A new genus and species of cyprinid fish (Actinopterygii,Cyprinidae) from the Arabian Peninsula,and its phylogenetic and zoogeographic affinities

Arabibarbus hadhrami, a new species of cyprinid fish from the Hadhramaut Province of Yemen, is described. It has modally 30 scales (29–32) in the lateral line, the wedge-shaped head is longer (27.8–32.5 % SL) and higher (15.5–18.4 % SL) than in its congeners. The body is slender and laterally flattened. The dorsal fin is high (26.5–32.4 % SL) and well ossified. The pectoral fins (19.9–23.9 % SL) and pelvic fins (16.8–19.8 % SL) are longer than in its congeners. Two closely related species, Arabibarbus arabicus and Arabibarbus grypus are re-described and compared to the new species. Based on morphological and molecular characters the new genus Arabibarbus is erected for these three species. It is characterised by medium to large body size, an ossified, smooth principal dorsal fin ray, eight branched dorsal and five branched anal fin rays, large shield-shaped scales with numerous parallel radii, a lateral line with 29 to 44 scales, pharyngeal teeth that are hooked at their tips, their count being 2.3.5–5.3.2 and the possession of two pairs of barbels. Arabibarbus hadhrami is the type species of the new genus. The phylogenetic position of the new genus is analysed, based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. It is the sister taxon to the genus Carasobarbus Karaman, 1971 and closely related to Mesopotamichthys Karaman, 1971, Pterocapoeta Günther, 1902 and ‘Barbus’ reinii Günther, 1874. Arabibarbus probably colonised the Arabian Peninsula about 4 Ma ago, coming from the Tigris-Euphrates drainage in the East via Wādī ar Rimah/Wādī al Bā?in.     

A new species of Barbine genus Sinocyclocheilus (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from Zuojiang River drainage in Guangxi, China

A new species of the genus Sinocyclocheilus is described based on specimens collected from Zuojiang River drainage, Guangxi, China. The new species, named Sinocyclocheilus jinxiensis, is distinguished from all congeners by its vestigial eyes, short barbels, long pectoral fin, eight to nine branched dorsal-fin rays, last unbranched dorsal-fin ray soft with serrations on posterior edge of its lower part, and 38–41 lateral line scales.     

Vertebral Dimensions in the Genus Carasobarbus (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)

Journal of Ichthyology - The morphological study of the axial skeleton of the nine species of the genus Carasobarbus Karaman, 1971 enabled to confirm the division of this bony structure into five...     

中国怒江流域墨头鱼属鱼类一新种(鲤形目:鲤科)

2003年4月,于怒江二级支流镇康县境内的大叉河中采获一批墨头鱼属（Garra）鱼类标本,经鉴定为一新种,命名为怒江墨头鱼（G. nujiangensis Chen and Yang, sp. nov.）。该新种主要鉴别特征：围尾柄鳞12～14;侧线鳞48～50;在小个体中有一对微小的吻须;背鳍分支鳍条 8～9;侧线上鳞5～6,侧线下鳞3～4;体高小于头长;臀鳍起点处的小于眼后至吻端的距离;腹鳍前长为体长的50.0%～53.7%;肛门前长为体长的58.9%～63.9%;体宽为体长的 16.7%～19.6%;体高为体长的19.2%～22.6%。本研究证实,在缺须的墨头鱼属的一些物种中,如高体墨头鱼（G. alticorpora）和怒江墨头鱼（G. nujiangensis）,其幼体中往往具有一对很小的吻须。     

中国广西盲鳅一新种——环江高原鳅(英文)

2007年4月,在广西壮族自治区环江县川山镇乐衣村附近一洞穴采集到一批盲鳅类标本。经鉴定,为高原鳅属(Triplophysa)鱼类一新种,被命名为环江高原鳅(Triplophysa huangjiangensis)。该新种以以下组合特征与高原鳅属的其他已知种类相区别:无眼;通体无鳞;尾鳍分叉;尾柄上、下叶具发达的软鳍褶;背鳍后缘平截;背鳍起点距尾鳍基的距离短于距吻端的距离;背鳍分枝鳍条数为8~9;胸鳍分枝鳍条数为10~11;腹鳍分枝鳍条数为6~7;臀鳍分枝鳍条数为6;尾鳍分枝数为13~14;胸鳍长为胸鳍起点至腹鳍起点间距的52.3%~70.7%;腹鳍起点位于背鳍起点之前下方;外侧吻须最长,为侧面头长的47.0%~73.8%;前鼻孔位于一短管中,末端延长呈须状;鳔后室发达,末端可伸达腹鳍起点。     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Erromyzon damingshanensis</Emphasis>, a new sucker loach (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Gastromyzontidae) from the Pearl River drainage of Guangxi,China

Erromyzon damingshanensis, a new sucker loach is described from the Pearl River drainage in Guangxi, China. The new species Erromyzon damingshanensis is distinguished from the other species of the genus in having a crescentic median lobe of the rostral fold, rostral barbels shorter than rostral fold; postlabial groove broadly interrupted medially, seven branched dorsal fin rays, 16 branched pectoral fin rays, lateral line scales 88–95, caudal peduncle depth larger than its length; body with 12 irregular bars on flank, interrupted on dorsum.     

The molecular systematics of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Carasobarbus</Emphasis> species from Iran and adjacent areas,with comments on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Carasobarbus albus</Emphasis> (Heckel, 1843)

The diversity of cytochrome b sequences of Carasobarbus species from Iran and adjacent areas was investigated. Two divergent haplotype groups were found for C. luteus. The first one is widespread and congruent with the biogeographical hypothesis of a recent isolation among the various populations as a consequence of rising sea levels following the last Pleistocene glaciation. The second one is restricted to the Khabur River in Syria. The possibility that one of these groups corresponds to C. albus is discussed, but we conclude that it is more likely that C. luteus is a single species that retained two divergent mitochondrial lineages. The mitochondrial sequence diversity found for C. kosswigi and C. sublimus is high, possibly due to small population size and consequent genetic drift. Carasobarbus kosswigi is paraphyletic with respect to C. sublimus, indicating a recent speciation event of these taxa.     

Rhabdosargus niger (Perciformes: Sparidae), a new sparid species from Indonesia, with taxonomic status of the nominal species synonymized under Rhabdosargus sarba

A new sparid Rhabdosargus niger is described on the basis of three type specimens collected from off Kalimantan, Indonesia. The species can be differentiated from all known congeners by the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin rays XI, 13, anal-fin rays III, 11, scale rows below lateral line 11½–12½, scale rows between the fifth dorsal-fin spine base and lateral line 5½, pored lateral-line scales 53–55, head and body silvery-black, pelvic and anal fins dusky gray, and no golden longitudinal lines on the body. Partial sequences of mitochondrial COI gene (571 bp) strongly supported the distinctiveness of R. niger within the genus. Taxonomic status of the nominal species synonymized under Rhabdosargus sarba (Forsskål 1775) is discussed and the key to the species of Rhabdosargus is provided.     

A new cyprinid species, Placocheilus dulongensis, from the upper Irrawaddy system in northwestern Yunnan, China

A new species of the cyprinid genus Placocheilus Wu 1977, is described from the Dulong River drainage (in the upper reach of the Irrawaddy River), northwestern Yunnan Province (China). Placocheilus dulongensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from the other three congeners, namely P. caudofasciatus, P. robustus and P. cryptonemus, by the following combination of characters: no semicircular black mark on the middle of each caudal fin lobe; no blackish band across the dorsal fin; one pair of rostral barbels and one pair of maxillary barbels; 39-40 perforated lateral line scales. Osteological characters, such as the shape of the second infraorbital, preoperculum, and the vertical plate of the urohyal were observed in a cleared and stained skeletal specimen. A simplified key to the genus Placocheilus is provided based on the comparisons among the four species.     

A redescription of the gobiid fish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Taenioides purpurascens</Emphasis> (Gobiidae: Amblyopinae) with comments on,and a key to,species in the genus

The Indo-West Pacific gobiid genus Taenioides Lacépède is further defined and one of the constituent species of the genus, T. purpurascens (De Vis 1884), is redescribed. Taenioides purpurascens is known only from the southeast coast of Australia and is compared to other species in the genus: T. anguillaris, distributed from India northeastward to China, and Japan, and southward to Australia; T. gracilis, distributed along the east coast of Africa and Madagascar to India, northeastward to Japan and southward to Australia; T. kentalleni, known only from Saudi Arabia and Japan; and T. snyderi, known only from southern Japan. Taenioides purpurascens is unique within the genus in having: the fewest dorsal-fin elements (41?44 vs. 48?72); the fewest anal-fin elements (34?38 vs. 41?65); the fewest vertebrae (27 vs. 28?45); and a 2-4-2 arrangement of the barbels on the ventral surface of the head (vs. 2-2-2, 2-3-2, or 2-4-2-2). In morphometric comparisons with these other species, T. purpurascens is shown to have the shortest and deepest body. A key to these species is provided.     

New taxa and revisionary systematics of alcyonacean octocorals from the Pacific coast of North America (Cnidaria,Anthozoa)

A taxonomic assessment of four species of octocorals from the northeastern Pacific Ocean (British Columbia to California) is provided. Included here are a new species of clavulariid stolonifieran Cryptophyton, a new species of the nephtheid soft coral Gersemia, an undetermined species of soft coral in the genus Alcyonium that has been referred in the literature by several other names, and a new genus is named for a plexaurid sea fan originally described in the Indo-Pacific genus Euplexaura. Discussions are included that compare the species to related taxa, or provide revisionary assessments.     

Redescription of a rare deepwater cardinalfish, Epigonus ctenolepis Mochizuki and Shirakihara 1983, and comparison with related species (Perciformes: Epigonidae)

A rare epigonid fish, Epigonus ctenolepis Mochizuki and Shirakihara 1983, is redescribed in detail on the basis of two type specimens (90.0??8.0?mm standard length, SL) and an additional specimen (128.8?mm SL) collected from Suruga Bay, Japan, and compared with related species of Epigonus. The species is characterized by the following combination of characters: first dorsal-fin rays VII, second dorsal-fin rays I, 9??0, vertebrae 10?+?15, pored lateral-line scales 52??3 (hypural end 48??9?+?caudal fin 4), pyloric caeca 9??1, total gill rakers 24??5, presence of a pungent opercular spine, lateral-line scales ctenoid, absence of a maxillary mustache-like process, and absence of a rib on the last abdominal vertebra. A key to the Epigonus species characterized by a pungent opercular spine is provided.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ostichthys spiniger,</Emphasis> a new species of soldierfish from New Ireland,Papua New Guinea,western Pacific Ocean (Teleostei: Holocentridae)

A new species of soldierfish, Ostichthys spiniger, from off northern New Ireland, Papua New Guinea, is described on the basis of a single specimen collected with a trawl at 180-181 m depth near Kavieng. The new species is characterised by the following characters: scales above lateral line to mid-base of spinous portion of dorsal fin 3¹/₂; no half-scale present anterior to first lateral-line scale; dorsal profile of head nearly uniformly convex; anterior end of each nasal bone with a sharp, forwardly directed spine; a strong spine at the corner of preopercle, which is significantly larger than other serrations; pectoral-fin rays 17; lateral-line scales 29; gill rakers 8 + 13; last dorsal-fin spine shorter than penultimate spine; body depth 2.2 in SL; HL 2.4 in SL; snout very short, 6.6 in HL; least depth of caudal peduncle 4.9 in HL. The new species is compared with other species in the genus. A revised key to the species of Ostichthys is presented. The new species is most similar to O. acanthorhinus.     

Neoplecostomus doceensis: a new loricariid species (Teleostei,Siluriformes) from the rio Doce basin and comments about its putative origin

A new species of Neoplecostomus is described from the rio Doce basin representing the first species of this genus in the basin. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by having enlarged, fleshy folds between dentaries, two or three series of developed papillae anterior to premaxillary teeth and a adipose-fin membrane present, and by lacking enlarged odontodes along snout lateral margins in mature males, a well-developed dorsal-fin spinelet wider than dorsal-fin spine base, lower number of lateral-line figs and developed membrane on the dorsal portion of the first, second and third pelvic-fin branched rays. Additionally, we present a brief discussion of biogeographic scenarios that may explain the distribution of the new species in the rio Doce basin. We suggested that the ancestral lineage of the new species reached the rio Doce from the upper portions of rio Paraná drainages about 3.5 Mya (95% HPD: 1.6–5.5) indicating a colonization route of the N. doceensis ancestral lineage from the south end of Serra do Espinhaço, probably as a result of headwater capture processes between the upper rio Paraná and rio Doce basins.     

Owstonia kamoharai (Perciformes: Cepolidae), a new bandfish from Japan

A new owstoniine bandfish, Owstonia kamoharai, is described based on six specimens (147–402 mm in standard length) collected from off southern Japan: Shikoku Island, Kii Peninsula, and Suruga Bay. The new species differs from its congeners by the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin rays III, 21; anal-fin rays I, 14; pectoral-fin rays 21–23; total caudal-fin rays 17 (branched 13); vertebrae 28–29; gill rakers on first arch 39–40; cheek with 88–123 scales in 8–10 rows; lateral line without branch, not forming loop in front of dorsal fin, ending below 8th–10th dorsal-fin soft rays; scales in longitudinal rows 53–56; lower margin of preopercle smooth; pelvic fin short, not reaching to anus; posterior margin of caudal fin rounded; uniformly reddish coloration with black markings on membranes of both jaws; and white margins of vertical fins.     

Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the chlorine pigment sclerotiorin from Penicillium mallochii and its chemotaxonomic significance

Penicillium mallochii was isolated as an endophyte from Himatanthus sp. and inoculated in liquid potato-dextrose culture medium, with adjusted to pH 3.6, and incubated for 10 days at 24 °C. Successive column chromatography of the hexane extract afforded the chlorine pigment sclerotiorin. Its structure was determined by NMR and by comparison with the literature. Sclerotiorin showed moderate antioxidant activity and moderate antibacterial against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Micrococcus luteus. The isolation of sclerotiorin from P. mallochii support the taxonomic classification within the Penicillium genus, demonstrating a closer evolutionary relationship among the Penicillium species. Therefore, we suggest that sclerotiorin and the sclerotiorin group of metabolites may be used as chemotaxonomic markers for proper identification of Penicillium species.     

Thysanophrys papillaris, a new species of flathead from the Andaman Sea and Northern Australia (Scorpaeniformes: Platycephalidae)

A new platycephalid,Thysanophrys papillaris, is described on the basis of six specimens (78–121 mm SL) collected from the Andaman Sea and off northern Australia (Timor and Arafura Seas). This new species can be distinguished from other congeners by the following combination of characters: presence of a single short papilla on upper surface of eye, longer snout, smaller body scales. 11 second dorsal-fin rays and 12 anal-fin rays, presence of four or more suborbital spines usually, branched short iris lappet, ctenoid lateral-line scales and interopercle not extended posteroventrally.