FRESH- WATER FISHES OF SI AM, OR THAILAND 367 



buried in the soft tissues, and was invisible and scarcely appreciable by 

 touch ; the jaw teeth also were greatly reduced in size and in width of 

 band. 



The flesh of this fish is very white, fine-grained, and sweet, and com- 

 mands ready sale. 



Bleeker (1862 (301), vol. 2, p. 73), referring to this fish under 

 the name of Pangasius djamhal^ recorded that it reached a length of 

 about a meter, was very common in the large rivers of Java, and 

 contributed materially to the food supply of the people of the interior 

 of the island ; the flesh was much esteemed. A length of more than 

 120 cm. is given by Day for Indian rivers. The largest fish actually 

 measured in Thailand have been a little less than a meter long. 



Following are the life colors and other features of a fish caught on 

 a night-line, baited with a large blattid, at Bang Sorn, on the Menam 

 Chao Phya above Bangkok, October 4, 1926. The vomerine teeth were 

 in 2 separate quadrate patches as broad as the eye, flanked by 2 narrow 

 lenticular palatine patches as long as the eye. The maxillary barbels 

 barely reached the base of the pectoral fins. The anal rays were iii, 

 28 or 29. The axil of the pectoral fins had 4 distinct pores. Back 

 light gray-green, top of head light green, sides pearly white, belly 

 dazzling white, sides of head and front jaws pure creamy white ; dorsal 

 fin hyaline-pink, caudal mostly pink, with dorsal part of upper lobe 

 gray, anal hyaline distally, pink at base, ventrals and pectorals hyaline, 

 adipose fin green-gray with a broad white posterior margin. 



The fish bears a variety of names in different parts of its range, the 

 commonest being pla sawai, sometimes modified into pla sawai kluey 

 in the Bangkok region. A name used in the Paknampo section, in- 

 cluding Bung Borapet, is pla ai dong, this designation being properly 

 reserved for the immature fish, which are called pla sawai when adult. 

 In the Pasak River a name in use is pla sangkawad; and Hora (1923b) , 

 on information received from Dr. Malcolm Smith, noted the name pla 

 sangkawart kluw for a Bangkok specimen. 



PANGASIUS TAENIURUS Fowler 

 Patigasius taeniura Fowlee, 1935a, p. 98, fig. 19 (Bangkok). 



Described from 2 specimens, 8.5 and 8.3 cm. long, collected at Bang- 

 kok in 1934, this species has been based on the teeth characters indicated 

 in the key, moderately developed barbels with the maxillary and man- 

 dibulary of nearly equal length, 28 or 29 rays in the anal fin, and a 

 broad, dark longitudinal band in each caudal lobe. 



PANGASIUS AEQUILABIALIS Fowler 



Pangasius aequilabialis Fowi^e, 1937, p. 140, figs. 20-23 (Bangkok) . 



Known from four specimens 9.8 to 13.8 cm. long from Bangkok, this 

 species may be recognized by a combination of structural characters and 



