490 BULLETIN 18S, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



allusion to the black stripes, bands, or spots on a yellowish back- 

 ground. They are for the most part restricted to the waters of streams 

 and canals near the coast, within tidal limits, but in the Menam Chao 

 Phya they are found at least as far inland as Hangkraben, north of 

 Ayuthia. Another species {Toxotes hlythi Boulenger), with black 

 longitudinal markings, described from Tenasserim, may occur in the 

 contiguous parts of Thailand. 



Three species of archerfishes are known from Thailand, with the 

 following distinguisliing characters: 



la. Spines in dorsal fin 4; scales in lateral line 28 to 30; scales between dorsal 

 fin and lateral line 4 ; head and body with about 5 or 6 vertical black bars 

 extending to below longitudinal axis, including a narrow one through eye 



and one at base of caudal fin .jaculatrix 



16. Spines in dorsal fin 5. 

 2a. Scales in lateral line 33 or 34 ; scales between dorsal fin and lateral line 5 ; 

 head and body with 6 or 7 round or oblong black blotches in an irregular 

 longitudinal series from eye to a point under posterior base of dorsal 



fin . chatareus 



2&. Scales in lateral line 40 to 42; scales between dorsal fin and lateral line 6; 

 head and body with black blotches or bands variable in number (usually 

 4 or 5), position, and shape, including one encircling base of caudal 

 fin microlepis 



TOXOTES JACULATRIX (Pallas) 



Figure 100 



Scdaena jaculatrix Pallas, 1766, p. 187 (Batavia, Java). 



Toxotes jaculator Bleeker, 1865 (356), p. 173 ( Siam ) .— Saitvaoe, 1883b, p. 150 

 (Menam Chao Phya).— Smith, 1927d, p. 223 (Siam) ; 1930, p. 58 (Siam).— 

 Fowler, 1935a, p. 153 (Bangkok, Paknam). — Weber and de Beaufort, 1936, 

 vol. 7, p. 199 (Siam). 



This, the celebrated archerfish of India, Burma, Malaya, the East 

 Indies, Philippines, and French Indo-China, is common in all the 

 coastal regions of Thailand, abounding in estuaries and the mouths of 

 rivers and ascending streams for short distances into strictly fresh 

 water. 



A maximum length of 23.5 cm. is recorded by Bleeker. In Thailand 

 examples over 20 cm. long are uncommon. 



There appear to have been no recorded observations on the spawn- 

 ing habits of Toxotes jaculatrix in Thailand. In the Bangkok region 

 the newly hatched young are seen in May, and by the first week in 

 July a length of 1.3 to 1.5 cm. is attained. At that early age the fishes 

 are very strikingly colored and are conspicuous as they swim at the 

 surface in the turbid river and canal water. The general body color 

 is gray; there are 4 sharply defined black cross bands, one through 

 the eye, one behind the head, one from the front of the first dorsal 

 fin, and one under the second dorsal fin; the dorsal, anal, and ventral 

 fins are black, the caudal and pectoral fins are white. 



