FRESH-WATER FISHES OF SIAM, OR THAILAND 



173 



The following record of specimens of P. leiacanthus in the U. S. 

 National Museum will illustrate the variation in this character: 



Bleeker separated P. leiacanthus from P. brevis chiefly on color, the 

 former having a small, well-defined round black spot on the caudal 

 peduncle, the latter having no such spot but a silvery band along the 

 side from the head to the caudal fin. The black caudal spot has been 

 found in all Thai examples, although apparently lacking in some 

 Javanese material ; the silvery longitudinal band has been met with in 

 no Thai specimens. 



It may be questioned whether the single specimen from Ban Thung 

 Luang that Fowler recorded as Barbus brevis really represents that 

 species ; furthermore, Fowler's figures (1937) of a fish 11 cm. long from 

 Bangkok do not seem to agree with the usual conception of this species ; 

 the body is deep-er, the back is more elevated, the origin of the dorsal 

 fin is more posterior, there are 29 tubule-bearing scales in the lateral 

 line, and there are more predorsal scales than are supposed to occur in 

 this form; and the dark stripe extending obliquely forw^ard from 

 1 he pupil across the cheek, as represented in the drawing, is otherwise 

 unrecorded for this species. It is not doubted that Fowler had many 

 specimens of P. leiacanthus, but his figures seem to indicate something 

 else. 



PUNTIUS SPILOPTERUS (Fowler) 



Barhiis spiloptcrns Fowler, 1934a, p. 122, fig. 78 ( Chiengmai) ; 1937, p. 188 

 (Tachin). 



Known from three small specimens from Chiengmai, Northern 

 Thailand, presumably from the Meping, and from numerous specimens 

 from Tachin, Central Thailand. 



The type is 3.6 cm. long. 



The only differences from P. leiacanthus, as pointed out by Fowler, 

 appear to be the markings on the dorsal fin (a round black spot on the 

 basal part of the anterior rays, a dark median band, and a narrow dark 

 gray margin in P. spilopterus, while in P. leiacanthus the fin is plain) . 



