ZOOLOGICAL RESULTS OF A TOUE IN THE EAR EAST. 
FISH OF THE TALE SAP, PENINSULAR SIAM (Part I). 
By vSuNDER Lal Hora, D.Sc, Officiating Superintendent, Zoological Survey of India. 
(Communicated with the permissiou of the Director, Zoological Survey of India.) 
[The fish-fauna of the Tale Sap is interesting from several different points of view — geographical, 
bionomical and practical. Until the whole collection is worked out it will be impossible to discuss 
these views in detail, but a comparison between the list of species and that of those found in the 
Chilka Lake ' is bound to be of considerable interest, for the two lakes have much in common. Both are 
ultimately connected by a narrow opening with a great open bay of the sea. Both are divided into two 
parts, an outer part directly communicating with the sea and an inner part more remote from it. and 
in both the water is of extremely variable salinity. There are, however, noteworthy differences, 
especially in the fact that the two parts of the Tale Sap are more clearly differentiated than those of 
the Chilka lake and that the connection with the sea is much less restricted. In the Tale vSap, therefore, 
there is a larger freshwater element in the fauna than in the Chilka Lake, mainly but not entirely con- 
fined to the inner region ; while on the other hand there is probably much more constant and populous 
immigration from the sea in the former. 
This is of great importance from the practical point of view of fisheries, for there can be no doubt 
that the outer part of the Tale Sap acts as a nursery for the fry of many of the edible fish of the Gulf 
of Siam. In January, after the conclusion of the rainy season, the water is alive with fish-fry, mostly 
belonging to marine forms. The local fisheries inside the lake, and especially at its mouth, are of con- 
siderable value, but the lake itself is thus an asset of wider importance to the fish-eating population of 
Siam and the neighbouring countries. 
In the following paper Dr. Sunder Lal Hora has dealt with several distinct orders and families, some 
mainly fluviatile, others marine and estuarine. He has not adopted any particular taxonomic classifica- 
tion in selecting these families, but has discussed those that it was convenient to consider at the time. 
He hopes to publish a further report or reports on the remaining families later. Those here considered 
are the families of cartilaginous fish, of the Apodes, the Siluroidea, the Cyprinoidea. the Synentognathi, 
Solenichthyes, Opisthomi, and Zeorhombi — N. Annandale.] 
In the above introductory note Dr. N. Annandale has pointed out the .scope 
of this report on the Fi.sh of the Tale Sap. Most of the forms discussed in this 
paper are fairly widely distributed and the endemic element does not appear to 
be quite so rich as was found to be in the Chilka Lake, but this element was 
perhaps most apparent in families not discussed here. Two new species and one 
new colour variety are described. The two new species belong to the genera 
Microphis and Mastacembelus while the new variety is of the widely distributed 
species of the latter genus — M. armatus. The most noteworthy feature of the collec- 
tion is the presence of very young specimens and it is mainly on this account 
that I have not been able to identify the species in two instances, namely, those 
of the genera Acanthopsis and Dermogenys. 
I Chaudliuri and Hora, Mem. Ind. ^fn<. V, pp. 405-439, 443-458, 491-507, 711-769 (1916-1923). 
