The mitogenome of freshwater loach Homatula laxiclathra (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae) with phylogenetic analysis of Nemacheilidae

The complete mitogenome can provide valuable genetic information to reconstruct relationships between species. In this study, we sequenced a stone loach, Homatula laxiclathra (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae), which is found in the northern region of the Qinling Mountains in China. The size of the H. laxiclathra mitogenome is 16,570 bp, which contains 37 typical mitochondrial genes including 13 protein‐coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, two ribosomal RNAs, and a control region (D‐loop) with a total AT content of 55.8%. This is similar to other Nemacheilidae sequences published in GenBank. Furthermore, a mito‐phylogenomic analysis of 46 Nemacheilidae species places H. laxiclathra in a robust monophyletic Homatula cluster with other Homatula species. Our results contribute toward a better understanding of a true phylogeny of these species based on large‐scale taxonomic samplings as well as to help grasp the evolution of fish mitogenomes.     

Description of a new species of Triplophysa (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae) from Guizhou Province,China

A new cave‐dwelling fish species Triplophysa guizhouensis is described based on specimens collected from Guizhou, China, in a subterranean system interconnected with the Hongshui River drainage. The species can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of characters: eyes present; caudal fin with 14 branched rays; inner gill rakers of first gill arch 8–10; posterior chamber of air bladder developed; and body posterior of dorsal fin scaled. A key to species of Triplophysa in the Pearl River basin is provided.     

A new cave‐dwelling loach,Triplophysa xichouensis sp. nov. (Teleostei Nemacheilidae) from Yunnan,China

A new cave‐dwelling loach of the genus Triplophysa, T. xichouensis, is described from an outlet of a subterranean river in Xisa Town, Xichou County, Yunnan Province, China. It can be distinguished from its congeners by the following characters: dorsal‐fin rays iii, 8; anal‐fin rays ii, 6; pectoral‐fin rays i, 9 or 10; pelvic‐fin rays i, 5 or 6; branched caudal‐fin rays 16(8+8); eyes highly degenerated to a very tiny black dot; dorsal‐fin origin closer to snout tip than to caudal‐fin base and anterior to vertical line of pelvic‐fin origin; pectoral fin length about two‐thirds the distance between pectoral‐fin origin to pelvic‐fin origin; caudal peduncle slender, its length about three times its depth; caudal fin emarginate; body smooth and scaleless; lateral line complete and straight; anterior chamber of air bladder wrapped in dumbbell‐shaped bony capsule and the posterior one well developed, long, oval; intestine short, bending in zigzag shape behind stomach. A key for the cave‐dwelling species of Triplophysa is provided. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9162FFB1‐7911‐47C3‐AE50‐6A00E9590327     

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。     

A new species of Triplophysa (Nemacheilidae: Cypriniformes), from Guangxi, southern China

A new species, Triplophysa huapingensis, is described from the Hongshuihe River, Guangxi, China. The new species is distinguished from other species of Triplophysa by the following combination of characters: body covered with scales, lateral line complete, eyes not degenerate, dorsal fin truncate, caudal fin forked, tip of pelvic fin not reaching anus, eight branched rays of dorsal fin, six branched rays of pelvic fin, 16 branched rays of caudal fin, grey and black diffused blotches on dorsal and lateral head and body. A key to all recorded species of Triplophysa in the Xijiang River system is provided.     

Description of Triplophysa luochengensis sp. nov. (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae) from a karst cave in Guangxi,China

A new cave‐dwelling fish Triplophysa luochengensis is described based on specimens collected from a karst cave in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, that is interconnected to the Hongshui River drainage. The species can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of characters: eyes degenerated, anal fin with six branched rays, caudal fin with 16–17 branched rays, pectoral‐fin length 72·4–95·8% of the distance between pectoral‐fin origin and pelvic‐fin origin, lateral head length 26·2–28·2% of standard length (L_S), eye diameter 7·5–8·6 of L_S, body covered by sparse scales, lateral line complete and 7–8 pre‐operculo‐mandibular pores. Dark pigments irregularly present on dorsum of head, dorsum and flank.     

Lefua tokaiensis,a new species of nemacheilid loach from central Japan (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae)

Ichthyological Research - A new nemacheilid loach, Lefua tokaiensis sp. nov., is described from the small mountain streams in the Tokai region, central Honshu, Japan. Lefua tokaiensis is...     

Oreonectes guilinensis (Teleostei,Cypriniformes, Nemacheilidae), a new loach species from Guangxi,China

A new loach Oreonectes guilinensis sp. nov. is described from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. It is the second surface-dwelling fish identified in the genus Oreonectes after the type species Oreonectes platycephalus. This new species can be distinguished from other species within the genus by the combination of the following features: a round caudal fin, 13–14 branched rays, an incomplete lateral line with 4–6 pores, a short pelvic fin located some distance from the anus, a scale-covered body, a stout build (body width 14.0%–16.7% of standard length), a posterior chamber of well-developed airbladder and a yellowish-brown body with a lateral dark brown strip. The maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis based on cytb gene recovered this new species in a well-supported clade with the type species O. platycephalus, sister to the Lefua clade. Morphological comparisons as well as our phylogenetic tree support Oreonectes shuilongensis, Oreonectes daqikongensis, Oreonectes jiarongensis as species of Troglonectes. Based on our results there are 6 valid species in the genus Oreonectes.     

Turcinoemacheilus ekmekciae,a new dwarf loach from upper Tigris and Euphrates (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae)

Turcinoemacheilus ekmekciae, new species, from upper Euphrates and Tigris drainages is distinguished from other species of Turcinoemacheilus in Western Asia by having a dark stripe broader than the eye diameter along the lateral line, rarely possessing roundish blotches, 5–6 mandibular pores in mandibular canal, a comperatvely smaller head, a deeper body, and a greater pre-pelvic distance. Our specimens collected from the upper Great Zab, near the type locality of Turcinoemacheilus kosswigi, showed notable genetic divergence (a minimum K2P of 3.3%) from sequences reported as T. kosswigi in previous studies. Despite morphological similarities, this molecular difference suggests that the populations analysed in previous studies may represent a potential new species of Turcinoemacheilus, which we tentatively named as Turcinoemacheius cf. kosswigi. Molecular data also suggest that T. ekmekciae is characterized by a minimum K2P distance of 3.5% from Turcinoemacheilus minimus and T. cf. kosswigi. The three methods for species delimitation (assemble species by automatic partitioning [ASAP], Poisson tree processes [PTP], and multi-rate PTP [mPTP]) that were utilized for testing species assignments consistently identified our test group as a distinct species.     

Schistura porocephala, a new nemacheilid loach from Koladyne basin, Mizoram, India (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae)

Schistura porocephala, a new nemacheilid species, is described from a stream that drains into the Mat River (Koladyne basin), India. It is characterized by the presence of prominent pores in the cephalic lateral line system; an incomplete lateral line; 20–23 thin dark olivaceous bars on the body, often bifurcated from the dorsolateral region; a depressed head and body anterior to the dorsal fin origin; and an elongated suborbital flap arising in front of the nostril and extending to the anterior one-third of the eye diameter in males.     

Cryptic species and co‐diversification in sand scorpions from the Karakum and Kyzylkum deserts of Central Asia

Little is known about species diversification within the deserts of Central Asia. For example, the degree of lineage divergence and timing of population differentiation, as well as potential biogeographic barriers driving diversification, are nearly unknown. Here, we analysed a multi‐locus data set for a widespread sand scorpion (Mesobuthus gorelovi) to evaluate cryptic species diversity and phylogeographic patterns across the Karakum and Kyzylkum deserts. We also combined these data with previously published sequence data to test for a signal of co‐diversification. A consensus species delimitation approach indicated that the widespread M. gorelovi is likely composed of up to five distinct species that began to diversify at the Miocene–Pliocene boundary. We observed shared patterns of lineage divergence across the Amu Darya River region in three scorpion taxa and found support for a shared history of assemblage diversification across this biogeographic barrier. Thus, major river systems appear to facilitate diversification among desert scorpions.     

Triplophysa rosa sp. nov.: a new blind loach from China

A new blind loach of Triplophysa Rendahl 1933 was collected from a subterranean pool in a cave at Wulong County, Chongqing City, China, in November 2002. The new species, named Triplophysa rosa sp. nov., can be distinguished from its congeners by the following unique characters: eyes vestigial; 9 branched dorsal‐fin rays; 12 branched pectoral‐fin rays; 7 branched pelvic‐fin rays; 6 branched anal‐fin rays; 7 + 7 branched caudal‐fin rays; distal margin of dorsal‐fin concave; tip of pelvic‐fin surpasses vertical level of anus; caudal‐fin deeply forked; whole body scaleless and colourless.     

A new troglobitic loach <Emphasis Type="Italic">Triplophysa tianlinensis</Emphasis> (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae) from Guangxi,China

A new cave-dwelling species Triplophysa tianlinensis sp. nov. is described based on specimens collected from a karst cave in Hongxing Village, Langping Town, Tianlin County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by following a combination of characters: tip of pectoral fin not reaching pelvic-fin origin; body unpigmented, smooth and scaleless; dorsal fin with 8–9 branched rays, its origin anterior to pelvic-fin origin; black pigmented, rudimentary orbital spot; lateral line complete; 0+10 gill rakers on the first gill arch. Additionally, although the new species and Triplophysa langpingensis are from the cave of Langping Town, the new species could be distinguished from T. langpingensis by the following character: lateral line completed, 3+10 infraorbital and 15 preoperculo-mandibular pores.     

A new species of gravel-dwelling loach (Ostariophysi: Nemacheilidae) from the Nepalese Himalayan foothills

Turcinoemacheilus himalaya, new species, is described from the Koshi and Gandaki River basins of Nepal. The new species is distinguished from its hypothesised congener, Turcinoemacheilus kosswigi, from the Euphrates, Tigris and Karoun basins of the Middle East, by the presence of small scales on the posterior half of its body (v. absence of all scales), its shorter caudal peduncle (caudal peduncle length 12-15% standard length, L(S) v. 16-23), its shorter snout (snout length 28-36% head length, L(H) v. 40-49) and by features of its colour pattern, including the presence of small irregularly shaped dark grey markings over the lateral body surface. Turcinoemacheilus himalaya is known to date only from Nepal.     

Description of a new species of Mustura Kottelat (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae) from the Brahmaputra drainage,India

Mustura subhashi, new species, is described from the Dikal River, a north bank tributary of the Brahmaputra drainage in Arunachal Pradesh. It is distinguished from all its congeners by having a colour pattern of 14–23 dark-greyish black to dark brown irregular bars on a greyish to pale beige body; pre-dorsal bars thin, numerous, wider than interspaces, weakly contrasted, uniting dorsally at lateral one-third or midway on flank to form thicker bars, coalescing further at lateral one-fifth and continuous on dorsum with contralateral bars; bars below dorsal fin exhibiting similar condition but slightly wider than pre-dorsal bars; post-dorsal bars thicker than anterior bars, wider than interspaces, sharply contrasted, rarely coalescing on flank; and a short bar along the caudal mid-line, rarely forming a blotch. Based on re-examination of the type specimens and additional materials, Mustura dikrongensis is confirmed as a species belonging to Mustura, and M. harkishorei is not sufficiently diagnosed from 'Nemacheilus' corica.     

Descriptions of two new species of the botiid genus Leptobotia Bleeker, 1870 (Teleostei: Cypriniformes) from South China

Two new species of Leptobotia are here described as L. rotundilobus from the Xin'an-Jiang of the upper Qiantang-Jiang basin in both Anhui and Zhejiang Provinces and the Cao'e-Jiang in Zhejiang Province, and L. paucipinna from the Qing-Jiang of the middle Chang-Jiang basin in Hubei Province, South China. Both have a plain brown body as found in L. bellacauda Bohlen & Šlechtová, 2016, L. microphthalma Fu & Ye, 1983, L. posterodorsalis Chen & Lan, 1992 and L. tientainensis (Wu, 1930). The two new species are distinct from these species in vertebral counts, further from L. posterodorsalis in vent placement and further from the other three species in pectoral-fin length. Both differ in caudal-fin coloration and shape, and dorsal-fin location and coloration, and also in internal morphology. Their validity is confirmed by their own monophyly recovered in a phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial cyt b and COI genes.