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). 



