In November 2025, on my way back from a trip to Laos, as I usually do, I did some collecting and photography in northeastern Thailand.
After crossing the Mekong River from Savannakhet in Laos and returning to Mukdahan on the Thai side, I headed towards my destination, Bung Khong Long Lake.
I've been to this area many times before, so this time my main objective was to collect specimens in areas I hadn't yet explored.
Our accommodation was our usual resort on the shores of Bung Khong Long Lake.
This place boasts a spectacular location, just seconds' walk from the lake, and makes changing the water for the fish I collect incredibly easy, so I always stay here.
Since it's extremely rare for Japanese people to come here to collect fish, the owner already remembers me, which is great because I don't have to go through the hassle of explaining my actions every time.

My first visit to Lake Bung Khong Long was in 2016, when I came to check on the wild population of the Smaragdina guitar.
Back then, it wasn't very well known as a tourist destination and still had a peaceful atmosphere. However, it has since become a popular tourist spot, attracting many Westerners, and is now a well-known tourist destination.
A magnificent resort has been built around the lake, and at night, restaurants adorned with dazzling lights and blaring music have sprung up, which, for someone like me who prefers a quiet rural environment, was a rather disappointing change.
So, this time, I had planned to explore the area around some of the waterfalls near Bung Khong Long Lake.
First, use Google Maps to find Chetsey Waterfalls.

We arrived at our destination, the waterfall, but it was a waterfall in name only, with no water at all. The only things around were plants like star grass and sundews, remnants of a past water source, but there was absolutely no environment for fish.
As I drove down the road from the waterfall, I spotted a waterside area that seemed to have a nice atmosphere.
Looking at the surface of the water, I could see the shadow of a fish that looked like an Oryzias, so I put my net in.
Based on the location, I thought it was Oryzias mekonensis, but when I put the fish I caught in a plastic bag and looked at it closely, it turned out to be Oryzias sonkramensis.
I kept about 15 of them for filming and headed to the next location.

My partner Ton seems to have a destination in mind, as he's asking for directions at a roadside stall.
While listening to people at that location, I learned that there are betta fish in the pond behind the shop.
Since it's a little far from Bung Khong Long Lake, and I was curious about whether it was a guitar, I decided to do some collecting here.
Two adorable puppies also joined in the collecting, and as soon as we cast the net, we caught some Oryzias.
Upon examining it in a plastic bag, a bright red twin bar was visible on its tail fin.
Even though it wasn't far from the previous location, this one was *Mekonensis*.
Its body color is also somewhat yellowish, and it resembles *Mekonensis* from Lake Bung Khong Long, but since I brought it back to Japan, I plan to photograph it after it has been properly trained in an aquarium along with *Songkramensis*.

Although they didn't catch the guitar they were looking for, the next thing that came into the net was a Trichopsis charelii.
The spade-shaped tail fin is quite noticeable, but it is smaller than the golden chalery of Lake Bung Khong Long, and its coloration and tail fin shape are different.
So, I kept a few of them for the photo shoot.
Meanwhile, Ton continued collecting, and although he couldn't find any guitars, he seemed to have collected a fair number of Mekonensis.
In addition to Trichopsis charelii, I also collected Trichopsis vittata, also known as croaking gourami. For some reason, its body color seemed more beautiful than those from other locations, so instead of releasing them as I usually would, I kept five of them for photography.
In the end, I wasn't able to find the guitar I was looking for, but I'll make that my goal for next time.

In February 2026, when Ton went to Putok again to collect fish for shipment to Japan, he apparently managed to collect Betta smaragdina, which he hadn't been able to collect the previous time, but I've heard reports that it didn't have the guitar-like pattern on its tail fin.
I'll check it out with my own eyes the next time I go to Thailand and then report back.
After carefully bringing Charelie and Vittata back to Bangkok and finally finding some time to photograph them, I realized that the strange feeling I had while there was definitely justified.
The Chalery was a completely new type, different from both the regular Chalery and the Golden Chalery, with a strong yellow coloration and a prominent pintail on its caudal fin.
To distinguish it from other chaleries, let's call this one a yellow chalery.
Even though I usually release any Vittata I catch, this one is quite different from the usual type; it's much more yellowish, and the pattern in the center of its tail fin is also different.
After collecting the samples, Ton drove off somewhere.

The place was called Wat Phu Tok and was a famous tourist spot in Bueng Khang.
Phu Tok means "isolated mountain" in the northeastern Thai dialect, and it is said that there is a temple at the summit of this uniquely shaped mountain.
It seems Ton wanted to pray at this temple.
Unlike the Japanese, many of whom are non-religious, Thais are devout Buddhists.
Even while driving, if I spot a temple, I'll put my hands together and bow (a form of greeting).
The Chareli collected near Wat Phutok has been clearly identified as a completely different type of fish from any known species, thanks to the samples we brought back, so we've decided to introduce it here.
It's likely that this Pootok Yellow Charelia will be commercially released around 2026, so if you're lucky enough to get your hands on one, I hope you'll cherish it and try to breed it.