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 L.a.ceiiede=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, it must be rare and is possibly 

 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 



