= ■2. = ' 



having the range of temperatures from 28. t.o 36 degrees cf^ti' 

 .grade. 



FOOD . ' . -, 



The fish is vegetarian and subsists mainly upon aq-ua-tic 

 plants. It is fond of duckweed, and roots of pakrlaung- • 

 ( Ip'omea sp .) and of water-lettuce ( Stra ti otes sp . ) . The' fry 

 feed upori microscopic plants and animals. 



.0ISTR1BUTION, ' '-"-■ i. ■ ■ • ■ 



Pla sa"lld is a fish of st'afnaiht water and occura_. through 

 out Central 'Slam' and Cam.bodia. The fish is unknov'/n and not 

 found in Peninsular Siam' Northern Siam, -and North-Eas-tern 

 .Slam (or the Korat Platec.u) , until r.ecently-when it. waS; intro- 

 duced by the 'teepa.rtment of Fisheries. 



BREEDING .HABITS . 



Pla salid matures #ien it is, 7'months old, and by that- 

 time is about 10 centlinetres long. A ripe fem'^1'^ of this 

 size contains' 7,760 e,g.g-s%,- It is also f ca^jid that' a fu1 l'-^r.o"^m 

 female, 2i|.5 centimetres iSs^^', will have about 82-. 000 eggs. 



.-The' spawning season begins from April- to October. The 

 fish seems to spawn in -quiet shallow recesses where the' ¥;ater 

 Is about 30 centimetres ,deep.:.and ■wh'==.re; a^tia'tic' -plants grow " 

 rather, thickly. A bubble -nest- is' preparfe.f 'b-^- the male before 

 the female lays Its.eg^s'. The^nest looks like a foam of soap 

 suds, floating on the surfa:ce of ' water , &mbng' aquatic plants. 

 It-..has .-been .'observed that nest-s are made and eggs are laid' 

 mostly after the' rain. ..This 'leads to the a s sump b-.{ on that not 

 only the temperature but also the condition of water, oxygen- 

 ated by rain-falla_, helps .the spa-ming activity of the fish. 



There, are lii a al.ugle ne--^-- about 3^000 oggs. Each, egg 

 measur&s about" 2 mlllimetri;-s/in diamf;ter. It is spherical 

 and buoyant, -and contains an oil globule- The color of newly 



