Abstract
Interspecific relationships were investigated in 23 species of the cyprinid genus Puntius on the basis of the features of infraorbital bones, pharyngeal bones and their teeth, lateral folds and barbels on the snout, and color pattern.Six phyletic groups were recognized in these fishes.In general, species belonging to the same group have overlapped or about equal geographic distributions.Between Southeast Asian and Indo-Ceylonese groups a more or less distinct gap is found in the degree of development of lateral folds and barbels. The results of this study indicate that Bleeker's (1863) division of Puntius into the subgenera Puntius, Barbodes and Capoeta is not acceptable from a phylogenetic viewpoint.
