310 REPORT ox 1I>HI.S. I'ART I : CORTTIOAE 



V NciiHichiliis niicrops (^Stcindachner) 



1866. Cobilis microps, Stciiuladiner, Fcr/i. Zool.-bot. Gcs. Jl'irii, XVI, p. 794, pi. xii, fig. 3. 

 1868. Nciiiachiltis viicrops, Giinther, Vat. Fish. Brit. Mtis. VII, p. 357. 

 1878. Ncmachihts microps. Day, Sci. Res. 2nd Yarkand Miss., Ichthyology, \\ 17. 

 1922. Newachiliis microps, Hora, Rcc. Ind. Mits. XXIV, p. SO. 

 1935. A^cwachilus microps, Hora & Mukerji, in Visscr's Karakoniiii, I, p. 430, pi. iv, fig. 3. 



I refer to Ncmachilus microps 4 specimens, from 30 to 86 mm. in total length, collected 

 by the Yale North India Expedition on the i/th of August 1932 from underneath large 

 stones in the bed of a stream flowing into the west end of the Tso-Moriri lake about 14,853 

 feet above sea level. The two larger specimens are females with fully developed ovaries. 

 The eggs are minute and the ovaries do not extend forwards l)eyond the midille of the 

 abdominal cavity. The air-bladder is reduced and enclosed in Ixmy capsules, as is char- 

 acteristic of the stream-dwelling forms. The alimentary canal is about as long as the length 

 of the fish and the stomach contents show tliat the fish feeds on white, slimy stuff tliat is 

 found encrusting rocks and stones. 



In my key to the species of NciiiacliUiis from Central .\sia in tjie collection of llu' Indian 

 Museum (1922, p. 7i) N. viicrops was scfjarated fmrn the 9 of A^. yasinciisis by the rela- 

 tive lengths of the anal fin and of the caudal ]KHluncIe. in tlie specimens now before nie 

 the portion of the caudal peduncle is much less than the iengtli of the anal lin, l)ut in all 

 other respects they agree with tlie other specimens in tlic Indian Museum collection. In 

 A^. yasiiiciisis the caudal peduncle is low, while in the four specimens from Western Tiljet 

 it is two-fifths as high as long. In the earlier s])ccimens, the caudal peduncle is one-third 

 as high as long. These differences do not seem to me suflicient to justify the erection of 

 a new species in such a variable genus. For future reference, however, 1 give below 

 measurements of two mature female specivnens. 



The species was originally described from 10 specimens, 4 from I.eli and (> from "I'hirse- 

 Bach in einer llohc von circa 16000 Fuss bei .Manecban in Rupsbu i juli 1(%5)." The 

 specimens in the collection of the Yale North Intlia ]'".xpe(lition were also collected in the 

 Rupshu Province, Western Tibet. 



.]Icasurciiiciils in millimclrcs 



2 9 



Total length including caudal 86.0 86.0 



Length of caudal 1 5.6 1 5.5 



Length of bead 15.0 16.0 



Width of head 9.5 11.2 



Height of head 7.5 7.0 



Depth of hotly 8.8 9.5 



Length of snout 5.5 6.2 



Diameter of eye 2.8 2.6 



Interorbital width 3.8 3.8 



Length of caudal ])eduncle 13.2 12.8 



Least height of caudal peduncle 5.3 5.0 



Longest ray of dor.sal 1 1.6 12.5 



Longest ray of anal 10.5 10.0 



Length of pectoral 12.2 12.5 



Length of ventral 1 1.5 1 1.0 



