172 BULLETIN 188, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Rennarks. — A diminutive species, known only from a small brook on 

 Kao Sabap. It is easily distinguishable by its single pair of barbels, 

 uonosseous last simple dorsal ray, and incomplete lateral line, only 

 the first 6 scales having tubules, together with the conspicuous black 

 spot on the caudal peduncle and the large, very sharply defined black 

 spot on the dorsal fin. It is the only local species of Puntius except 

 P. pan^tifentazona having an incomplete lateral line. 



The species is named for Luang Masya Chitrakarn, of the Siamese 

 Bureau of Fisheries, whose activities have added much to the knowl- 

 edge of the fresh-water fishes of Thailand. 



PUNTIUS LEIACANTHUS (Bleeker) 



Systomus (Capoeta) letacanihus Bleekee, 1860 (265a), p. 356 (Java). 



Barbtis hrevis von Martens, 1876, p. 402 (nomen nudum) (Petchaburi). — 



Fowler, 1931b, p. 316 (Ban Tliung Luang) ; 1937, p. 198, figs. 165, 166 (Tachin, 



Bangkok, Rayong). 

 Puntiuti leiacaiithus Sauvage, 1881, p. 163 (' Petscbaburi, en Siam") ; lSS3b, p. 153 



(Menam Chao Phya). 

 Puntius hrevis Webeb. and de Beaufort. 1916, vol. 3. p. 176 (Siam). — Koumans, 



1937a, p. 64, fig. 2 (Peninsular Siam). — Fowler, 1939, p. 41 (Huey Yang). 

 Barhus (Funtius) hrevAs Hora, 1923b, p. 156 (Bangkok). 



Outside of Java, from which island the species was described b}' 

 Bleeker in 1850, this fish seems to be known only from Thailand, where 

 it is widely distributed. It has been collected in the Patani River, the 

 Tale Sap, and the Tale Noi in the Peninsula ; from the Lower Menam 

 Chao Phya, the Nakon Nayok, and tlie Tachin in Central Thailand ; 

 from the Meping in the Northern area; from tributaries of the Menam 

 ]\lun in Eastern region ; and from several localities in the Southeastern 

 district, including the Chantabun River and a mountain brook on Kao 

 Sabap. In some places and at certain times it may be very abundant. 



Fish with fully ripe ovaries taken in the Patani River in October 

 were 8.5 to 11 cm. long. The maximum length recorded from Thailand 

 is between 11 and 12 cm. 



Some of the normal characters of this species are indicated in the 

 preceding key. There is a single pair of (maxillary) barbels shorter 

 than the eye. The lateral-line scales number 23 to 26, the scales in 

 transverse series to the base of the ventral fin 4.5 or 5-1-2.5 to 4, the 

 predorsal scales 9, and the scales around the narrowest part of the 

 caudal peduncle 12. The last simple dorsal ray is osseous but non- 

 denticulated. There is a well-defined round black spot, smaller than 

 eye, about the middle of the caudal peduncle. 



The description of the species by Weber and de Beaufort indicates 

 no variation in the scales surrounding the narrowest part of the caudal 

 peduncle which are stated to number 12. However, Thailand examples 

 otherwise indistinguishable from typical P. leiacanthus may have 12, 

 14, or 16 circumpeduncular scales, the predominant number being 16. 



