6.6 cm. long, from Bandon
Bight, an arm of the Gulf of Siam in Peninsular Thailand, this
species has not since been reported. Through an oversight to which
Dr. Carl L. Hubbs drew the writer's attention, the specific name
530 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

first applied to the fish was preoccupied for a Japanese species that
was the type of the genus Rhinogobius.

ACENTROGOBIUS CYANOMOS (Bleeker)

OoHus ci/anowos Buekkek, 1849 (15), p. 25 (Surabaya, Kammal).

Acentrogohws spiloptcrns Smith, 1932a, p. 259, pi. 23, fig. 2 (Tachin River).
Acentrof/obiiis cyanomos Koumans, 1937b, p. 178 (Tachin River).
Gohius cyanosmos Fovs^LEai, 1939, p. 53, (Krabi).

The range of this goby covers the Indo-Australian Archipelago and

extends to the northern shores of the Gulf of Siam, where it is
abundant in places.
The second and third dorsal spines are usually elongated and fili-
form, and the second spine may extend beyond the base of the second
dorsal fin or even to the caudal. This feature, which is characteristic
of the male, is combined with peculiar coloration: The green back
and sides have each scale with a spot of pearly blue, a large round spot
at the upper angle of the gill opening is blue-black, and the very dark
second dorsal and caudal fins have rows of white spots on the inter-
radial membranes.
The maximum length of local female specimens so far recorded is
males being larger. A female, 8.2 cm. long, taken in the
11.5 cm., the
Tachin River in December contained nearly ripe eggs.
The nominal species A. spilopterus was considered by Koumans as
agreeing with A. cyanomos^ to the types of which he had access in the
Leiden Museum, and this conclusion of Komnans is accepted.
The vernacular name is pla hu.

ACENTROGOBIUS OLIGACTIS Bleeker

Acentrogohius oUgactis Bi^ekeb, 1875 (461), p. 132 (Singapore).

Described in 1875 from three specimens, 4.1 to 4.8 cm. long, taken
at Singapore, this species has rarely been observed since. It is pos-
sible to record it from Southeastern Thailand on the basis of a speci-
men, 3.8 cm. long, taken on the shore of Koh Chang on April 15, 1925,
and another specimen, 4 cm. long, taken on Koh Kut on May 25, 1929.
Both of these specimens were examined and identified by Dr. F. P.
Koumans with Bleeker's types at hand.
ACENTROGOBIUS CHLOROSTIGMATOIDES (Bleeker)

Gobius chlorostigmatoides Bleeker, 1849 (15), p. 26 (Surabaya and Kammal).

This little goby of Java, Borneo, and other East Indian islands is
represented in the collection of the U. S. National Museum by five
specimens, 4.3 to 6.9 cm. long, taken by the writer in the Bangpakong
River, Central Thailand, June 26, 1933; one, 5.1 cm. long, from the
 FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 531

Gulf of Siam at Sriracha, Southeastern Thailand, June 14, 1927 and ;

one, 9.6 cm. long, from the inner lake of the Tale Sap, Peninsular
Thailand, July 4, 1924. These specimens were examined by Dr. Fred-
erick P. Koumans in connection with his study of Bleekerian goby
material in the Royal Natural History Museum in Leiden, Holland,
and found to agree with the types.

ACENTROGOBIUS REICHEI (Bleeker)

Gobius reicJiei BiLKEKER, 1853 (86), p. 509 (Padang, Sumatra).

Described by Bleeker in 1853 from a single specimen, 5.5 cm. long,

from a river in Padang, Sumatra, this species has rarely been noted
in literature since Bleeker's time. Among a collection of goboid fishes
from the Andaman Islands Koumans (1940, p. 15) found 22 specimens
of this species, recorded without comment or description. Two speci-
mens from Thailand waters in the U. S. National Museum are referred
to this species, after having been carefully compared with the orig-
inal description. One, 4.5 cm. long, was taken on Koh Chang, Gulf
of Siam, June 26, 1929. The latter specimen was identified as A.
reichei by Dr. Koumans after comparison with Bleeker's type.
The side of this fish is marked by a conspicuous longitudinal row of
dark spots, about 5 in number, which are double or triple, as pointed
out by Bleeker. The specimens in hand have on the cheek a patch of
papillae, which is more prominent than in any other local species, but
is not referred to in any published description. The patch is oblong,
extends from the upper lip to the sulcus between the opercle and pre-
opercle, and consists of 7 or 8 horizontal rows of small papillae.
Other conspicuous lines of papillae extend under the eye and along
the ramus of the lower jaw and thence backward along the lower edge
of the cheek to the operculo-preopercular groove, in which is a promi-
nent vertical row of papillae.

ACENTROGOBIUS ATRIPINNATUS (H. M. Smith)

RhinogoUus atripinnatus Smith, 1931a, p. 45 (Gulf or Siam off Tachin River).

This goby is a few specimens, 6 to 8.5 cm. long, from

known from
the Menam Chao Phya Paknam, the Gulf of Siam off the mouth of
at
the Tachin River, the estuary of the Chantabun River, and the outlet
of the Tale Sap at Singora. The uniform light brown color of the
body and head is in contrast with black dorsal, caudal, anal, and ventral
fins, the pectorals being dusky. The head is crossed by lines of papillae
most conspicuous across the cheeks. In a specimen, 6.8 cm. long, from
Singora each scale of 3 ventral rows has a round, rich brown basal spot,
these spots being only very faintly discernible in the type.
532 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

The type, 6 cm. long, taken in December, was a female with well-
developed ovaries.

ACENTROGOBIUS MASONI (Day)

Oobius masoni Day, 1873, p. 107 (Bombay).

Ctenogohius masoni Fowleb, 1937, p. 252, fig. 281 (Paknam, Tachin).

Described from Bombay in 1873 under the name Gohius 'imisoni,

this species was identified by Fowler (1937) as being represented by
three specimens, 4.9 to 6.7 cm. long, from the lower Menam Chao Phya
and Tachin Rivers. The fully scaled predorsal region, with the scales
extending to the eyes, and the presence of scales on the opercles do
not conform with the accepted definition of Ctenogohius {Rhino-
gohius), and apparently require the allocation of this species in Acen-
trogohius.

ACENTROGOBIUS CANINUS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

OoMus caninus Cuvies and Valenciennes, 1837, vol. 12, p. 86 (Java).

Rhinogobius caninus Fowler, 1935a, p. 161 (Bangkok, Paknam).
CtenogoMus caninus Fowler, 1937, p. 252 (Tachiu).
From the southern coast of China and the Philippines this species
ranges to India. It appears to be represented in all parts of the Gulf
of Siam and in the lower courses of rivers debouching therein, and
material has been extended from Patani, Singora, and Pak Payoon
in Peninsular Thailand, Tachin, Chao Phya, and Bangpakong Rivers
in the Central area, and Chantabun Estuary in Southeastern Thailand.
A size commonly attained in Thailand is 9 to 10 cm. The largest
local example examined was 12.5 cm., from the Gulf of Siam off Nakon
Sritamarat.
The specific name canirius refers to the presence of one or two con-
spicuous canine teeth on each side of the lower jaw at the posterior
end of the outer row of teeth. This feature, however, is not peculiar
throughout the genus.
to this species but prevails
Vernacular names given to this fish in parts of Thailand are pla hu
khao (white goby) and fla hu tale (sea goby).

ACENTROGOBIUS VIRIDIPUNCTATUS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Oobius viridipunctatus Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1837, vol. 12, p. 62 (Bombay).

CtenogoMus viridipunctatus Fowlee, 1937, p. 252, flg. 280 (Tachin).
From the west coast of India to Thailand and Malaya, this species
ranges through the East Indies to the Philippines. It may be recog-
nized by the features indicated in the key. In Thailand it is known
from river mouths and estuaries around the Gulf of Siam, although
there appears to be only one published record, for the Tachin River.
A length of 12 cm. is attained.
 —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 533
ACENTROGOBIUS NEBULOSUS (Forskal)

Gobius nebulosus Fokskal, 1775, p. 24 (Djedda, Red Sea). Fowler, 1939, p. 53

(Krabi).

Under the name Gohiits nebulosus Forskal, a species described from

theRed Sea, Fowler listed three specimens, 8.6 to 9.5 cm. long, taken in
September 1936 at Krabi, Peninsular Siam. The extension of the
predorsal scales into the interorbital space of these specimens suggests
their position in the present genus rather than in Rhinogohius (or
Ctenogobius) where Forskal's species vras assigned by Jordan and
Scale and Jordan and Richardson. It would appear that the present
fish is not conspecific with Rhinogohius nebulosus Jordan and Scale

(1906, p. 401 1907, p. 41), and Jordan and Richardson (1908, p. 276)
;
;

with Rhinogohius lungi Jordan and Scale (1907, p. 41), a synonym

of nehulosus according to Jordan and Richardson (1908); and with
Gohius criniger Cuvier and Valenciennes (1837), which was made a
synonym of nehulosus by Jordan and Seale (1906) and Jordan and
Richardson. In view of the deficiencies in Forskal's description, more
particularly as regards squamation and dentition, the species nehulosios
cannot with certainty be given a generic assignment.

Genus AMBLYGOBIUS Bleeker

AmUygoUus Bleekeb (453), Arch. N§erl. Sci. Nat., vol. 9, p. 322, 1874. (Type,
QoMus sphinx Valenciennes.)

AMBLYGOBIUS PHALAENA (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Gobius phalaetia Cuvieb and Valenciennes, 1837, vol. 12, p. 92 (Vanikolo).

Ambly gobius phalaena Smith, 1933a, p. 82 (Gulf of Siam).

Widely distributed in the eastern Pacific, this species is known from

Thailand by a few specimens taken about islands in the Gulf of Siam,
several at Koh Sichang and one at Koh Pa-ngan.
Length, 9 cm. or less.

Genus GNATHOLEPIS Bleeker

Gnatholepis Bleeker (453), Arch. N6erl. Sci. Nat., vol. 9, p. 318, 1874. (Type,
Gobius anjerensis Bleeker.)

GNATHOLEPIS CALLIURUS Jordan and Seale

Gnatholepis calliurus Jokdan and Seale, 1905, p. 796, fig. 14, 1905 (Negi'os,
Philippine Islands).— Smith, 1931d, p. 189 (Patani).

Described from the Philippines in 1905 and later taken in British

North Borneo, this species was ascertained to inhabit Thailand when,
in 1927, a pair were taken in the Gulf of Siam at Patani, in Penin-
sular Thailand. The fish attains a length of 4 to upward of 7 cm.,
590087 —45 35
 ;

534 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

and may be recognized readily by 3 horizontal rows of scales on the

cheek and preopercle, with a horizontal groove extending from the
upper jaw to the opercle below the upper row of scales, and the
presence of scales on the upper part of the opercle, together with a
pal© brown body marked by a median longitudinal series of dark
spots, terminating at the base of the caudal fin in a conspicuous round
black spot and a dusky caudal fin set off with 4 or 5 transverse lines
or rows of white spots.
The peculiar squamation of the cheek, with the deep horizontal
sulcus, differs from the normal squamation of the cheek as seen in
what may be considered typical Gnatliolepls^ exemplified by the
species deltoides of Guam and the Philippines, and may, with several
other characters, justify the establishing of a new genus for the
accommodation of caUiuj'^u^s.

AULOPAREIA, new genus

Genotype. —Aulopareia ja7ietae, new species.

Bod}^ elongate, moderately compressed head cylindrical eyes small,
; ;

dorsal lateral, in anterior third of head, separated by a rather wide

space mouth rather large, oblique, lower jaw slightly projecting teeth
; ;

row in upper jaw comprising 8 fanglike canines,

pluriserial, outer
outer row in lower jaw somewhat enlarged, the last tooth on each
side a large, recurved canine ; tongue with rounded tip ;
gill openings
of moderate extension forward; body, including preclorsal region,
breast, and base of pectoral fins, completely covered with rather large
ctenoid scales becoming cycloid anteriorly; top of head scaled, the
scales extending throughout interorbital space to a point nearly in
line with the anterior margin of each eye no obvious pores in inter-
;

orbital space; opercle, preopercle, and cheek fully scaled, the scales
on cheek extending as far forward as anterior edge of eye and ar-
ranged in G horizontal rows separated by narrow grooves or f urroAvs
dorsal rays VI-1, 10 anal rays I, 9 caudal fin short, bluntly pointed.
; ;

In having the opercle, preopercles, cheeks, and top of head densely

scaled this genus resembles Gnatholepsis ; but in the extension of the
scales throughout the interorbital space, in having the numerous hori-
zontal rows of scales on the cheeks separated by four horizontal
grooves, in the cylindrical head with wide interorbital space, and in
various other characters, this genus stands apart. There is rather
close similarity to Exyrias^ with the type species of which genus,
Gohhis puntang Bleeker, it has been compared, but in that form the
head is compressed, the interorbital space is narrow (0.5 eye or less),
with a pair of conspicuous pores, the posterior nostril is well sepa-
rated from the eye, and scales extend only to the posterior half of
the interorbital space.
 — ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 535

AULOPAREIA JANETAE, new species

Figure 105

—
Descri'ption. Depth 4.5 in standard length; depth of caudal pe-
duncle 1.8 in its length and 2 in head; head broad, 3.6 in standard
length snout blunt, 3.8 in head eye extending to dorsal profile, small,
; ;

about 5.8 in head, 1.5 in snout, and 1.2 in the flat interorbital space;
mouth oblique, maxillary extending beyond middle of eye, 2.5 in head
teeth in outer row of upper jaw caniniform, about 4 on each side; teeth
in outer row of lower jaw enlarged in front, the last tooth on eacli
side a large, recurved canine; tongue thick, fleshy, its tip rounded;
gill openings extending forward for a moderate distance, the isthmus
broad posterior nostril close to eye.
;

Squamation Body covered with large ctenoid scales becoming cy-

:

cloid forward, about 30 in longitudinal series, 10 in transverse series,

20 predorsal, and 12 circumpeduncular breast and pectoral base scaly
;

predorsal scales extending through interorbital space nearly to a line

connecting anterior margin of eyes; opercle, preopercle, and cheek
fully covered with large cycloid scales, those on preopercle and cheek
in 6 rows traversed by 4 horizontal grooves.

Figure 105. Aulopareia janetae, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 119548). Drawn
by Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

Fins: Dorsal rays VI-I, 10; first dorsal fin low, rays 0.5 head;
branched rays increasing in length from before backward, the last rays
about 1.5 in head caudal fin less than head, obtusely pointed anal rays
; ;

1, 9, similar to second dorsal ventrals shorter than head, f renum deeply

;

emarginate pectorals pointed, about length of head, with 19 rays, of

;

which the longer central rays reach beyond ventrals.

Coloration (in preservative) Body and head pale, unmarked; all
:

fins more or less uniform reddish brown a blackish spot about size of
;

eye at upper base of caudal fin, with a pale area posteriorly.

—
Type and paratype. The type (U.S.N.M. No. 119548), a specimen
7.6 cm. long, was taken July 22, 1928, in Nakon Bay, off the east coast
of Peninsular Thailand. A paratype and only other known specimen
536 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

(U.S.N.M. No. 119549), 7.1 cm. long, was obtained at the same time
and place.
—
Remarks. The type and paratype of this species were examined by
Dr. Koumans in 1938 and considered by him as representing an un-
(lescribed Acentrogohiu^. For reasons elsewhere given this view can-
not be accepted unless the limits of Acentrogohius are extended beyond
\he scope of that genus as set forth in Koumans' various papers. The
present fish is much closer to GnathoJepis than to Acentrogohiics; these
genera were practically synonymized by Koumans (1935) when he
gave, as the only character separating them, the degree of the forward
extension of the gill openings, although in his 1931 paper he rejected
the suggestion that they are synonymous. It is believed that the vari-
ability of the feature relied on by Koumans excludes its use as a diflfer-
ential generic character. Specimens in the U. S. National Museum
regarded as representative of typical Gnatholepis {deltoides (Seale)
from Samoa and thompsoni from Cuba) have the extension of the gill
openings as Koumans prescribes for Acentrogohius.
Named for the writer's daughter, Janet Elizabeth Claudy.

Genus ZONOGOBIUS Bleeker

ZonogoUus Bleeker (453), Arch. Neerl. Sci. Nat., vol. 9, p. 323, 1874. (Type,
OoMus semifasciatus Kuer.)

The genus Zonogohius may be recognized by the compressed, scale-

lesshead; scaleless anterior part of the body, which posteriorly is
covered with 20 to 30 ctenoid scales in longitudinal series; large, oblique
mouth; teeth pluriserial in both jaws, outer row enlarged in upper jaw,
inner row in lower jaw, no postsymphyseal or other canines; 6 spines
and 8 to 10 branched rays in the first dorsal fin, the median spines
being elongate and threadlike and anal fin with 8 or 9 branched rays.
;

ZONOGOBIUS SEMIDOLIATUS (Cnvier and Valenciennes)

OoMus semidoliatus Ctn'iEB and Valenciennes, 1837, vol. 12, p. 67 (locality not
given.
Zonogobius semidoliatus Smith, 1934b, p. 325 (Southeastern Siam).

The wide range of this minute goby of the Pacific and Indian Oceans
on coral reefs covers Thailand where, however, it is known only from a
few specimens, 14 to 21 mm. long, taken in a tide pool at Lem Sing,
Southeastern Thailand. The fish may undoubtedly be found in suit-
able localities on other parts of the Thai coast.
Because of the striking coloration the species may be identified with-
out difficulty. The head and body are dark red and the head and
anterior part of the body are crossed by 7 to 10 or more whitish black-
edged bands all the fins except the ventrals are orange or yellow with
;

the rays bearing small dark red spots tending to form lines that are
especially well marked on the caudal fin ventral fins dark red.
;
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 537

Genus VAIMOSA Jordan and Seale

Vaimosa Jordan and Seale, Bull. U. S. Bur. Fisheries, vol. 25, p. 395, 1906.
(Type, Vaimosa fontinalis Jordan and Seale.)

Under this name is included a large number of Oriental gobies in-

habiting fresh-water streams, estuaries, and the shores of islands and
coasts. The essential differential features ascribed to the genus are the
presence of large scales on the opercle, the absence of scales on the
preopercle and cheek, the presence of scales on the top of the head
posterior to or between the eyes, and no enlarged teeth in either jaw.
The genus is which the head is en-
in contrast with Ctenogohius, in
tirely naked except for a possible band of scales posterior to the eye,
with Gnatholepis in which the opercles and cheek are fully scaled, and
with Acentrogohius in which the opercle and preopercle are fully
scaled, partly scaled, or naked, and some teeth in both jaws are cani-
noid and the posterior teeth in the lower jaw are recurved canines. Re-
lations with Stigmatogohius are indicated under that genus.
The status of Vaimosa^ described from Samoa in 1906, has become
unnecessarily involved. Jordan (1920, pt. 4, p. 519) made Vahnosa a
synonym oi Mugilogohius of Smitt (1899), following Jordan, Tanaka,
and Snyder (1913, p. 345), who indicated Ctenogohius abei Jordan
and Snyder as the type of Mugilogohius on the basis of a personal
letter written by Smitt in 1903, in which he stated that his type species
was the one named Ctenogohius ahei in 1901.
It is unfortunate that Mugilogohius should ever have been regarded
as a valid genus, and nomenclatural propriety will best be served by
suppressing it if a proper way can be found. Aside from the fact
that no species was named, the genus as defined by Smitt is wholly
unrecognizable. Features of cardinal importance in the determina-
tion of the genera of gobies, such as dentition, squamation, and fin
formulae, are entirely disregarded, and not a single diagnostic char-
acter is mentioned. It seems unjustifiable to attempt to validate the
genus as of the date of its establishment by accepting as the genotype
a species that was undescribed at the time the genus was set up and
was first made known two years later. Accepted international rules
of zoological nomenclature appear to cover this situation either di-
rectly or by implication. Thus, in Opinion No. 46, dealing with the
status of genera for which no species was named in the original publi-
cation, it was held that no species is available as genotype unless it
can be recognized from the original generic description. Such recog-
nition being quite impossible in this case, it would seem that this genus
must, for this and other obvious reasons, have a very tenuous stand-
ing.
If, however, Mugilogohius can be accorded a degree of validity, it

is the opinion of the present writer that the validity should date fi'om
the first published correlation of the name with a genotype, in 1913.
 : ;

538 BULLETIN 1S8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Such a course would preclude the acceptance of Vaimosa (1906) as a

synonym of Mugilogohius as was done by Jordan, Tanaka, and Snyder,
and would make the latter a synonym of the former. It may be of
interest to record Dr. Jordan's later views on this question, as em-
bodied in a persona] letter to the writer dated April 24, 1925 "I de- :

cided at one time that Vaimosa was not distinct from MugilogohiuH of
Japan. Later study ct)iivinces me I was mistaken."
Three species of Vaimosa from Thailand may be characterized as
follows
!«. Scales in longitudinal series 37, in transverse series 13, in predorsal region
18; dorsal rays VI-I,8, anal rays 1,8; general color of body and head
heliotrope gray, each scale of back and side with a narrow lunate spot of
reddish brown; abdomen yellow-green to pale orange; 6 or 7 strongly
curved parallel dark brown cross lines extending across under side of
head, the first immediately behind lower lip; dorsal fins with transverse
bands of heliotrope gray, white, and dark purplish gray; caudal fin pale
apple green, with 7 or 8 curved, wavy, cross stripes of heliotrope
gray ^ ^
rambaiae
\h. Scales in longitudinal series 27 to 31, in transverse series 8, in predorsal re-
gion 11 or 12 dorsal rays VI-I,7, anal rays, 1,7 general body color light
; ;

yellowish green back and sides with numerous blackish brown lines some
;

of which form about 6 or 7 irregular cross bands which meet on back ab- ;

domen dull orange; dorsal fins with black bands, blotches, and series of
spots caudal fin with a dark vertical bar at base and immediately behind
;

it a pair of rounded blue-black spots chulae

Ir. Scales in longitudinal series 23 to 26, in transverse series 8, in predorsal
region 6 or 7 dorsal rays ¥1-1,6, anal rays 1,6 or 1,7 general color pale
;
;

brown, lighter below 5 dark brown saddles alternating with a series of

;

dark bars along side first dorsal pale, with a blackish area posteriorly
;

second dorsal pale, with small dark spots on each ray caudal with 4 or 5 ;

curved transverse dark cross bars siamensis

VAIMOSA RAMBAIAE. new species

Plate 9, a

—
Body moderately compressed, the depth about 5 in
Description.
standard length; caudal peduncle rather long, its least depth 2 in its
length and 1.8 in length of head head blunt, slightly depressed, 4 in
;

length, its width 0.8 its length eye equal to snout, 5 in head mouth
; ;

rather small, somewhat oblique, maxillary extending under anterior

part of eye; teeth small, pluriserial, none greatly enlarged.
Squamation : Scales feebly ctenoid, becoming smaller and crowded
anteriorly ; about 40 in longitudinal series, 12 in transverse series, 19
predorsal to posterior margin of eyes, and 12 circumpeduncular;
opercle covered with large thin scales; skin of head deficient in con-
spicuous pores but marked by prominent pajjillae, one line extending
from snout over posterior nostril and over eye to a point behind eye
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 539

where it joins a short horizontal line extending backward, and 4

parallel lineson side of head below eye.
Fins Dorsal rays VI-I, 8 first 5 simple rays of nearly equal length
: ;

and less than 0.5 head origin of first dorsal fin over middle of extended
;

pectoral and midway between tip of snout and posterior end of base
of second dorsal free edge of second dorsal straight, the rays gradually
;

increasing in length so that last ray is twice length of first caudal fin
;

evenly rounded, fan shaped, shorter than head; anal I, 8, similar to

second dorsal; ventrals reaching halfway to anal; pectoral rays 15,
the base broad and scaly.
Life colors Entire body and liead except abdomen soft heliotrope
:

gray; back with about 5 indistinct darker bands, which extend

obliquely downward and forward to middle of side, the first band under
first dorsal fin; each scale of back and side with a narrow reddish
brown lunate spot; abdomen yellow-green; underside of head with
7 dark brown, strongly curved, parallel cross lines, the first one imme-
diately behind and folloAving curvature of the lower lip; first dorsal
grayish-green on basal half, heliotrope gray on free edge; with a
submarginal transverse band of white involving the first 5 membranes
and basally thereto a dark purplish gray band, which merges into the
green shade at the base of the fin second dorsal similar to first, but
;

with a row of elliptical dark purplish gray spots in the paler purplish
median band, a spot on each membrane; entire caudal fin uniform
pale apple green, with about 7 curved, wavy, cross stripes of heliotrope
gray anal pale grayish-blue at base, pale lavender distally, all rays
;

heliotrope gray; ventral and pectoral fins pale green to greenish

yellow.
Type.—ThQ type (U.S.N.M. No. 119646) is a female, 3.9 cm. long
with well-developed eggs, taken in a canal in Bangkok May 28, 1931.
A paratype is U.S.N.M. No. 119647. 'It

—
Remarks. This species has as yet been found only in a small canal
within the city of Bangkok. Many specimens collected in May 1931
were kept in good condition in a small balanced aquarium in the
Siamese Bureau of Fisheries until December of the same year, when
they were preserved. During that time they ate mosquito larvae,
other small insects, and minute crustaceans, and throughout captivity
retained their strikingly rich coloration.
The species exhibits minor variations in relative length of head
and depth of body, in squamation, and in details of coloration.
Special permission to use her name for this species was obtained
from Her Majesty Rambai Barni, former Queen of Siam, and at a
reception and exhibit given by the Siam Society in honor of their
majesties on January 8, 1934, a water-color painting, made by the
 — ;

540 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

talented Tliai artist Luang Masya Chitrakarn, was presented to her

majesty. The painting represented several life-size examples of the
fish in their natural habitat. (See Journ. Siam Soc, vol. 20, pp.
253-254, 1935.)
VAIMOSA CHULAE H. M, Smith

Vaimosa chulac Smith, 1932a, p. 260, pi. 23, fig. 3 (Koh Samui and Southeastern
Siam).—Fowler, 1937, p. 251, fig. 262 (Tachin).
This little fish, which reaches a maximum size of about 4 cm., has
been found in various places around the Gulf of Siam. The type and
paratypes came from a bi'ackish pool on Koh Samui other specimens ;

have been examined from the Chantabun Estuary and the lower Tachin
Eiver. Some fish as small as 2.7 cm. in total length are fully mature,
as shown by the presence of well-developed ova. A paratype in the
U. S. National Museum bears the number 119645.
The fish is strikingly colored. The blackish brown lines that cover
the body with a peculiar pattern, having a tendency to form about 6
irregular cross stripes, contrast strongly with the pale yellow back-
ground and the orange belly a blackish brown bar, extending forward
;

and upward from the base of each pectoral to the back, is joined with
its fellow by a thin stripe across the back; the muzzle, opercles, and

lower jaw are i^lumbeous; the spinous dorsal fin has an oblique black
median band, a black area at the base of the first 2 or 3 membranes
and another on the distal part of the second membrane; second dorsal
with black spots at its base, a line of roundish black spots across its
basal part, and a black band or stripe across its distal half, its outer
hyaline part with a dusky edge; caudal membranes blackish; anal
dusky to black, its narrow margin hyaline.
The sexes are similar, but the vertical fins are less developed in the
females, which lack the greatly produced filamentous tips of the second
and third dorsal spines observed in adult males, as shown in the figure
of the type.
VAIMOSA SIAMENSIS Fowler

Vaimosa siamensis Fowlee, 1934a, p. 157, fig. 125 (Bangkok). Fowleb, 1935a,
p. 161 (Bangkok).

Described from a single specimen, 4 cm. long, from the Silom Canal
in Bangkok, this fish was subsequently made known by Fowler from
three specimens 3.5 to 3.7 cm. long from the same locality. It was
found by the writer to be common in several other Bangkok canals, and
40 specimens 1.8 to 3.8 cm. long were preserved from the Bang Kapi
Canal in May 1934. The Bangpakong River is also a habitat of the
fish.

The species may be known by the large mouth (extending under

posterior edge of eye) , slightly protruding lower jaw swollen cheeks
;
 :

FRESH-WATER fishes of SIAM, or THAILAND 541

large scales (23 to 26 in longitudinal series, 7 or 8 in transverse series,

and 5 to 7 in the predorsal region) reduced number (6) of branched
;

rays in the dorsal and anal fins; and coloration (5 rather diffuse dark
brown saddles on the back, a series of longitudinal elongated dark bars
along the rows of dark spots on the second dorsal
side, transverse
rays, and 4 orcurved black transverse bars on the caudal fin). In
5
what appear to be only younger specimens the maxillary extends only
to a point under the pupil. A
feature shown by all specimens regard-
less of size is a black line along the median ventral edge of the caudal
peduncle, with a thickening of the line into 3 elongate evenly spaced
spots, not mentioned in the original description.
A series of 14 specimens, 2 to 3.2 cm. long, from the Bangpakong
River, July 1923, were pale and all were females having ripe or ripening
eggs.
Genus GLOSSOGOBIUS Gill

GlossogoUus Gnx, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1859, p. 146. (Type,
OlossogoHus platycephalus Richardson).
Features by which the gobies of this genus may be recognized are
depressed head, large mouth, strongly projecting chin, pluriserial teeth
with outer row canine or caninif orm, deeply notched or bilobed tongue,
wide gill openings, rather large ctenoid scales which extend to the
eyes, with a few on opercles, branched dorsal rays 8 to 10, and branched
anal rays 7 to 9. In addition to the two species shown in the key,
there are ascribed to Thailand several nominal forms {G. kokius,
G. circumspectus) which the writer follows Koumans (1935) in synon-
ymyzing with G. giuris. The two species definitely ascribed to Thai-
land are distinguishable as follows
Iff. A circular projection from upper iris into pupil ; 2 dark ocelli on first dorsal
fin biocellatus
1&. No projection from iris into pupil ; no ocellus on first dorsal fin giuris

GLOSSOGOBIUS BIOCELLATUS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Goiius 'biocellatus Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1837, vol. 12, p. 73 (Pondicherry).

Eanging from eastern India to Malaya, East Indies, Philippines,

Australia, and Poljaiesia, this species has not been reported previously
from Thailand and it is apparently rare in that country. One speci-
men, 8.0 cm. long, was taken by the writer at Singora, in the Peninsula,
in October 1923, and another, 10.1 cm. long, in the Krat River, South-
eastern region, in December 1933, the latter representing about the
maximum size attained by the species.
The peculiar extension from the upper part of the iris into the
pupil and the two dark ocelli on the spinous dorsal fin make identifica-
tion easy.
 — ——

542 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

GLOSSOGOBIUS GIURIS (Hamilton)

Ooiius giuris Hamilton, 1822, p. 51, pi. 33, fig. 15 (Ganges).— Kaeoli, 1882, p. 1G4
(Bangkok). Sauvage, 1883b, p. 151 (Menam Chao Phya). Boulengee, 1903,
p. 303 (Patani River).
Gohius kokius Bleekek, 1865 (347), p. 34 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. 174 (Siam).
;

Glossogobius giuris Hoba, 1923b, p. 178 (Bangkok, Noutaburi). Vipulya, 1923,

p. 223 (Bangkok).— Fowler, 1937, p. 252 (Bangkok, Paknam, TacMn) 1939,
;

p. 53 (Krabi).
Glossogobius kokius Hoba, 1924a, p. 493 (Tale Sap).
Glossogohius circumspecttis Hora, 1924a, p. 493 (Tale Sap).
Glossogobius giurus Fowler, 1934a, p. 159 (Bangkok) 1934b, p. 351 (Ban Thung
;

Luang) 1935a, p. 160 (Bangkok, Paknam, Keng Sok).

;

In Thailand, as in the other parts of its wide range (Africa, Aus-

East Indies, Malay Peninsula, Philippines, Indo-China,
tralia, India,
China) this fish occurs in both salt and fresh water. It is the com-
,

monest and most generally distributed of the Gobiidae in the coastal

waters of Thailand, being found along the entire coast of the Gulf
of Siam and in the lower courses of all the rivers. Waters in which
the species has been actually collected are: Menam Chao Phya at
Bangkok, Bangsorn, and Nontaburi: Meklong at Rajaburi; Tale Sap
in inner and outer lakes Patani River Bangpakong River at mouth
; ; ;

of Chantabun River, in estuary of the Chantabun River at Lem Sing,

in Krat River at Ban Taeng, in Klong Raibon, and in Wain River at
Paknam Wain. The point farthest inland where the fish has been
found is Ban Pan in the Sikuk River, Central Thailand.
The maximum size observed in Thailand is about 30 cm. In some
other countries a length up to 45 cm. is reported.
The eggs as laid are attached to the lower side of rocks and timbers,
in streams, klongs, and lakes.
Owing to its considerable size and abundance, this goby locally is
caught and consumed in large quantities, and is economically the most
valuable of the local gobies, although in flavor and texture of flesh it
does not have a high rank.
The fish bites freely at almost any kind of animal bait, and is caught
in large numbers by anglers. It is also taken with traps, seines, and
the various kinds of bag nets used in coastal waters and lower courses
of rivers.
The usual vernacular name given to this fish is pla hu. In the
Menam Chao Phya pla bu sai (sand goby) and pla hu tong (golden
goby) are heard. A name in use on the Meklong at Rajaburi is />/«
hu hin (rock goby). In the inner lake of the Tale Sap the fish is
called pla sai (sand fish), while at Singora, at the outlet of the Tale
Sap, a name reported is pla luh sai (sand-fruit fish).

Genus CREISSON Jordan and Seale

Creisson Jordan and Seale, Bull. U. S. Bur. Fisheries, vol. 26, p. 43, 1907. (Type,
Creiason validus Jordan and Seale.)
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 543
CREISSON SEALEI H. M. Smith

Creisson sealei Smith, 1931a, p. 41 (lower Meuam Chao Phya).

Possessing the outstanding generic characters of the genotype, 0.

vnlidus Jordan and Seale from the Philippines, this species may be
distinguished therefrom in that has about 40 scales in longitudinal
it

series (against 29 to 32), 13 scales in transverse series (against 10 or

11), 34 scaler between the first dorsal fin and the eyes (against about
17), branched anal rays 9 (against 7 or 8), markedly different color-
ation of dorsal and caudal fins, and other characters. The type, 15
cm. long, taken in the Menam Chao Phya at Paknam, May 30. 1930,
remains unique.

Genus OLIGOLEPIS Bleeker

Ollgolepis Bleeker (453), Arch. Neerl. Sci. Nat., vol. 9, p. 318, 1874. (Type,
Gobius nielanostigma Bleeker.)

OLIGOLEPIS MOLOANUS (Herre)

Aimrrhis moloanus Herbe, 1927, p. 207 (Panay, Philippine Islands).

OHgolepis moloanus Smith, 1933a, p. 80 (Chantabun Estuary).

This fish, described as new by Herre (1927) from the island of

Panay, Philippine Islands, and placed in the genus Aparrius of Jordan
and Eichardson (1908, p. 27S), is regarded by Koumans (1931, p. 74)
as belonging in the genus Ollgolepis of Bleeker after an examination
of a specimen, Gohius acutipennis Cuvier and Valenciennes, the type
species of Aparrius.

Genus CTENOGOBIUS Gill

Ctenogohius Gill, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. New York, vol. 6, p. 374, 1858. (Type,
Ctenogobius fasciatus Gill.)

The fishes herein placed in the genus Ctenogobius (1858) have been
variously allocated by different authors at different times in Rhino-
gobius of Gill, Tukugobius of Herre, etc. Ctenogobius was based on a
fish {G. fasciatus) from the fresh waters of Trinidad, but the original
description was inadequate and partly inaccurate, and, in the absence
of a type specimen, some doubt has persisted as to certain characters,
although Gill subsequently amplified and corrected his description.
The genus Rhinogobius dates from 1859 and was based on a species
{similis) from Japan. This species, with many others, was called
Ctenogobius by Jordan and Snyder (1901, p. 54) but Jordan, Tanaka, ;

and Snyder (1913, p. 340) suppressed Ctenogobius and used Rhino-

gobius for the same group of fishes. Koumans (1931, p. 88) synony-
mized Rhinogobius with Ctenogobius, stating that he had examined
specimens of the type species of Ctenogobius and Rhinogobius and
could find no points of difference for separating the genera. Finally,
 :

544 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

it may be noted that Herre (1933) stated that "authors have con-
fused Ctenogobms and RMnogohius^ although an examination of the
type species will show good generic differences," although Herre (1927,
p. 177) had suggested that Rhinogohius was probably a synonym of
Cterwgobius.
In the present treatment it is intended to use the generic name

Ctenogohius, with the following specifications: Body covered wdth

ctenoid scales of moderate size, becoming cycloid anteriorly opercles, ;

preopercles, and cheeks naked; predorsal scales variable but not ex-
tending to or between eyes teeth pluriserial, outer enlarged, outer row
;

in lower jaw extending only half length of jaw and possibly termi-
nating in a curved canine tongue rounded, truncate or very slightly
;

emarginate (exceptionally mucronate) dorsal rays VI-I, 8 to 13, ;

anal rays I, 7 to 10; ventrals united into a circular disk, with the
f renum bilobed, crenate, or nearly entire caudal fin rounded, obtusely;

pointed, or nearly truncate.

The members of this genus in Thailand are found in salt, brackish,
and fresh w^ater. To render complete the account of the known local
representation of the genus, it is thought desirable to include several
species that are not of a strictly fresh-water habitat. Some of the
local species may prove to be improperly included in this genus, but
the information now available regarding them does not indicate the
propriety of other allocation.
The following species are recognized from Thailand
la. Scales in longitudinal series 43 to 45, in transverse series between origin of
second dorsal and anal fins 15 to 17, in predorsal region 18 to 22 a black;

wliite-edged ocellus at upper base of pectoral fin a large black spot at upper
;

base of caudal rays ocellatus

1&. Scales in longitudinal series 35 or less, in transverse series 12 or less, in pre-
dorsal region none to 10.
2a. Scales in longitudinal series 30 to 35, in transverse series 9 to 12.
3a. Predorsal scales none ; anal rays I, 9 second and third dorsal spines
;

elongated in male ; sides of head with no sharply defined round dark

spots criniger
3&. Predorsal scales 6 or 7 anal rays I, 7 dorsal spines not elongated sides
; ; ;

of bead thickly covered with round dark brown spots cephalopardus

26. Scales in longitudinal series 25 to 28, in transverse series 6 to 11.
4a. Predorsal scales none to 4; second and third dorsal spines not
elongated.
5a. Scales in transverse series 6 tongue mucronate body with 7 to 11
; ;

yellow cross bands cylindriceps

5&. Scales in transverse series 8 or 9; tongue rounded.
6o. Body translucent, with 4 or 5 broad black crosis bands head with ;

2 broad black cross bands, top of head wholly black or suffused

with black alcockii
6&. Body pale brownish, with 5 large ill-defined dark blotches along
side spinous dorsal with a round black spot nearly as large as
;

eye on basal part of first 2 membranes chiengmaiensis

 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 545
46. Predorsal scales 10 second and third dorsal spines elongated body
; ;

with about 5 irregular blackish brown blotches head with about 5

;

sharply defined blackish brown bars; dorsal fin with broad pale
margin, anal fin mostly blackish vexillifer

CTENOGOBIUS OCELLATUS (Fowler)

TvkagoUus ocellatus Fowler, 1937, p. 250, fig. 261 (Kemarat).

The type, 10.3 cm. long, and 3 parat3'^pes, 7.8 to 8 cm. long, came from
Kemarat, on the Mekong, in Eastern Thailand. The scales in longi-
tudinal series number 37 to 60 and in transverse series 15 to 17, with 18
to 22 predorsal scales notextending to the eyes. The circular ventral
disk has a broadly bilobate frenum. Outstanding color features are
brown body with 7 or 8 dark saddles extending from back down to the
middle of the sides a black white-edged ocellus on the upper pectoral
;

base and a distinct round dark or blackish spot on the upper base of
the caudal fin.
The genus Tukugohius, established by Herre in 1927, was abandoned
by him in 1933, when he determined that the essential characters, espe-
cially the ventral fins with bilobate circular frenum, were possessed
by Rhinogohius similis Gill.

CTENOGOBIUS CRINIGER (Cnvier and Valenciennes)

GoUus criniger Cuviek and Valenciennes, 1837, vol. 12, p. 82 (New Guinea).
Ctenogoblus cfiniger Suvatti, 1936, p. 153 (Central, Southeastern, and Peninsular
Siam).

While this very widely distributed species, ranging from Africa

and Australia to the Indo- Australian Archipelago, Philippines, India,
and Southeastern Asia, has been found in various coastal regions of
Thailand, there seems to be no published record except that of Suvatti
(1936), who listed the fish on the basis of information as contained in
a manuscript catalog prepared by the writer. The fish is known, and
represented by specimens, from the Menam Tachin in Central Thai-
land; from Sriracha, Chantabun Estuary, Chantabun Kiver, and Koh
Chang in the Southeastern region; and from Singora and Patani in
the Peninsula.
A length of 10 to 11 cm. is reached in local waters.
This may be recognized by having large irregular blackish
fish
or blackish brown blotches on the back and side, interspersed with
smaller spots lines of spots on the second dorsal and caudal fins and
; ;

a black edge to the anal fin. The scales in longitudinal series are 28
to 30, in transverse series about 12, the head is either wholly naked
or may have a few cycloid scales in a band back of the eye, and there
may be a few scattered scales in front of the dorsal fin. The outer
row of the pluriserial teeth in each jaw consists of enlarged but
 —
546 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

scarcely canine teeth, and the most posterior tooth on each ramus of
the lower jaw is a small canine. The second and third dorsal spines
are greatly prolonged in fullygrown males.
The group name pZ« hu is usually applied to this fish. A special ver-
nacular name, shared with several related species, is pla hu hua to
(big-head goby).

CTENOGOBIUS CEPHALOPARDUS, new species

Figure 106

DescHption. — Body elongate, moderately compressed posteriorly,

cylindrical anteriorly; depth of body about 6 in standard length;
length of caudal peduncle 4.25 in standard length, its depth 0.5 its

length; head depressed, flattened, its length 3.3 in standard length;

eye dorsolateral, protruding above dorsal profile, about 4.4 in head, 1.3
in snout, and 1.5 times the bony interorbital space ; mouth large, nearly
horizontal, lips broad, maxillary reaching under middle of eye, lower
jaw slightly projecting; teeth in both jaws pluriserial, outer row con-
sisting of long, curved, slender caninoid teeth ; tongue rounded.

Figure 106. Ctenogobius cephalopardus, new species: Type (U.S.N.M. No. 119580).
Drawn by Mrs. Alice C. Mullen.

Squamation: Body covered with ctenoid scales, which are lacking

on the breast and on base of pectoral fins scales in lengthwise series
;

about 31 (excluding small scales on caudal fin), in transverse series

from origin of second dorsal to origin of anal 9, predorsal scales 6 or 7,
more or less imbedded; circumpeduncular scales 12; head entirely
scaleless; on predorsal region some scales extending forward on sides
to a point about over midlength of opercle.
—
Fins Dorsal rays VI I, 8, longest spines and rays somewhat more
:

than 0.5 head caudal fin evenly rounded, 0.7 head anal fin similar to
; ;

second dorsal, rays I, 7 ventral disk rather short, circular, about 0.5
;

length of head, f renum bilobed pectorals slightly shorter than head.

;

Coloration: Above yellowish brown, each scale of back, side, and

abdomen with a pale reddish brown rounded spot side of head from ;

i
 ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 547

under eye to posterior edge of opercle thickly covered with rounded

dark brown spots a narrow dark stripe extending forward from each
;

eye to the base of the upper lip, stripes of the two sides meeting to form
a curve at base of upper lip first dorsal with obscure darkish spots
;

second dorsal with 6 or 7 oblique rows of dark spots caudal fin with ;

dark spots forming irregular cross bars anal fin distally blackish, with
;

a colorless edge ventrals with rays distally blackish pectorals pale,

;
;

with dusky edge, the fleshy base with a cross row of round brown spots.
—
Tyfe and paratypes. The type (U.S.N.M. No. 119580) is a female,
5.2 cm. long, including the caudal fin, collected August 14, 1934, by
Layang Gaddi, on Doi Hua Mot in Huey Melao, a tributary of the
Mekok that flows into the Mekong north of Chiengrai in Northern
Thailand. From the same brook and one of its branches, the Huey
Len, the same collector, on 5 days in August 1934, took 56 specimens
ranging in length from 2 to 5.3 cm. Paratypes are U.S.N.M. Nos.
119581-119586.
—
Other specimens. Three specimens, 3.7 to 4.7 cm. long, from the
Menam Mao, a branch of the Menam I'ang, tributary of the Mekong,
were taken by Deignan on December 25. 1936.
—
Remarks. This species has been found farther inland than any
other Thailand goby. It is very common in the Huey Melao, a typical
mountain brooklet, and appears to reach a maximum length of less
than 6 cm.
The degree of squamation in the predorsal region varies within
narrow limits, and the median scales may be six to nine, with the
scales on the sides extending a little farther forward than those on
the median line.
In some specimens there is a tendency for the spots on the sides to
form into obscure bands, blotches, or saddles, and the spots on the base
of the pectoral fins may become diffused or combined into irregular
patches or form into a vertical line. In some male specimens there is
on the first membrane of the first dorsal a spot that by its size and
blackness, stands out a little more distinctly than the other spots on the
fin.

Specimens from the Menam Mao are comparatively dark, with the
body and those on pectoral base very
cross bands, the spots on head,
distinct,and the lips fuller and broader, but such characters as squa-
mation and fin rays agree with the less highly colored specimens from
the Doi Hua Mot region.

CTENOGOBIUS CYLINDRICEPS Hora

CtenogoMus cylindriceps Hoba, 1923a, p. 745, figs. 26-28 (Chilka Lake) ; 1924a,
p. 494 (Tale Sap).

Described in 1923 from numerous specimens from both fresh and

salt waters of Chilka Lake, India, this species was found by Hora to be
548 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

represented by five specimens in a collection made by Annandale in

the Tale Sap, Peninsular Thailand, in 1916. A length of li^ inches
is attained in India. A Tale Sap specimen, 16 mm. long, was a female
full of eggs, which were very [Link], closely packed together, and
0.5 mm. in longest diameter.
This diminutive species has rather large scales (25 in longitudinal
series, 6 in transverse series between second dorsal fin and origin of
anal), head entirely alepidous, one or two predorsal scales, outer row
of teeth in both jaws canine to caniniform, mucronate tongue, and
body marked by 7 to 11 yellow cross bands, with round spots on side of
head, and ventral fins nearly wholly black.

CTENOGOBIUS ALCOCKII (Annandale)

OoMus alcocJcii Annandale, Jouvn. Proc. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, vol. 2, p. 201,
fig. 1, 1906 (Bengal).
CtenogoUus alcocki Hora, 1924a, p. 494 (Tale Sap).

Several adult and young specimens of this species, otherwise known

from eastern India, were collected by Dr. Annandale in the Tale Sap,
Peninsular Thailand, mostly from the inner lake at the mouth of the
Patalung River. The local material has been compared by Dr. Hora
with the types from lower Bengal and found to be in general agree-
ment. A length of 16 mm. has been recorded for Indian specimens,
while 21 mm. is for Thailand specimens. A female,
the maximum
16 mm. from the Tale Sap was in spawning condition, the eggs
long,
being 0.9 mm. by 1 mm.
The species as described by Annandale was said to have the dorsal
formula V-I, 6 or 7, but Dr. Hora found 6 spines in the first dorsal.
A further feature, which may prove to be incorrect, is the presence
of a large patch of ctenoid scales on the opercle, shown in the figure
but not referred to in the text; if this patch of scales is actually
present, the species cannot belong in this genus.

CTENOGOBIUS CHIENGMAIENSIS (Fowler)

RhinogoUus cJiiengmaiensis Fowler, 1934a, p. 157, fig. 126 (Chiengmai).

Described from three specimens, 2.9 to 3.5 cm. long, taken at

Chiengmai, in December 1932, this goby is found farther inland than
any other local species, except one. Important features are the ab-
sence of any scales on the midline of the back anterior to the dorsal
fin,and the presence of "simple conic, little curved, minute, uniserial
teeth in jaws." As the existence of uniserial teeth is not otherwise
known in this genus and is at variance with the generic definition, it
is probable that an error has occurred in the description.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF STAM, OR THAILAND 549
CTENOGOBIUS VEXILLIFER (Fowler)

CtenogoMus vexilUfer Fowler, 1C37, p. 252, fig. 282 (Bangkok).

Known from a single specimen, 4.8 cm. long, from Bangkok, this
species has about 27 scales in longitudinal series, 10 minute predorsal
scales,very conspicuous rows of papillae on the opercles and cheeks,
several dorsal spines prolonged,and strongly contrasting coloration
especially of head and fins; body brown, with irrejznlar blackish-
brown blotches on back and sides; head with 5 blackish bars under
eye and on preopercle and opercle; lower two-thirds of second dorsal
blackish brown, margin pale; caudal with 5 or 6 narroAv wavy
blackish-brown cross stripes and several round white spots at base;
anal membranes black; ventrals grayish black with white margin;
and pectorals gray, with 2 irregular black basal spots extending on
the white fleshy base.

Genus BRACHYGOBIUS Bleeker

BrachygoMus Bleekee (453), Arch. N^erl. Sci. Nat., vol. 9, p. 315, 1874. (Type,
Oobius doriac Giinther.)

BRACHYGOBIUS SUA (H. M. Smith)

Thaigobiella sua Smith, 1931a, p. 35, fig. 17 (Bangkok).

BrachygoMus xanthosona Fowler, figs. 263-277 (Bangkok).
1937, p. 248, (Not
Oobius xanthosona Bleeker.)
BrachygoMus xanthom^elas Herre, in Herre and Myers, 1937, p. 43, pi. 4 (Singa-
pore and Johore, Malaya).

This fish has been known from Thailand only in canals and tidal
ditches in the city of Bangkok. It appears at times in small scattered
schools at the surface of the turbid water, where it is recognizable,
notwithstanding its small size, by black cross bands on the creamy
yellow background of the body. Specimens were collected in January,
May, and August, that is, during both the dry and the rainy seasons.
This is one of the most diminutive of the local gobies. It appears to
reach full maturity when only 2.7 to 2.8 cm. long. Fish 2 cm. long,
taken in May, were females fully distended with eggs.
A fish kept in a small glass jar in Bangkok for a period of six weeks
never overcame its shyness, and remained on the bottom concealed
among particles of sticky mud or beneath the fibrous roots of a natant
water plant.
The original description of the species, from a single specimen 2.7-
cm. long, gave only 5 rays in the first dorsal fin. The type is not now
available, but from various other specimens in hand it would appear
that either an error was made in counting the dorsal spines or that the
590087—45 36
550 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

type was abnormal, and that the correct number is 6. The genus Thai-
gohiella, based largely on this feature, seems therefore to be invalid
and becomes a synonym of Brachygobius.
Numerous specimens, 1 to 2.8 cm. long, from Bangkok were in the
collections made by Mr. de Schauensee. Fowler (1937), describing
these specimens in detail, considered them identical with Brachygobius
xanthozona (Bleeker), made sua a synonym of that species, and noted
that "the genotype of Brachygobius was long made known (1849) as
Gobius xanthozona Bleeker, from Surabaija, east Java." It may be
pointed out, however, that Brachygobius dates from 1874 and that its
genotype is Gobius doriae Giinther (1868) from Borneo, as desig-
nated by Bleeker in his first description of the genus. Bleeker (1874)
made his Gobius xanthozona the type of the genus Hypogymnogobius^
being perhaps influenced by Giinther's statement that Gobius doriae
had cycloid scales. As indicated by Koumans (1931), there is no dif-
ference between Brachygobius and Hypogymnogobius in this respect,
and the latter is a synonym.
The number of dorsal spines, namely 5, which Fowler ascribes to
his Thailand specimens, incompatible Avith Brachygobius. Fur-
is

thermore, Bleeker, Giinther, and Koumans have given 50 or about 50

scales in longitudinal series in xanthozona as against 26 in the type of
sua and as stated by Fowler for his specimens of ^'xanthozona''' from
Bangkok.
An obvious lapsus occurs in Fowler's very useful series of 15 figures
of color variation in ''•xantliozona''' from Thailand in that the dorsal

spines are uniformly represented as 4.

The and figured by Herre in Herre and Myers

species described
(1937) from Singapore and Johore under the name Brachygobius
xanthomelas appears to be the fish now under consideration. This
conclusion is reached after an examination and comparison of the
paratypes of Brachygobius xanthomelas in the U. S. National
]\Iuseum.
The presence of scales on the opercles in Brachygobius seems vari-
able. In his description of Gobius doriae., Giinther (1868) mentioned
"a few scales on the hind part of the gill-cover," but Bleeker, in his
definition of Brachygobius., made no reference to the matter, and in
his definition of Hypogymnogobius specified no scales on the head.
In the noteworthy paper by Koumans (1931) Brachygobius is defined
,

as having large ctenoid scales on the opercle. Herre (1937) de-

scribed and figured Brachygobius xanthomelas as having no scales on
the opercle; and finally it may be noted that while Brachygobius sua
was originally credited with a scaled opercle, no scales have been found
on the opercle in the specimens now in hand.
 : ;;;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 551

Genus CRYPTOCENTRUS Ehrenberg

Cryptocentrus Ehrenberg, in Cuvier and Valenciennes, Histoire naturelle des

poissons, vol. 12, p. Ill, 1837. (Type, Cryptocentrus meleagris Ehrenberg.)

Although the generic name Cryptocentrus (hidden spine) has no

significance when applied to these gobies, they constitute a fairly
well-marked group with six local species, two from the Menam Chao
Phya at Bangkok, two from estuarine waters of Southeastern Thai-
land, and two from rocky islets in the Gulf of Siam. All of these
are herein listed in order that the genus may be fully covered, al-
though some of them are outside the strict scope of this work. All
the local forms are of large size, compared with most gobies; that is,
they are 10 to 17 cm. or more in length, and all are of striking
coloration.
Superficial resemblance to Oxyurichthys is marked. An outstand-
ing point of difference is the presence of teeth in the upper jaw in a
single row in OxyuricMliys and in several rows in Cryptocentrus.
The species of Gryptoceni7ms included in this catalog have the fol-
lowing differentiating characters
la. Dorsal rays VI-1, 10 or 11 anal rays I, 9 or 10.
;

2a. Scales in longitudinal series about 75 to 95.

3a. Caudal fin rounded body with dark cross bands, of which the 6 posterior
;

are most distinct dorsal rays with dark spots caudal with 10 trans-
; ;

verse lines of dark spots anal with about 10 dark bent bars veutrals
; ;

dark, with white spots pectorals with 6 transverse dark bands.

;

maudae
3&. Caudal fin bluntly pointed.
4a. Anterior dorsal spines not produced and shorter than head predorsal ;

region medianly scaled body pale brown, with 6 dark brown saddles
;

5 oblique dark stripes on side of head behind eye; anal fin with 4
dark longitudinal lines, the outermost forming an edge to the fin
ventrais dark gray, other fins plain wehrlei
4&. Anterior dorsal spines produced and longer than head in both sexes;
predorsal region medianly unsealed body pale buff, with 8 to 10;

dark green or brown vertical or somewhat oblique cross bands ex-

tending entire depth of body; a large round dark spot on caudal
I)eduncle; first dorsal fin mostly pale brown, distal part of first 4
membranes pale orange, a large ocellus involving distal part of fourth
and fifth membranes and fifth spine consisting of a circular jet-black
center and a broad white and blue margin second dorsal fin with a ;

longitudinal median row of orange spots surrounded by pale yellow

anal fin with a brown margin and a brown longitudinal line near
base caudal fin with pastel tints of brown, blue, and yellow in length-
;

wise bands ventrais purplish black pectorals hyaline- callopterus

; ;

26. Scales in longitudinal series over 100 all scales cycloid caudal fin bluntly
; ;

pointed.
5a. Scales in longitudinal series about 125 body reddish brown, unmarked
;

head with 8 oblique dark stripes on cheek and opercle; fins mostly
plain, anal with 3 dark longitudinal lines leonis
 ;

552 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

5b. Scales in longitudinal series about 105 body rosy, with 7 or 8 dark cross
;

bands side of head with irregular rosy or pearly spots surrounded by

;

a narrow dark line; membranes of dorsal fins with a large elliptical

ocelli with mauve center surrounded by a narrow white ring and a
narrow dark margin second dorsal and anal fins blackish or dark
;

purplish with a liglit edge; caudal fin white leptocephalus

Id. Dorsal rays VI-I, 19 or 20 anal rays I, 19 or 20 scales in longitudinal series
; ;

over 100 caudal fin lanceolate body greenish, with 3 broad rose-colored
; ;

cross bands dorsal fins pale green, first red above, second yellow above
;

with blue and I'ed margins; caudal fin green with many alternating bands
of red and blue, its upper edge yellow anal fin green, with a double median
;

longitudinal baud of red and blue; ventx*als pale reddish violet; ijec-
torals pale rose g'ymnocephalus

CRYPTOCENTRUS MAUDAE Fowler

Cryptocefitrus maudac Fowler, 1937, p. 254, fig. 283 (Bangkok).

A strikingly marked fish, known from a single specimen 14,8 cm.

long, from Bangkok. Besides dark cross bands most distinct on the
posterior half of the body, the dorsal rays are spotted, the caudal has
10 curved cross rows of dark spots, the anal has 8 to 10 bent black
bars,and the pectorals have 6 curved transverse dark bands.
All the other local species have a lanceolate or a bluntly pointed
caudal fin. The presence in this species of a caudal fin with a rounded
posterior edge is at variance with the generic definition of Grypto-
centrus.
CRYPTOCENTRUS WEHRLEl Fowler

Cryptocentrus wehrlei Fowlee, 1987, p. 256, fig. 284 (Bangkok).

This species is known from

specimen 9 cm. long taken at Bangkok.
a
It somewhat resembles C. leonis but differs in such characters as
squamation, shape of caudal peduncle, and coloration. The princi-
pal differential features are in the scales in longitudinal series (79
against about 125), scales in tranverse series (21 against 30), pre-
dorsal scales (22 against 35), depth of caudal peduncle (3.75 against
3 in head), and pale brown coloration of body with about 6 dark
brown cross blotches (against plain reddish brown body without any
markings). The series of dark, parallel oblique lines on the side of
the head behind the eye is common to both forms.

CRYPTOCENTRUS CALLOPTERUS, new species

Plate 9, b

—
Description. Elongate, body and head moderately compressed,
depth 5 to 5.25 in standard length, depth of caudal peduncle 1.5 in
its length and 2.4 in length of head; head blunt, its dorsal profile

regularly curved and similar to its ventral profile, 3.6 in standard

length snout gently decurved, shorter than eye and about 4.5 in
;

head eye reaching dorsal profile of head, 4 in head eyes very close
; ;
 ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 553

together, the 0.25 diameter of eye;

bony interorbital space about
mouth large, maxillary extending to a point under
oblique, the
posterior edge of eye; teeth pluriserial in both jaws, those in outer
row enlarged and distinctly canine; gill openings extending far
forward, leaving a narrow isthmus.
Squamation Body fully scaled to anterior part of dorsal fin, with
:

a few scales extending forward from sides to vertical from gill open-
ings; breast scaled; head and median predorsal area entirely scale-
less ; mostly ctenoid, becoming cycloid and smaller anteriorly
scales
scales in longitudinal series about 78 to 80, in transverse series between
second dorsal and anal fins 24 or 25, circumpeduncular scales 26,
pectoral base unsealed.
Fins Dorsal rays VI-I, 10 first dorsal high, its anterior spine pro-
: ;

duced in a filament longer than eye, next 3 spines of nearly equal

length, shorter than head and longer than depth of body, last 2
spines shorter, the last 0.5 length of 4th second dorsal low, of nearly
;

equal height throughout, about 2 in length of head caudal broad and ;

acutely pointed, its length equal to head anal similar to second dorsal,
;

its rays I, 10 ventrals very long, 0.8 head pectorals about as long as
;
;

ventrals, their rays 15.

Coloration : Body pale buff, with 8 to 10 dark green or brown ver-
tical or somewhat oblique
bands of unequal width extending en-
cross
tire depth of body, the first on nape, the last expanded into a large
round spot at base of caudal fin sides of head under and behind eyes
;

with numerous pale orange roundish spots in irregular arrangement;

basal part of first dorsal fin pale drab, distal part of first 4 membranes
pale orange, an ocellus larger than eye involving outer part of fourth
and fifth membranes and fifth spine consisting of a circular jet-black
center and a broad ring pale blue distally and white basally ; second
dorsal fin pale bluish, with a row of elliptical brown spots on basal part
of membranes, a median row of pale orange spots surrounded by pale
yellow, and a marginal row of pale yellow spots; caudal fin with pas-
tel tints of pale blue, pale yellow, and pale brown in irregular length-
wise bands anal fin pale yellow and gray, with a pale brown marginal
;

band and a pale brown longitudinal band near base ventrals purplish ;

black ;
pectorals hyaline.
Type and other specimens. —
The collection of the U. S. National
Museum contains six specimens, 6.8 to 9.4 cm. long, from the estuary of
the Chantabun Kiver, Southeastern Thailand, in 1926 and 1927, of
which a male of 9.3 cm., taken June 14, 1926, is the type (U.S.N.M. No.
119572) paratypes, U.S.N.M. Nos. 119573-119576. Eeproduced here-
;

with is a photograph of a water color drawing made from life by

Luang Masya Chitrakarn. Other specimens in the National col-
lection are seven, 7.4 to 8.6 cm. long, taken on Koh Pa-ngan, Gulf
 —

554 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

of Siam, in July 1931, and four, 7.1 to 8.6 cm. long, from the estuary
of the Chant abun River in April 1933.
—
Remarks. This is a strikingly beautiful fish known to inhabit the
Chantabun River and Estuary, the shores of Koh Samui, and coral
reefs at Koh Pa-ngan. It will no doubt be found to occur on other
parts of the Thai coast.
The species resembles C. leptocephalits in general shape and color-
ation, especially in the dark cross bands on the body, but differs there-
from in having ctenoid scales, larger scales (about 78 to 80 against
105 in longitudinal series), and entirely different coloration and pat-
tern of markings of the head and fins.

CRYPTOCENTRUS LEONIS H. M. Smith

Cryptocentrus leonis Smith, 1931a, Py 46, fig. 21 (estuary of Chantabun River).

The type, the only known specimen, 13.5 cm. long, was taken in the
Chantabun Estuary at Lem Sing (Lion Point) in July 1928. The pe- ,

culiar physiognomy, with the eye in the anterior third of the head and
portruding above the dorsal profile like a Periophthalmus, together
with the uniform reddish brown color of the body and 8 oblique dark
brown stripes on the cheeks and opercles, makes the recognition of this
species easy. In C. wehrlei, which bears some resemblance to C.
Jeonis, there are 5 oblique dark stripes on the side of the head and the
body is marked by dark cross bands.

CRYPTOCENTRUS LEPTOCEPHALUS Bleeker

FiGUKE 107

Cryptocentrus leptocephalus Bleeker, 1876 (469), p. 146 (Singapore).

Described by Bleeker in 1876 from a single specimen, 8.3 cm. long,

collected at Singapore, this species has rarely been mentioned in publi-
cations since that time. It is a form with several striking features,
including minute scales, which are cycloid throughout (a condition not
found in other local species), and peculiar coloration, consisting of a

'/4'At-:-

Figure 107. Cryptocentrus leptocephalus Bleeker. Drawn by Luang Masya; courtesy

of the Thailand Government.
 . :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 555

rosy body with. 7 or 8 dark somewhat oblique transverse bands, with

large, irregularlyshaped and disposed ocelluslike rosy or pearly spots,
surrounded by a very narrow dark line, and on the membranes of both
dorsal fins numerous elliptical ocelli consisting of a mauve center, a
narrow white ring, and a still narrower dark outer line.
The Thailand records for this species are seven specimens now in the
U. S. National Museum, 7.6 to 9.9 cm, long, taken in the Gulf of Siam
at Koh Kahten in May 1931, and six at Koh Pa-ngan in July 1931.
The fish has been found also at Koh Samui, in the same section of the
Gulf of Siam. A specimen from Koh Pa-ngan, examined at the Royal
Natural History Museum in Leiden by Dr. F. P. Koumans, was pro-
nounced by hun as agreeing with Bleeker's type.

CRYPTOCENTRUS GYMNOCEPHALUS (Bleeker)

Gobius gymnocephalus Bleekeb, 1853 (78), p. 473 (Batavia).

Cryptocentrus gymnocephalus Smith, 1933a, p. 82 (Koh Sichang).

Described from two specimens, 11.7 and 14 cm. long, from Batavia,
Java, this species seems to have been encountered infrequently.
Bleeker's voluminous writings contain a single subsequent reference to
the occurrence of the fish, at Hong Kong (1873 [425] p. 128) ,

One specimen 12.1 cm. long was taken at Koh Sichang

in June 1929.
Itwas compared by Dr. Koumans with Bleeker's types in the Royal
Natural History Museum in Leiden and found to be in agreement.

Family PERIOPHTHALMIDAE: Mudskippers

These gobies are familiar creatures on mud flats tliroughout tropical
and temperate seas of the Oriental region and Oceania. The pectoral
fins, with elongated and well-developed muscular base, are used for

locomotion out of water and they enable the fishes to move rapidly
and to make surprising leaps. The large eyes, placed very close to-
gether at the top of the head, are on short stalks and may be elevated
for making observation and withdrawn flush with the surface.
The family as herein considered comprises the closely related genera
Periophthalmus and Periophthalmodon^ both represented in Thailand.
Some authors place in this family the genera Boleophthalmus and
Scartelaos which, in the present catalog, are assigned to another family
on the basis of horizontal teeth in the lower jaw, fully united ventral
fins at all stages of growth, short first dorsal fin, very long second dorsal
and anal fins, and other characters.
The two Thailand genera may be differentiated as follows
lo. Spines in first dorsal fin 10 to 15 ventral fins united only at base teeth in
; ;

both jaws in a single row scales ctenoid, minute, 75 to 100 in lengthwise

;

series _ Periophthalmus
 — :,,

556 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Ih. Spines in first dorsal fin to 15 ventral fins usually completely united and
;

in fundibnlar form, partly united in young; teetli in upper jaw in 2 rows;

scales cycloid, larger, 48 to 60 in lengthwise series Periophthalmodon

Genus PERIOPHTHALMUS Bloch

iPeriophthalnms Bloch, in Schneider, Systema ichthyologiae, p. (i3, ISOl. (Type,

Periophthalmus papilio Bloch.)

PERIOPHTHALMUS BARBARUS (Linnaeus)

GoMiis havMrus Linnaeus, 1766, p. 450 (locality not given).

Periophthalmus koelreutcri Sauvaqe, 1883b, p. 151 (Menam Chao Phya).
Johnstone, 1903, p. 295 (Patani, Jhering).— Hora, 1924a, p. 495 (Tale Sap).
Periophthalmus iarbarus Fowlek, 1935a, p. 163 (Paknam).

This species lias a very wide distribution: Japan to China, Philip-

pines, Indo-China, Thailand, Malaya, and India, and thence to South
Pacific and East Indian islands, West Africa, and Australia. It is for
the most part an inhabitant of the muddy, sandy, and rocky shores of
bays and estuaries, and of the lower courses of rivers within the in-
fluence of the tides. Occasionally in Thailand it is observed in parts
of rivers or in canals that are nearly or quite fresh.
The fish is abundant in all the coastwise districts of the country,,
and renders itself conspicuous by regularly coming out of the water
and displaying remarkable activity in the air. Dr. Herre (1927,,
p. 316) has given this excellent account:
This extraordinary creature has excited curiosity from time immemorial. Its
strange habits, so unfishlilie, its astonishing acrobatic feats of agility, its ability
to send its eyes aloft and keep one fixed on the human observer while the other
rotates on its conning tower and scans the countryside for prey or foe, its enter-
prise in leaving the water and capturing its crustacean and insect food on laud,
its habit of leaping along the surface of the water and then taking refuge on

—
land instead of at the bottom of a pool all these and many other singular traits
have caused it to be observed and studied by the ordinary tourist as well as by
the fisherman and naturalist.

In July 1923 the writer made the following note on these gobies as
observed in the Tachin River at Tachalom where, at low tide, a broad
bank of soft mud was exposed: The fishes, mostly 10 to 12 cm. long,
were very abundant on the mud flat a few were as thick as a man's
;

wrist and about 30 cm. long. From 15 to 20 were in sight at one time,
and were observed at short range from the launch or from an inclined
plank walk extending from the water's edge to houses at the top of .

the bank. As the gobies emerged from the water and wriggled onto
the soft mud, they moved their head from side to side as though
sniffing. Many of them paired off and engaged in a comical head-on
mock fight, playfully biting at each other and advancing or retreating
a few inches at a time, their mouths and eyes filled with soft mud.
This may have been a courting exhibition. In the mud near the
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAIL.\ND
557
wooden walk there were a number of large circular holes
into which
the gobies plunged when frightened. One
of the largest ever to come
under the writer's observation went into a hole
directly under the
walk. Some bright copper coins were displayed
and a naked half-
grown boy was induced to go after the fish. When half an
hour later
the writer returned from a visit to the local
market, the boy was up
to his neck in the hole and was still throwing
out mud, but he never
reached the fish. Many of the houses on the river's edge had small
bamboo traps and the principal catch consisted of gobies
of this species
which, needless to state, were eaten by the inhabitants.
The fish shares with PeHophthalmodon schlosseri
the vernacular
name pla tin.
Genus PERIOPHTHALMODON Bleeker
PeHophthalmodon Bleeker (453), Arch. N^rl. Sci. Nat., vol.
9, p. 326, 1874.
(Type, Periophthahnus schlosseri Valenciennes.)

PERIOPHTHALMODON SCHLOSSERI (Pallas)

GoUus schlosseri Pallas, 1770, pt. 8, p. 5, pi. 1, figs. 1-A (locality not given)
Pertophthalmus horneensis Bleekek, 1865
(347), p. 34 (Siam). -Bleeker 1865
(356), p. 174 (Siam).
Periophthahnus schlosseri Bleekek, 1865
(356), p. 175 (Siam).-voN Maetens
(Siam).-KAKOLi, 1882, p. 166 ( Bangkok ).-Sauvage,
18(6, p. 392
1883b'
p. 151 (Menam CHiao Phya) .— Hoba, 1923b, p. 179
(Bangkok)
Periophthalmus phya Johnstone, 1903, p. 296, pi.
14, fig. 1 (Patani and Jambu
Rivers, Malay Peninsula).
The rangeof this species is from the East coast of
India to the Phil-
ippines and the East Indies, including Burma,
Thailand, and Malaya
It ISfound on muddy shoi^s in bays, estuaries, rivers,
and canals, and
m Thailand it goes well upstream into strictly fresh
water.
The largest examples met with in Thailand were 25 cm.
long Many
were seen up to 20 or 21 cm.
Great variation in dorsal spines, squamation, and
coloration is met
with m
this species. The number of dorsal spines varies from none to
XV; that is, the first dorsal fin may be entirely absent, and a
dozen
nominal species have been based on this variable
feature.
Giinther (1861, vol. 3, pp. 100, 101) noted specimens from
Thailand
m the Mouhot collection with 4 or 5 dorsal spines {P. freycineti Cuvier
and Valenciennes) and with 13 to 15 dorsal spines
(P. tredecimradi-
atus Hamilton), both lots apparently taken
together, according to
Giinther.
A common size on the banks of canals and
rivers exposed at low
tide is 6 to 8 cm. long. Such fish find shelter in holes about the
diameter of one's thumb in stiff mud. Rapid
movement on the mud
as m fright, is effected by the flipping of
the tail, but for ordinary
movement they depend on their pectoral fins, which are moved in
 : ,

558 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

imison, like oars in rowing a boat. They make a characteristic trail

on the mud : body drags and pairs of de-
a central streak where the
pressions on either side where the pectoral fins are inserted. They
are somewhat clumsy on banks with even a moderate slope and often
over on their backs but quickly right themselves.
roll
By far tlie best account of the habits of this fish has been given by
Johnstone and is attributable to Annandale and Robinson the follow-
;

ing excerpts are from that account

The adults are very abundant in the immediate vicinity of the town of Jambu,
where a large area of semi-liquid mud is exposed at low tide, but their wariness
renders them difficult of approach, especially at half-tide, when they do not appear
to have settled down to a terrestrial existence. They seem to be vei'y sensitive
to cold or fog, and do not come out on the mud-flats early in the morning, even
at low tide. When the sun is well up, however, they skip about many yards
away from any water, and quite careless as to whether their tail or any other
part of their body can be kept wet, even when the temperature is so high that
sand becomes too hot for a European to walk upon it with bare feet. * * *
A most important feature in which the habits of the present form differ from
those of its congeners is that it constructs a more or less permanent burrow, in
which it takes refuge when alarmed and remains in bad weather. Whether this
burrow is also used as a nest we cannot be sure, but it appears to be frequented
by individuals of both sexes, and the natives say that the female deposits her
eggs in smaller holes made for the purpose. The main entrance to the large
burrows is always more or less funnel-shaped and slanting, and lies in an oval
—
or circular pool of water, which is retained round it as the tide sinks for it is
—
always made between tide-marks by a rampart of mud four to six inches in
height, and about a foot and a half in diameter. It is surrounded, outside the
rampart, by a number of simple holes, which probably lead into the central
shaft, though, owing to the liquid condition of the mud, we were unable to
demonstrate this by digging. When thoroughly alarmed, the fish sometimes
enters one of these holes, but if only a little scared, it rushes to the rampart,
surmounts it, and sits for a longer or shorter period on it before diving into the
pool and disappearing. It seemed quite evident to us that each individual had
its proper burrow, but how many inhabited one burrow we could not ascertain
it appeared that their number must be small. The central pool was always
entered at one point, so that a definite furrow was made on the rampart, and
—
the characteristic tracks of the fish consisting of a central line (made by the
tail) and two series, running parallel to one another on either side of the line,
of more or less hand-shaped depressions (made by the tips of the more prom-
inent pelvic rays and the web between them) —
converged towards it, showing
readily whether the fish had recently gone out or in.
At first we were much puzzled as to how the rampart and burrow were made,
but the natives told us that the fish wriggled down into the mud, filled its
mouth with the stiffer clay beneath the surface, and built up the wall with
pellets thus brought from below. We foimd it impossible to confirm their
statement by actual observations, but there is every reason, in this case, to
regard them as accurate observers, for the colour of the walls plainly showed
that they were not made of surface mud, while the shape and size of the pellets,
which could easily be distinguished in freshly constructed specimens, were just
what would have been expected had they been casts of the inside of the mouth
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 559

of an adult of P. phya. * * * One of us watched a large individual re-

pairing itsrampart, which had been injured by the tide, for some time, but
could not be sure exactly how this was accomplished the fish certainly went
;

down the central hole and returned in a few seconds, bringing a pellet of mud
with it.
The eyesight of this species appears to be keen, both in air and water, and to
range in the former element for a radius of at least thirty feeL We noticed re-
13eatedly that when we had frightened an individual into its burrow, it remained
concealed as long as we stayed still, but reappeared as soon as we began to move
away and this would seem to indicate that the fish could see from beneath the
;

surface of the water what was going on in the air. On land, at any rate, it is
absolutely deaf, and Robinson found, when shooting specimens, that those which
were not hit took no notice whatsoever of the report of the gun, and only moved
when the shot spattered them with mud.
The fish called Periopht?ialmus 'phya^ described by Johnstone ( 1903)
from the Patani River in the Peninsula and the Jambu River in
Malaya, seems to be the present species. Johnstone observed that it
"resembles P. schlosseri^ but appears to differ in (1) the complete
fusion of the pelvic fins in both young and adult specimens; (2) the
number of rays in the pectoral fins; (3) the number of rays in the
caudal and (4) the larger size of the specimens obtained." The
fin,

size at which the ventral fins become completely joined together

varies with individuals and can hardly be regarded as of specific sig-
nificance, should be stated that the three specimens, 2 to 2l^
although it

inches long, in which Johnstone found the ventrals completely fused

are smaller than any that have been found by the present writer to
possess this feature. Ordinarily the complete union of the innermost
rays by a membrane may not be expected under 12 cm. (4.50 to 4.75
mches), and the smallest specimen in the U. S. National Museum in
which the ventrals are fully joined by their inner edges is 12.5 cm.
long, including caudal fin. As regards pectoral rays, specified as 16
to 18 in P. phya^ this number does not seem unusual in P. scKLosseH;
specimens in a lot of the latter from Borneo in the National collection
have 17 pectoral rays. Likewise, the number of caudal rays in phya^
namely 17 to 23, is matched by 18 to 20 rays in Bornean specimens of
typical schlossen.
The colloquial name for this fish in Thailand ispla tin. A name
heard on the Menam Chao Phya below Bangkok is pla kajcmg.

Family APOCRYPTEIDAE : Apocrypteid Gobies

The genera herein placed in this family group have been variously
classifiedand allocated by authors. Bleeker (1874 [453] ) placed them
in a phalanx (Apocrypteini) of his subfamily Gobiiformes and divided
them into two subphalanges, one (Apocryptei) containing Apocryp-
 : ;;

560 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

tes, Apocryptodon^ Parapocryptes^ and Ps&udapocryptes^ the other

(Boleophthalmi) comprising Boleophthalmus and Scartelaos. Jor-
dan (1923) placed Boleophthalmus and Scartelaos in the family Peri-
ophthalmidae and left the other genera in the Gobiidae, a course fol-
lowed by Herre (1927, p. 322). Koumans (1931, p. 128), guided no
doubt by Bleeker, made the subfamily Apocrypteinae for the reception
of all of the genera herein considered, and left the subfamily Perioph-
thalminae for the two genera herein placed in the Periophthalmidae.
It is not a matter of great importance just what assignments and
groupings of these genera are proposed. For present purposes, and
in the opinion of the present writer, the relationships of the fishes are
perhaps best indicated by putting them in a separate family. The dis-
tinguishing characters of the genera are as follows
la. No free lower eyelid; eyes scarcely or not at all erectile above the dorsal
head (subfamily Apocrypteinae).
profile of the
2a. Scales very minute, more than 200 in longitudinal series; teeth in both
jaws pointed a pair of canine teeth behind symphysis of lower jaw
;

second dorsal fin with 28 to 31 rays Pseudapocryptes

26. Scales larger, about 100 or less in longitudinal series.
3a. Teeth in lower jaw pointed anterior teeth in upper jaw caniniform a
; ;

pair of canine teeth behind symphysis of lower jaw about 80 scales ;

in longitudinal series ParapocryTptes

36. Teeth in lower jaw truncate, obtuse, or bilobate.
4a. A pair of canine teeth behind symphysis of lower jaw teeth in lower ;

jaw truncate or bilobate. Anterior teeth of upper jaw caniniform;

scales in longitudinal series 40 to 60; second dorsal fin with 23
or 24 rays Apocryptodon
46. No canine teeth behind symphysis of lower jaw teeth in lower jaw
;

obtuse anterior teeth in upper jaw strongly canine

; scales in ;

longitudinal series 70 to 90 second dorsal fin with 24 to 27 rays.

;

Apocryptichthys
16. A free lower eyelid; eyes erectile above the dorsal profile of the head (sub-
family Boleophthalminae).
5a. Teeth in lower jaw subhorizontal, flattened, and obliquely notched;
tongue truncate; scales (in local species) in longitudinal series
about 70 to 100 or somewhat more no barbels on lower jaw
;

second dorsal fin with 23 to 25 rays; dorsal and anal fin not
united to caudal fin Boleophthalmus
56. Teeth in lower jaw pointed, subhorizontal anteriorly, more erect
posteriorly tongue rounded scales minute, more or less rudi-
: ;

mentary, somewhat larger posteriorly, often altogether absent on

head and anterior part of body a barbel on chin and a series of
;

small barbels on the upper lip and on the ramus of the lower jaw;
second dorsal fin with 25 to 29 rays; dorsal and anal fins joined
to base of caudal fin by a membrane Scartelaos;

Genus PSEUDAPOCRYPTES Bleeker

Pseudapocryptes Bleeker (453), Arch Neerl. Sci. Nat. vol. 9, p. 328, 1874. (Type,
Apocryptes lanceolatus Cantor.)
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND

561
PSEUDAPOCRYPTES LANCEOLATUS (Bloch)

Eleotris lanceolata Bloch, in Schneider,

1801, p. 67, pi. 15 (Traiiquebar)
Apocnjptes lanceolatm [Link], 1865 (347),
p. 34 (Siam) 1865 (356), p
; 174
(Siam).—Johnstone, 1903, p. 295 (Patani River),
This species ranges from India to Thailand, Malaya,
and the Indo-
Austrahan Archipelago. It is uncommon, or at any
rate rarely recog-
nized, locally. In addition to the records
shown in the synonymy
several specimens in the British Museum from the Menam Chao Phya
were received from the Siamese Museum.
A length of more than 20 cm. is attained.
Two
specimens taken in the Menam Chao Phya at
Paknam, Febru-
ary 1927, 21.5 and 24 cm. long, have the very long slender
5,
interlock-
ing teeth m
both jaws sliglitly dilated at the tip, with a dull
point.
The following interesting account of this species, as
observed by
Annandale and Kobinson in the Patani Eiver, is given by Johnstone
( 1903)
This is the least terrestrial of the mud
gobies which we saw in Malaya and
IS obviously less highly specialized for an amphibious
than any species of
life
Boleophthalmus or Periophthalmus but it frequently
;
wriggles along the mud
some yards away from the water, and its powers of
"walking," or rather hop-
ping, on land, though less well-developed
than those of its allies, are by no means
absent. At the mouth of the Patani River,
at dead low tide, numerous indi-
viduals line the water's edge, and by some
muscular effort raise their heads and
bodies into the air almost vertically, remaining
poised, as if standing upright
on their tails for an instant, and then falling
prone on the liquid mud This
curious manoeuvre, probably executed in
attempts to capture flies, causes a
peculiar sound, which can be heard all along the
shore.
This fish is called pla kua at Bangkok and Paknam.

Genus PARAPOCRYPTES Bleaker

Parapocryptes Bleekeb (453), Arch. N6erl. Sci. Nat., vol. 9, p. 327, 1874.
' (Type '
Apocryptes niacrolepis Bleeker.)

PARAPOCRYPTES SERPERASTER (Richardson)

[Link] serperaster Richardson,

1846, p. 206 (Macao, China).—Hora 1923b
p. 179 (Nontaburi).

This fish of the seas

and estuaries of India and China was first made
known by Hora (1923b) as an inhabitant of Thailand from three
specimens from the Menam Chao Phya at Nontaburi.
In 1923 and
1929 the writer preserved specimens from the same
river at Pakret
and Paknam, and in 1928 and 1933 he took many
specimens in the
Bangpakong River as far up as Petrieu. A
specimen, 21.2 cm. long,
obtamed near Petrieu on June 27, 1933, was a ripe male,
and had the
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562 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

following colors while alive Body grayish green, with 5 dark green
:

blotches meeting across the back and 4 dark green spots along the
side; belly pale salmon; miderside of head pale yellow; dorsal fin
hyaline, with some vague dark green lines at base; caudal fin green,
itslower edge bright yellow; anal fin salmon anteriorly, basal part
of posterior two-thirds greenish; ventral fins salmon; pectoral fins
brownish, with a bright yellow edge.
The vernacular name on the Menam Chao Phya and Menam Bang-
pakong is fla heua.

Genus APOCRYPTODON Bleeker

Apoonjptodon Bleekeb (453), Arch. Need. Sci. Nat., vol. 9, p. 327, 1874. (Type,
Apocrj/pfes madurbnsis Bleeker.)

The gobies of this genus are mostly marine but some species wander
into fresh water. The elongate body is nearly cylindrical, finely
scaled, and of plain coloration. The horizontal mouth is large, ex-
tending beyond a vertical from the posterior border of the eyes, and
the single row of widely spaced teeth in each jaw is supplemented by
a postsymphyseal pair on the mandible. Three species are ascribed to
Thailand, as follows
Iff. Scales in longitudinal series .50 to 60, in transverse series between second
dorsal and anal fins 13, in predorsal region 26 to 30.
2a. Cheeks scaled to point under anterior part of eye body marked with 5 or
;

6 light brown cross bands, which may meet over back; pectorals dark
olive or blackish, with a white lower edge bleekeri
2&. Cheeks scaled only on upper posterior part body marked with 6 round dark
;

brown spots along middle of side alternating with 5 vertically elongate

dark brown spots extending downward from midline of back; head and
body with numerous small round black spots pectorals greenish, with a
;

black lower edge malcolmi

1&. Scales in longitudinal series 165, in transverse series between second dorsal
and anal fins 35, in predorsal region 60; head largely covered with very
small scales gray-brown above, white below, large blackish gray blotches
;

on caudal peduncle, caudal fin with 16 or 17 fine, wavy, transverse blackish

lines edwardi

APOCRYPTODON BLEEKERI (Day)

Apocnjptes MeeJccri Day, 1876, vol. 1, p. 300. pi. 64, fig. 3 (Seas of India, Malay
Ai'chipelago).
Apocryptodon bleekeri Fowler, 1939, p. 53 (Krabi).

This species, described by Day from India, is reported by him to

range thence to the Malay Archipelago. Its claim to a place in this
catalog rests on the record by Fowler of 48 specimens, 16.5 to 23 cm.
long,from Krabi (Ghirbi) on the western side of Peninsular Thailand,
taken in September 1936.
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND
563
APOCRYPTODON MALCOLMI H. M. Smith

Apocryptodon malcolnd Smith, 1931a, p. 47, fig. 22

FoWLEB. 1937, p. 257 (Bangkok, Tachin).
(Chantabun River) —
BoleopMhalmus smithi Fowlee, 1934a, p. 160, fig. 129 (Bangkok)
1935a, p. 162 ;

(Bangkok, Paknam).

Originally known from the Chantabun River and

later found in
brackish water in the Chantabun Estuary, this
species was more re-
cently reported by Fowler from numerous specimens
from the Menam
Chao Phya at Bano^kok and Paknam and several from the
Tachin.
The type, 7.5 cm. long, is a fully developed female.
A length exceeding 20 cm. is attained by Bangkok
specimens.

APOCRYPTODON EDWARDI Fowler

BoleopMhalmus taylori Fowleb, 1984a, p. 159, fig. 128 Bangkok

; ; 1935a p 162
(Bangkok, Paknam).
Apocryptodon edivardi Fowler, 1937, p. 257 (Tachin,
Bangkok). (Correction of
generic identification and substitution of new specific
name for taylori pre- '
occupied.)

Described from the Menam Chao Phya at Bangkok

and later re-'
corded from Paknam and Tachin, this species is
noteworthy for hav-
ing extremely small scales on head and body in (165 longitudinal series
and 35 in transverse series, with 60 in the median line
anterior to the
dorsal fin) a single row of widely spaced blunt teeth
,
in each jaw with
a pair behind the mandibular symphysis, a free
lower eyelid, and a
very striking pattern of coloration of the caudal fin
16 or 17 narrow, :

wavy, curved dark cross bands. The five specimens

distinct,
recorded
by Fowler ranged from 17 to 23.2 cm. in total length.
Even with information supplied in a letter by Mr. Fowler
additional
to that contained in the published descriptions,
it is not possible to
make a wholly satisfactory generic ollocation of this
species chiefly
because of the teeth, which in the upper jaw are norinally
conical with
the anterior ones caniniform and in the lower jaw
are flattened, sub-
horizontal, and obliquely truncate, notched, or bilobed.

Genus APOCRYPTICHTHYS Day

Apoaryptichthys Day, Fishes of India, vol. 1, p. 302, 1876. (Type, Apocryptichthys
cantoris Day.)

The fishes of this genus are few as to species and of small

size,
apparently not reaching a length of 10 cm. The type
species, A.
cantons (Day, 1870b, p. 693) remained unique until 1927, when Herre
described a new from China, and in 1935 Fowler named a new
species
species from Thailand. The two forms reported from Thailand A.
cantoris and A. livingstoni, may prove to be identical.
The former
has been found in the Gulf of Siam ofl' the mouth of
the Meklong, the
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564 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

latter was described from the lower Menam Chao Phya. The ap-
parent differentiating characters are as follows
la. Dorsal described and figured as entirely separated head scaled above
fins ;

posterior to eyes and on oi)ercle and preopercle; scales in longitudinal

series 70 to 90; first dorsal fin with dark longitudinal bars cantoris
lb. Dorsal fins completely united by a membrane; head naked; scales in longi-
tudinal series about 55 first dorsal fin without bars
; livingstoni

APOCRYPTICHTHYS CANTORIS Day

Apocryptichthys cantoris Day, 1876, vol. 1, p. 302, pi. 57, fig. 7 (Madras, Anda-
mans).— Smith, 1931d, p. 189 (Gulf of Siam off the Meklong).

Described from the east coast of India and the Andaman Islands,
was first discovered in other waters in 1923 when three speci-
this fish
mens, 7.5 to 8.3 cm. long, were taken in a shore seine in the Gulf of
Siam near the mouth of the Meklong when a large volume of fresh
water was pouring into the gulf.
Although Day described the fish as having the head scaleless, Kou-
mans (1931), having examined Day's type, determined that it had
scales on the top of the head posterior to the eyes and also on the
opercles and preopercles. Day furthermore described and figured the
dorsal fins as entirely separated, but whether this was a natural fea-
ture or was due to mutilation is not known definitely; in the other
species herein listed and in Herre's new species from China the dorsal
fins are united by a membrane having the full depth of the adjoining
rays.
APOCRYPTICHTHYS UVINGSTONI Fowler

Apocryptichthys Uvinffstowi Fowler, 1935a, p. 162, figs. 131, 132 (Paknam).

This known from three specimens, 9.3 and 9.4 cm.
fish is long, taken
in the Menam Chao Phya at Paknam. It was separated specifically
from A. cantoris by having the dorsal fins fully united, only about 53
or 54 scales in longitudinal series, and different coloration of the dorsal
and caudal fins. The enumeration of the scales in the longitudinal
series, however, did not take into account the large number of small
or rudimentary scales anteriorly, which scales were counted by Day
in his description of cantoris. Other apparent differences squama- —
tion of the head, coloration of fins, and similar characters may jus- —
tify the retention of this species pending the examination of further
material than is now available.

Genus BOLEOPHTHALMUS Cuvier and Valenciennes

Boleophthalnius Cuvieb and Valenciennes, Histoire naturelle des poissons, vol.

12, p. 198, 1837. (Type, Boleophthalmus hoddaerti (Cuvier and Valen-
ciennes) =
Go &ms boddarti Pallas.)
 — : — ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OP SIAM, OR THAILAND 565

The availability of the name Boleophthalrrms is in some doubt. It

may have to be suppressed as a synonym of Apocryptes. For the pres-
ent it may be retained as likely to cause less confusion.
These gobies of curious aspect and habit frequent coastal waters and
fresh waters near the sea, and may be recognized by their elongate
shape, finely scaled body and head, teeth in jaws in a single row, those
in upper jaw conical, those in lower jaw flattened, notched and hori-
zontal, a pair of curved canine teeth behind symphysis of lower jaw,
eyes erectile, a distinct lower eyelid, dorsal fins well separated, with
the spinous rays produced and much longer than the branched rays,
and caudal fin lanceolate.
Two species are recognized from Thailand as follows

la. Series of scales between posterior end of second dorsal fin and anal fin 8 to
11 body with 7 dark oblique cross bands and small oblique cross bands and
;

small opaque blue spots caudal fin blackish pectoral fins either orange
;
;

with a black edge or black with an orange edge boddarti

16. Series of scales between posterior end of second dorsal fin and anal fin 17
body dark gray to brown, with irregularly disposed verdigris spots dorsal ;

fins with blue spots caudal fin with blue spots between rays pectoral fins
;
;

plain pectinirostris

BOLEOPHTHALMUS BODDARTI (Pallas)

Gobiiis toddarti Paulas, 1770, vol. 8, p. 11, pi. 2, figs. 4,5 (Indian Ocean).
Boleophthalmus toddaerti Johnstone, 1903, p. 300 (Patani States, Peninsular
Siam ; Jantbu, Malay States). Pe:arse, 1933, p. 174 (Paknam). Fowleb,
1934a, p. 159 (Bangkok) ; 1935a, p. 162 (Bangkok, Paknam).

From Thailand through Malaya and the East Indies

this fish ranges
to India. found in salt, brackish, and fresh waters,
In Thailand it is

but does not ascend streams beyond tidal influence. It is particularly

abundant in large rivers near their mouths, and is often caught in large
quantities in pongpang bag nets, which operate on the outgoing tide or
current and catch fish swinuning down stream. Numerous specimens
from the Menam Chao Phya and Menam Bangpakong in Central
Thailand and the Menam Chao in Southeastern Thailand have been
examined.
Examples up to 15 cm. long are met with in Thailand, and a some-
what larger size is probably attained.
The fish is caught in seines, bag nets, and traps. It is eaten locally
and it is also sent to the larger market towns for sale. Sometimes
many thousands may reach the Bangkok market from the lower river
in a single day.
In his studies of gobies at Paknam, Pearse (1933) found that the
long-intestined Boleophthalmus (ratio of length of body to length of
intestine 1 to 1.45) is almost exclusively vegetarian, the percentage by
bulk of its intestinal contents being 83.8 filamentous algae and 12.5
590087 — 45 37
 .

566 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

diatoms. The note on this species by Annandale and Robinson ap-

pearing in Johnstone (1903) may be abridged as follows:
The species of this genus [that is, B. 'boddaerti, pcctinirostria, and viridis] do
not diflfer from one another to any great extent in habits. The present
form * * * hops about like P. phya, in the hottest sunshine, and appears to
make a permanent burrow, which, however, is of a very simple nature, devoid
of a surrounding rampart. When alarmed it frequently wriggles, tail foremost,
into the mud, and this would seem to be the way in which its holes are commenced.
Its food * * * is largely of a vegetable nature, and we have watched it

browsing on a minute green alga that closely covers the surface of the mud-
flats at certain points. Unlike P. phya, it carries its dorsal fin rays elevated in the
air. This gives it a very distinctive appearance as the web of the fin is dotted
with conspicuous blue spots. Possibly the fin aids it in its terrestrial progress,
like the sail of an ice-boat, as the rays are lowered so as to lie prone whenever
it passes through a pool of water even too shallow to wet its dorsal surface in ;

such conditions a sail might cause it to topple over. The adults are very pug-
nacious, and if two individuals happen to meet face to face, a hostile demonstra-
tion always takes place; they rush together, raising and depressing their dorsal
fins with great rapidity, but do not appear to injure one another in any way, and
soon part and continue their course.
The chief vertebrate enemies of the "walking" fish in the Patani States are
fishing hawks, monitor lizards, and jwssibly others.

In Patani, as recorded by Annandale, the flesh of this fish is some-

times eaten raw, being considered a powerful tonic or aphrodisiac,
which probably accounts for the fish's extraordinary vigor in an ele-
ment so uncongenial to its class.
In addition to bearing the general name of pla tin, which is shared
with gobies of this type, this species is called pla chum pruad or pla
turn pruud on the Menam Chao Phya and pla keua in Southeastern
Thailand. In the Bangpakong a name sometimes heard is pla Jcam-
pud, said to be of Cambodian origin.

BOLEOPHTHALMUS PECTINIROSTRIS (Linnaeus)

Gohius pectinirostris Linnaeus, 1758, p. 264 (China).

Boleophthalmus pectinirostris Sattvage, 1883b, p. 151 (Menam Chao Phya).—
Johnstone, 1903, p. 300 (Patani).~FowLEE, 1938, p. 213 (Patani [after
Johnstone] )

The whose range extends from Japan

local records for this goby,
and China Malaya, the East Indies, and Burma, are those of Sau-
to
vage (1883b), who reported the fish from the Menam Chao Phya, and
Johnstone (1903) who listed it from Patani.
A length of at least 11 cm. is attained.

Genus SCARTELAOS Swainson

Scartelaos Swainson, Natural history ... of fishes, vol. 2, pp. 183, 279, 1839.
(Type, QoUus viridis Hamilton.)

The genus Scartelaos is close to Boleophthalmus but may be rec-

ognized readily by the dentition, as given in the key.
 —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 567
SCAKTELAOS VIRIDIS (Hamilton)

GoUus viridis Hamilton, 1822, p. 42, pi. 32, fig. 12 (Ganges).

Boleophthahnus viridis Johnstone, 1903, p. 3CK) (Patani).
Scartelaos viridis Smith, 1931d, p. 190 (Southeastern Siam). Fowler, 1935a,
p. 162 (Bangkok).

Originally described from the Ganges, this fish has been found
to range from Eastern India to Malaya and China and to the East
Indies and Philippines. It is essentially a salt or brackish water
form, but may push up coastal streams into water that is nearly or
quite fresh. The Thailand waters. It was first taken
fish is rare in
in a tidal ditch within the Chantabun Estuary at Lem Sing in March
1930; the single specimen was 6.1 cm. long. A second specimen,
recorded by Fowler from Bangkok, was 11 cm. long.

Family GOBIOIDIDAE: Eellike Gobies

Applying the principle of priority to the creation of family names,

as is done with generic and specific names, one may recognize the

family Gobioididae as established by Jordan (1923) rather than

Taenioididae as set up by Hora (1924a, p. 496) even though the name
Taenioides Lacepede has page priority over Gobioides Lacepede. Al-
though the International Eules of Zoological Nomenclature (Article 4)
provide that a family name is formed by adding the ending idae to the
stem of the name of the type genus, they leave the term "type genus"
undefined. The implication is that the person creating a new family
name may base it on the oldest valid generic name or on some other
generic name chosen without regard to priority. Hora's action was
no doubt influenced by his contention, based in part on the conclusions
of Weber (1913, p. 485), that Gobioides is not generically distinct
from Taenioides and is a synonym thereof. As to this point there is
room for difference of opinion. Gobioides is an American genus, the
type, broussonetii Lacepede, ranging from the Gulf of Mexico to
Brazil. Among the distinguishing characters of the genus are much
fewer dorsal and anal branched rays (15 to 17 as against 32 to 49 in
Taenioides) than in any species of the Oriental genus Taenioides^ and
the absence of the mental and mandibular barbels supposed to be
always present in Taenioides. Furthermore, there may be differences
in the dentition that would be brought out in a critical examination
of more adequate material than is now available. Koumans (1931)
said "I think, the genera Taenioides and Gobioides are distinct enough
:

to keep them separated, differing e. g. in number of dorsal and anal

rays, in placing of teeth and, so far as I know, in presence or absence
of barbels."
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568 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

In Hora's noteworthy paper, all the very elongate, compressed,

Oriental gobies characterized by long dorsal and anal fins fully united
to or closely contiguous to the caudal fin, ventral fins either completely
united to form a disk or wholly or partly separated, minute eyes,
absent or more or less rudimentary scales, and very oblique mouth, are
placed in the Taenioididae, with two subfamilies recognized, the
Taenioidinae and the Trypaucheninae, the latter given full family
rank by Jordan (1923), Herre (1927), and others. The separation of
these subfamiliesis based largely on the possession by the Trypau-

cheninae of a pouchlike cavity over each opercle, the cavity being

lacking in the Taenioidinae.
The locally represented genera number 5 and may be identified as
follows
la. No
pouchlike cavity over each opercle (Taeniodinae).
2a. Barbels present on tip of low^er jaw outer rove of teeth in both jaws re-
;

curved canines; branched dorsal rays 38 to 52; branched anal rays 37

to 49 Taenioides
2&. Barbels absent on lower jaw branched dorsal rays 29 to 32 branched anal
; ;

rays 27 to 35.
3a. Mouth large, moderately oblique, chin not heavy and dilated; teeth in
upper jaw in 2 rows, in lower jaw in 2 or more rows, the outer row en-
larged, long, pointed, inward-curved dorsal fin with 6 or 7 simple rays.
;

Brachyamblyopus
3&. Mouth small, very oblique, chin heavy and dilated ; teeth in both jaws in
2 rows, the outer row long, pointed, slender, wide-set, and depressible,
the inner row minute dorsal fin with 6 to 10 simple rays.
;

Caragobioides
16. Pouchlike cavity over each opercle present (Trypauchkninae).
4a. Ventral fins completely united into a funnel-shaped disk Trjrpauchen
4&. Ventral fins separated to their base Trypaucheniclithys

Subfamily Taenioidinae

Genus TAENIOIDES Lacepede

Taenioides Lacep£:db, Histoire naturelle des poissons, vol. 2. p 532, 1800. (Type,
Taenioides hermannii Lacepede.)

The genus Taenioides, with the haplotype T. hermannh' Lacepede,

not T. hermannianus as stated by Bleeker (1874 [453] ), Jordan (1917,
pt. 1, p. 57), and Koumans (1931), has four recorded local species
and probably several more remain to be detected in the fresh waters
of Thailand. The greatly elongate form might to the uninitiated give
the impression that these fishes are eels. Their large mouth, formi-
dable array of teeth, and bulldoglike lower jaw are combined with a
vicious disposition.
 :

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 569

The Thailand species are differentiated by the following characters

la. Dorsal and anal fins more or less completely united with caudal.
2a. A pair of postsymphyseal canine teeth in lower jaw, about 16 large curved
teeth in outer row of upper jaw, about 14 in lower jaw scaleless general ; ;

color pink ang'uillaris

26. No postsymphyseal canine teeth in lower jaw.

3a. Scaleless depth of body 18.5 to 20 times in total length about 10 large
; ;

curved teeth in outer row of each jaw; general color olivaceous, fins
darker ^
gracilis
3&. Posterior third of body covered with minute cycloid scales; depth of
body about 14 times in total length about 6 large curved teeth in outer
;

row of upper jaw, about 8 in lower jaw general color olivaceous, ver-
;

tical fins black nigrimarginatus

16. Dorsal and anal fins completely separated from caudal no postsymphyseal ;

canines in lower jaw; 8 to 10 large curved teeth in outer row of upper

jaw, 6 to 8 in lower jaw scaleless general color bright pink or pale yellow,
; ;

with a series of round brownish spots along side cirratus

TAENIOIDES ANGUILLARIS (Linnaeus)

OoMus anguillaris Linnaeus, 1766, p. 450 (China).

Taenioides anguillaris Fowlek, 1935a, p. 163 (Bangkok, Paknam).
Taenioides angullaris Fowt^b, 1937, p. 257 (Bangkok).

An goby recorded from India, the Indo-Australian Archi-

eellike
pelago, China, and elsewhere under the name Taenioides anguillaris
may not with certainty be identified with Gohius anguillaris Lin-
naeus, the description of which is very brief and applicable to several
Oriental species referred to the genus Taenioides. The species
now
herein considered is the one described and figured by Day (1876-78)
as GoHoides anguillaris (Linnaeus) and characterized by features
shown in the preceding key.
The species was first met with in Thailand in 1927, when the writer
obtained several specimens from a pongpang net in the Menam Chao
Phya near Bang Torani, between Bangkok and Ayuthia the largest ;

of these was 9.5 cm. long. Fowler (1935a and 1937) referred to
seven specimens, 10.8 to 23.6 cm. long, taken in the Menam Chao Phya
at Bangkok and Paknam.
TAENIOIDES GRACILIS (Cuvier and Valenciennes)

Amblyopus gracilis Cxjvieb and Valenciennes, 1837, vol. 12, p. 166 (Pondicherry).

This goby ranges from India to the East Indies and the Philip-
pines. It is apparently rare in Thailand, and only a single definite
record is available, a fish, 13.5 cm. long, taken in the Menam Chao
Phya at Paknam in June 1927.
A length of 19 to 20 cm. is reported in other waters.
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570 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

TAENIOIDES NIGRIMAKGINATUS Hora

Taenioides nigrvmarginatus Hora, 1924a, p. 496, fig. 8 ( Singora )

Hora described this species from four specimens, the largest 16.5
and 23.1 cm. long, obtained by Dr. Annandale at Singora, in 1916.
This is the only local memberof the genus having scales (on posterior
third of body). This feature, with the black vertical fins, makes the
species easily identifiable.

TAENIOIDES CIRRATUS (BIyth)

Amblyopus cirratus Blyth, 1860b, p. 147 (locality unknown "but probably ob-
tained in the Calcutta bazaar").
Taenioides cirratus H. M. Smith, 1931d, p. 189 (Meklong).

'''First made known by Blyth from the Hooghli Kiver, India, this
fish has been found to range through the East Indies to the Philip-
pines. It was recorded from Thailand in 1931 and does not appear to
have been reported there since. The unique specimen was taken in
October 1929 in a canal off the Meklong and had a rather interesting
history. The capture of an "electric fish" had been announced in a
local newspaper and the creature was exhibited alive in Rajaburi,
where it attracted considerable attention because of its reputed electric
properties. It had been caught on a muddy bank by a woman using a
line, and had been seen in a spirited fight with a snake {Oylindrophis
'rufus), which was subsequently found dead. The color in life was a
pale yellow with a series of 21 small roundish yellowish brown spots
extending along the side from under the first dorsal spine to the base
of the caudal fin; the fins were of the same color as the body except
the caudal, which was a yellowish brown with a blackish tip. Dorsal
rays VI,I,45 anal rays 1,39 to 1,41. Length over all 38 cm., length
;

to base of caudal fin 34.25 cm.; depth at origin of dorsal fin 2.2 cm.
The greatest length recorded by Day for this fish in India is 25 cm.,
and by Herre in the Philippines is 18.2 cm. The Thai example may
represent about the maximum size attained. It was impossible to
obtain this fish for preservation, owing to the prohibitive price placed
on it by the owner who, however, was willing to have it examined
and handled with the cautionary information that it might impart
a dangerous electric shock.

Genus BRACHYAMBLYOPUS Bleeker

BracJiyamUyopus Bleekeb (453), Arch. N6erl, Sci. Nat., vol. 9, p. 329, 1874.
(Type, AtnUyopus tracTiysoma Bleeker.)

The introduction of the generic name Brachy amblyopus was made

by Bleeker in 1874 as a substitute for Amblyopus of Cuvier and
Valenciennes (1837), the latter name being a synonym for Taemoides
 : —
FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 571

of Lacepede (1800). The type of Brachyam'blyo'pus is Amblyopics

hrachysoma Bleeker, which, with another Bleekerian species, is known
from Thailand. The two species that occur in Thailand are
la. Body more oi' with small, scattered, partly imbedded scales,
less covered
larger posteriorly head naked anal rays 1,27 pink
; ; brachysoma
;

1&. Body and head naked except for minute, scattered scales on posterior part of
length; anal rays 1,23; blood-red or greenish urolepis

Giinther (1861, vol. 3, p. 136) retained the name Arriblyopus for

fishesproperly called Taenioides and Gobioides for the remarkable
reasons that "it is generally used, and also because such names as
Gobioides, Taenioides, etc., should always be avoided."

BRACHYAMBLYOPUS BRACHYSOMA (Bleeker)

AmUyopus hrachysoma Bleeker, 1853 (86), p. 510 (Priaman, Sumatra). ^von

Maktens, 1876, p. 393 (Bangkok).

The only record of this fish in Thailand is that given by von Martens,
who listed it from fresh water in Bangkok. The species is otherwise
known from Sumatra.
BRACHYAMBLYOPUS UROLEPIS (Bleeker)

Amhlyopus urolepis Bleekee, 1852 (67), p. 581 (Palembang, Sumatra).

Described from rivers of Sumatra, this species was detected in

Thailand during the years 1923, 1927, and 1928, in the Bangpakong
and Chao Phya Rivers, and is probably not rare.
The various specimens collected were 6.8 to 8 cm. long, and were
recorded as blood red when first taken.

CARAGOBIOIDES, new genus

The characters of the genus are those of the species set forth in the
key on page 568, which also separates it from all related genera.
—
Genotype. Caragohius geomys Fowler.

CARAGOBIOIDES GEOMYS (Fowler)

Caragohius geomys Fowler, 1935a, p. 161, figs. 129, 130 (Bangkok).

Known from eight specimens, 6.1 to 7.5 cm. long, taken in Bangkok
in May and July 1934, this species seems separable from Caragohius
typhlops Smith and Seale, the type of Caragohius from the Philip-
pines, by its more tapering body, 10 simple dorsal rays (against 6),
longer and more pointed caudal fin, and apparently uniserial teeth.
The last feature, if confirmed, together with the increased number
of simple dorsal rays, would, with other possible characters, probably
justify a special genus for its accommodation for this genus the name
;

Caragohioides is suggested.
 . ——
572 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Subfamily Trypaucheninae

Genus TRYPAUCHEN Cuvier and Valenciennes

Trypauchen Cuviee and Valenciennes, Histoire naturelle des poissons, vol. 12,
p. 152, 1837. (Type, Trypauchen vagina Cuvier and Valenciennes.)

TRYPAUCHEN VAGINA (Bloch)

Ooblus vagina Bloch, in Schneider, 1801, p. 73 (Tranquebar).

Trypauchen vagina Hoea, 1924a, p. 497 (Tale Sap near Singora). Fowler, 1934a,
p. 161 (Bangkok) 1935a, p. 163 (Bangkok, Paknam) 1937,
; ; p. 257 (Tachin).

This is common fish from India to China, frequenting the

a fairly
coasts, estuaries,and lower course of coastal streams. It is essentially
a salt-water form, but it sometimes pushes its way up rivers into water
that is nearly or quite fresh. It is common up the Menam Chao Phya
below Bangkok, and is known also from the Bangpakong River, the
Chantabun River and its estuary, and from the outer lake of the
Tale Sap. Its pinky white color and minute black eyes make it
conspicuous.
A length of 20 to 22 inches is attained in local waters.
A vernacular name for the fish in the Chantabun district is pla pluad.
Genus TRYPAUCHENICHTHYS Bleeker

Trypauchaiichthys Bleekee (272), Act. Soc. Sci. Indo.-Neerl. Borneo), vol. 8,

p. 63, 1860. (Type, Trypauchenichthys typus Bleeker.)

TRYPAUCHENICHTHYS TYPUS Bleeker

Trypauchenichthys typus Bleekee, 1860 (272), p. 63 (Borneo). Hoba, 1924a,

p. 497 (Tale Sap) 1924b, p. 155 (Tale Sap).—Herke, 1927, p. 340 (Tale Sap,
;

after Hora )

This is uncommon species of Borneo and the Philip-

apparently an
two specimens collected by Annandale in the
pines, with a record of
Tale Sap and reported by Hora, the first and only citation for Thai-
land. It is a salt-water or brackish-water form.
A length in excess of 12.5 cm. is attained.
Orcier Plectognathi
Family TETRAODONTIDAE : Swellfishes, or Puffers

This very large family, mostly marine, is represented in Thailand

by several genera having species that inhabit fresh water or more or
less regularly seek the lower courses of streams.
By means of a cavity connected with the pharynx and provided with
a valve, the fish is able to inflate itself enormously with air and then
to float like a balloon.
 : : ;;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 573

In some species the muscular tissue and abdominal viscera are ex-
tremely poisonous, and in Thailand, as in other parts of the world,
deaths have occurred when human beings have eaten such fishes. The
poison, an alkaloid related to the deadly principle found in certain
mushrooms, acts quickly and death may ensue in 1 to 3 hours.
Four genera are known to Thailand as follows
la. Each with 2 openings in a short tube or papilla
nostril Sphoeroides
1&. Each nostril with a simple imperforate cavitysurrounded by a tube or pro-
vided with a tentacle.
2a. Dorsal and anal fins long, with 25 to 36 rays and 22 to 29 rays respectively
coloration plain Chonerhinus
2&. Dorsal and anal fins short, with less than 15 rays; coloration various.
3a. Each nostril with a short tube, whose margin is divided into flaps or
fringe back and abdomen spinous, middle of side smooth
; Chelonodon
36. Each nostril with a bifid tentacle body more or less spinous
; Tetraodon

Genus SPHOEROIDES Anonymous

Sphoeroides (author anonymous), Allg. Lit. Zeit., 1798, col. 676. (Type, Tetrodon
spenffleri Bloch.)

SPHOEROIDES LUNARIS (Bloch)

Tetrodon lunaris Bloch, in Schneider, ISOl, p. 505 (Sea of Malabarico).

Tetraodon lunaris Bleekee, 1865 (356), p. 172 (Siam).
Lagocephalus lunaris Fowoat, 1937, p. 264 (Pitsanulok, Tachin, Paknam).

This widely distributed and common species of eastern and southern

Asia, the Philippines, and the Indo-Australian Archipelago is essen-
tially marine, but it enters the mouths of rivers and, exceptionally,
appears to go far up streams. A noteworthy record for Thailand,
where the species is abundant in the coastal waters, is for the Nan River
at Pitsanulok (Fowler, 1937).
A
length of 25 cm. is attained.

Genus CHONERHINUS Bleeker

Chonerhinus Bleekee (301), Atlas ichthyologique, vol. 5, p. 49, 1865. (Type,

Chonerhinus naritus Bleekev=Tetraodon naritus Richardson.)

This genus is characterized hj a well-compressed, rather stout body,

many-rayed dorsal and anal fins, a single imperforate nostril on each
side surrounded by a rather high rim, small spines on abdomen and
sides, and plain coloration (golden yellow, golden green). The two
local species, very similar, may be distinguished by the features indi-
cated as follows
la. Abdominal spines not extending upward beyond the level of the pectoral fins
dorsal rays v, 20 or vi, 20 anal rays iii or iv, 19 or 20
; __modestus
16. Abdominal spines extending upward beyond pectorals both anteriorly and
posteriorly dorsal rays iv or v, 31 or 32 anal rays ii or iii, 26
; ; naritus
574 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
CHONERHINUS MODESTUS (Bleeker)

Tetraodon (Arothroii) modestus Bleeker, 1851 (26), p. 16 (Bandjermassing,

Borneo).
Chonerhimcs modestus Hora, 1923&, p. 183 (Nontaburi).

In the lower part of the Menam Chao Phya basin this fish of the
rivers of Borneo, Sumatra, and Malaya is fairly common in some places
and at certain times. Seven specimens collected at Bangkok, on De-
cember 17, 1925, were in spawning condition, the largest, a female 13
cm. long, having ripe eggs.
In life this species is of a beautiful golden yellow or golden greenish
color.
The vernacular name pla pak pao, which is borne by the tetraodonts
generally, in the case of this fish is modified into pla pak pao tong
{tong, golden).

CHONERHINUS NARITUS (Richardson)

Tetraodon naritus Richardson, 1848, p. 18, pi. 8, figs. 1-3 (Sarawak River,
Borneo).
Chonerhinus naritus BleeIkee, 1865 (347), p. 33 (Siam) 1865 (356), p. 172
;

(Siam).

The only Thailand records for this species are those of Bleeker,
based on a specimen or specimens in the Musee du Jardin des Plantes
a Paris collected by Bocourt in 1861-62, probably in the Menam Chao
Phya at Bangkok or Ayuthia. The fish inhabits the rivers of Sumatra
and Borneo, and Bleeker notes the length of specimens therefrom as
ranging from 6.4 to 28.5 cm.

Genus CHELONODON Muller

Chelonodon Muxler, Abh. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1839, p. 252. (Type,
Tetrodon patoca Hamilton.)

In this genus the body is cylindrical, the head very broad, the back
and abdomen are covered with small spines leaving a smooth area along
the side; the single shallow, imperforate nostril on each side is sur-
rounded by a short tube margined with flaps or a fringe dorsal and ;

anal fins are short, with 6 to 9 branched rays.

CHELONODON PATOCA (Hamilton)

Tetrodon patoca Hamilton, 1822, pp. 7, 362 (Ganges),

f Chelonodon dumerili Bleeker, 1865 (347), p. 33 (Siam); 1865 (356), p. 172
(Siam).

This is a well-known species ranging from India to China, Malaya,

and various islands of the East Indies, frequenting coastal waters and
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 575

entering the lower courses of rivers. Two specimens of this

species

from Thailand in the British Museum were presented by Prince

Chumporn. single specimen, 7.5 cm. long, taken at Yamoo on a
A
branch of the Patani Kiver, Peninsular Thailand, October 12, 1927,
is U.S.N.M. No. 109685. There seem to be no other Thai records.
The species G. patoca is characterized by having the dark back and
top of head thickly covered with small round white spots, the lower
parts silvery. Immature specimens, like the one from Yamoo, often
show three or four dark cross bands extending from the back to the
middle of the side.
A length of 30 cm. or somewhat more is attained.
Bleeker listed as Chelonodon dumeHli, new species, a fish collected
in Thailand by Bocourt, referring to it as "restent a decrire." In a
second paper issued in the same year the fish appears as Chelonodon
dumerili Bleeker without comment. No description of the species
was ever published, there are no further references to it in the litera-
ture, and this name has no standing. It is suspected that the fish
Bleeker had was Chelonodon patoca.

Genus TETRAODON Linnaeus

Tetraodon Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 10, p. 332, 1758. (Type, Tetraodon
Uneatus Linnaeus.)

This genus of numerous marine and estuarine fishes has several

representatives in Thailand as in other Oriental countries that occur
in fresh water.
Compared with the marine species, the fresh-water forms are of
small size.
The vernacular name of all these fishes in Thailand is pla pah pao.
In addition to the species given in the following key, there are sev-
eral others, specimens of which have been noted as coming from the
fresh waters of Thailand but which cannot be conclusively accepted
as to identification. Among these are: (1) Tetraodon hispidus Lin-
naeus, a specimen 17 cm. long, March 2, 1924, from Chiengrai, on the
Mekok, a tributary of the Mekong. This specimen, called pla Mom
pah wong, agreed well with the descriptions and figures of this well-
known species, differing only in minor features. As Chiengrai is
over a thousand miles from the sea and this species is not otherwise
known from fresh water, the identification must be considered doubt-
ful. The specimen is not available for further examination. (2)
Tetraodon iminaGulatus Bloch, in Schneider. Four specimens 5.8 to
8.3 cm. long are reported by Fowler (1937) as coming from
Kemarat,
Eastern Thailand, several hundred miles up the Mekong. No descrip-
 : . — —
576 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
tion of the specimen is given except as to the flatness of the inter-

orbital space but the figure of a specimen 6 cm. long shows peculiar
;

dark markings on head, back, and side such as are wholly unknown
in the two color varieties of this species, immaculatus (unmarked) and
manillensis (with 6 to 12 narrow dark longitudinal lines extending
the entire length of the fish). As this form is otherwise unknown
from fresh water, there is doubt as to the identification.
Three species, known definitely from Thailand, are set forth in the
following diagnosis
la. Body and head covered with an irregular network of thin dark lines, some
of the meshes enclosing black spots; dorsal fin arising far in advance of
anal fin palembangensis
1&. Body and head more or less covered vpith dark spots, dorsal fin arising over
or slightly in advance of origin of anal fin.
2o. Entire head and body except middle of abdomen covered with small, round,
crowded black spots larger posteriorly; some or all of the spots may
have a narrow light edge no cross bands on caudal fin
; leiurus
2&, Back, upper part of head, and side more or less thickly covered with large
dark spots, mostly circular; about 6 narrow dark cross bars on
caudal fin fluviatilis

TETRAODON PALEMBANGENSIS Bleeker

Tetraodon palemiangensis Bleekeb, 1852 (62), p. 25 (Palembang, Sumatra).

HoEA, 1923b, p. 183 (Nontaburi) 1924a, p. 499, fig. 9 (inner lake of Tale
;

Sap).
Tetrodon palembang ensis Gunthee, 1870, vol. 8, p. 288 (Siam). KAboli, 1882,
p. 187 (Siam).— FowLEE, 1934b, p. 351, fig. 13 (Krat) 1935a, p. 163
;

(Srisawat).
Tetraodon paleniengensis Satjvage, 1883b, p. 155 (Menam Chao Phya).
This is a strictly fresh-water species, found in the rivers of Borneo,
Sumatra, and Thailand, and also in lakes in the Peninsula.
The British Museum contains a specimen collected in Thailand by
Mouhot and noted in Giinther's Catalogue. Other local records are
indicated in the synonymy. Hora (1924a) reported five young speci-
mens from the inner lake of the Tale Sap and figured two color phases
that agree with young specimens referred to by Hora (1923b) from the
Menam Chao Phya, collected by Dr. Malcolm Smith. An interesting
specimen, taken in the Tale Noi, September 28, 1927, by Masya and
Suvatti, of the Siamese Bureau of Fisheries, was 19 cm. long and
exhibited large black meshes on a yellow background, some of the
meshes enclosing black spots.
The fish is easily recognizable by the network of narrow blackish
lines completely covering the head and body.
The name given to the fish by the local fishermen was pla pak pao
nam chuet {nam ehuet^ fresh water)
 ;

FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 57'

TETRAODON LEIURUS Bleeker

Tetraodon leiurus Bleekeb, 1852 (62), pp. IS, 22 (Batavia).

Arothron leiurus Bleeker, 1865 (347), p. 33 (Siaro) 1865 (356), p. 172 (Siam)
;

Crayracion leiurus Bleekeb, 1865 (301) vol. 5. p. 67 ("le Meinam," Central Siam)
,

Tetraodon liurus Hoea, 1923b, p. 184 (Nontaburi).

Tetrodon leiurus Fowlek 1934a, p. 161 (Chiengmai) 1937, p. 264, flgs. 299, 30<
;

(Pitsanulok).

This is a river species of Java, Borneo, Sumatra, and Thailand, anc

illThailand it pushes its way far inland.
Bleeker (1865 [301]) recorded the fish from "the Menam, the greal
river of Siam, where it was found by M.-de Castelnau," as the onl^
locality outside the archipelago from which he knew it. Fowler de
scribed and figured a specimen, 8.1 cm. long, from the Menam Nan ai
Pitsanulok. The fish may be recognized by the characteristic of having
the entire head and body except the middle of the abdomen thickly
covered with large and small round black or dark brown spots, som<
or all of which may have a narrow white edge.
A
length of 13 cm. seems to be about the maximum attained in th(
East Indies.
It has been impossible for the present writer to identify wit!
Tetraodon leiurus the various specimens from the Menam Chao Phys
and the Tale Sap that Hora (1923b, 1924a) assigned to this species anc
they may represent an undescribed species.

TETRAODON FLUVIATILIS Hamilton

Tetrodon fluviatiUs Hamilton, 1822, p. 6, pi. 33, fig. 1 (lower parts of Bengal)
Tetraodon fiuviatiUs Sauvage, 1883b, p. 155 (Menam Chao Phya).
Dichotomy cter fluviatiUs Fowler, 1937, p. 264, fig. 297 Tachin).
Ranging along the coasts from India to the Philippines and regu-
larly entering the large rivers and ascending them into water that is
strictly fresh, this species does notappear to be at all common in Thai-
land, and there are only a few records from strictly fresh water.
It reaches a length of 15 cm. or a little more, and is usually marked
by numerous round black or dark brown spots on head, back, and sides
the greenish brown back may have greenish vermiculations the belly ;

is white or yellow the caudal fin has numerous dark brown cross bands
;

The degree of spinosity varies considerably, and examples are found

that are perfectly smooth, although normally there are spines on the
head posterior to the eyes, on the abdomen, and on the back and sides
anterior to the dorsal and anal fins.
The fish is very poisonous to human beings and also to ducks and
other domestic animals that eat the flesh or viscera.
 LITERATURE CITED
The following list includes, in alphabetical and chronological order by authors,
reports and articles pertaining to the fishes of Thailand, or general works re-
ferred to in the text. It includes also some references to literature relating to
the fishes of countries adjacent to Thailand where special reasons for their in-
clusion may exist.

Ahl, Ebnst.
1924. Ichthyologische Mitteilungen. IV. Eine Revision der Cypriniden-
Gattung Esomus. Mitteil. Zool. Mus. Berlin, vol. 11, pp. 38-43.
Alleyne, Hatnes Gibbes, and Macleay, William.
1877. The ichthyology of the Chevert Expedition. II. Proc. Linn. Soc. New
South Wales, vol. 1, pp. 321-359, pis. 10-17.
Annandale, Nelson.
1906. Notes on the freshwater fauna of India. A new goby from fresh and
brackish water in Lower Bengal. Journ. Proc. Asiatic Soc. Bengal,
vol. 2, pp. 201-202, fig. 1.
Beaufort, Lieven Febdinand de.
1927. Description of a new cyprinoid fish from Siam. Journ. Siam Soc, Nat.
Hist. Suppl., vol. 7, pp. 5, 6.

1933. On some new or rare species of Ostariophysi from the Malay Peninsula
and a new species of Betta from Borneo. Bull. Raffles Mus., No, 8,
pp. 31-36.
Berg, Lew Semenowitoh.
1906. Ueber Oyrinocheilus kaznakovi sp. n. (Cyprinidae, subfam. Gyrino-
cheilini) aus Siam. Comptes Rendus Soc. Nat. St. P^tersbourg, vol.
37, pp. 305-307, 364-366.
1940. Classification of fislies, both recent and fossil. Trav. Inst. Zool. Acad.
Sci. U.R.S.S., vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 87-517.
Bleeker, Pieter.
1846 (3). Overzicht der Siluroiden welke te Batavia voorkomen. Nat.
Geneesk. Arch. Ned.-Ind., ser. 2, vol. 3, pp. 135-184.
1846 (4). Siluroideorum bataviensium species nuperrime detectae. Nat.
Geneesk. Arch. Ned.-Ind., ser. 2, vol. 3, pp. 284-293.
1847 (5). Siluroideorum bataviensium conspectus diagnosticus. Verb.
Batav. Genootsch., vol. 21, pp. 1-60.
1847 (7). Nieuwe bijdrage tot de kennis der Siluroiden van Java. Verb.
Batav. Genootsch., vol. 21, pp. 1-12.
1849 (10). A contribution to the knowledge of the ichthyological fauna of
Celebes. Journ. Ind. Arch., vol. 3, pp. 65-74.
1849 (15). Bijdrage tot de kennis der Blennioiden en Gobioiden van den
Soeuda-Molukschen Archipel, met beschrijving van 42 nieuwe
soorten. Verb. Batav. Genootsch., vol. 22, pp. 1-40.
1849 (16). Bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van het eiland
Madura, met beschrijving van eenige nieuwe species. Verb.
Batav. Genootsch., vol. 22, pp. 1-16.
1850 (24). Bijdrage tot de kennis der Notacanthini van den Soenda-Moluks-
chen Archipel. Verb. Batav. Genootsch., vol. 23, pp. 1-6.
1850 (25). Bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van Midden- en
Oost-Java. Verb. Batav. Genootsch., vol. 23, pp. 1-23.
1851 (26). Bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van Borneo, met
beschrijving van 16 nieuwe soorten van zoetwatervisschen.
Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 1, pp. 1-16.

578
 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 579
Bleekeb, Pietee —
Continued.
1851 (35). Nieuwe bijdrage tot de keunis der ichthyologische fauna van
Borneo, met beschrijving van eenige nieuwe soorten van zoet-
watervisschen. Nat. Tijdschr. Nedeii.-Indie, vol. 1, pp. 259-
275.
1851 (38). Over eenige nieuwe soorten van Pleuronectoiden van den Indis-
chen Arcliipel. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 1, pp. 401-
416.
1851 (42). Derde bijdrage tot de kenuis der iclithyologische fauna van
Borneo, met beschrijving van eenige nieuwe soorten van zoet-
watervisschen. Nat, Tijdschr. Nederl.-Iudie, vol. 2, pp. 57-70.
1851 (45). Vierde bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van
Borneo, met beschrijving van eenige nieuwe soorten van zoet-
watervisschen. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 2, pp. 193-
208.
1851 (49). Vijfde bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van
Borneo, met beschrijving van eenige nieuwe soorten van zoet-
watervisschen. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 2, pp. 415-
442.
1852 (55). Zesde bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van
Borneo. Visschen van Pamangkat, Bandjermassing, Braboe-
karta en Sampit. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 3, pp.
407^42.
1852 (62). Bijdrage tot de kennis der blootkakige visschen van den Soeuda-
Moiukschen Archipel, met beschrijving van eenige nieuwe
soorten. Verb. Batav. Geuootsch., vol. 24, pp. 1-26.
1852 (67). Diagnostische beschrijviugen van nieuwe of weinig bekende visch-
soorten van Sumatra. Tiental I-IV. Nat. Tijdschr. N'ederl.-
Indie, vol. 3, pp. 569-608.
1852 (70). Nieuwe bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van
het eiland Banka. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 3, pp.
715-738.
1853 (74). Over eenige nieuwe soorten van Ilomaloptera v. Hass (Balitora
Gr.) van Java en Sumatra. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol.
4, pp. 155-164.
1853 (76). Diagnostische beschrijviugen van nieuwe of weinig bekende
vischsoorten van Sumatra. Tiental V-X. Nat. Tijdschr.
Nederl.-Indie, vol. 4, pp. 243-302.
1853 (78). Diagnostische beschrijviugen van nieuwe of weinig bekende
vischsoorten van Batavia. Tiental I-VI. Nat. Tijdschr.
Nederl.-Indie, vol. 4, pp. 451-516.
1853 (85). Zevende bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van
Borneo. Zoetwatervisschen van Sambas, Pontianak en Penga-
ron. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 5, pp. 427-462.
1853 (86). Nieuwe tientallen diagnostische beschrijviugen van nieuwe of
weinig bekende vischsoorten van Sumatra. Nat. Tijdschr.
Nederl.-Indie, vol. 5, pp. 495-534.
1853 (89). Bijdrage tot de kennis der Troskieuwige visschen van den Indis-
chen Archipel. Verb. Batav. Genootsch., vol. 25, pp. 1-30.
1853 (91). Nalezingen op de ichthyologische fauna van Beugalen en Hin-
dostan. Verb. Batav. Genootsch., vol. 25, pp. 1-164.
1854 (106). Overzicht der ichthyologische fauna van Sumatra, met beschri-
jving van eenige nieuwe soorten. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie,
vol. 7, pp. 49-108.
580 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

—
Bleekee, Pieter Continued.
1854 (110). Ichthyologische waarnemingen, gedaan op Verschillende reizeu
in de Residentie Bantam. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 7,
pp. 309-326.
1855 (136). Nalenzingen op de vi?chfauna van Sumatra. Visschen van
Lahat en Sibogha. Nat. Tijdsclir. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 9, pp.
257-280.
1855 (138). Verslag van eenige vischverzamelingen van visschen van Oost-
Java. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 9, pp. 391^14.
1855 (139). Negende bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van
Borneo. Zoetwatervisschen van Pontianak en Bandjermasin.
Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, voL 9, pp. 415-430.
1856 (144). Tweede bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van het
eiland Bintang. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 10, pp.
345-346.
1856 (149). Vijfde bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van de
Banda-eilanden. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 11, pp. 93-
110.
1856 (151). Bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van het eiland
Boero. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 11, pp. 383-^14.
1857 (162). Tiende bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische favina van
Borneo. Visschen van de rivieren Barito, Kuhajan en
Kapoeas. Act. Soc. Sci. Indo-Neerl., vol. 2, pp. 1-21.
1857 (166) Descriptiones specierum piscium javanensium novaruns vel minus
.

cognitarum diagnosticae. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl.-Indie, vol. 13,

pp. 323-368.
1858 (186). Tweede bijdrage tot de kennis der vischfauna van Singapore.
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Bleeker, Pietek —
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of African
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588 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

NOBMAN, J, R.
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 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 589

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590 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

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1925. A reviewof the aquatic resources and fisheries of Siam, with plans and
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1934b. Contributions to the ichthyology of Siam. IX. Siamese clariid

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 FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 591

Smith, Hugh McCokmick— Continued,

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1936b. The archer fish. Nat. Hist., vol. 38, pp. 3-11, 3 figs., 3 pis.
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1941b. The gobies Waitea and Mahidolia. Journ. Washington Acad, Sci.,

vol. 31, pp. 409-415, 2 figs,

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592 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

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 INDEX
[Foreign vernacular names (Siamese, Malay, etc.) are printed in italics]

abei, Ctenogobius,. 537 Acrossocheilus sumatranus, 197, 199, 204

abnormis, Ilisha, 48 vittatus, 197, 198, 200
Abraminae, 73, 74 aculeata, Rhynchobdella, 61
Abramidinae, 421 Rhyncobdella, 61
Acanthobrama simoni, 212 aculeatum, Ophidium, 61, 62
Acanthonotus, 128, 398 aculeatus, Macrognathus, 61
argenteus, 128, 131 acus, Syngnathus, 445
Acanthoperca wolffii, 482 acuticephalus, Danio, 96
Acanthophthalmus, 287, 299 acutipinnis, Gobius, 543
anguillaris, 300, 301, 302 Adamcypris, subg., 194
fasciatus, 299 aenea, Synaptura, 437, 439
javanicus, 299 aeneus, Brachirus, 439
kuhli(i), 299,300 aequilabialis, Pangasius, 358, 367
pangia, 299 aequipinnatus, Danio, 92, 97, 98
vermicularis, 300, 301, 302 Periiampus, 98
Acanthopsis, 287, 296, 297, 302 aetiops, Mylopharyngodon, 34
choerorhynchos, 296 ageneiosus, Batrachocephalus, 404
choirorhynchos, 296, 299, 302 Ageneiosus mino, 404
dialuzona, 296 Ahl, Ernest, 7
Acanthopsoides, 287, 302 Ailia, 398
gracilis, 302 Akaraja, Phya Varadhara, 436
acanthopterus, Scaphiodonichthys, 207 Akysidae, 330, 375, 418
Scaphiodontopsis, 207 Akysis, 375, 418
Acanthopterus anguillaris, 300 armatus, 418, 419
Acanthopterygii, 61 leucorhynchus, 418, 419
Acanthorhodeus, 120, 219 macronemus, 418, 419
asmussi, 220, 221 maculipinnis, 418
deignani, 219 major, 401, 402
guichenoti, 220, 221 pictus, 418
macropterus, 219 variegatus, 418
tonkinensis, 220, 221 Alausa, subg., 44, 48, 49
Acentrogobius, 514, 527, 536, 537 Alausa melanura, 47
atripinnatus, 529, 531 toll, 44
caninus, 532 alba, Fluta, 69
chlorostigmatoides, 528, 530 Muraena, 69
cyanomos, 528, 530 albicollaris, Leiocassis, 379, 381
masoni, 532 albicollis, lieiocassis, 379
nebulosus, 528, 533 albolineata, Danio, 101, 102
oligactis, 528, 530 Nuria, 101
ornatus, 528, 529 albolineatus, Danio, 96, 97, 101
reichei, 528, 531 Albulichthys, 117, 124, 125
simulans, 528, 529 albuloides, 125
spilopterus, 530 albuloides, Albulichtys, 125
viridipunctatus, 529, 532 Systomus, 124, 125
Achiroides, 437, 440 albus, Monopterus, 69
leucorhynchos, 440 alcockii, Ctenogobius, 544, 548
Acrochordonichthys, 418 Gobius, 548
Acrossocheilus, 119, 196 alfrediana, Rohtee, 154
bantamensis, 7, 197, 201 alfredianus, Leuciscus, 154
deauratus, 197, 199, 200, 202 aliceae, Gnathogobius, 522, 523
dukai, 205 AUodanio, subg., 96, 97, 100, 101
hutchinsoni, 204 almorhae, Botia, 287
malcomi, 197, 199 Alosa, subg., 44
schroederi, 197, 203 Alosa sapidissima, 44, 46
593
 594 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
altus,Barbus, 189 Anuwatti, Phya, 36
Puntius, 169, 189, 192 Aoria, 382
Ambassis, 478, 480 Aparrius, 543
bogoda, 480 moloanus, 543
buruensis, 484 Aphia, 517
commersoni (i) 481,
Aplocheilus, 420, 455
gymnocephalus. 483 chrysostigmus, 420, 421
kopsii, 481 javanicus, 421
lala, 480 mcClellandi, 420, 421
nama, 480 melastigmus, 420, 421
phula, 480 panchax, 35, 420, 421, 422
safgha, 481, 482 Aplochelus, 420
thomassi, 482 Apocryptei, 559
wolffi(i), 482 Apocrypteidae, 502, 559
Amblycepidae, 418 Apocrypteinae, 560
Amblyceps, 13, 375, 418 Apocrypteini, 559
caecutiens, 375 Apocryptes, 559, 564
mangois, 29, 375 bleekeri, 562
amblyceps, Cyclocheilichthys, 141, 148 brach3'pterus, 517, 519
Amblycipitidae, 330, 375, 418 lanceolatus, 560, 561
Amblygobius, 514, 533 macrolepis, 561
phalaena, 533 madurensis, 562
Amblyopus, 570, 571 serperaster, 561
brachysoma, 570, 571 Apocryptichthys, 560, 563
cirratus, 570 cantoris, 563, 564
gracilis, 569 livingstoni, 563, 564
Amblyrhynchichthys, 120, 125, 126, 229 Apocryptodon, 560, 562
bleekeri, 562
truncatus, 229, 230
edwardi, 562, 563
Amblyrhynchithys truncatus, 229
malcolmi, 562, 563
amblyurus, Hemirhamphus, 430, 431 Apodes, 61, 67
Zenarchopterus, 430, 431, 432 apogon, Barbus, 141
amboiensis, Ophiocara, 508
Cyclocheilichthys, 141
amphibia, Capoeta, 165
Kryptopterus, 340, 343, 344
Anabantidae, 30, 31, 446, 466
Silurus, 343
Anabas, 32, 345, 347, 446, 447, 466 apogonius, Gobius, 526
macrocephalus, 447 apogonoides, Cyclocheilichthys, 141
I

scandens, 447 arabicus, Muroenesox, 68

testudineus, 32, 36, 447, 488, 500
Archerfishes, 489
'

Anantamasya Pithaks, Luang, 36 70 ' arel, Cynoglossus, 441

Anchovies, 51 Arelia, 442
Anematichthys, 141 arenarius, Hetereleotris, 519, 520
Anguilla, 67
argentea, Matsya, 128, 129
australis, 67
argenteus, Acanthonotus, 128, 131
celebesensis, 67
Mystacoleucus, 127, 128, 131
elphinstonei, 67 argus, Macrognathus, 65
mauritiana, 67
Mastacembelus, 64
vulgaris, 67
Mastocembelus, 63, 64
anguillaris, Acanthophthalmus, 300 argyropleuron, Arius, 412
'
301, 302
Tachysurus, 407, 412
Acanthopterus, 300 argyrotaenia, Leuciscus, 109
Cobitophis, 301
Rasbora, 106, 109, 111, 112, 116
Gobius, 569 Aristichthys nobilis, 33
Platystacus, 353 Arius argyropleuron, 412
Plotosus, 353
caelatus, 410
Taenioides, 569
coelatus, 410
Anguillidae, 67
gagora, 409
angullaris, Taenioides, 569
leiotetocephalus, 412
Anisochirus, subg., 438
macracanthus, 409
anjerensis, Gobius, 533
macronotacanthus, 410
Annandale, Nelson, 6, 8
maculatus, 408
annandalei, Microphis, 8, 443
sciurus, 409
Anodontostoma, 50, 51 truncatus, 410
chacunda, 51
venosus, 411
hasseltii, 51
armata, Mastacembelus armatus, 63
anomalura, Oxygaster, 74, 75
armatus, Akysis, 418, 419
Anthias testudineus, 447
| Barbus, 144
 INDEX 595

armatus, Cvclocheilichthys, 140, 141, balleroides, Barbus, 193

144, i46, 148 Puntius, 169, 193
Macrognathus, 62, 63 Bangana, 233
Mastacembelus, 63 dero, 233
Mastocerabelus armatus, 63, 64 bantamensis, Acrossocheilus, 7, 197, 201
Arothron, 574 Barbus, 7, 201
leiurus, 577 barbarus, Gobius, 556
ashmeadi, Barbus, 190 Pericphthalmus, 556
Puntius, 169, 190 Barbichthys, 121, 232
asmussi, Acanthorhodeus, 220, 221 laevis, 232
Aspidobagrus, 382 Barbode3,165, 182, 187, 188, 189, 190, 192
Aspidoparia, 13, 117, 123 belinka, 165
morar, 123 Barbus, 137, 165, 196
sardina, 123 altus, 189
siamensis, 124 apogon, 141
atlanticus, Tarpon, 42 armatus, 144
atpar, Chela, 79 ashmeadi, 190
atricauda, Clupea, 47 balleroides, 193
atriceps, Noemacheilus, 304, 312 bantamensis, 7, 201
atridorsalis, Mystacoleucus, 127, 129 beasleyi, 184
atrifasciatus, Mystus, 385, 386 binotatus, 183
atripinnatus, Acentrogobius, 529, 531 bramoides, 187
Rhinogobius, 531 brevis, 172, 173
attu, Silurus, 332 bulu, 169
Wallago, 332 colemani, 179
Wallagonia, 332, 333 daruphani, 182
Aulopareia, 514, 534 deauratus, 200, 201
janetae, 534, 535 douronensis, 139
aurata, Cirrhina, 164 dukai, 205
auratus, Carassius, 33, 117 duoronensis, 139
Cirrhinus, 164 enoplos, 146
aurita, Sardinella, 46 foxi, 184
australis, Anguilla, 67 gonionotus, 188
Muraena, 67 hampal, 132
Awl, Aime M., 1 heteronema, 142
aymonieri, Gyrinocheilus, 282, 283, 286 hoevenii, 121, 122
Psilorhynchus, 282, 283, 285 huguenini, 184
ayuthiae, Papillocheilus, 231 javanicus, 188
jolamarki, 188
baculis, Chanda, 481, 482, 483 kalopterus, 263
Bagarius, 393, 394 laevis. 232
bagarius, 394 laoensis, 192, 193
sp., 394 lateristriga, 181
yarrelli, 394 marginatus, 126, 130
bagarius, Bagarius, 394 melanopterus, 206
Pimelodus, 394 obtusirostris, 126, 130
Bagridae, 330, 376, 418 orphoides, 190
Bagroides, 376, 377 partipentazona, 175
macracanthus, 378 pessuliferus, 178
macropterus, 377, 378 pinnauratus, 194
melanopterus, 377 proctozysron, 194
melapterus, 377 repasson, 147
Bagrus micracanthus, 301 rubripinnis, 190
planiceps, 387 sarana, 193
poecilopterus, 379 schwanefeldi(i), 190
stenomus, 381 schwanenfeldii, 190
thalassinus, 413 setigerus, 102, 103
wolffii, 383 sophore, 174
wyckii, 388 sophoroides, 174
Balantiocheilos, 120, 205 soro, 139
melanopterus, 205, 206 spilopterus, 173
Balantiochilus melanopterus, 206 stigma, 174
Balitora, 273, 278 etrachej'i, 139
brucel, 278 sumatranus, 175
brucei melanosoma, 278 tambroides, 137
Balitoropsis, 273, 278 truncatus, 229
bartschi, 278, 279 vernayi, 7, 184
596 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

barbus, Cyprinus, 165 bicirrhis, Cryptopterus, 341

barila, Cyprinus, 154 Kryptopterus, 339, 341
Silurus, 341
Barilius, 13, 119, 153, 154
bicirris, Cryptopterus, 341
bernatziki, 8, 154, 155
bicolor, Hemipimelodus, 416, 417
bola, 152, 160
Labeo, 250, 253
buddhae, 157, 158
Leiocassis, 379, 381
guttatus, 8, 152, 153, 155, 159
Bigeyes, 42
harmandi, 159, 160, 161
bilineatus, Cynoglossus, 441
huahinensis, 154. 157
Doryichthys, 444
infrafasciatus, 155, 158
bimaculatus, Callichrous, 337
koratensis, 155, 159
nanensis, 154, 155
Ompok, 337
Pseudoxiphophorus, 212
ornatus, 6, 155, 158, 159
Silurus, 337
pulchellus, 155, 157
binotatus, Barbus, 183
barroni, Chela, 75, 83
Nemacheilus, 328
Culter, 83
Noemacheilus, 306, 328
Paralaubuca, 83 Puntius, 168, 176, 183
bartschi, Balitoropsis, 278, 279 biocellatus, Glossogobius, 541
baska, Batagur, 39 Gobius, 541
Batagur baska, 39 birtwistlei, Gobiella, 519
Bathygobius, 513, 525 Bleeker, Pieter, 3, 5, 6, 10
fuscus, 525 bleekeri, Apocryptes, 562
soporator, 525 Apocryptodon, 562
Batoidei, 39 Cryptopterus, 344
Batrachocephalus, 404 Dasyatis, 41, 42
ageneiosus, 404 Dasybatus, 42
mino, 404 Kryptopterus, 6, 340, 344
batrachus, Clarias, 11, 32, 347, 348, 351, Luciosoma, 7, 103, 104
352 Micronema, 6, 344
SUurus, 348 Trygon, 42
beani, Pangasius, 358, 362 Blenniidae, 61
beasleyi, Barbus, 184 bo, Lobocheilus, 237, 239, 246
Puntius, 168, 184 Tylognathus ,239
Beaufort, L. F. de, 2, 3, 7, 37, 420 boaja, Doryichthys, 443
beauforti, Botia, 288, 292 Microphis, 443
beavani, Neroacheilus, 306 Syngnathus, 443
Bedula nebulosus, 489 Bocourt. Firmin, 5, 6
behri, Labeo, 250, 255 bocourti(i), Heterobagrus, 6, 392
belcheri, Ichthyocampus, 445 bocourti, Puntius, 169, 189, 192
belinka, Barbodes, 165 boddaerti, Boleophthalmus, 500, 564,
Belodontichthys, 331, 335 565
dinema, 335 boddarti, Boleophthalmus, 565
macrochir, 331, 335 Gobius, 564, 565
Belone, 431 Bogoda, 480
cancila, 427 nama, 480
canciloides, 428 bogoda, Ambassis, 480
strongylura, 426, 427 Chanda, 480
Belonidae, 426 Bola, 153
belosso, Oxyurichthys, 525 harmandi, 159, 160
belukung, 413 bola, Barilius, 152, 160
bengalensis, Ophisternon, 71 Cyprinus, 152
Symbranchus, 71 Raiamas, 152
Svnbranchus, 71 Boleophthalmi, 560
berdmorei, Botia, 288. 293 Boleophthalminae, 560
Lepidocephalus, 293, 295 Boleophthalmus, 500, 560, 561, 564, 566
Syncrossus, 295 boddaerti, 500, 564, 565
Berg, L. S., 7 boddarti, 565
Bernatzik, H., 8 pectinirostris, 566
bernatziki, Barilius, 8, 154, 155 smithi, 563
Betta, 35, 420, 423, 434, 447, 453, 454 taylori, 563
macrophthalma, 455 viridis, 566, 567
picta, 455 Bonefishes, 42
pugnax, 456 borapetensis, Rasbora, 106, 107, 109
splendens, 7, 9, 35, 454, 456 borneensis, Cynoglossus, 441
taeniata, 454, 455 Hemipimelodus, 415, 417
trifasciata, 454, 455 Hemiramphus, 430, 431
 INDEX 597

borneensis, Notopteriis, 56 burmanica, Dangila, 222

Osteochilus, 210, 212 burmanicus, Labiobarbus, 222
Periophthalmus, 557 Scaphiodonichthys, 206, 207
Pimelodus, 415 buruensis, Ambassis, 484
Rohita, 212 Chanda, 481, 484
Butis, 503, 506
Zenarchopterus, 431
butis, 506
boro, Ophisurus, 68
Pisodonophis, 68 melanostigma, 506
Pisoodonophis, 68 butis, Butis, 506
Cheilodipterus, 506
Borodin, Nicholas, 46
Eleotris, 506
Bostrichthys, 502, 506
sinensis, 506, 509
Cabdio, 123, 150, 421
Bostrychus sinensis, 506
devario, 78
Botia, 286, 287
jaya, 123
almorhae, 287
Cachius, 78
beauforti, 288, 292
cachius. Chela, 75, 79, 81
berdmorei, 288, 293
Cyprinus, 78
horae, 287, 290, 291
292, caecutiens, Amblyceps, 375
hymenophysa, 287, 288, 289,
caelatus, Arius, 410
293
Tachysurus, 407, 410
hvmeophysa, 289 caeruleostigmata. Chela, 79, 81
lecontei, 287, 291
Laubuca, 79
lucas-bahi, 287, 288
calbasu, Cyprinus, 251
modesta, 6, 288, 290, 291 Labeo, 250, 251
Boulenger, G. A., 7 calcarifer, Holocentrus, 478
Brachirus aeneus, 439 Lates, 152, 478, 485
orientalis, 438
Calichthys, 347
Brachyamblyopus, 568, 570 caligans, Macrotrema, 72
brachysoma, 571 Symbranchus, 72
urolepis, 571 CalHchrous, 337
Brachvdanio, 92, 95, 96 bimaculatus, 337
Brachydanio, subg., 96, 97, 101, 102 pabda, 337
Brachygobius, 515, 549 Callichthys, 347
sua, 549, 550 CalHeleotris platycephalus, 509
xanthomelas, 549, 550 calliura, Rasbora, 113
xanthozona, 549, 550 calliurus, Gnatholepis, 533
brachypterus, Apocryptes, 517, 519 Callogobius, 526
Gobiopterus, 518, 519 callopterus, Cryptocentrus, 551, 552
brachyrhynchops, Doryichthys, 444 Glyptothorax, 397, 400
brachysoma, Amblyopus, 570, 571 cancela, Mastacembelus, 427
Brachyamblyopus, 571 cancila, Belone, 427
Ilisha, 48 Esox, 427
bramoides, Barbus, 187 Xenentodon, 427, 428
Puntius, 168, 186, 187 canciloides, Belone, 428
brasiliensis, Esox, 433 Xenentodon, 427, 428
breitensteini, Parachela, 88 cancrivorus, Pisoodonophis, 68
Breitensteinia, 418 caninus, Acentrogobius, 532
breviceps, Noemacheilus, 304, 308 Ctenogobius, 532
brevirostris, Hemiramphus, 433 Gobius, 532
Hemirhamphus, 432, 433 Plotosus, 354
Zenarchopterus, 432 Rhinogobius, 532
brevis, Barbus, 172, 173 canius, Plotosus, 353, 354
Puntius, 172, 173 cantoris, Apocrvptichthyp, 563, 564
broussonetii, Gobioides, 567 Capoeta, 126, 165, 172
brucei, Balitora, 278 amphibia, 165
brunneus, Tylognathus, 234 Caragobioides, 568, 571
bucculentus, Noemacheilus, 306, 326 Caragobius, 571
Buchanan, A. R., 4 geomys, 571
buchanani, Glvptothorax, 397, 402 typhlops, 571
Panchax, 420, 421, 422 Carassius auratus, 33, 117
buddhae, Barilius, 157, 158 carce,Ichthyocampus, 445
buffonis, Zenarchopterus, 431 Syngnathus, 445
bulu, Barbus, 169 Carcharias laticaudus, 39
Puntius, 166, 169 walbeehmii, 39
Systomus, 169 Carcharinidae, 39
burgini, Pangasius, 359, 361 Carp, common, 33
590087— 45- -39
598 BULLETIN 18S, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

carpio, Cyprinus 33. 117 Channa melasoma, 471

Carps, 72, 73 micropeltes, 473
typical, 117 striata, 468
Castelnau, Count, 5 chatareus, Coius, 497
cataractus, Lepidocephalus, 293, 295 Toxotes, 490, 497
Phagoius, 353 chatereus, Toxotes, 497
Prophagorus, 352, 353
Cheilodipterus butis, 506
Catfishes, 329
Chela, 74, 75, 78, 85
Catla, 136
catla, 135, 136 atpar, 79
Catlacarpio siamensis, 135 barroni, 75, 83
Catlocarpio, 13, 118, 135, 136 cachius, 75, 79, 81
siamensis, 7, 29, 135 caeruleostigmata, 79, 81
Catopra fasciata, 487 laubuca, 79, 81
nanoides, 487 macrochir, 77
siamensis, 487, 488 raaculicauda, 75
Catostominae, 281 morar, 123
caudigvittatus, Crossocheilus, 269, 271 mouhoti, 79, 80
caudimacula, Mastacembelus, 427 oxygaster, 75
caudimaculata, Strongylura, 426 oxygastroides, 76
caudimaculatus, Tylognathus, 234 paralaubuca, 84, 85
cavasius, Macrones, 389, 391 pointoni, 75, 77
Mvstus, 383, 389 siamensis, 76, 81
Pimelodus, 389 stigmabrachium, 75, 83
celebesensis, Anguilla, 67 Chelmo, 493
cenia, Gagata, 394 rostratus, 492
Pimelodus, 394 Chelonodon, 573, 574
Centropomidae, 478 dumerili, 574, 575
Cephalocassis coelatus, 410 patoca, 574
stormii, 413 cheroni, Rasbora, 107, 116
truncatus, 410 chevevi, Labeo, 251, 256
cephalopardus, Ctenogonbius, 544, 546 Lobocheilus, 238, 245
Ceratoglanis, 331, 339 chiengmaiensis, Ctenogobius, 544, 548
scleronema, 339 Rhinogobius, 548
chacunda, Anodontostoma, 51 chilopterus, Mystacoleucus, 127, 129
Clupanodon, 51 chitala, 59
Dorosoma, 51 chitala, Mystus, 56
Chaetodon quadrifasciatus, 484 Notopterus, 56, 57, 60
rostratum, 492 Chlarias, 347
chaguni, 196 chlorostigma, Gobius, 527
chagunio, Chagunius, 195 chlorostigmatoides, Acentrogobius, 528,
Cyprinus, 195 530
Chagunius, 119, 195 Gobius, 530
chagunio, 195 choerorhynchos, Acanthopsis, 296
chanark, 40 choirorhynchos, Acanthopsis, 296, 299,
Chanda, 478, 479 302
baculis, 481, 482, 483 Cobitis, 296
bogoda, 480 Chonerhinus, 573
buruensis, 481, 484 modestus, 573, 574
commersonii, 481 naritus, 573, 574
gymnocephala, 481, 483 Choola, Luang Jedadib, 9
kopsii, 481 choprae, Danio, 96
483
lala, 480, chryseus, Deschauenseeia, 462
mvops, 480 chrysophekadion, Labeo, 248
nalua, 479, 480 Morulius, 248, 360
nama, 480 Rohita, 248
phula, 480 chrysostigmus, Aplocheilus, 420, 421
ranga, 480, 481, 483 chulae, Vaimosa, 538, 540
ruconius, 480 Chumporn, Prince, 4
setifer, 480 chuno, Gobiopterus, 518
siamensis, 481, 482 Gobius, 518
thomasi, 481, 482 cincticauda, Noemacheilus, 315
urotaenia, 480 cinerea, Muraena, 68
wolffii, 481, 482 cinereus, Muraenesox, 68
Channa, 466 circumcinctus, Mastacembelus, 8, 65, 66
gachua, 470 Mastocembelus, 63, 65, 66
lucius, 472 circumspectus, Glossogobius, 541, 542
 INDEX 599

cirratus, Amblyopus, 570 Coius chatareus, 497

Taenioides, 569, 570 nandus, 488
Cirrhina aurata, 164 polota, 484
colemani, Barbus, 179
jullieni, 162
Puntius, 167, 179, 181
microlepis, 164 Colisa, 462
Cirrhinus, 13, 119, 161, 271 fasciata, 462
auratus, 164 commersoni(i), Ambassis, 481
jullieni, 161, 162, 164, 165 Chanda, 481
lineatus, 162, 163 Harengula, 47
marginipinnis, 162, 164 commersoniani, Pleuronectes, 437
microlepis, 6, 162, 164 Coolidge, Harold J., Jr., 4
molitorella, 33 coolidgei, Cyclocheilichthys, 141, 144
cirrhosus, Cyprinus, 161 cornutus, Lobocheilus, 238, 242
Clarias, 32, 36, 345, 346, 347, 452 Cosmochilus, 118, 131
batrachus, 11, 32, 347, 348, 351, 3.^2 harmandi, 6, 131, 147
dayi, 348 cosuatis, Cyprinus, 150
dussumieri, 348 Oreichthys, 150
leiacanthus, 348, 350, 351 cotio, Rohtee, 154
liacaiithus, 351 Crayracion leiurus, 577
macrocephalus, 348, 349, 350, 351 Creisson, 515, 542
meladerma, 347, 348 sealei, 543
melanoderma, 348 validus, 542, 543
nieuhofi(i), 352 criniger, Ctenogobius, 544, 545
orontis, 347 Gobius, 533, 545
teysmanni, 347, 349 crocodilus, Engraulis, 54
Clariidae, 29, 30, 31, 329, 330, 346, 354 Lycothrissa, 54
Clarisilurus kemratensis, 345, 346 cromiei, Rasbora, 106, 113
clarus, Zenarchopterus, 7, 429, 430 Crossocheilus, 259, 269, 272, 281
Clupanodon chacunda, 51 caudiguttatus, 269, 271
cobitis, 269, 271
Clupea atricauda, 47
oblongus, 269
cyprinoides, 42
reba, 269, 270
fimbriata, 47
reticulatus, 269, 270
gibbosa, 47
sp., 268
macrophthalma, 48
tchangi, 269, 270
melanura, 47, 48
Crossochilus oblongus, 269
nasus, 50
phasa, 52
Cryptocentrus, 515, 551
callopterus, 551, 552
toli, 44
gymnocephalus, 552, 555
Clupeidae, 43
leonis, 551, 554
Clupeinae, 43
leptocephalus, 552, 554
Clupeonia vittata, 48
maudae, 551, 552
coatesi, Epalzeorhynchos, 263, 266, 268
meleagris, 551
Tylognathus, 266 wehrlei, 551, 552, 554
Cobitidae, 29, 73, 281, 286 crvptopogon, Lobocheilus, 238, 244
Cobitidinae, 281 Tylognathus, 244
eobitis, Crossocheilus, 269, 271 cryptopterus, Cryptopterus, 340
Lobocheilos, 271 Kryptopterus, 339, 340
Cobitis choirorhynchos, 296 Silurus, 339, 340
hymenophvsa, 289 Cryptopterus bicirrhis, 341
kuhlii, 300 bicirris, 341
macrochir, 293 bleekeri, 344
octocirrhus, 294 cryptopterus, 340
Cobitophis, 287, 300 hexapterus, 342
anguillaris, 301 micronema, 343
cochinchinensis, Parasilurus, 333 micropus, 340
Silurus, 333 crvsophekadon, Labeo, 248
cochlearis, Hemipimelodus, 410, 415 Ctenogobius, 515, 527, 533, 537, 543
coelatus, Arius, 410 abei, 537
Cephalocassis, 410 alcockii, 544, 548
Coilia, 51, 52 caninus, 532
hamiltonii, 52 cephalopardus, 544, 546
macrognathos, 52 chiengmaiensis, 544, 548
macrognathus, 52 criniger, 544, 545
600 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Ctenogobius cylindriceps, 544, 547 cyprinoides, Clupea, 42

fasciatus, 543 Megalops, 42
masoni, 532 Cyprinus barbus, 165
ocellatus, 544, 545
barila, 154
vexillifer, 545, 549
viridipunctatus, 532 bola, 152
Ctenopharyngodon idellus, 34 cachius, 78
Ctenops vittatus, 452, 454 calbasu, 251
Ciilpea toli, 44 carpio, 33, 117
Culter, 77, 82, 86, 87 chagunio, 195
barroni, 83 cirrhosus, 161
pointoni, 77 cosuatis, 150
riveroi, 84 cultratus, 86
siamensis, 8, 86, 87, 88 dancena, 421
stigmabrachium, 83 dangila, 95
typus, 84 danrica, 89
wolfii, 86, 87, 88 dyocheilus, 251
cultratus, Cyprinus, 86 lamta, 259
Pangasius, 369 morala, 248
Pteropangasius, 369 morar, 123
Caltrops, 74, 78, 83, 86 niloticus, 250
siamensis, 77, 83, 86, 88 puntio, 165
Cupea mj'stax, 55 rasbora, 105, 114
cuspidatus, Pristis, 40 reba, 270
Cuvier and Valenciennes, 5 sarana, 187
cuvieri, Dangila, 227 tor, 137
Labiobarbus, 228
cyanomos, Acentrogobius, 528, 530 Daldorff, D. C. de, 448
Gobius, 530 dancena, Cyprinus, 421
cyanosmos, Gobius, 530
Dangila, 221
Cyclocheilichthvs, 118, 125, 132, 140, burmanica, 222
150, 230'
cuvieri, 227
amblyceps, 141, 148
kuhli (i) 223, 228
,

apogon, 141
leptocheila, 227
apogonoides, 141
leptocheihis, 227
armatus, 140, 141, 144, 145, 148
lineata, 223
coolidgei, 141, 144
siamensis, 224, 225, 226
dumerili(i), 141, 147, 149
spilopleura, 224, 225
enoplos, 141, 146
sumatrana, 223
heteronema, 141, 142
dangila, Cyprinus, 95
macracanthus, 146
mekongensis, 141, 148 dangilo, Danio, 92
pinnauratus, 194 daniconius, Rasbora, 114
repasson, 141, 142, 147 Danio, 78, 89, 91, 92, 95
rubripinnis, 141, 142 acuticephalus, 96
siaja, 141, 143 aequipinnatus, 92, 97, 98
tapiensis, 141, 149 albolineata, 101, 102
cylindriceps, Ctenogobius, 544, 547 albolineatus, 96, 97, 101
Cynoglossidae, 437, 440 choprae, 96
Cynoglossus, 34, 437, 440 dangilo, 92
arel, 441 kerri, 96, 97, 101
bilineatus, 441 malabarica, 92, 97, 98
borneensis, 441 myersi, 92
cynoglossus, 441 naganensis, 92, 96
lingua, 440 neilgherriensis, 92
macrolepidotus, 441 nigrofasciatus, 96
microlepis, 441, 442 peninsulae, 97, 98
monopus, 441 ponticulus. 97, 100
puncticeps, 441 pulcher, 96, 97, 102
semifasciatus, 441 regina, 92, 96, 97
solum, 442 rerio, 96
xiphoideus, 7, 441, 442 shanensis, 96, 97, 101
cynoglossus. Cjmogolossus, 441 sondhii, 96
Cyprinidae, 28, 73, 281, 421 stoliczkao, 170
Cyprininae, 73, 117, 281 suvatti, 97, 99
Cyrinodontes, 419, 474, 475 Danio, subg., 96-99, 101
Cyprinodontidae, 419, 421 Daniops, 89, 91
 INDEX 601

danrica, Cyprinus, 89 Doryichthys, 442, 444

Esomus, 89, 90 bilineatus, 444
Nuria, 90 boaja, 443
Daruphan Pitbaks, Phya, 3G brachyrhynchops, 444
daruphani, Barbus, 182 deokhatoides, 444
Puntius, 168, 182
martensii, 444
Dasyatidae, 41
douronensis, Barbus, 139
Dasyatis, 41
Labeobarbus, 139
bleekeri, 41, 42
sephen, 41 Tor, 137, 139
ujo, 41 dukai, Acrossocheilus, 205
Dasybatus bleekeri, 42
Barbus, 205
Lissochilus, 205
dasyrhynchus, Eleotris, 507
dumerili, Chelonodon, 574, 575
Datnioides, 484
microlepis, 484, 485 dumerili(i), Cyclocheilichthys, 141, 147,
polota, 484 149
quadrifasciatus, 484 dunckeri, Zenarchopterus, 430, 433
davisi, Lobocheilus, 238, 245 duoronensis, Barbus, 139
Tylognathus, 245 Labeobarbus, 139
Day, Francis, 41, 449 duostigma, Osteochilus, 211, 214
dayi, Clarias, 348 durbanensis, Paralosa, 44
deauratus, Acrossocheilus, 197, 199, 200, dusonensis, Rasbora, 109, 110, 112
202 dussumieri, Clarias, 348
Barbus, 200, 201 Ilisha, 49
Pellona, 49
Deignan, Herbert G., 1, 4
duvaueelii, Leuciscus, 154
deignani, Acanthorhodeus, 219
dyocheilus, Cyprinus, 251
Kryptopterus, 343, 344
Labeo, 250, 251
Noemacheilus, 305, 320
Varicorhinus, 251
deltoides, Gnatholepis, 534, 536
Demogenys siamensis, 434 ectuntio, Esox, 430, 431
deocata, Syngnathus, 443 Hemirhamphus, 431
deokhatoides, Doryichtliys, 444 Xenarchopterus, 430
Syngnathus, 444 Zenarchopterus, 57, 429, 430, 433
Dermogenys, 35, 429, 434 edwardi, Apocryptodon, 562, 563
pusillus, 35, 434 Eels, 67, 68
siamensis, 434, 436 snake, 68
dero, Bangana, 233 spinj^ 60
De Schauensee, R. M., 8, 37 true, 67
Deschauenseeia chryseus, 462 einthovenii, Leuciscus, 114
desmotes, Nemacheilus, 307 Rasbora, 106, 114
Noemacheilus, 304, 307 Elasmobranchii, 39
devario, Cabdio, 78 Eleotridae, 501, 502, 520
Perilampus, 78 Eleotris, 502, 505
dialuzona, Acanthopsis, 296 butis, 506
Dichotomycter fluviatilis, 577 dasyrhynchus, 507
dinema, Belodontichthvs, 335 fuscus, 505
Alorulius, 248 hasselti, 510
Wallago, 11, 331, 335, 345 koilmatodon, 507
diplostomus, Varicorhinus, 233 lanceolata, 561
Discognathus, 259, 281 marmorata, 508, 509
Discolabeo, 259, 262 microlejiis, 510
fisheri, 262, 263 muralis, 510
dispar, Kampala, 134 ophiocephalus, 507
Hemiramphus, 429, 432 porocephala, 507
Hemirhamphus, 432 siamensis, 509
Zenarchopterus, 432, 433 urophthalnius, 508
djambal, Pangasius, 367 Eleutheronema, 477
djarong, Syngnathus, 445, 446 Elopidae, 42
doriae, Eucirrhichthys, 302 elphinstonei, Anguilla, 67
Gobius, 549, 550 Engraulidae, 51
Dorosoma, 50 Engraulis crocodilus, 54
chacunda, 51 melanchoir, 53
Dorosomatinae, 43, 50 melanochir, 53
dorsalis, Glyptothorax, 397, 398 mystax, 55
Gymnothorax, 397 taty, 54
 602 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
enoplos, Bar bus, 146 fluviatilis, Tetrodon, 577
Cyclocheilichthys, 141, 146 fontinalis, Vaimosa, 537
entmema. Tylognathus, 234, 235 formosa, Herrea, 505
Epalzeorhynchos, 259, 263 formosana, Homaloptera, 281
coatesi, 263, 266, 268 formosanus, Gymnostomus, 196
kalliurus, 263, 264 formosum, Osteoglossum, 55
kalopterus, 263, 265, 266 formosus, Herreolus, 505
siamensis, 263, 265, 267 Scleropages, 55
stigmaeus, 263, 267 fossilis, Heteropneustes, 345
erythropterus, Puntius, 187 Saceobranchus, 345, 346
erythrospila, Mekongina, 271, 272 Sildrus, 345, 346
erythrostictus, Morulius, 248, 249 Fowler, Henry W., 8, 9, 37
erythrotaenia, Macrognathus, 66 fowleri, Pangasius, 358, 365
Mastacembelus, 66 fowlerianus, Noemacheilus, 303, 306
Mastocembelus, 63, 66 foxi, Barbus, 184
erythrura, Labeo, 255 Puntius, 168, 184
erythrurus, Labeo, 250, 255 frenatus, Labeo, 250, 254, 255
Esomus, 88, 89 freycineti, Periophthalmus, 557
danrica, 89, 90 fuliginosa, Garra, 260, 262
goddardi, 89, 90 furcatus, Nemasiluroides, 355, 356
metallicus, 7, 89, 90 fusca, Poecilia, 505
vittatus, 89 fuscus, Bathygobius, 525
Esox brasiliensis, 433 Eleotris, 505
cancila, 427 Glyptothorax, 397, 403
ectuntio, 430, 431 Gobius, 525
panchax, 420, 421, 422, 424
Eucirrhichthys doriae, 302 gachua, Channa, 470
Eugnathogobius, 512, 520, 522 OphiocephaJus, 470
microps, 520 Ophicephalus, 395, 465, 466, 470
Euselachii, 39 Gaddi, Layang, 3
Eustira, 78 Gagata, 393, 394
Eutropiichthys, 355, 356 cenia, 394
vacha, 356 typus, 394
Eventognathi, 72 gagora, Arius, 409
Exyrias, 524 Pimelodus, 409
Tachysurus, 407, 409
falcifer, Labeo, 237 Gambusia, 426
Lobocheilus, 237 holbrooki(i), 426
Puntius, 194, 195 punctata, 426
Tylognathus, 237 Garra, 259, 262, 267
fasciacauda, Garra, 260, 262 fasciacauda, 260, 262
fasciata, Catopra, 487 fuliginosa, 260, 262
Colisa, 462 parvifilum, 260, 262
Homaloptera, 273 spinosa, 260
Pristolepis, 487 taeniata, 260
fasciatus, Acanthophthalmus, 299 taeniatops, 260, 261
Ctenogobius, 543 Garrinae, 74, 259
Noemacheilus, 302 Gars, 426
Pristolepis, 487 Gastromyzoninae, 273
faucis, Puntius, 167, 180 geomys, Caragobius, 571
favus, Mastacembelus, 64 Gerres, 480
Mastacembelus armatus, 8, 64 gibbosa, Clupea, 47
Mastocembelus armatus, 63, 64 Sardinella, 47
Fightingfishes, 454 gigas, Pangasianodon, 365, 372, 373
filamentosus, Megalops, 42 Gill, Theodore, 5
Filirasbora, 89, 105 gilli, Zenarchopterus, 430, 432
rubripinna, 105 giuris, Glossogobius, 500, 541, 542
fimbriata, Clupea (Harengula), 47 Gobius, 542
fisheri, Discolabeo, 262, 263
giurus, Glossogobius, 542
Fistulariidae, 61 glanis, Silurus, 346
Flounders, 436 Glossogobius, 515, 541
Flower, Stanley S., 4 biocellatus, 541
Fluta, 69
circumspectus, 541, 542
alba, 69 giuris, 500, 541, 542
Flutidae, 69 giurus, 542
Dichotomycter, 577
fluviatilis,
kokius, 541, 542
Hemirhamphus, 434 platycephahis, 541
Tetraodon, 576, 577 Glyptosternon major, 401
 INDEX 603

Glyptothorax, 394, 396 Gobius melanosoma, 517

buchanani, 397, 402 melanostigma, 543
callopterus, 397, 400 microlepis, 525
dorsalis, 397, 398 mystacinus, 524
fuscus, 397, 403 nebulopunctatus, 525
lampris, 396, 400 nebulosus, 533
laosensis, 399 ornatus, 529
major, 397, 401 pectinirostris, 566
platypogon, 403, 404 phalaena, 533
platvpogonoides, 396, 397 pisonis, 505
prashadi, 397, 402, 404 planifrons, 520
siamensis, 397, 398, 399 pleurostigma, 526
trilincatus, 396, 399 pulverulentus, 524
Gnathogobius, 513, 522 puntang, 534
aliceae, 522, 523 reichei, 531
Gnatholepis, 514, 527, 533, 534, 536, 537 rivulatus, 516
calliurus, 533 sadanundio, 526, 527
deltoides, 534, 536 schlosseri, 557
thompsoni, 536 semidoliatus, 536
Gobiella, 518 semifasciatus, 536
birtwistlei, 519 sphinx, 533
pellucida, 518, 519 vagina, 572
Gobies, 512 viridipunctatus, 532
apocrypteid, 559 viridis, 567
goddardi, Esomus, 89, 90
Gobiidae, 501, 503, 512, 520, 560 Goldfish, 33
Gobiiformes, 559 gonionotus, Barbus, 188
Gobiinae, 501 Puntius, 168, 188
Gobiodon, 512, 515, 517 Gonovhynchus, 347
heterospilos, 515 Gonovynchus, 347
rivulatus, 516 goramy, Osphroneme, 451
verticalis, 516 Osphronemus, 451
gobiodon, Gobius, 517 gracilentus, Neacanthopsis, 297
Gobiodontinae, 501, 517 gracilis, Acanthopsoides, 302
Gobiodontini, 517 Amblyopus, 569
Gobioidea, 498 Lobocheilus, 238, 247
Gobioides, 567, 571 Taenioides, 569
broussonetii, 567 Tylognathus, 247
Gobioid fishes, 498 Gregory, J. W., 12
Gobioididae, 502, 567 griseum, HemiscvUium, 39
Gobioidinae, 502 Gudger, E. W., 450
Gobiopsis, 521 gudgeri, Xenocheilichtys, 230
oligactis, 521 guichenoti, Acanthorhodeus, 220, 221
Gobiopterus, 512, 517 gulio, Macrones, 384
brachypterus, 518, 519 Mystus, 383, 384
chuno, 518 Pimelodus, 384
Gobius acutipinnls, 543 Giinther, Albert, 4, 5, 7
alcockii, 548 guttatus, Barilius, 8, 152, 153, 155, 159
anguillaris, 569 Opsarius, 159
anjerensis, 533 Perilampus, 79
apogonius, 526 gymnocephala, Chanda, 481, 483
barbarus, 556 gj'mnocephalus, Ambassis, 483
biocellatus, 541 Cryptocentrus, 552, 555
boddarti, 564, 565 Gobius, 555
caninus, 532 Lutjanus, 483
chlorostigma, 527 Gymnostoi-pus formosanus, 196
chlorostigmatoides, 530 Gymnothorax dorsahs, 397
chuno, 518 Gymnotus notopterus, 56, 59
criniger, 533,545 GyrinocheiUdae, 73, 281
cyanomos, 530 GyrinocheiUnae, 281
cyanosmos, 530 Gyrinocheilops, 281, 282
doriae, 549, 550 kaznakoi, 283
fuscus, 525 pennocki, 282, 286
giuris, 542 Gyrinocheilus, 267, 281, 282
gobiodon, 517 aymonieri, 282, 283, 286
gymnocephalus, 555 kaznakoi, 283
kokius, 542 kaznakovi, 7, 281, 282, 283, 285,
masoni, 532 286
 604 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
Gyrinocheilus pellegrini, 282 Hemirhamphus brevirostris, 432 433
pennocki, 282, 286 dispar, 432
'

[Link], 282 ectuntio, 431

roulei, 282 fluviatilis, 434
sp., 268 unifasciatus, 429
Hemiscyllidae, 39
Ilalfbeaks, 426, 428
Hemiscyllium griseum, 39
hamilton. Tor, 137
Hemisiluriis, 339
hamiltoni, Thrissa, 55
scleronema, 339
Hamiltonia, 480
Henicorhynchus, 121, 256
lata, 480 lobatus, 256, 257
ovata, 480
hermannianus, Taenioides, 568
hamiltonii, Coilla, 52
hermannii, Taenioides, 568
hampal, Barbus, 132 Herre, Albert W. C. T 9 11
Kampala, 118, 132 Herrea, 503
'

dispar, 134
formosa, 505
macrolepidota, 132, 134, 135 Herreichthys, 503
Haplochilus panchax, 422 Herreolus, 502, 503, 504
Haplochisus panchar, 422
formosus, 505
Harengula, 44, 47, 48 Herrings, 43
commersoni, 47 Heterandria holbrookii, 426
latulus, 48
Hetereleotris, 520
melanurus, 47 arenarius, 519, 520
vittata, 47, 48 Heterobagrus, 13, 377, 392
harmandi, Barilius, 159, 160, 161 bocourti(i), 6, 392
Bola, 159, 160 heteromorpha, Rasbora, 105, 107
Cosraochilus, 6, 131, 147 heteronema, Barbus, 142
Hemiariiis, 414
Cyclocheilichthys, 141, 142
Luciosoma, 103, 104 Heteropneustes, 345
Paralaubuca, 83, 85 fossilis, 345
Synaptura, 437, 438 kemratensis, 345, 346
Tachysurus, 414 Heteropneustidae, 29, 30, 31, 329, 345
harrisi, Trichopsis, 452, 454
heteropterus, Ptereleotris, 512
Harrisson, P. D., 4 Heterosomata, 436
hasselti, E^leotris, 510
heterospilos, Gobiodon, 515
hasselti], Anodontostoma, 51 hexanema, Laides, 372
hasselti (i), Lepidocephalus, 294, 295
Lais, 372
Osteochilus, 211, 214 Pangasius, 372
Rohita, 214 Hexanemabichthys sundaicus, 414
havmolleri, Mystus, 383, 389
hexaptenis, Cryptopterus, 342
Helgia modesta, 275, 276
Kryptopterus, 340, 342, 343
Helicophagus, 354, 355, 370 Silurus, 342
hypophthalmus, 6, 370 Hilsa, 43, 44
typus, 370 ilisha, 44
waandersi(i), 370, 371
kanagurta, 46
Helostoma, 446, 450
toll, 44, 52
temmincki(i), 450 Hippocampus, 34
Hemiarius harmandi, 414 hispidus, Tatraodon, 575
Hemibagrus, 382 hoevenii, Barbus, 121, 122
hoevenii, 386
Hemibagrus, 386
nemurus, 386 Leptobarbus, 121, 122, 123
Hemimyzon, 273, 278, 281 holbrooki(i), Gambusia, 426
Hemipimelodus, 404, 410 415 Heterandria, 426
bicolor, 416, 417 '
Holocenthrus, 347
borneensis, 415, 417 Holocentrus, 347
cochlearis, 410, 415
calcarifer, 478
siamensis, 6, 415, 417
Holotylognathus, 121, 236
velutinus, 415, 416, 417
reticulatus, 236
Hemiramphidae, 428 Homaloptera, 273, 278, 281
Hemiramphus borneensis, 430 431 fasciata, 273
'
brevirostris, 433
formosana, 281
dispar, 429, 432
lineata, 274, 277
russoUi. 433
maxinae, 274
tmifasciatus, 429
modesta, 274, 275
amblyunis, 430, 431
septemmaculata, 274, 275
 INDEX 605

Homaloptera sexniaculata, 274, 275 javanensis, Monopterus, 69

smithi, 274, 276 javanicus, Acanthophthalmus, 299
zollingeri, 274 Aplocheilus, 421
Homalopteridae, 73, 272, 281 Barbus, 188
Homalopterinae, 273, 281 Monopterus, 69
Hora, Sunder Lai, 4, 8, 11, 30, 33, 37, Puntius, 188
206, 398 jaya, Cabdio, 123
horae, Botia, 287, 290, 291 Jedadib, Choola, 9
huahinensis, Barilius, 154, 157 Johnstone, James, 6
Hubbs, Carl L., 37 Jolamark Bicharana, Phya, 36
huijuenini, Barbus, 184 jolamarki, Barbus, 188
Puntius, 168, 184 Puntius, 168, 186, 188
hutchinsoni, Acrossocheilus, 204 Jordan, David Starr, 50
Lissochilus, 204, 205 Jullien, and Harmand, 6
hvmenophysa, Botia, 287, 288, 289, jullieni, Cirrhina, 162
292, 293 Cirrhinus, 161, 162, 164, 165
Cobitis, 289 Probarbus, 6, 137, 150, 151
hymeophysa, Botia, 289
Hypogymnogobius, 550 kaipirat, Notopeterus, 56
Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, 34 kalliurus, Epalzeorhynchos, 263, 264
hypophthalmus, Helicophagus, 6, 370 kalopterus, Barlius, 263
hypophthalmus, Pangasius, 370 Epalzeorhynchos, 263, 265, 266
Silurodes, 336 kampeni, Ilisha, 49
Silurus, 336 Pellona, 49
Hyporhamphiis, 428, 429 kanagurta, Hilsa, 46
tricuspidatus, 428 kapirat, Notopterus, 59
unifasciatus, 429 kaznakoi, Gyrinocheilops, 283
Hypselobagrus, 382 Gyrinocheilus, 283
macronema, 389, 390 kaznakovi, Gvrinocheilus, 7, 281, 282,
micracanthus, 391 283, 285, 286
nigriceps, 389 kemratensis, Clarisilurus, 345, 346
tangara, 385 Heteropneustes, 345, 346
tengara. 385 Kerr, A. F. G., 43
wolfli, 383 kerri, Danio, 96, 97, 101
Paragobiodon, 517
Ketengus, 404, 414
Ichthyocampus, 34, 443, 445 typus, 414
belcheri, 445
Killifishes, 419
carce, 445
Kloss, C. Boden, 13
idellus, Ctenopharyngodon, 34
koelreuteri, Periophthalmus, 500, 556
ikan licion, 384 kohchangensis, Nemacheilus, 321
ikan baung, 384, 387 Noemacheilus, 305, 321
ikan hujok, 472 koilmatodon, Eleotris, 507
ikan laeh itam, 338 Prionobutis, 507
ikan laeh puteh, 336 kokius, Glossogobius, 541, 542
ikan tubo [tubii], 134, 223 Gobius, 542
Ilisha, 43, 48
kopsii, Ambassis, 481
abnormis, 48 Chanda, 481
brachysoma, 48 koratensis, Barilius, 155, 159
dussumieri, 49 Koumans, F. P., 8, 37, 302, 351, 531,
indica, 48
536
kampeni, 49 Krempf, A., and Cheney, P., 10, 11
ilibha, Hilsa, 44
Krvptopterus, 36, 331, 339
imuiaculatus, Tetraodon, 575, 576 '
apogon, 340, 343, 344
indica, Ilisha, 48
bicirrhis, 339, 341
Indrambarya, Boon Chuay, 9, 36 bleekeri, 6, 340, 344
indramontri, Labeo, 250, 251 cryptopterus, 339, 340
infrafasciatus, Barilius, 155, 158
deignani, 343, 344
loglossus, 504
hexapterus, 340, 342, 343
Isospondyli, 42
linipok, 339, 340
micronema, 340, 343
jaculator, Labrus, 489 micropus, 339
Toxotes, 490, 495 moorei, 340, 342
jaculatrix, Sciaena, 490, 492 kuddera, 433
Toxotes, 57, 490, 497 kuhli(i), Acanthophthalmus, 299, 300
Jagor, F., 7 Cobitis, 300
janetae, Aulopareia, 534, 535 Dangila, 223, 228
japonicus, Silurus, 333 Labiobarbus, 222, 223, 228
606 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
Labeo, 121, 231. 233, 250, 257, 270, 272 laticaudus. Carcharias, 39
behri, 250, 255 latipes, Poecilia, 424
bicolor, 250, 253 latulus, Harengula, 48
calbasu, 250, 251 Laubuca, 78, 79
cheveyi, 251, 256 caeruleostigmata, 79
chrysophekadion, 248 siamensis, 81, 82
crysophekadon, 248 laubuca. Chela, 79, 81
dyocheilus, 250, 251 Perilampus, 421
erythrura, 255 layangi, Rasbora, 106, 113
erythrurus, 250, 255 lecontei, Botia, 287, 291
falcifer, 237 leeri, Trichopodus, 463
frenatus, 250, 254, 255 leerii. Osphromenus. 463
indramontri, 250, 251 Trichogaster, 462, 463
munensis, 250, 254 Wallago, 331, 332
oblongus, 269, 270 leiacanthus, Clarias, 348, 350, 351
sinkleri, 251, 256 Leiocassis, 378
stigmapleura, 250, 255 Puntius, 166, 172, 173, 174
Labeobarbus, 137, 221 Systomus, 172
douronensis, 139 leichardti, Scleropages, 55
duoronensis, 139 Leiocassis, 377, 378
soro, 139 albicollaris, 379, 381
tambroides, 137 albicoUis, 379
Labiobarbus, 120, 221 bicolor, 379, 381
burmanicus, 222 leiacanthus, 378
cuvieri, 228 micropogon, 378, 379
kuhlii, 222, 223, 228 poecilopterus, 379, 380
leptocheilus, 221, 222, 227, 228, 229 siamensis, 7, 379
lineatus, 222, 223 stenomus, 379, 381
lipocheilus, 221 Leiognathus, 480
siamensis, 222, 225 leiotetocephalus, Arius, 412
spilopleura, 222, 224 Tachysurus, 408, 412
sumatranus, 222, 223 leiurus, Arothron, 577
Labrus jaculator, 489 Crayracion, 577
trichopterus, 461, 463 Tetraodon, 576, 577
Labyrinth fishes, 446 Tetrodon, 577
Labyrinthici, 446 leonis, Crvptocentrus, 551, 554
laevis, Barbichthys, 232 Lepidocephalus, 286, 293, 297
Barbus, 232 berdmorei, 293. 295
Lagocephalus lunaris, 573 cataractus, 293, 295
Laides, 354, 355, 372 hasselti(i), 294, 295
hexanema, 372 octocirrhus, 293, 294, 296
Lais, 372 taeniatus, 293, 296
hexanema, 372 Leptobarbus, 117, 121
lala, Ambassis, 480 hoevenii, 121, 122, 123
Chanda, 480, 483 melanotaenia, 121, 122
lampris, Glyptothorax, 396, 400 leptocephalus, Cryptocentrus, 552, 554
lamta, Cyprinus, 259 leptocheila, Dangila, 227
lanceolata, Eleotris, 561 leptocheilus, Dangila, 227
lanceolatus, Apocryptes, 560, 561 Labiobarbus, 221, 222, 227, 228. 229
Pseudapocryptes, 561 Leuciscus alfredianus. 154
lankesteri, Neostethus, 475, 477 argyrotaenia, 109
laoensis, Barbus, 192. 193 duvaucelii, 154
Puntius, 169, 192 einthovenii, 114
laosensis, Glyptothorax, 399 lateristriata, 114
Macrocheirichthys, 78 macrochirus, 77
Macrochirichthys, 78 oxygaster, 76
larnaudii, Pangasius, 6, 357, 359, 365 oxygastroides, 76
lata, Hamiltonia, 480 sumatranus, 116
lateralis, Pseudolaubuca, 84 thynnoides, 209
lateristriata, Leucisciis, 114 leucopodus, Silurichthys, 334, 335
Rasbora, 110, 114, 116 leucorhynchos, Achiroides, 440
Rasbora lateristriata, 106, 114 leucorhynchus, Akysis, 418, 419
lateristriga, Barbus, 181 liacanthus, Clarias, 351
Puntius, 167, 181 limpok, Krvptopterus, 339, 340
Lates, 478 Silurus, 340
calcarifer, 152, 478, 485 lineata, Dangila, 223
nilotica, 478 Homaloptera, 274, 277
 INDEX 607
lineatus, Cirrhinus, 162, 163 macrochir, Belodontichthys, 331, 335
Labiobarbus, 222, 223 Chela, 77
Plotosus, 353 Cobitis, 293
Silurus, 353
Tetraodon, 575 Machrochirichthys, 74, 77
lingua, Cynoglossus, 440 laosensis, 78
lini, Osteochilus, 211, 216 machrochirus, 77
Liocassis poecilopterus, 379 uranoscopus, 77
siamensis, 379 macrochirus, Leuciscus, 77
lipocheilus, Labiobarbus, 221 Macrochirichthys, 77
Lissochilus, 196, 197, 200, 205 macrognathos, Coilia. 52
dukai, 205 Macrognathus, 61, 62
hutchinsoni, 204, 205 aculeatus, 61
sumatranus, 204 argus, 65
liurus, Tetraodon, 577 arinatus, 62, 63
livingstoni, Apocryptichthys, 563, 564 erythrotaenia, 66
Loaches, 72, 286 maculatus, 63
lobatus, Henicorhynchus, 256, 257 macrognathus, Coilia, 52
Lobocheilos cobitis, 271 Opisthopterus, 49
Lobocheilus, 121, 233, 237 macrolepidota, Kampala, 132, 134, 135
bo, 237, 239, 246 macrolepidotus, Cynoglossus, 441
cheveyi, 238, 245 macro lepis, Apocryptes, 561
cornutus, 238, 242 macronema, Hypselobagrus, 389, 390
cryptopogon, 238, 244 Pangasius, 368
davisi, 238, 245 macronemus, Akvsis, 418, 419
falcifer, 237 Pangasius, 358, 368
gracilis, 238, 247 Macrones, 382
melanotaenia, 238, 239, 247 cavasius, 389, 391
nigrovittatus, 238, 240 gulio,384
quadrilineatus, 238, 242, 244 nemurus, 386
rhabdoura, 238, 245 nigriceps, 389, 391
thavili, 238, 247 tengara, 385, 386
trangensis, 238, 242 wolffi, 383
Lobotidae, 484 macronotacanthus, Arius, 410
longibarbis, Pangaslus, 358, 369 Tachysurus, 407, 410
Longiculter, 74, 82 macrophthalma, Betta, 455
siahi, 82 macropthalma, Clupea, 48
lucas-bahi, Botia, 287, 288 macropterus, Acanthorhodeus, 219
Luciosoma, 88, 89, 102 Bagroides, 377, 378
bleekeri, 7, 103, 104 Pseudobagrichthys, 377
harmandi, 103, 104 macrosemion, Osteochilus, 211, 218
setigerum, 103, 105 Macrotrema, 71, 72
spilopleura, 103 caligans, 72
lucius, Channa, 472 maculatus, Arius, 408
Ophicephalus, 467, 472 Macrognathus, 63
Ophiocephalus, 472 Mastocombelus, 62, 63
lunaris, Lagocephalus, 573 Silurus, 408
Sphoeroides, 573 Tachysurus, 407, 408
Tetraodon, 573 Trichopodus, 463
Tetrodon, 573 maculicauda, Chela, 75
lungi, Rhinogobius, 533 Oxygaster, 75
Lutjanus gymnocephalus, 483 maculipinnis, Akysis, 418
Lycothrissa, 51, 54 madurensis, Apocrvptes, 562
crocodilus, 54 Mahidolia, 513, 522, 524
mystacina, 524
ma nam, 34 normani, 524
Macgregorella, 513, 526 major, Akysis, 401, 402
moroana, 526 Glyptosternon, 401
inacracaiithus, Arius, 409 Glyptothorax, 397, 401
Bagroides, 378 malabarica, Danio, 92, 97, 98
Cyclocheilichthys, 146 Malacopterygii, 61
Pseudobagrichthys, 378 malcolmi, Acrossocheilus, 197, 199
macrocephalus, Anabas, 447 Apocryptodon, 562, 563
Clarias, 348, 349, 350, 351 mangois, Amblyceps, 29, 375
Osteogeneiosus, 405 Pimelodus, 375
Macrocheirichthys laosensis. 78 manillensis. Tetraodon. o7fi
608 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

marginatus, Barbus, 126, 130 melanopleurus, Osteochilus, 210, 212

Mystacoleucus, 127, 129, 130 melanopterus, Bagroides, 377
Pristolepis, 487 Balantiocheilos, 205, 206
marginipinnis, Cirrhinus, 162, 164 Balantiochilus, 200
marmorata, Eleotris, 508, 509 Barbus, 206
Oxyeleotris, 509 Puntius, 206
marmoratus, Nandus, 488 melanorhynchus, Plagusia, 440
Oxyeleotris, 508, 509 melanosoma, Balitora brucei, 278
Synbranchus, 71 Gobius, 517
Martens, Eduard von, 7 Ophiocephalus, 471
martensii, Doryichthys, 444 melanostigma, Butis, 506
Syngnathiis, 444 Gobius, 543
marulioides, Ophicephalus, 466, 468 melanotaenia, Leptobarbus, 121, 122
marulius, Ophicephalus, 466, 467 Lobocheilus, 238, 239, 247
Ophiocephalus, 467 Tylognathus, 239, 241
niasoni, Acentrogobius, 532 melanura, Alausa, 47
Ctenogobius, 532 Clupea, 47, 49
Gobius, 532 Sardinella, 47, 48
Mastacembelus, 347 melanurus, Harengula, 47
argus, 64 melapterus, Bagroides, 377
armatus, 63 melasoma, Channa, 471
armatus armata, 63 •
Ophicephalus, 471
armatus favus, 8, 64 melasomus, Ophicephalus, 467, 471
cancela, 427 melastigmus, Aplocheilus, 420, 421
caudimacula, 427 meleagris, Cryptocentrus, 551
circumcinctus, 8, 65, 66 menanensis, Noemacheilus, 304, 310
erylhrotaenia, 66 metallicus, Esomus, 7, 89, 90
favus, 64 micracanthus, Bagrus, 391
paucispinis, 66 Hypselobagrus, 391
Mastocembelidae, 60 Mystus, 383, 391
Mastocembelus, 61, 62, 347 Micrapocrj'ptes sp., 519
argus, 63, 64 microcephalus, Tachysurus, 409
armatus armatus, 63, 64 microdon, Pristis, 40
armatus favus, 63, 64 microlepis, Cirrhina, 164
circumcinctus, 63, 65, 66 Cirrhinus, 6, 162, 164
erythrotaenia, 63, 66 Cynoglossus, 441, 442
maculatus, 62, 63 Datnioides, 484, 485
paucispinis, 63, 66 Eleotris, 510
taeniagaster, 63, 65, 66 Gobius, 525
unicolor, 62 Osphromenus, 462
Masya, Luang Chitrakarn, 9, 36, 37 Plagusia, 442
masyae, Nemacheilus, 325 Ptereleotris, 510
Noemacheilus, 305, 325 Toxotes, 7, 490, 498
masyai, Puntius, 166, 171 Trichogaster, 462
Matsva, 128, 129 Trichopodus, 462
argent ea, 128, 129 Trichopus, 462
maudae, Cryptocentrus, 551, 552 micronema, Cryptopterus, 343
mauritiana, Anguilla, 67 Kryptopterus, 340, 343
maxinae, Homaloptera, 274 Pangasius, 366
mcClellandi, Aplocheilus, 420, 421 Micronema blcekeri, 6, 344
Megalops, 42 typus, 343, 344
cyprinoides, 42 micronemus, Pangasius, 358, 366
filamentosus, 42 Silurus, 343
megalura, Setipinna, 52 micropeltes, Channa, 473
mekongensis, Cylocheilichthvs, 141, 148 Ophicephalus, 465, 467, 473
Mekongina, 259, 271 Ophiocephalus, 473
erythrospila, 271, 272 micropenis, Ophiocephalus, 473
meladerma, Clarias, 347, 348 Microphis, 442, 443
melanchoir, Engraulis, 53 annandalei, 8, 434
melanochir, Engraulis, 53 boaja, 443
Setipinna, 53, 54 micropogon, Leiocassis, 378, 379
Stolephorus, 53 microps, Eugnathogobius, 520
Tachysurus, 414 micropus, Cryptopterus, 340
melanoderma, Clarias, 348 Kryptopterus, 339
melanopleura, Osteochilus, 211, 212 niilitaris, Osteogeneiosus, 405
Rohita, 210,212 Silurus, 405
 INDEX 609
Milne-Edwards, A., 6 mystacina, Mahidolia, 524
Minnows, 72, 73 Waitea, 524, 525
toothed, 419 mystacinus, Gobius, 524
top, 426 Mvstacoleucus, 117, 126
typical, 117 argenteus, 127, 128, 131
mine, Ageneiosus, 404 atridorsalis, 127, 129
Batrachocephalus, 404 chilopterus, 127, 129
minutillus, Oryzias, 424 marginatus, 127, 129, 130
miostoma, Wallago, 332 mystax, Cupea, 55
Engraulis, 55
Wallagonia, 332
Scutengraulis, 55
modesta, Botia, 6, 288, 290, 291
Mystus, 36, 58, 377, 382
Helgia, 275, 276
atrifasciatus, 385, 386
Homaloptera, 274, 275
cavasius, 383, 389
modestus, Chonerhinus, 573, 574 chitala, 56
Tetraodon, 574 gulio, 383, 384
Mohr, Erna, 7 havmolleri, 383, 389
molitorella, Cirrhinus, 33 micracanthus, 383, 391
molitrix, Hypophthalmichthys, 34 nemurus, 383, 384, 386
moloanus, Aparrius, 543 nigriceps, 389, 390, 391
Oligolepis, 543 planiceps, 383, 387
Monopterus albus, 69 rhegma, 389, 391
javanensis, 69 stigmaturus, 389
javanicus, 69 tengara, 386
monopus, Cynoglossus, 441 vittatus, 383, 385
montanus, Noemacheilus, 313 wolfBi, 383
moorei, Kryptopterus, 340, 342 wolfii, 383
morala, Cyprinus, 248 wTcki(i), 383,388
morar, Aspidoparia, 123
Chela, 123 naganensis, Danio, 92, 96
Cyprinus, 123 naiua, Chanda, 479, 480
Morara, 124 nama, Ambassis, 480
Morara, 123, 124 Bogoda, 480
morar, 124 Chanda, 480
siamensib, 124 Nandidae, 486
moroana, Macgregorella, 526 Nandus, 455, 487, 488
Morulius, 121, 248 marmoratus, 488
chrysophekadion, 248, 360 nebulosus, 488, 489
dinema, 248 nandus. Coins, 488
erythrostictus, 248, 249 nanensis, Barilius, 154, 155
pectoralis, 248, 249 nanoides, Catopra, 487
Mouhot, Henri, 4, 7 naritus, Chonerhinus, 573, 574
mouhoti, Chela, 79, 80 Tetraodon, 573, 574
Mudskippers, 555 nasus, Clupea, 50
MugU, 233 Nematalosa, 50, 51
Mugilogobius, 537, 538 nasutus, Pangasius, 358, 362
Mullen, Alice C, 1 Pseudopangasius, 362
naultifasciatus, Nemacheilus, 322 Neacanthopsis, 287, 297
Nemachilus, 322 gracilentus, 297
Noemacheilus, 305, 322, 325 nebulopunctatus, Gobius, 525
rounensis, Labeo, 250, 254 nebulosus, Acentrogobius, 528, 533
Muraena alba, 69 Bedula, 489
austral is, 67 Gobius, 533
cinerea, 68 Nandus, 488, 489
Muraenesocidae, 67, 68 Rhinogobius, 533
Muraenesox, 68 neilgherriensis, Danio, 92
cinereus, 68 Nemacheilus beavani, 306
tricuspidata, 68 binotatus, 328
muralis, Eleotris, 510 desmotes, 307
Valenciennea, 510 kohchangensis, 321
Muroenesox arabicus, 68 masyae, 325
Myers, George S., 7, 9, 11, 37 raultifasciatus, 322
myersi, Danio, 92 myrmekia, 307
Mylopharyngodon aetiops, 34 nicholsi, 309
myops, Chanda, 480 rivulicola, 317
myrmekia, Nemacheilus, 307 sexcauda, 315
Noemacheilus, 304, 307 spilotus, 308
610 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

Nemaclieilus thai, 307 normani, Mahidolia, 524

trans-lineatus, 326 Poropuntius, 200, 201
waltoni, 317 Notacanthidae, 61
Nemachilus, 302 Notopteridae, 56
multifasciatus, 322 Notopterus, 56
Nemasiluroides, 356 borneensis, 56
furcatus, 355, 356 chitala, 56, 57, 60
Nematalosa, 50 kaipirat, 56
nasus, 50, 51 kapirat, 59
Nematognathi, 29, 329 notopterus, 36, 56, 59
nemurus, Hemibagrus, 386 ocellifer, 56
Macrones, 386
notopterus, Gymnotus, 56, 59
Mystus, 383, 384, 386
Notopterus, 36, 56, 59
Neopangasius, 354
Neostethidae, 475 nudiceps, Pseudobagrus, 6
Neostethus, 474, 475, 476, 477 Nuria albolineata, 101
lankesteri, 475, 477 danrica, 90
siamensis, 7, 477
Netuma, 408 oblongus, Crossocheilus, 269
Nichols, John T., 37, 333 Crossochilus, 269
nicholsi, Nemacheilus, 309 Labeo, 269, 270
Noemacheilus, 304, 307, 309 obscurus, Noemacheilus, 305, 316
iiieuhofi(i), Clarias, 352 obtusirostris, Barbus, 126, 130
Phagorus, 352 ocellata, Rhynchobdella, 61
Prophagorus, 352, 353 ocellatus, Ctenogobius, 544, 645
nigriceps, Hypselobagrus, 389 Tukagobius, 545
Macrones, 389, 391 ocellifer, Notopterus, 56
Mystus, 389, 390, 391 ochrus, Osteochilus, 211, 217
nigrimarginatus, Taenioides, 569, 570 octocirrhus, Cobitis, 294
nigrofasciatus, Danio, 96 Lepidocephalus, 293, 294, 296
nigrovittatus, Lobocheilus, 238, 240 ogilbii, Rohtee, 126, 127
nilotica, Lates, 478 ogilbyi, Rohtee, 127, 153
Perca, 478 olfax, Osphromenus, 451
uiloticus, Cyprinus, 250 Osphronemus, 451, 452
nobilis, Aristichthys, 33 oligactis, Acentrogobius, 528, 530
Noemacheilus, 287, 302 Gobiopsis, 521
atriceps, 304, 312 Pseudogobiopsis, 521
binotatus, 306, 328 Oligolepis, 515, 543
breviceps, 304, 308 moloanus, 543
bucculentus, 306, 326 Ompok, 331, 336, 337
cincticauda, 315 bimaculatus, 337
deignani, 305, 320 siluroides, 337
desmotes, 304, 307 Ophicephalidae, 30, 31, 465
fasciatus, 302 Ophicephalus, 345, 347, 465, 508
fowlerianus, 303, 306 gachua, 395, 465, 466, 470
kohchangensis, 305, 321 lucius, 467, 472
masyae, 305, 325 marulioides, 466, 468
menanensis, 304, 310 marulius, 466, 467
montanus, 313 melasoma, 471
multifasciatus, 305, 322, 325 melasomus, 467, 471
myrmekia, 304, 307 micropeltes, 465, 467, 473
nicholsi, 304, 307, 309 punctatus, 465
obscurus, 305, 316 serpentinus, 5, 473, 474
poculi, 305, 323 siamensis, 7, 467, 472
rcidi, 304, 313, 317 striatus, 36, 466, 468
rivulicola, 319, 320 Ophichthyidae, 67, 68
rupicola, 313 Ophidium aculeatum, 61, 62
schultzi, 305, 317 Ophiocara, 503, 507
semi-cincta, 315 amboiensis, 508
sexcauda, 304, 315, 317 porocephala, 507
sikmaiensis, 319 ophiocephalus, Eleotris, 507
spilotus, 304, 308 Ophiocephalus gachua, 470
thai, 303, 307 lucius, 472
translineatus, 305, 326 marulius, 467
waltoni, 305, 317 melanosoma, 471
Norman, J. R., 7, 37, 271, 386, 391, 402, micropeltes, 473
439, 441, 455 niicropeltis, 473
 INDEX 611

Ophiocephalus sianaensis, 472 Oxyeleotris marmoratus, 508, 509

stevensi, 473 siamensis, 508, 509
striatus, 468 urophthalmus, 508
vagus, 468 Oxygaster, 74, 78, 81
Ophisternon bengalensis, 71 anomalura, 74, 75
Ophisurus boro, 68 maculicauda, 75
Opisthomi, 60 oxygastroides, 75, 76
Opisthopterus, 48, 49 pointoni, 75, 77
macrognathus, 49 siamensis, 75, 76
Opsarius guttatus, 159 oxygaster, Cliela, 75
Oreichthys, 13, 118, 150 Leuciscus, 76
cosuatis, 150 oxygastroides. Chela, 76
parvus, 150 Leuciscus, 76
Oreoglanis, 13, 394, 395 Oxygaster, 75, 76
siamensis, 395 Oxj'metepon, 504
orientalis, Brachirus, 438 Oxyurichthys, 513, 525, 551
Pleuronectes, 438 belosso, 525
Rhynchobdella, 62 sp., 525
Synaptura, 437, 438, 439
ornatus, Acentrogobius, 528, 529 pabda, Callichrous, 337
Barilius, 6, 155, 158, 159 padangensis Sysiomus, 126
Gobius, 529 palembangensis, Tetraodon, 576
orontis, Clarias, 347 Tetrodon, 576
orphoides, Barbus, 190 palenbengensis, Tetraodon, 576
Puntius, 169, 184, 188, 190, 191 palustris, Rasbora, 106, 108
Orthostomus, 504 panchar, Haplochisus, 422
Oryzias, 420, 424 Panchax, 420, 421, 424
minutillus, 424 buchanani, 420, 421, 422
Osphro menus leerii, 463 panchax, 422, 424
microlepis, 462 pictum, 420
olfax, 451 panchax, Aplocheilus, 35, 420, 421, 422
.siamensis, 463 Esox, 420, 421, 422, 424
striatus, 452 Haplochilus, 422
trichopterus, 463 Panchax, 422, 424
vittatus, 452 Pangasianodon, 354, 355, 357, 372
Osphroneme goramy, 451 gigas, 365, 372, 373
Osphronemus, 447, 451 Pangasiidae, 354
goramv, 451 Pangasius, 36, 354, 355, 357, 370, 371,
olfax, 451, 452 372, 375
Osteobrama, 1 53 aequilabialis, 358, 367
Osteochilus, 120, 210 beani, 358, 362
borneensis, 210, 212 burgini, 359, 361
duostigma, 211, 215 cult rat us, 369
hasselti(i), 211,214 djambal, 367
lini, 211, 216 fowleri, 358, 365
macrosemion, 211, 218 hexanema, 372
melanopleura, 211, 212 hypophthalmus, 370
melanopleurus, 210, 212 larnaudii, 6, 357, 359, 365
ochrus, 211,217 longibarbis, 358, 369
prosemion, 211, 218 macronema, 368
scapularis, 211, 213 macronemus, 358, 368
schlegeli(i), 211, 216 micronema, 366
sima, 219 micronemus, 358, 366
simus, 211, 219 nasutus, 358, 362
spilopleura, 211, 218 pangasius, 358, 365, 366
tatumi, 211, 217 pleurotaenius, 6, 358, 361, 362
triporus, 218 polyuranodon, 358, 363
vittatus, 211, 213, 214, 216, 218 rios, 368
waandersi(i), 211, 213 sanitwongsei, 358, 363
Osteogeneiosus, 404, 405, 415 siamensis, 7, 358, 368
macrocephalus, 405 sutchi 358, 361
militaris, 405 taeniurus, 358, 367
Osteoglossidae, 55 pangasius, Pangasius, 358, 365, 366
Osteoglossum formosiim, 55 Pimelodus, 357, 366
ovata, Hamiltonia, 480 pangia, Acanthophthalmus, 299
Oxyeleotris, 503, 508 pangut, Rohtee, 127
marmorata, 509 panoides, Synaptura, 437, 438
612 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

papilio, Periophthalmus, 556 Periophthalmodon schlosseri, 500, 557

Papillocheilus, 120, 230 Periophthalmus, 449, 554, 555, 556, 561
barbarus, 556
ayuthiae, 231
borneensis, 557
pappenheimi, Zenarchopterus, 7, 430, 433 frej'cineti, 557
Parachela, 74, 88 koelreuteri, 500, 556
breitensteini, 88 papilio, 556
williaminae, 88 phya, 6, 557, 559, 566
paradiseus, Polynemiis, 477 schlosseri, 557
Paragobiodon, 512, 517 tredecimradiatus, 557
kerri, 517 perrottetei, Pristis, 40
Paralaubuca, 74, 82, 88 pessuliferus, Barbus, 178
barroni, 83 Puntius, 167, 178, 184
harmandi, 83, 85 Peters, W. C. H., 4, 7
riveroi, 83, 84 Phagorus, 352
siamensis, 76 cataractus, 353
stigmabrachium, 83 nieuhofii, 352
typus, 6, 82, 83, 84, 85 phaiosoma, Silurichthys, 334, 335
paralaubuca. Chela, 84, 85 Silurus, 334
Paralosa durbanensis, 44 phalaena, Amblygobius, 533
Parapocryptes, 560, 561 Gobius, 533
serperaster, 561 Phallostethidae, 474
Parasilurus, 330, 333 Phallostethiformes, 475
cochinchinensis, 333 Phallostethoidea, 475
partipentazona, Barbus, 175 Phallostethus, 474
Puntius, 166, 172, 175 Phananuchorn, Phya, 36
parvifilum, Garra, 260, 262 phasa, Clupea, 52
parvipinnis, Trichopus, 462 Phenacostethus, 475
parvus, Oreichthys, 150 'smithi, 7, 475
patoca, Chelonodon, 574 thai, 475, 476
Tetrodon, 574 Phinthoyothin, Pongse, 36
paucispinis, Mastacembelus, 66 phula, Ambassis, 480
Mastocembelus, 63, 66 Chanda, 480
paucisquamatus, Puntius, 167, 178, 181 phya, Periophthalmus, 6, 557, 559, 566-
Pearse, A. S., 7 picta, Betta, 455
pectinirostris, Boleophthalmus, 566 pictum, Panchax, 420
Gobius, 566 pictus, Akysis, 418
pectoralis, Morulius, 248, 249 Pimelodus bagarius, 394
Rohita, 249 borneensis, 415
Trichogaster, 7, 36, 462, 464 cavasius, 389
Trichopodus, 7, 463 cenia, 394
Pediculati, 61 gagora, 409
pedukang, 413 gulio, 384
Pelecus, 86 mangois, 375
Pellegrin, Jacques, 37, 226 pangasius, 357, 366
Pellegrini, Gyrinocheilus, 282 platypogonoides, 397
Pellona, 48, 50 sagor, 413
dussumieri, 49 vacha, 356
kampeni, 49 variegatus, 418
pellucida, Gobiella, 518, 519 pinnauratus, Barbus, 194
peninsulae, Danio, 97, 98 Cyclocheilichthys, 194
pennocki, Gvrinocheilops, 282, 286 Puntius, 169, 194
Gyrinocheilus, 282, 286 Pipefishes, 442
Perca, 448 Pipidonia, 512, 519
nilotica, 478 quinquecincta, 519
scandens, 447, 448 Pisces, 39
Perciformes, 475 Pisodonophis boro, 68
Percomorphi, 474 pisonis, Gobius, 505
Perilampus, 78, 79 Pisoodonophis, 68
aequipinnatus, 98 boro, 68
devario, 78 cancrivonis, 68
guttatus, 79 pla ai ao, 104, 105
laubuca, 421 pla ai ha, 122
Periophthalmidae, 502, 555, 560 pla ai dong, 367, 368
Periophthalminae, 560 pla ai pok, 474
Periophthalmodon, 555, 556, 557 pla ao, 104, 105
 INDEX 613

pla ba, 122 pZa /ca ti, 143

pla bai viai, 50, 465 pZa kaben, 35, 41, 42
pla bai tan, 451 pZa kaben khao, 42
pla bang, 50 pZa kaben nam chuet, 42
pla ben, 41 pZo kaben tong, 42
pla blew [bieo], 336, 345 pZa kabok, 35
pla bok, 242 pZa AracZt, 35, 462, 464, 465

pla bu, 509, 527, 530, 542, 546 pZo kadi mor, 464
pla bu hin, 542 pZa /racZi nang, 462, 463

pla bu hua, 546 pZa fcae, 394

pla bu hua to, 529 pla kahae, 35, 190
pla bu khao, 532 pla kaho, 137
pla bu klet kheng, 507 pZa kajang, 559
pla bu sai, 509, 542 pZa A;a?u cham, 192
pla bu tale, 532 pZa kamang, 35, 195
pla bu tong, 542 pZa A^amao, 35, 480, 482
pla bua, 251 pZa kamprad, 149
pla bua hua man, 508 pZa kempud, 566
pla bilk, 365, 375 pZa A:an Zao, 410
pla cha oan, 338, 343 pZa kang, 471
pla chado, 474 pZo /rang buan, 336
pla chae, 205 pZa fcan<7 Zai, 175, 216
p/a chalam, 39 pla kapong, 35, 479, 485
pZa chalat, 60 pla kapong hin, 485
pZa chang kra, 142 pla kapong lai, 485
pZa cha-on hin, 335 pZa kapong nam chut, 479
pZa c/ieeZ, 346 pZa kapong sema, 485
pZa c/ion, 295 pZa kasong, 35, 472
pZa c/ion [chorn], 468, 470 pZa kasoop [kasoob], 134, 135
pZo c/ion nam kern, 508 pZa kasup. 35
pZa cAon ngu hao, 468 pZa A;aZ, 461

pZa c/iu/c ki, 98 pZa A;aZ khmer, 457

pZa chum pruad, 566 pZa A:aZpa, 454
pZo dab Zao, 78 pla kathing, 35, 64
pla dak, 376 pla katung, 35
pZo deng, 34, 343, 344 pZa A-aZung heo, 427, 428, 432, 433
pla deng tale, 34 pla katung heo meuang, 428
pla dong, 334 pla kayao, 201
pla duk, 34, 452 pZa /ca!/mg, 382, 384, 386, 387, 391, 393
pZa duk dam, 349 pla kayeng bai kao, 378
pZa dwfc lampan, 353 pla kayeng bai khao, 391, 393
pZa cZu/c ZaZc, 354 pZa kayeng hin, 378, 381
pla duk uey, 34, 349, 352 pla kayeng kang lai, 386
pla eesnk, 152 pla kayeng khao, 389
pla fa, 149 pla kayeng mu, 393
pla fa hin, 149 pla kayeng nu, 378
pZa /io(?, 205 pla kayeng tong [dong], 393
pZa /lai, 205 pla kayeng wang, 378
pla hang buang, 233 pla kayuy, 419
pla hang deng, 254 pla keua, 562, 566
pZa hang kai, 52 pla khao, 332, 333
pZa Ziang mat, 206 pZa khao dam, 333
pZa Ziang pon, 58 pZa khem, 35, 436
pla hang yoi [iew], 206 pZa ZcZii khom, 215

pio hao smoh muk, 192 pZa kiyok, 131

pla hua liem, 233 pZa klang, 387
pla hua ngern, 424 pZa A;ZeZ Zee, 210
pZa hua ngon, 424 pZa A;Zom /lanj wong, 233
pZa Ziita on, 406, 409 pZa AZom paA; wong, 239
pZa Ziurt takna, 424 pZa /cZom poA; wong, 575
pia tfco//, 451 pZa A-Z;/e//, 295, 297

pZa ipui, 50 pla koak, 51

pZa tZan, 451
pla itub, 333 pla A;oZ,'34, 387, 406, 408, 409, 411, 414
pZa ituk [itok], 333 pla kot chalong, 387
pZa ji7rt fan jorake, 34, 442 pla kot chong luang, 387
pZo ka, 250, 360 pla kot deng, 411
590087- -40
 614 BULLETIN 18 8, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM

pla hot hin, 381 pla na san, 338

pla kot hua Ian, 410 pla nam bi, 131
pla kot hua on, 406 pla nam fai, 230
pla kot hua to, 415 pla nam lang, 132, 142, 148, 206
pla kot kang mor, 388 pla nam muk, 158
pla kot kao, 387, 388 pla nam ngeon, 343
pla kot khao, 409 pla nang ao, 161
pla kot klang, 387 pZa nang klet, 210
pla kot kokaso, 406, 408, 414 pZa neua on, 341, 343
pla kot lao, 410 pZa ngien, 139
pta kot lueng, 387, 411, 412, 415 pZa no A; Mao, 215
pla kot mor, 387 pla nom, 142
pla kot rnu, 378 pZa nu, 371
pla kot na, 387 pla nua on, 336, 338
pla kot na nu, 408 pla nuad pram, 478
pla kot nu, 409 pla nuan chan, 164
pla kot nud, 406 pZa oan, 338
pla kot pak kuat, 409 pZa pae, 195
pla kot poh, 416 pla paep, 77, 85, 88
pla kot som out, 406 pla paep khao, 77
pla kot tale, 408, 414 pZa paep kwai, 88
pla krai, 59 pZa paA; Hem, 144
pla krayok, 341 pZa pafc pao, 574, 575
pla krim, 454 pla pak pao nam chuet, 576
pla krim hua mong, 455 pla pak pra, 78
pla kua, 561 pla pak long, 574
pla kuk lien, 223 pla pang chae, 205
pla kup, 51 pla patong, 488
pla kurao, 477 pZa peeA; 183
pla lab mue nang, 266 pla peer, 483
pla labok, 192 pZa pet keo, 354
pla lad, 486 pZa phrok, 488
pZo Zat, 69, 71 pZa piing, 285
pla lampam [pampan], 190 pZo ptA; cZen^, 218
pla long keo, 47 pZa pZaA; lai, 285
pla lao long, 223, 228 pZa pluad, 572
pla lek, 49 pZa pluang hin, 140
pio iia hin, 261 pZa pZwA:, 438
pZa h'am, 195 pZo poA;, 192
pla lin hin, 280 pla pok som, 192
pio lin kroi, 46 pZa prom, 210, 213
pZa iin kwai, 438, 439, 442 pZa prom hua men, 213
pZa lin ma, 34, 438,1439, 442 pZa prong oy, 300
pla ling, 210 pZa raeZ, 452
p/a Zufc piing, 285 pla rak kluey, 285, 297
pZa Zufc sat, 542 pla rong mai tab, 216
pla lutu, 414 pla sa, 222, 224, 225, 226
pZa makua, 508 pla sa pok, 192
pZa mang, 195 pla sadet, 450
pZa mang kong,'^385 pZa saf, 295, 297, 542
pla mangkorn, 68 pla sai tan, 142
pZa melang pu, 474 pla saitju, 338, 362
pZa w?eo, 52, 54, 55 pla saiyu puek, 362
pla min, 452 pla salaring, 464
pZa r?iod, 350 pZa salark, 464
pla mong kroi, 46 pZa saZaZ, 60
pla mood, 285 pZa solid, 465
pZa Twor, 450, 488 pZa saw A:eo, 354
pla mor chang yieb [yiep], 488 pla sangkawad, 357, 363, 367. 368. 369,
pla mor nam, 488 372
pla mor tan, 451 pla sangkawad leuang, 369
pla mor thai, 450 pla sangkawang, 363
pla mu, 34, 289, 292, 295 pla sangkawart, 372
pla mu kang lai, 289 pZa sangkawart khao, 367
pla mu khao, 34, 292 pZa sangkawart long to, 366
pla mum, 208 pZa soZtt, 56
pla na ntian, 488 I pla sawai, 357, 363, 365, 366, 367
 INDEX 615
pla sawai kluey, 367 pZa ?/engr nu, 385
pla sawai nu, 357 pZa yorn, 372
pla seua, 489
Plagusia melanorhynchus, 440
pla seua taw, 486
microlepis, 442
pla Slew, 105, 110
pla siew ao, 105 plaikong, 182
pla siew bai pai, 98 planiceps, Bagrus, 387
pla soi, 227, 236, 271, 332 Mystus, 383, 387
pla soi dok bua, 248 planifrons, Gobius, 520
pla soi dok yarng, 267 Pogonogobius, 520
pla soi khao, 215 platycephalus, Callieleotris, 509
pla soi lord, 254 Glossogobius, 541
pla soi luk kluey, 225 platypogon, Glyptothorax, 403, 404
pla soi luk nun, 228 platypogonoides, Glyptothorax, 396,397
pla soi nok khao, 111 Pimelodus, 397
pla soi uk, 226 Platystacus anguillaris, 353
pla son sai, 297 Platytropius, 8, 355
pla song kruang, 254 siamensis, 6, 355
pla soop [soob], 134 Plectognathi, 572
pla soot [sood], 134, 135 Pleuronectes commersoniani, 437
pla sua, 175 orientalis, 438
pla ta deng, 223 pleurostigma, Gobius, 526
pla ta Ion, 230 pleurotaenius, Pangasius, 6, 358, 361, 362
pla ta luerk, 230 Plotosidae, 330, 353
pla ta Inn, 230 Plotosus, 353
pla ta min, 230 anguillaris, 353
pla tadeng, 142 caninus, 354
via tak 429 canius, 353, 354
pZa tak'ok, 125, 132, 146, 148, 230 lineatus, 353
pla takok dok chok, 132 poculi, Noemacheilus, 305, 323
pla takrab, 488 Poecilia f usca, 505
pZa taluerk, 43, 49 latipes, 424
pZa taluerk nam chuet, 43 Poeciliidae, 419, 426
pZa talum puk, 46 poecilopterus, Bagrus, 379
pZa tapad, 56 Leiocassis, 379, 380
pZa tapak, 183 Liocassis, 379
pZa tapien khao, 187, 189 Pogonogobius, 513, 520
pZa tapien sai, 142 planifrons, 520
pZo (epa, 357 Pogononemacheilus, subg., 326
pZa Zepo, 357, 361, 365 pointoni, Chela, 75, 77
pla thepa, 365 Culter, 77
pZa Zm, 557, 559, 566 Oxygaster, 75, 77
pla tit hin, 396 polota, Coius, 484
pla tong plu, 77, 78, 88 Datnioides, 484
pla tu bo, 215 Polynemidae, 477
pla tuk, 333 Polynemus, 477
pla tukang, 413 paradiseus, 477
pZa Zwm, 169 polyuranodon, Pangasius, 358, 363
pla turn pruad, 566 ponticulus, Danio, 97, 100
pla tung kwai, 427
'
porocephala, Eleotris, 507
pla tung nga, 205 Ophiocara 507
pZawA:, 34, 406, 411, 416 Poropuntius, 196
pla uk deng, 416 normani, 200, 201
pla uk hua hin, 415 Prajadhipokia rex, 392, 393
pla Ilk hua san, 406, 409 Praserth Aksorn, Luang, 36
pla uk khao, 416 Prashad, Baini, 37
pla uk khem, 416 prashadi, Glyptothorax, 397, 402, 404
pla uk lueng, 410 Prionobutis, 503, 507
pla uk pak kwang, 411 koilmatodon, 507
pla wee [wi], 451 Pristidae, 39
pla wi, 195 Pristigaster tartoor, 49
pZa men, 139 Pristigasterinae, 43, 48
pla wurd, 205 Pristis, 40
pZo ya, 131, 142 cuspidatus, 40
pZo yaZtt, 285 microdon, 40
pla yard, 139 perrottetei, 40
pZo yeng, 384, 391 pristis, Squalus, 40
 616 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
Pristolepis, 487
Puntius foxi, 168, 184
fasciata, 487
gonionotus, 168, 188
fasciatus, 487
huguenini, 168, 184
marginatus, 487
javanicus, 188
Probarbus, 13, 118, 150
jolamarki, 168, 186, 188
Probarbus juUieni, 6, 137, 150, 151 laoensis, 169, 192
proctozysron, Barbus, 194
lateristriga, 167, 181
Puntioplites, 11, 194
leiacanthus, 166, 172, 173 174
Puntius, 6, 194
masyai, 166, 171
Prophagorus, 346, 352
melanopterus, 206
cataractus, 352, 353
orphoides, 169, 184, 188, 190
nieuhofi(i), 352, 353 191
partipentazona, 166, 172, 175
prosemion, Osteochilus, 211, 218
paucisquamatus, 167, 178 181
Pseudambassis, 480
pessuliferus, 167, 178, 184
Pseudambassis, subg., 483
pinnauratus, 169, 194
Pseudapocryptes, 560
proctozysron, 6, 194
lanceolatus, 561
puntio, 165
Pseudarius, 409
riibripinna, 190
Pseudeutropius, 355
sametensis, 167, 176
siamensis, 6, 8, 355, 356
sarana, 168, 186, 187
taakree, 355, 356
schwanefeldi, 190
Pseudobagrichthys macracanthus, 378
scwanenfeldii, 169, 190
macropterus, 377
siamensis, 6, 169, 193
Pseudobagrus nudiceps, 6
simus, 168, 185
Pseudogobiodon, 517
smithi, 194
Pseudogobiopsis, 513, 521, 522
sophore, 165
oligactis, 521
sophoroides, 166, 174
Pseudolaubuca lateralis, 84
spilopterus, 166, 173
Pseudopangasius, 354
stigmatosomus, 167, 175 178
nasutus, 362 '
stoliczkae, 166, 170
Pseudoxiphophorus bimaculatus 212
stracheyi, 179
Psilorhynchus, 282
sumatranus, 175
aymonieri, 282, 283, 285
ticto, 170
Ptereleotris, 503
vernayi, 7, 168, 184
heteropterus, 512
viehoeveri, 166, 175
microlepis, 510
wetmorei, 167, 181
stigmaturus, 510, 511
Pteropangasius, 355, 369
pusillus, Dermogenys, 35, 434
pustulosus, Gyrinocheilus, 282
cultratus, 369
Puffers, 572
quadrifasciatus, Chaetodon, 484
pugnax, fietta, 456
pulchellus, Barilius, 155, 157
Datnioides, 484
quadrilineatus, Lobocheilus, 238 242
pulcher, Danio, 96, 97, 102 '

244 '

pulvenilentus, Gobius, 524

punctata, Gambusia, 426 Tylognathus, 242
quinquecincta, Pipidonia, 519
punctatus, Ophicephalus, 465
puncticeps, Cynoglossus, 441
puntang, Gobius, 534
Raiamas, 118, 152
bola, 152
puntio, Cyprinus, 165
Raja sephen, 41
Puntius, 165
rambaiae, Vaimosa. 538
Puntioplites, 13, 119, 194
Rambaibarnia, 98
proctozvsron, 11, 194
ranga, Chanda, 480, 481, 483
Puntius, 119, 141, 165, 194
Rasbora, 58, 89, 98, 105, 455
altus, 169, 189, 192
argyrotaenia, 106, 109, 111 112
ashmeadi, 169, 190 '
116
balleroides, 169, 193
borapetensis, 106, 107, 109
beasleyi, 168, 184
calliura, 113
binotatus, 168, 176, 183
cheroni, 107, 116
bocourti, 169, 189, 192
croniiei, 106, 113
bramoides, 168, 186, 187
daniconius, 114
brevis, 172, 173
bulu, 166, 169 dusonensis, 109, 110, 112
einthovenii, 106, 114
colemani, 167, 179, 181
heteromorpha, 105, 107
daruphani, 168, 182
lateristriata, 110, 114, 116
erythropterus, 187
lateristriata lateristriata, 106, 114
falcifer, 194, 195
lateristriata sumatrana, 107, 116
faucis, 167, 180
lateristriata trifasciata, 107. 116
 INDEX 617

Rasbora lavangi, 106, 113 Rohtee pangut, 127

palustris, 106, 108 vigorsi, 127, 153
rasbora, 106, 114 rostratum, Chaetodon, 492
retrodorsalis, 106, 110
rostratus, Chelmo, 492
stigmatura, 112, 113
roulei, Gyrinocheilus, 282
trifasciata, 116
trilineata, 106, 112, 113 rubripinna, Filirasbora, 105
rasbora, Cvprinus, 105, 114 Puntius, 190
Rasbora, 106, 114 rubripinnis, Barbus, 190
Rasborinae, 73, 88 Cyclocheilichthys, 141, 142
Rays, 39 ruconius, Chanda, 480
reba, Crossocheilus, 269, 270 rupicola, Noemacheilus, 313
Cyprinus, 270 russelli, Hemiramphus, 433
Regan, C. Tate, 7
regina, Danio, 92, 96, 97 Saccobranchus, 346
reichei, Acentrogobius, 528, 531 fossilis, 345, 346
Gobius, 531 sadanundio, Gobius, 526. 527
Reid, Earl D., 38 Stigmatogobius, 526
reidi, Noemacheilus, 304, 313, 317 safgha, Ambassis, 481, 482
Rendahl, Hialinar, 7 Sciaena, 482
repasson, Barbus, 147 sagor, Pimelodus, 413
Cyclocheilichthys, 141, 142, 147 Tachysurus, 408, 413, 414
rerio, Danio, 96 sametensis, Puntius, 167, 176
reticulatus, Crossocheilus, 269,270 Sanitwongse, Mom Rajawongse Yai, 36
Holotylognathus, 236 sanitwongsei, Pangasius, 358, 363
retrodorsalis, Rasbora, 106, 110 sapidissima, Alosa, 44, 46
rex, Prajadhipokia, 392, 393 sarana, Barbus, 193
rhabdoura, Lobocheilus, 238, 245 Cyprinus, 187
Tvlognathus, 245 Puntius, 168, 186, 187
rhegma, Mystus, 389, 391 sardina, Aspidoparia, 123
Rhinogobius, 530, 532, 433, 543, 544 Sardinella, 44, 46
atripinnatus, 531 aurita, 46
caninus, 532 gibbosa, 47
chiengmaiensis, 548 melanura, 47, 48
lungi, 533 Sardines, 43
nebulosus, 533 sarrakowah, Scoliodon, 39
similis, 529, 543, 545 Sauvage, Henri fimile, 5, 6
simulans, 529 Sawfishes, 39
Rhynchobdella, 62 scandens, Anabas, 447
aculeata, 61 Perca, 447, 448
aculeata siamensis, 61, 62 Scaphiodonichthys, 13, 120, 206
ocellata, 61 acanthopterus, 207
orientalis, 62 burmanicus, 206, 207
Rhyncobdella aculeata, 61 Scaphiodontopsis acanthopterus, 207
Pangasius, 368
rios, Scaphognathops, 13, 120, 208
riveroi, Culter, 84 stejnegeri, 208
Paralaubuca, 83, 84 Scaphognathus, 208
rivulatus, Gobiodon, 516 stejnegeri, 208
Gobius, 516 scapularis, Osteochilus, 211, 213
rivulicola, Nemacheilus, 317 Scartelaos, 555, 560, 566
Noemacheilus, 319, 320 viridis, 567
Robinson, Herbert C, 6 Schilbe, 354
Rohita, 212, 214, 216 Schilbeidae, 330, 354
borneensis, 212 schlegeli (i), Osteochilu.^, 211, 216
chrvsophekadion, 248 Rohita, 216
hasselti(i), 214 schlosseri, Gobius, 557
melanopleura, 210, 212 Periophthalmodon, 500, 557
pectoralis, 249 Periophthalmus, 557
schlegeli, 216 schneideri, Silurichthys, 335
sima, 219 Schomburgk, Robert, 4
vittata, 216 pchroederi, Acrossocheilus. 197, 203
waandersii, 213 Schultz. Leonard P., 1, 38
Rohtee, 119, 127, 153 schultzi, Noemacheilus, 305, 317
alfrediana, 154 schwanefeldi(i), Barbus, 190
cotio, 154 Puntius, 190
ogUbii, 126, 127 schwanenfeldii, Barbus, 190
ogilbyi, 127, 153 Puntius, 169, 190
 618 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
Sciaena jaculatrix, 490, 492 siamensis, Ophicephalus, 7, 467, 472
safgha, 482 ( )phiocephah]s,
472
sciurus, Arius, 409 Oreoglanis, 395
Tachysurus, 407, 409 Osphromenus, 463
seleronema, Ceratoglanis, 339 Oxyeleotris, 508, 509
Hemisilurus, 339 Oxygaster, 75, 76
Scleropages, 55 Pangasius, 7, 358, 368
formosus, 55 Paralaubuca, 76
leichardti, 55 Platytropius, 6, 355
Scoliodon, 39 Pseudeutropius, 6, 8, 355, 356
sarrakowah, 39 Puntius, 6, 169, 193
walbeehmi(i), 39 Rhynchobdella aculeata,[61, 62
Scutengraulis, 52, 55 Synaptura, 438, 439
mystax, 55 Trichopus, 463
sealei, Creisson,543 Tylognathus, 7, 233, 234, 235
semi-cincta, Noemacheilus, 315 Vaimosa, 538, 540
semidoliatus, Gobius, 536 Sicydiaphiinae, 517
Zonogobius, 536 Sicydiinae, 510, 517
semifasciatus, Cynoglossup, 441 Sicydium 517
Gobius, 536 sikmaiensis, Noemacheilus, 319
Semiplotus, 206 Sikukia, 117, 125
sephen, Dasyatis, 41 stejnegeri, 125, 126
Raja, 41 Silurichthys, 330, 334
septemmaculata, Homaloptera, 274, 275 leucopodus, 334, 335
Serpent-head fishes, 465 phaiosoma, 334, 335
serpentinus, Ophicephalus, 5, 473, 474 schneideri, 335
serperaster, Apocryptes, 561 Siluridae, 329
Parapocryptes, 561 Silurodes, 331, 336
setifer, Chanda, 480 hypophthalmus, 336
setigerum, Luciosoma, 103, 105 siluroides, Ompok, 337
setigerus, Barbus, 102, 103 Silurus apogon, 343
Setipinna, 51, 52 attu, 332
megalura, 52 batrachus, 348
melanochir, 53, 54 bicirrhis, 341
taty, 53, 54 bimaculatus, 337
sexcauda, Nemacheilus, 315 cochinchinensis, 333
Noemacheilus, 304, 315, 317 cryptopterus, 339, 340
sexmaculata, Homaloptera. 274, 275 fossilis, 345, 346
SEads, 43 glanis, 346
gizzard, 50 hexapterus, 342
mud, 50 hypophthalmus, 336
shanensis, Danio, 96, 97, 101 japonicus, 333
Sharks, 39 limpok, 340
lineatus, 353
siahi, Longiculter, 82
Biaja, Cyclocheilichthys, 141, 143
maculatus, 408
micronemus, 343
siamensis, Aspidoparia, 124
militaris, 405
Catiacarpio, 135
phaiosoma, 334
Catlocarpio, 7, 29, 135
singio, 346
Catopra, 487, 488
vittatus, 385
Chanda, 481, 482 sima, Osteochilus, 219
Chela, 76, 81
Rohita, 219
Culter, 8, 86, 87, 88
similis, Rhinogobius, 529, 543, 545
Cultrops, 77, 83, 86, 88
simoni, Acanthobrama, 212
Dangila, 224, 225, 226
simus, Osteochilus, 211, 219
Demogenys, 434 Puntius, 168, 185
Dermogenys, 434, 436 simulans, Acentrogobius, 528, 529
Eleotris, 509 Rhinogobius, 529
Epalzeorhynchos, 263, 265, 267 sinensis, Bostrichthys, 506,
Glyptothorax, 397, 398, 399 509
Bostrychus, 506
Hemipimelodus, 6, 415, 417 Tachysurus, 406
Labiobarbus, 222, 225 singio, Silurus, 346
Laubuca, 81, 82 sinkleri, Labeo, 251, 256
Leiocassis, 7, 379
Sinohomaloptera, 278
Liocassis, 379
Sisoridae, 29, 329, 330, 393
Morara, 124
Skates, 39
Neostethus, 7, 477
Sleepers, 502
 '

INDEX 619
Smith, Hugh McCormick, 1, 10 striatus, Ophicephalus, 36, 466, 468
Smith, Malcolm A., 3 Ophiocephalus, 468
smithi, Boleophthalmus, 563 Osphromenus, 452
Homaloptera, 274, 276 Trichopsis, 452
Phenacostethus, 7, 475 Trichopus, 452
Puntius, 194 Strongylura, 426
Soles, 436, 437, 440 caudimaculata, 426
solum, Cynoglossus, 442 strongylura, 427
sondhii, Danio, 96 strongylura, Belone, 426, 427
sophore, Barbus, 174 Strongylura, 427
Puntius, 165 strongylurus, Tylosurus, 427
sophoroides, Barbus, 174 sua, Brachygobius, 549, 550
Puntius, 166, 174 Thaigobiella, 549
soporator, Bathygobius, 525 sumatrana, Dangila, 223
soro, Barbus, 139 Rasbora lateristriata, 107, 116
Labeobarbus, 139 sumatranus, Acrossocheilus, 197, 199,
Tor, 137, 139 204
spengleri, Tetrodon, 573 Barbus, 175
sphinx, Gobius, 533 Labiobarbus, 222, 223
Sphoeroides, 573 Leuciscus, 116
lunaris, 573 Lissochilus, 204
spicifer, Syngnathus, 445 Puntius, 175
spilopleura, Dangila, 224, 225 sumpii-sumpit, 493
Labiobarbus, 222, 224 sundaicus, Hexanemabichthys, 414
Luciosoma, 103 sutchi, Pangasius, 358, 361
Osteochilus, 211, 218 Suvatti, Nai Chote, 9, 36, 37
Vaimosa, 526, 527 suvatti, Danio, 97, 99
spilopterus, Acentrogobius, 530 Swamp-eels, 69
Barbus, 173 Swellfishes, 572
Puntius, 166, 173 Symbranchus bengalensis, 71
spilotus, Nemaeheilus, 308 caligans, 72
Noemacheilus, 304, 308 Synaptura, 34, 437
spinosa, Garra, 260 aenea, 437, 439
splendens, Betta, 7, 9, 35, 454, 456 harmandi, 437, 438
Squalus pristis, 40 orientalis, 437, 438, 439
Steindachner, Franz, 7 panoides, 437, 438
Stejneger, Leonhard, 38 siamensis, 438, 439
Btejnegeri, Scaphognathops, 208 Synapteridae, ^37
Scaphognathus, 208 Synbranchia, 69
Sikukia, 125, 126 Synbranchidae, 69, 71
stenomus, Bagrus, 381 Synbranchus, 71
Leiocassis, 379. 381 bengalensis, 71 ;
^'
Btevensi, Ophiocephalus, 473 marmoratus, 71
stigma, Barbus, 174 Syncrossus berdmorei, 295
gtigmabrachium, Chela, 75, 83 Synentognathi, 426
Culter, 83 Syngnathidae, 442
Paralaubuca, 83 Syngnathus, 443, 445
stigmaeus, Epalzeorhynchos, 263, 267 acus, 445
stigmapleura, Labeo, 250, 255 boaja, 443
Stigmatogobius, 513, 526, 537 carce, 445
sadanundio, 526 deocata, 443
Btigmatosomus, Puntius, 167, 175, 178 deokhatoides, 444
stigmatura, Rasbora, 112, 113 djarong, 445, 446
stigmaturus, Mystus, 389 martensii, 444
Ptereleotris, 510, 511 445
spicifer,
Stingrays, 41 Sysiomus padangensis, 126
Stolephorus, 524 Systomus albuloides, 124, 125
melanochir, 53 bulu, 169
taty, 54 leiacanthus, 172
Btoliczkae, Danio, 170
Puntius, 166, 170 taakree, Psudoeutropius, 355, 356
stormii, Cephalocassis, 413 Tachvsuridae, 29, 33, 329, 330, 404
Tachysurus, 408, 411, 414 Tachysurus, 387, 404, 406 ,415, 416
stracheyi, Barbus, 139 argyropleuron, 407, 412
Puntius, 179 caelatus, 407, 410
Tor, 137, 139 gagora, 407, 409
Btriata, Channa, 468 harmandi, 414
620 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
Tachysurus leiotetocephalus, 408, 412 Tetrodon patoca, 574
macronotacanthus, 407, 410 spengleri, 573
maculatns, 407, 408 teysmanni, Clarias, 347, 349
melanochir, 414 thai, Nemacheilus, 307
microcephalus, 409 Noemacheilus, 303, 307
sagor, 408, 413, 414 Phenacostethus, 475, 476
sciurus, 407, 409 Thynnichthys, 209, 210
sinensis, 406 Thaigobiella, 550
stormii, 408, 411, 414 sua, 549
thalassinus, 408, 413 thalassinus, Bagrus, 413
truncatus, 407, 410 Tachysurus, 408, 413
venosus, 407, 411 thavili, Lobocheilus, 238, 247
taeoiagaster, Mastocerabelus, 63, 65, 66 thomasi, Chanda, 481, 482
taeniata, Betta, 454, 455 thomassi, Ambassis, 482
Garra, 260 thompsoni, Gnatholepis, 536
taeniatops, Garra, 260, 261 Threadfins, 477
taeniatus, Lepidocephalus, 293, 296 Thrissa hamiltoni, 55
Taenioides, 567, 568, 570, 571 Thvnnichthvs, 120, 209
anguillaris, 569 thai, 209, 210
angullaris, 569 thynnoides, 209
cirratus, 569, 570 thvnnoides, Leuciscus, 209
gracilis, 569 Thynnichthys, 209
hermannianus, 568 ticto, Puntius, 170
hermannii, 568 toli, Alausa, 44
nigrimarginatus, 569, 570 Clupea, 44
Taenioididae, 567, 568 Culpea, 44
Taenioidinae, 568 Hilsa, 44, 52
taeniurus, Pangasius, 358, 367 Tonguefishes, 440
tambroides, Barbus, 137 tonkinensis, Acanthorhodeus, 220, 221
Labeobarbus, 137 Tor, 118, 137, 221
Tor, 137 douronensis, 137, 139
tangara, Hypselobagrus, 385 hamilton, 137
tapiensis, Cyclocheilichthys, 141, 149 soro, 137, 139
Tarpon atlanticus, 42 stracheyi, 137, 139
Tarpons, 42 tambroides, 137
tartoor, Pristigaster, 49 tor, Cyprinus, 137
tatumi, Osteochilus, 211, 217 Toxotes, 489
taty, Engraulis, 54 chatareus, 490, 497
Setipinna, 53, 54 chatereus, 497
Stolephorus, 54 jaculator, 490, 495
taylori, Boleophthalmus, 563 jaculatrix, 57, 490, 497
tchangi, Crossocheilus, 269, 270 microlepis, 7, 490, 498
Teleostomi, 42 Toxotidae, 489
temmincki(i), Helostoma, 450 trangensis, Lobocheilus, 238, 242
tengara, Hypselobagrus, 385 Tylognathus, 224
Macrones, 385, 386 trans-lineatus, Nemacheilus, 326
-Mystus, 386 translineatus, Noemacheilus, 305, 326
testudineus, Anabas, 32, 36, 447 488 tredecimradiatus, Periophthalmus, 557
500 Trewavas, Ethelwynn, 37, 174, 185, 473
Anthias, 447 trey kaek, 250
Tetraodon, 573, 575 trey kla, 486
fluviatilis, 576, 577 trey reach, 375
hispidus, 575 Trichogaster, 345, 447, 455, 461
immaculatus, 575, 576 leerii, 462, 463
leiurus, 576, 577 microlepis, 462
lineatus, 575 pectoralis, 7, 36, 462, 464
liurus, 577 trichopterus, 462, 463
lunaris, 573 Trichopodus, 461, 462
manillensis, 576 leeri, 463
modestus, 574 maculatus, 463
naritus, 573, 574 microlepis, 462
palembangensis, 576 pectoralis, 7, 463
palenbengensis, 576 trichopterus, 465
Tetrodon fluviatilis, 577 Trichopsis, 447, 452, 455
leiurus, 577 harrisi, 452, 454
lunaris, 573 striatus, 452
palembangensis, 576 vittatus, 35, 452
 INDEX 621

trichopterus, I^abrus, 461, 463 urophthalmus, Eleotris, 508

Osphromenus, 463 Oxyeleotris, 508
urotaenia, Chanda, 480
Trichogaster, 462, 463
Trichopodus, 465
vacha, Eutropiichthys, 356
Trichopus, 463 Pimelodus, 356
Trichopus microlepis, 462 vagina, Gobius, 572
parvipinnis, 462 Trypauchen, 572
siamensis, 463 vagus, Ophiocephalus, 468
striatus, 452 Vaimosa, 514, 524, 527, 537
trichopterus, 463 chulae, 538, 540
tricuspidata, Muraenesox, 68 537
fontinalis,
tricuspidatus, Hyporhamphus, 428 rambaiae, 538
trifasciata, Betta, 454, 455 siamensis, 538, 540
Rasbora, 116 spilopleura, 526, 527
Rasbora lateristriata, 107, 116 Valeuciennea, 503, 510
trilineata, Rasbora 106, 112, 113 muralis, 510
triiineatus, Glyptothorax, 396, 399 validus, Creisson, 542, 543
triporus, Osteochilus,218 Varicorhinus, 233
truncatus, Amblyrhynchichthys, 229,230 diplostomus, 233
Amblyrhynchithys, 229 dyocheilus, 251
Arius, 410 variegatus, Akysis, 418
Barbus, 229 Pimelodus, 418
Cephalocassis, 410 velutinus, Hemipimelodus, 415, 416, 417
Tachysunis, 407, 410 venosus, Arius, 411
Trygon bleekeri, 42 Tachysurus, 407, 411
Trypauchen, 568, 572 vermicularis, Acanthophthalmus, 300,
vagina, 572 301, 302
Trypaiichenichthys, 568, 572 Vernay, Arthur S., 7
typus, 572 vernayi, Barbus, 7, 184
Trypaucheninae, 502, 568, 572 Puntius, 7, 168, 184
Tukagobius ocellatus, 545 verticalis, Gobiodon, 516
Tukugobius, 543, 545 vexillifer, Ctenogobius, 545, 549
Tvlognathus, 121, 233, 236, 240, 256, viehoeveri Puntius, 166, 175
263, 266 vigorsi, Rohtee, 127, 153
bo. 239 Vipulya, Prince, 9
brunneus, 234 Vireosa, 504
caudimaculatus, 234 viridipunctatus, Acentrogobius, 529, 532
coatesi, 266 Ctenogobius, 532
cryptopogon, 244 Gobius, 532
davisi, 245 viridis, Boleophthalmus, 566, 567
entmema, 234, 235 Gobius, 567
falcifer, 237 Scartelaos, 567
gracilis, 247 Visel, Gladys O., 1
melanotaenia, 239, 241 vittata, Clupeonia, 48
quadrilineatus, 242 Harengula, 47, 48
rhabdoura, 245 Rohita, 216
siamensis, 7, 233, 234, 235 vittatus, Acrossocheilus, 197, 198, 200
trangensis, 242 Ctenops, 452, 454
Tylosurus strongylurus, 427 Esomus, 89
typhlops, Caragobius, 571 Mystus, 383, 385
tvpus, Culter, 84 Osphromenus, 452
Gagata, 394 Osteochilus, 211, 213, 214, 216, 218
Helicophagus, 370 Silurus, 385
Ketengus, 414 Trichopsis, 35, 452
Micronema, 343, 344 Volz, Walter, 70
Paralaubuca, 6, 82, 83, 84, 85 Vongtongmark, Thavil, 36
Trypaiichenichthys, 572 vulgaris, Anguilla, 67

ujo, Dasyatis, 41 waandersi(i), Helicophagus, 370, 371

unicolor, Mastocembelus, 62 Osteochilus, 211,213
unifasciatus, Hemiramphus, 429 Rohita, 213
Hemirhamphus, 429 Waitea, 522, 525
Hyporhamphus, 429 mystacina, 524, 525
uranoscopus, Macrochirichthys, 77 walbee'hmi(i), Carcharias, 39
urolepis, Brachyamblyopus, 571 Scoliodon. 39
622 BULLETIN 18S, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
Wallago, 331, 335 xanthomelas, Brachygobius, 549, 550
attu, 332 xanthozona, Brachygobius, 549, 550
dinema, 11, 331, 335,345 Xenarchopterus ectuntio, 430
leerii, 331, 332 Xenentodon, 426, 427
miostoma, 332 cancila, 427, 428
Wallagonia, 330, 331, 335 canciloides, 427, 428
attu, 332, 333 Xenocheilichthys, 13, 120, 125, 230
miostoma, 332 gudgeri, 230
waltoni, Nemacheilus, 317 xiphoideus, Cynoglossus, 7, 441, 442
Noemacheilus, 305, 317
Weber, Max, 2, 3 yarrelli, Bagarius, 394
wehrlei, Cryptocentrus, 551, 552, 554
wetmorei, Puntius, 167, 181 Zenarchopterus, 428, 429
williaminae, Parachela, 88 amblyurus, 430, 431, 432
Winit Wanandorn, Phya, 36 borneensis, 431
wolfB, Hypselobagrus, 383 brevirostris, 432
Macrones, 383 buffo nis, 431
wolffi(i), Acanthoperca, 482 clarus, 7, 429, 430
Ambassis, 482 dispar, 432, 433
Bagrus, 383 dunckeri, 430, 433
Chanda, 481, 482 ectuntio, 57, 429, 430, 433
Mystus, 383 gilli, 430, 432
wolfii, Culter, 86, 87, 88 pappenheimi, 7, 430, 433
Mystus, 383 zollingeri, Homaloptera, 274
wycki(i) Bagrus, 388 Zonogobius, 514, 536
Mystus, 383, 388 semidoliatus, 536