Spawning site of the fluvial eight-barbel loach, Lefua sp., in the natural environment

The spawning site of the fluvial eight-barbel loach, Lefua sp. (sensu Hosoya, 1993; Japanese name: nagare-hotoke-dojo), an endangered species, was investigated by searching for fertilized eggs in June and July 1995–1997 in an upper reach of the Kako River, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. We obtained one egg each by a random sampling with agitating the river bottom (80 trials) and by collecting drift samples (89 trials). This finding indicates that the eggs were not scattered on the bottom or into the water column after being spawned. Two individual males were observed to patrol around particular interstices occurring under the buried cobbles and under the boulders that formed the riverbank. Males pecked other individuals that approached around the interstices. We obtained 9 and 15 eggs, respectively, from two such interstices in only two collection trials. The interstices were suggested to function as the spawning sites of this endangered fish in nature.     

中国广西壮族自治区珠江流域鳅属一新种

记述采自中国广西壮族自治区邕江和郁江鳅属Cobitis 1新种,南方鳅Cobitis australis sp.nov..通过扩增其线粒体细胞色素b基因,与已知鳅属和益秀朝鲜鳅属Iksookimia 物种进行遗传距离比较,并构建系统发育树,结合形态分析,确认其为1新种.南方鳅与本属其它种类的区别主要为:噶氏斑纹分界不明显(Gambetta's pigmentation pattern),斑纹具两性异形.雄性背部斑纹不规则,约17 ～ 20个,背鳍后斑纹融合为马鞍形;雌性背部斑纹约13个,背鳍前斑纹在体侧延伸为三角形.体侧中线11 ～13个不规则的“V”形或倒三角形斑纹,雄性头后4～5个小斑纹,雌性1～2个小斑纹.背部和体侧中线之间为形状和大小不规则的斑纹,雄性多于20个,该处斑纹与背部和体侧中线斑纹有融合;雌性少于20个,无融合.背鳍和尾鳍各具有4～5列点状条纹;雄性胸鳍第1根分枝鳍条基部的骨质突起(lamina circularis)指状,第1根分支鳍条延长,胸鳍似旗状;体鳞较大,延长,卵圆形,鳞焦略大,基位;颏叶不发达,末端钝圆;须短,其长等于或略小于眼径.新种体色斑纹与益秀朝鲜鳅属种类相似,新种与益秀朝鲜鳅Iksookimia koreensis(Kim,1975)和斑纹益秀朝鲜鳅Iksookimia pumila(Kim et Lee,1987)的主要区别是,前者背鳍和尾鳍各具4～5条斑纹,背部斑纹和体侧中线斑纹不相连,体侧中线11 ～13个宽而短的倒三角形斑纹;益秀朝鲜鳅背鳍和尾鳍各具有3～4列条纹,体侧中线下13～ 14个窄而长的倒三角形斑纹;斑纹益秀朝鲜鳅背鳍和尾鳍各具有2～3列条纹,背部斑纹和体侧中线斑纹相连,两列斑纹之间斑块少于10个,体侧中线9 ～10个宽而长的条状或倒三角形斑纹.新种与盈德益秀朝鲜鳅Iksookimia yongdokensis Kim et Park,1997、休氏益秀朝鲜鳅Iksookimia hugowolfeldi Nalbant,1993和长身益秀朝鲜鳅Iksookimia longicorpus(Kim,Choi and Nalbant,1976)的主要区别是,前者骨质突起指状,后者骨质突起圆盘状.     

Osteology of the South Asian Genus Psilorhynchus McClelland, 1839 (Teleostei: Ostariophysi: Psilorhynchidae), with investigation of its phylogenetic relationships within the order Cypriniformes

Members of the genus Psilorhynchus are small benthic fishes, commonly referred to as torrent minnows, which inhabit the fast to swift flowing water bodies of the Indo‐Burma region and the Western Ghats of Peninsular India. Despite being described scientifically in the mid 18^th century, the morphology of Psilorhynchus remains poorly known and its phylogenetic placement within the order Cypriniformes is a matter of considerable debate. In this paper the osteology of Psilorhynchus sucatio is described and illustrated in detail. Notes and/or illustrations on the osteology of 12 other species of Psilorhynchus are also provided for the first time. A phylogenetic investigation of the position of Psilorhynchus within the order Cypriniformes is also conducted. Analysis of 127 morphological characters scored for 52 ingroup taxa (including 12 species of Psilorhynchus) and four outgroup taxa resulted in 14 equally parsimonious cladograms (287 steps long; consitency index, CI = 0.48; retention index, RI = 0.88). Psilorhynchus is recovered as the sister group to the family Cyprinidae, and is regarded as a member of the superfamily Cyprinoidea, which forms the sister group to the Cobitoidea (including all other cypriniform families). The sistergroup relationship between Psilorhynchus and Cyprinidae is supported by eight derived characters (five of which are homoplastic within the order Cypriniformes). The monophyly of Psilorhynchus is supported by 16 derived characters (eight of which are homoplastic within Cypriniformes). Three species groups of Psilorhynchus are proposed, the Psilorhynchus balitora group (including P. amplicephalus, P. balitora, P. breviminor, P. nepalensis, P. rahmani, P. pavimentatus, and P. brachyrhynchus), the Psilorhynchus gracilis group (including P. gracilis, P. melissa, P. robustus, and P. tenura), and the Psilorhynchus homaloptera group (including P. arunachalensis, P. homaloptera, P. microphthalmus, and P. pseudecheneis). The continued use of the family group name Psilorhynchidae is recommended. Comments on the interrelationships of the Cypriniformes are also provided. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011.     

中国澜沧江南鳅属鱼类一新种

2001年7月,于澜沧江下游支流勐腊县境内的南腊河中采获一尾南鳅属(Schistura)鱼类标本,经鉴定为一新种。命名为版纳南鳅(S.bannaensissp.nov.)。其主要鉴别特征:侧线完全;尾鳍叉形,两叶稍尖,下叶稍长于上叶;胸腹鳍均较短小,胸鳍长约为胸鳍和腹鳍基部起点之间距离的一半;腹鳍末端后伸不达肛门,其长约为腹鳍基部至臀鳍基部起点之间距离的一半;颊部无斑;体侧有4个醒目的棕褐色宽横斑,由背部延伸至腹面;横斑显著,在侧线以下较窄,其宽度等于或小于斑纹间距;在侧线以上较宽,其宽度远大于斑纹间距;沿体侧无黑色纵纹。       

Isolation and characterization of 39 microsatellite loci in the endangered Japanese loach Leptobotia curta

A microsatellite-enriched genomic library was obtained for the endangered Japanese loach Leptobotia curta, and 39 dinucleotide markers were successfully isolated and characterized. These markers had between one and nine alleles, with expected heterozygosity ranging from 0 to 0.839, in a population from the Lake Biwa-Yodo River system of Japan. Linkage equilibrium was observed in most loci, and only one locus showed significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. These microsatellite markers will be useful for genetic diversity studies of wild and captive L. curta populations.     

四川西部云南鳅属鱼类一新种记述：鲤形目：鳅科

本文报道产于四川西部安宁河（属雅砻江支流）的云南鳅属Ｙｕｎｎａｎｉｌｕｓ鱼类一新种,命名为四川云南鳅,新种Ｙ．ｓｉｃｈｕａｎｅｎｓｉｓｓｐ．ｎｏｖ．,详细葶了新种的形态特征,并与近似种进行了比较。     

四川省高原鳅属鱼类一新种（鲤形目：鳅科）

本文记述产于凉山西溪河的高原鳅属Ｔｒｉｐｌｏｐｈｙｓａ鱼类一新种,西溪高原鳅ＴｒｉｐｌｏＰｈｙｓａｘｉｑｉｅｎｓｉｓｓｐ．ｎｏｖ．,描述了其形态和生态特征,并与近似种进行了比较。     

Bibarba bibarba: A new genus and species of Cobitinae (Pisces: Cypriniformes: Cobitidae) from Guangxi Province (China)

A new genus of Cobitinae, Bibarba gen. n., and a new species, B. bibarba sp. n., were discovered and are described for the Chengjiang River, a tributary of the Hongshuihe River in Guangxi Province of southern China. This river region is characterized by a Karst landscape, and the river that is inhabited by the new genus is a slowly moving stream with arenaceous and cobblestone beds. The new genus resembles Cobitis Linnaeus, 1758 (subfamily Cobitinae) in the shape and pigmentation pattern of their body, the absence of scales on their head, and the presence of a suborbital spine, but differs from it by a single Lamina circularis on the third pectoral fin ray instead of on the base of the second pectoral fin ray; two pairs of barbels (one rostral pair and one maxillo-mandibular pair) instead of three pairs of barbels (one rostral pair, one maxillary pair, and one maxillo-mandibular pair); a relatively thick and short suborbital spine with a strong medio-lateral process instead of a suborbital spine without or with a weakly formed medio-lateral process as in Cobitis; and the lack of a black stripe extending from the occiput through the eye to the insertion of the rostral barbel. The first two characters have not been reported in any other genus of the subfamily Cobitinae. A morphometric character analysis based on PCA reveals differences between B. bibarba and C. sinensis in body size, barbel length, interorbital width, pectoral fin length in males, and the position of the dorsal and ventral fins. Type specimens of the new species are kept in the Freshwater Fishes Museum of the Institute of Hydrobiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan, Hubei Province.     

Comparative anatomy of the cheek muscles of Korean cobitid fishes (Ostariophysi: Cypriniformes), with the comments on their phylogenetic relationships

Cheek muscles of 16 species of all Korean cobitid species belong to six genera were examined and described in detail, with comments on their phylogenetic relationships made on the basis of characteristics of cheek muscles. Korean cobitids were divided into two groups, the Cobitis and Misgurnus groups, by five characters related to three cheek muscles (adductor mandibulae, preorbitalis, and retractor arcus palatine). The former group, comprising Cobitis, Iksookimia, Kichulchoia, Koreocobitis, and Niwaella, is defined by four apomorphies, and the latter, including Misgurnus, by a single apomorphy.     

Acoustic threat displays and agonistic behaviour in the red-finned loach <Emphasis Type="Italic">Yasuhikotakia modesta</Emphasis>

Agonistic behaviour and the significance of acoustic threat displays were investigated in juvenile red-finned loaches, Yasuhikotakia modesta. This species produced two different vocalizations during agonistic encounters—clicks and butting sounds. Clicks were produced at some distance from the opponent whereas butting sounds were emitted when one fish touched the other with its mouth. This occurred primarily during circling. Both sound types were short broadband signals with the main energies concentrated at about 230 Hz, but clicks were longer in duration and lower in sound level. Agonistic behaviour usually started when one fish approached the other, spread its fins and produced clicks (threat displays), which was followed by parallel displaying, circling and chasing. All fish approached a mirror quickly and displayed aggressively in a parallel position. The number and duration of the threat displays in front of the mirror image were significantly elevated compared with control experiments (rear of the mirror). When playing back click trains in the presence of a mirror image, loaches vocalized significantly less often than during the silent periods, whereas the amount of lateral displaying remained similar. These data indicate that agonistic sounds reduced acoustic displays in red-finned loaches.