NOTES ON FISHES IN THE INDIAN MUSEUM. 

 III. On Fishes belonging to the Family Cobitidae from 



HIGH ALTITUDES IN CENTRAL ASIA. 



By Sunder Lal Hora, M.Sc, Assistant Superintendent, 

 Zoological Survey of India. 



The Cobitid fishes ' from the high altitudes of Central Asia are 

 generally characterized by the absence of a suborbital spine, 

 by the elongate form of their body, especially of the caudal 

 peduncle, and by the total absence of any scales. The belly is 

 generally rounded and not depressed. The Indian Museum possesses 

 a large number of specimens of this family from Tibet, Northern 

 Kashmir, Western Turkestan and Seistan. When dealing with the 

 fish of Seistan it was pointed out by Annandale and myself 2 that 

 among those specimens which have been referred by several ich- 

 thyologists to Nemachilus stoliczkac Steiud. there were several 

 forms capable of specific separation. In this note an attempt is 

 made to elucidate these points and to discuss the specific validity 

 of the various species represented in our collection. 



Here are also incorporated the results of an examination of 

 the loaches recently collected in Kashmir by officers of the Zoolog- 

 ical Survey of India. 



At the end I have added a short note on the sexual dimorphism 

 exhibited by some of these species. 



The Central Asiatic forms belonging to the family Cobitidae 

 dealt with in this note may be grouped into three distinct genera, 

 which can be distinguished in the following manner: — 



A. Two bladders ; one lying free in abdominal cavity 



and second divided into two lateral chambers 



enclosed in bone ... ... ... Diplophysa. 



B. One bladder, consisting of two lateral chambers 



enclosed in bone. 

 I. Soft dorsal fin between spiny dorsal and caudal 



fins present ... ... ... Adiposia. 



II. Soft dorsal fin absent ... ... ... Nemachilus. 



1874. Diplophysa, Kessler, Bull. Soc. Sci. Moscou XI, pp. 1-63. 

 1888. Lefua, Herzcnstcin, IViss. Res. Prezewalski Central Asia. Reis. 

 Zool. Ill (2), p. 91, 



Genus Diplophysa Kessler. 



bhysa, Kessler, Bull. Soc. Sci. Mosco 

 , Herzcnstcin, IViss. Res. Prezewals) 

 I. HI (2), p. 91, 



Unfortunately the paper in which Kessler proposed the generic 



1 A large number of specimens of the Cobitid genus Botia. which possesses 

 spines below the eye, have recently been collected in Kashmir. The genus extends 

 to China as well, but I have not dealt with it here. 



Annandale and Hora, Rec. Ind. Mus. XVIII, p. 179 (1920). 



