ARTICLE X\II 



REPORT ON FISHES. PART I: COBITIDAE' 



By Sunder Lal Hora, D.Sc, F.R.S.E., F.A.S.B. 



Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta 



(Received August 16, 1935) 



CONTENTS 



Page 

 Introduction 299 



Ecology and Structural Modifications 300 



Air-bladder 300 



Caudal fin 303 



Geographical Distribution and Origin of the Fish Fauna 304 



Systematic Account 306 



Nemachilns stoUc"kac (Steindachner) 306 



Ncmachihts gracilis Day 309 



Nemachilus microps ( Steindachner 310 



Ncmachilus tcnuicauda (Steindachner) 311 



Nemachilus vittatus (tieckel) 311 



Nemachilus deTerrai, sp. iiov 311 



Nemachilus hutchinsoni, sp. nov 314 



Nemachilus panguri, sp. nov 318 



Botia hinti Chaudhuri 321 



introduction 



Mr. G. E. Hutchinson, biologist to the Yale North India Expedition, entrusted to me 

 an extensive and interesting collection of fishes for study and report in October 1933, but it 

 was not possible to take up the work till the later part of 1934. The collection was made 

 in the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh, and comprises representatives of Sisoridac (Glyplo- 

 fhora.v and Glyplosfcnmin), Cypr'umme (Labco and Crossochcilus), Schisothoracinae {Schiso- 

 tliora.v, Ptycliobarbus, Schicopygopsis, Diptycliiis and Orcinus) and Cohitidac (Bolia and 

 Nemachilus). As was to l)e expected, Glyptotliorax, Labco, Crossocliciliis and Botia were 

 found only in the Kashmir Valley, while Nemachilus and the Schicothoracinae were cciivdUy 

 abundant at high altitudes and in the Valley. In this article, I propose to deal with the 

 Cobittdae, especially the genus Nemachilus, which in the lakes and torrential streams of 

 Central Asia has proliferated into many species showing diverse structural, adaptive modifi- 

 cations. The present collection contains one species of i?of/a and eight species of A'^r/;;ar//(7».?. 



1 take this opportunity to offer my sincere thanks to Mr. Hutchinson for affording nie 

 an npportunity to investigate this interesting material and for his invaluable field notes. I 

 am indebted to the authorities of the Yale North India Expedition for a grant towards tiie 

 cost of drawings which were executed by Balm R. Bagchi under my supervision. 



' Published witli permission of the Director, Zoological Survey of India. 



Mem. Conn, .-\c.\u., Vol. X, .Art. XVII, June, 1936. 



