NEW SIAMESE FISHES SMITH 



forming a long tuft at tip of snout, the 2 maxillary barbels behind 

 angle of mouth, all more than twice diameter of eye. 



Fins: Dorsal rays ii,9, the first branched ray more than 0.5 head 

 and equal to base of fin, origin of fin midway between tip of snout 

 and base of caudal; caudal shorter than head, very broad, widely 

 forked, lobes rounded; anal rays ii,5, longest ray less than snout, 

 length of its base less than 0.5 depth of caudal peduncle, origin of fin 

 far behind dorsal base; ventrals inserted under second dorsal mem- 

 brane, the longest ray equal to longest anal ray, a conspicuous 

 axillary scale; longest pectoral ray exceeds longest dorsal ray and 

 equals snout plus eye. 



Color: Body and head light gray-green; sides with 4 irregular 

 longitudinal rows of small, rounded, dark brown spots each sur- 

 rounded by a pale area; about 5 parallel longitudinal dark browiL 

 lines extending on each side of back from head for two-thirds dis- 

 tance to dorsal fin, followed by an area of small dark brown spots 



FiGDKH 1. BOTIA BEAUFOKTI 



extending to posterior end of dorsal base; head with several dark 

 brown curved stripes, mostly about eye, one on opercle, one from eye 

 to tip of snout; dorsal and caudal fins bright orange, with rows of 

 black spots; anal fin yellow, with a few brown spots on basal part; 

 ventral and pectoral fins pale orange. 



Type. — A specimen 17.5 cm. long, taken in Tadi Stream, Ban Kiri- 

 wong, Nakon Sritamarat, Peninsular Siam, July 11, 1928. Cat. No. 

 90285, U.S.N.M. 



Renrmrks. — This species is rare in the upper waters of Tadi Stream 

 and tributaries. Only one specimen was obtained, but the people 

 at Ban Kiriwong know the fish and call it fla rau (hog fish), a name 

 shared by no other species in that section. The maximum size at- 

 tained, according to local people, is about half longer than the type. 



The nearest relative of this species appears to be Botia herdmorei 

 (Blyth), from Burma. As described and figured by Day,^ that 



1 Fishes of India, p. 607, pi. 154, fig. 3. 



