r922.] S. L. Hora : Fishes of the genus Botia. 315 



for the species possessing six barbels. I have, however, retained 

 the name Botia for both the groups mainly for two reasons, firstly, 

 because in several Cyprinoid genera species are grouped irrespective 

 of the number of barbels and secondly because Giinther's two 

 species, Botia pratfi and B. superciliaris, possess " a pair of soft 

 rounded buttons" on the chin ; these may or may not be consi- 

 dered as barbels and appear to afford a link between the two 

 primary groups. 



I have examined the scales in the various species represented 

 in our collection and find that those of B. hymenophysa differ 

 greatly in structure from those of the remaining species. In 

 B. hymenophysa they are almost circular with a big . central 

 nucleus and a number of radii to all parts of the periphery, 

 whereas in the other species the scale is ellipsoidal with an excen- 

 tric nucleus and with a large number of long radii to the apex and 

 a few short ones to the base. 



Both Giinther ' and Day 2 considered that the anterior division 

 of the bladder in the genus Botia is partially enclosed in bony capsule, 

 whilst the posterior division floats free in the abdominal cavity. 

 This is true in all the species that I have examined with the 

 exception of B. almorhae in which the anterior chamber is completely 

 enclosed in bone and the posterior, though lying free in the ab- 

 dominal cavity, is greatly reduced. In other species also the 

 posterior chamber is somewhat reduced. 



Botia nebulosa, Blyth, 3 is known from a single specimen from 

 Darjiling, which is now preserved in the collection of the Zoological 

 Survey of India On examination I am unable to refer it to the 

 genus Botia. I believe that it belongs to Nemachilus and in all 

 probability is the male of A 7 , botius. My reasons are as follows:— 



(i) I have not been able to find any trace of the suborbital 

 spine in the unique specimen. Day* thought that the suborbital 

 spine was damaged, but the groove that is present is not suffici- 

 ently deep to justify the view that it ever contained a spine. The 

 groove is of the nature of a shallow slit partly covered superiorly 

 by a fold of skin. I b have already remarked in a previous paper 

 that such grooves and folds of skin form the secondary sexual 

 characters of the males of certain species of Nemachilus. 



(ii) The caudal fin of the specimen is now damaged, but Day, 

 who examined it in abetter condition, remarks "caudal slightly 

 rounded." Some years ago Dr. B. L. Chaudhuri had this speci- 

 men figured and the manuscript drawing is now with me. It shows 

 the caudal fin as slightly emarginate with both the lobes rounded. 

 In the genus Botia the caudal fin is forked and the lobes sharply 

 pointed. 



1 Giinther, Brit. Mus. Cat. Fish. VII, p. 366 (1868). 



2 Day, Journ. As. Soc. Bengal XI. I, part II, p. 17ft (1S72). 

 * Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Bengal XXIX, p. 165 (i860). 



4 Day, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 549 (1869). 



6 Hora, Rec. Ind. Mus. (in press). 



