FRESH- WATfiR FISHES OF SlAM, OR THAILAND 225 



Vvhich the longest is equal to or slightly shorter than the head and 

 somewhat less than the depth of the body, and pale green back and 

 sides with whitish abdomen, a silvery sheen on body and head, each 

 scale of back and upper sides with a dark brown spot at its base, a large 

 hollow black spot of irregular diamond shape on the lateral line above 

 the midlength of the pectoral fin, a round black spot the size of the 

 eye on the caudal peduncle, and pale green or pale yellow fins. 



The type of this species was a female, 12 cm. long, with well- 

 developed ovaries taken December 11, 1924. Other specimens were 12 

 to 16 cm. long. 



The diamond -shaped spot over the pectoral fin seems to be a diag- 

 nostic feature of this species, although Fowler (1935a) has shown for 

 specimens he identified as L. siamensis (q. v.) variable clusters of 

 black spots on the lateral line above the pectoral, and chiefly on this 

 feature he suggests that L. spilopleura is a synonym of L. slaniensis. 

 It may be pointed out, however, that the lateral spot in the present 

 species is quite different in shape and composition from that described 

 and figured for the specimens assigned by Fowler to L. siamensis, and 

 that there are other differences that make it difficult to consider the 

 two forms as the same species. One of these differences is the presence 

 in Z. spilopleura of 44 scales in the lateral line, while in several lots 

 of specimens of "Z>. siamensis^'' Fowler records the lateral line scales 

 as 31 to 34, 33 to 36, and 34 to 37 ; another difference is that L. spilo- 

 pleura has 20 circumpeduncular scales and L. siamensis of Fowler 

 only 16 such scales. 



Fowler (1939, p. 64) says: "It appears quite likely that the speci- 

 mens I have recorded as Dangila siame7isis in 1934, 1935, and 1937 are 

 mostly, if not entirely, Dangila spilopleura H. M. Smith. That 

 species should therefore remain validated, and replace the ^siamensis'' 

 of my synopsis." 



On the Nakon Nayok River this fish shares with others of the 

 genus the colloquial name pla sa. On the Tachin River the fish is 

 called pla soi luh Jcluey {luh hluey, banana) . 



LABIOBARBUS SIAMENSIS (Sauvage) 



Dangila siamensis Bixekek, 1865 (347), p. 35 (nomen nudum) (Siam) ; 1865 (356), 

 p. 175 (nomen nudum) (Siam).— von Maetens, 1876, p. 401 (nomeu nudum). 

 (Bangkok).— Sauvage, 1S81, pp. 162, 176 (Petchaburi, Bangkok) ; lS83b, p. 152 

 (Menam Chao Phya).— Hora, 1923b, p. 153 (Bangkok).— Fowler. 1939, pp. 45, 

 68 (Trang, Krabi). 

 The first mention of this species was in a paper by Bleeker (347), 

 published in 1865, followed by another (366) in the same year, in 

 both of which the species was named but not described, Bleeker hav- 

 ing had before him specimens collected by Bocourt at Petchaburi and 

 Bangkok in 1862. The species was mentioned by von Martens in 



