[Ichthyology • 2024] Cobitis feroniae • A New Spined Loach (Cypriniformes: Cobitidae) from southern Latium, Italy

Cobitis feroniae

Novaga, Bellucci, Geiger & Freyhof,  2024

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5458.3.4 

Researchgate.net/publication/380968877

 

Abstract

Cobitis feroniae, new species, is described from central Italy. It is distinguished from C. zanandreai, its putatively closest relative, by having several, small, black dots below Z4; minute, black spot at the upper caudal peduncle, and the pigmentation in Z2 separated from pigmentation in Z1 anterior to the dorsal-fin origin. It is further distinguished from C. zanandreai by having 13 diagnostic nucleotide substitutions in the mtDNA COI barcode region, and a K2P nearest–neighbour distance of 2.9%. 

Pisces, Freshwater fish, taxonomy, Cytochrome oxidase I, Europe

Cobitis feroniae

Riccardo Novaga, Davide Bellucci, Matthias F. Geiger, Jörg Freyhof.  2024. Cobitis feroniae, A New Spined Loach from southern Latium, Italy (Teleostei: Cobitidae).  Zootaxa. 458(3); 385-402. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5458.3.4

 Researchgate.net/publication/380968877_Cobitis_feroniae_a_new_spined_loach_from_southern_Latium_Italy

[Ichthyology • 2017] Cobitis saniae • Taxonomic Status of the Genus Cobitis Linnaeus, 1758 (Cypriniformes: Cobitidae) in the southern Caspian Sea basin, Iran with description of A New Species

Cobitis saniae

Eagderi, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Jalili, Sayyadzadeh & Esmaeili, 2017

fishtaxa.com 

Abstract
Members of the genus Cobitis in the southern Caspian Sea basin of Iran are found from the Atrak to Aras Rivers Two species, namely C. keyvani and C. faridpaki had been already described from this distribution range. However, previous study revealed that C. keyvani is a junior synonym of C. faridpaki, therefore populations of the eastern part of the Sefid River are C. faridpaki and those of the western part of this basin represent an undescribed species misidentified as C. keyvani in previous studies. Here we describe and compare it with other species of this genus from Iran based on morphological and molecular (COI barcode region) characters.

Keywords: Freshwater fish, Morphology, COI, Spined loach, Sefid River.

Color pattern variations of Cobitis saniae.
 (A)Type I from Talesh, (B) Type II from IMNRF-1095-5, and (C) type III from the Siahbishe, Anzali wetland.

Cobitis saniae sp. nov.

Distribution and Habitat: Cobitis saniae like other Cobitis species remains buried in gravel and sand. They are mostly found in slow current parts of the rivers with sandy and muddy substance. This species stays hidden in thin sand and mud, or accumulated grass growths during the day, being nocturnal and often solitary. Cobitis saniae prefers clear running waters. Along the western part of the Caspian Sea basin, it is found in the lower reaches of rivers (Fig. 10). Ponticola iranicus, Alburnoides samiii, Capoeta gracilis, Barbus cyri, Squalius turcicus and Luciobarbus capito co-exists in type locality with C. saniae. Cobitis saniae knowns from most of rivers and stream between Sefid to Aras Rivers in southern Caspian Sea basin.

Etymology: The new species is named to Sania Eagderi, the daughter of first author, Dr. Soheil Eagderi.

S. Eagderi, A. Jouladeh-Roudbar, P. Jalili, A. Sayyadzadeh and H.R. Esmaeili. 2017. Taxonomic Status of the Genus Cobitis Linnaeus, 1758 (Teleostei: Cobitidae) in the southern Caspian Sea basin, Iran with description of A New Species. FishTaxa. 2(1); 48-61. https://fishtaxa.com/volume-view/?id=22

https://fishtaxa.com/article-view/?id=90

[Ichthyology • 2023] The Loach Genus Lepidocephalichthys (Cypriniformes: Cobitidae) in Sri Lanka and peninsular India: Multiple Colonizations and unexpected Species Diversity

Diversity of color pattern in Sri Lankan Lepidocephalichthys.
a L. jonklaasi, Gilimale, Kalu basin; b L. jonklaasi, Kottawa Forest Reserve, Gin basin; c L. thermalis, L6.IV, Wahareka, Attanagalu basin; d L. thermalis, L6.IV, Kotapola, Nilwala basin;
e L. thermalis, L6.II, Laggala, Mahaweli basin; f L. thermalis, L6.II, Gurulupotha, Mahaweli basin; g L. thermalis, L6.II, Lunugala, Kumbukkan basin; h L. cf. thermalis, L5, Badalkumbura, Menik basin

in Sudasinghe, Dahanukar, Raghavan, Ranasinghe, ... et Meegaskumbura, 2023.

DOI: 10.1007/s10750-023-05321-4 

 Researchgate.net/publication/372501224 

  facebook.com/HiranyaSud

Abstract

Loaches of the genus Lepidocephalichthys are ubiquitous in Peninsular India and the nearby continental-shelf island of Sri Lanka. Four valid species are reported from this region: L. thermalis, a species reported from across this region; L. jonklaasi, confined to rainforests in southern Sri Lanka; L. coromandelensis, from the Eastern Ghats and L. guntea, from the northern Western Ghats of the Indian peninsula. Here, based on collections from 25 locations in 13 river basins in Sri Lanka and 20 locations across India, including a dataset downloaded from GenBank, we present a molecular phylogeny constructed from the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) sequences. We show that ancestral Lepidocephalichthys colonized Sri Lanka in the late Miocene. Multiple back-migrations to India, as well as colonizations from the mainland, took place in the Plio-Pleistocene. The persistence on the island of L. jonklaasi, an obligatory rainforest associate, suggests that perhumid refugia existed in Sri Lanka throughout this time. Lepidocephalichthys thermalis appears to have colonized the Sri Lankan highlands as recently as the Pleistocene. The data suggest that Lepidocephalichthys thermalis is a species complex in which multiple species remain to be investigated and described, both in India and Sri Lanka. 

Keywords: Biogeography, Shelf island, Phylogeny, Phylogeography, Morphological stasis, Back-migration

Diversity of color pattern in Sri Lankan Lepidocephalichthys.
a L. jonklaasi, Gilimale, Kalu basin; b L. jonklaasi, Kottawa Forest Reserve, Gin basin; c L. thermalis, L6.IV, Wahareka, Attanagalu basin; d L. thermalis, L6.IV, Kotapola, Nilwala basin;
e L. thermalis, L6.II, Laggala, Mahaweli basin; f L. thermalis, L6.II, Gurulupotha, Mahaweli basin; g L. thermalis, L6.II, Lunugala, Kumbukkan basin; h L. cf. thermalis, L5, Badalkumbura, Menik basin

 

Hiranya Sudasinghe, Neelesh Dahanukar, Rajeev Raghavan, Tharindu Ranasinghe, Kumudu Wijesooriya, Rohan Pethiyagoda, Lukas Rüber and Madhava Meegaskumbura. 2023. The Loach Genus Lepidocephalichthys (Teleostei: Cobitidae) in Sri Lanka and peninsular India: Multiple Colonizations and unexpected Species Diversity. Hydrobiologia. DOI: 10.1007/s10750-023-05321-4

  Researchgate.net/publication/372501224_Lepidocephalichthys_in_Sri_Lanka_and_peninsular_India

  facebook.com/HiranyaSud/posts/301136209090677

[Ichthyology • 2022] Misgurnus amamianus • A New Species of the Genus Misgurnus (Cypriniformes: Cobitidae) from Ryukyu Islands, Japan

Misgurnus amamianus  

 Nakajima & Hashiguchi, 2022

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5162.5.4

 

Abstract

A new loach species, Misgurnus amamianus, is described based on 27 type specimens sampled from Ryukyu Islands, Japan. This new species can be distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characteristics. 1) In adult males, a lamina circularis at the base of the pectoral fin is poleaxe-shaped and rounded at the back. 2) The last ray of dorsal fin is not branched, and its length is less than half the length of the second-branched soft ray. 3) The projected length from the posterior edge of the anal-fin base to the caudal-fin base is longer than the length from the insertion point of the pelvic fin to the anterior edge of the anal-fin base. 4) The ridges on the caudal peduncle at the upper and lower edges are weakly developed. The validity of this new species is also supported by the phylogenetic analysis of the mitochondrial DNA control region.

 Key words: Cobitoidei, weather loach, freshwater fish, DNA barcoding

Misgurnus amamianus sp. nov. 
a, holotype (male, KPM-NI 68404); b, paratype (female, TKPM-P 26178).

Misgurnus amamianus sp. nov., KPM-NI 68404, holotype.
a, radiograph; b, radiograph of dorsal fin; c, radiograph of anal fin; d, radiograph of caudal fin;
e, living body.

Misgurnus amamianus sp. nov.

 

Diagnosis. The new species is distinguished from other species of Misgurnus by the combination of the follow-ing characteristics (Table 3): lamina circularis at base of pectoral fin in adult male poleaxe-shape (vs. spatula-shape in M. buphoensis and M. nikolskyi; elongated horizontally in M. dabryanus; absent in M. fossilis); neckline at base of  lamina  circularis  shallow  (vs.  deep  in M.  anguillicaudatus);  dorsal  fin  ray  iii+6  (vs.  commonly  iii+7–8  in M. anguillicaudatus); last ray of dorsal fin commonly not branched (vs. commonly branched in M. anguillicaudatus, M. buohoensis, M. dabryanus, M. fossilis, M. mohoity and M. nikolskyi); L/S less than 0.5 (vs. over 0.5 in M. anguilicaudatus, M. buphoensis, M. dabryanus, M. mohoity and M. nikolskyi); LPC/DPA over 1.1 (vs. less than 1.0 in M. anguillicaudatus (China clade), M. dabryanus and M. tonkinensis); barbel length general (vs. long in M. dabryanus and M. tonkinensis); caudal-peduncle depth shallow (vs. deep in M. dabryanus, M. multimaculatus and M. tonkinensis); and total vertebrae number 44–48 (vs. over 49 in M. buphoensis, M. fossilis and M. nikolskyi).

Habitat and biology. Misgurnus amamianus inhabits the muddy bottoms of small streams, paddy fields, and ponds with rich vegetation. The life cycle is unknown, but it breeds from May to August in captivity. The loach has a strong tendency to hide in vegetation.

Etymology. The specific name was derived from the Amami Islands, which is the primary distribution area of this species. Japanese name is suggested as Shinobi-dojyô.

Jun Nakajima and Yasuyuki Hashiguchi. 2022. A New Species of the Genus Misgurnus (Cypriniformes, Cobitidae) from Ryukyu Islands, Japan.  Zootaxa. 5162(5); 525-540. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5162.5.4

[Ichthyology • 2022] Pangio pathala • A New Diminutive Subterranean Eel Loach Species of the Genus Pangio (Teleostei: Cobitidae) from southern India

Pangio pathala

 Sundar, Arjun, Sidharthan, Dahanukar & Raghavan, 2022

 

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5138.1.9 

facebook.com/meenkaran

 twitter.com/ArjunWild  twitter.com/LabRajeev 

Abstract

A second subterranean species of Pangio is described from an old dug-out well in Kerala, Southern India. The new species, Pangio pathala is unique within the genus in possessing the highest number (27) of caudal vertebrae. Pangio pathala is distinguished from P. bhujia, the only subterranean Pangio species known so far, in having four pectoral-fin rays (vs. three), five anal-fin rays (vs. six), 67 vertebrae (40 abdominal and 27 caudal vertebrae) (vs. 62–63), and a raw genetic distance of 8.1–8.7% in the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene. This paper also provides an additional record of Pangio bhujia from a location 40 km south of the type locality.

Keywords: Pisces, freshwater fish, groundwater, Taxonomy, Western Ghats 

 Pangio pathala holotype (KUFOS.FT.2020.1, 32.1 mm SL) in life 

Pangio pathala, new species

Etymology. The species name is based on the Sanskrit word pâtâla, which means ‘below the feet’, denoting the subterranean realms of the universe—which are located under the earth’s surface. A noun in apposition.

Remya L. Sundar, C.P. Arjun, Arya Sidharthan, Neelesh Dahanukar and Rajeev Raghavan. 2022. A New Diminutive Subterranean Eel Loach Species of the Genus Pangio (Teleostei: Cobitidae) from Southern India. Zootaxa. 5138(1); 89-97. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5138.1.9

 facebook.com/meenkaran/posts/5066338190148509

 twitter.com/ArjunWild/status/1527303554074963970 

 twitter.com/LabRajeev/status/1527356290728546321 

To Find the Fish, Find the People: How Scientists Came Upon the Pathala Eel Loach

 science.thewire.in/environment/pathala-eel-loach-citizen-science/

 twitter.com/LabRajeev/status/1513220105798184962

[Ichthyology • 2019] Pangio bhujia • A New, Peculiar Species of Miniature Subterranean Eel Loach (Teleostei: Cobitidae) Lacking Dorsal and Pelvic Fins from India

Pangio bhuji

Anoop, Britz, Arjun, Dahanukar & Raghavan, 2019

 DOI:  10.11646/zootaxa.4683.1.8

 facebook.com/RajeevRaghavan98 

Abstract

A unique, new species of eel loach, Pangio bhujia, is described from Kerala, India. It is the first species of Pangio to be described from subterranean waters. It possesses several unusual characters including absence of both dorsal and pelvic fins, the presence of only 3 pectoral-fin rays, 6 anal-fin rays and a unique count of 38 precaudal + 24 caudal vertebrae.

Keywords: Pisces, aquifers, freshwater fishes, hypogean, Kerala, Western Ghats

Pangio bhujia, new species

Etymology. The species name bhujia was inspired by the resemblance of this species to the widely known Indian snack ‘Bhujia’, small noodle-like pieces, usually made of moth beans (Fabaceae: Vigna aconitifolia), besan and spices. 

V.K. Anoop, Ralf Britz, C.P. Arjun, Neelesh Dahanukar and Rajeev Raghavan. 2019. Pangio bhujia, A New, Peculiar Species of Miniature Subterranean Eel Loach Lacking Dorsal and Pelvic Fins from India (Teleostei: Cobitidae). Zootaxa. 4683(1); 144–150. DOI:  10.11646/zootaxa.4683.1.8

 facebook.com/RajeevRaghavan98/posts/10156161031715938

twitter.com/MJBernt/status/1181694126162665473

[Ichthyology • 2017] Taxonomic Study of the Genus Niwaella (Cypriniformes: Cobitidae) from East China, with Description of Four New Species

Niwaella brevipinna, N. fimbriata, N. nigrolinea & N. qujiangensis 

Chen & Chen, 2017 

in Chen, He, Chen & Chen ||  zootax.com.cn 

Abstract 

 Four loaches, Niwaella brevipinna Chen & Chen, sp. nov., N. fimbriata Chen & Chen, sp. nov., N. nigrolinea Chen & Chen, sp. nov. and N. qujiangensis Chen & Chen, sp. nov., are described based on specimens collected from Zhejiang and Anhui Provinces, East China. The mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of 28 individuals of seven species from seven locations collected from Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangxi Provinces were amplified and analyzed. Morphological and molecular data showed that N. fimbriata Chen & Chen, sp. nov. and N. nigrolinea Chen & Chen, sp. nov., N. brevipinna Chen & Chen, sp. nov. and N. laterimaculata (Yan & Zheng), N. qujiangensis Chen & Chen, sp. nov. and N. longibarba Chen & Chen are closely related. The seven Chinese Niwaella species, N. brevipinna Chen & Chen, sp. nov., N. fimbriata Chen & Chen, sp. nov., N. laterimaculata, N. longibarba, N. nigrolinea Chen & Chen, sp. nov., N. qujiangensis Chen & Chen, sp. nov., and N. xinjiangensis are clearly distinguished by the combination of the color patter, mental lobes, suborbital spine, caudal peduncle, body shape, and subdorsal scales.

Yongxia Chen, Dekui He, Hao Chen and Yifeng Chen. 2017. Taxonomic Study of the Genus Niwaella (Cypriniformes: Cobitidae) from East China, with Description of Four New Species.  Zoological Systematics. 42(4); 490–507.  zootax.com.cn/EN/abstract/abstract190.shtml

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[Ichthyology • 2016] Cobitis gracilis • A New Species of the Genus Cobitis (Cypriniformes: Cobitidae) from the Northeast China

Cobitis gracilis 

 Chen & Chen, 2016
 zootax.com.cn/EN/10.11865/zs.201643  

      

Abstract  

A new spined loach, Cobitis gracilis sp. nov., is described based on specimens collected from Jilin and Heilongjiang Provinces, China. Morphological and molecular data showed that C. gracilis sp. nov. is closely related to C. granoei Rendahl and C. melanoleuca Nichols. The new species differs from its sister species in lamina circularis, suborbital spine, and pigmentation at the base of caudal fin. In addition, both morphological and molecular analyses revealed that specimens of C. lutheri Rendahl from China differs from those from Korea. Korean specimens are appropriately placed in a separate species. Molecular analyses revealed that C. choii Kim & Son is a new record in China.

Yongxia Chen and Yifeng Chen. 2016.  A New Species of the Genus Cobitis (Cypriniformes: Cobitidae) from the Northeast China. Zoological Systematics. 41(4); 379-391.   http://www.zootax.com.cn/EN/10.11865/zs.201643    

      

  

[Ichthyology • 2016] Cobitis takenoi • A New Spined Loach (Cypriniformes, Cobitidae) from Honshu Island, Japan

Cobitis takenoi  

Nakajima, 2016
 DOI:  10.3897/zookeys.568.7733  

Abstract
A new species of spined loach, Cobitis takenoi sp. n., is described based on the holotype and ten paratypes collected from Tango District, Honshu Island, Japan. The new species is distinguished by a combination of the following character states: 1) the lamina circularis at the base of the pectoral fin in adult male having a simple roundish plate form; 2) a narrowing of the upper segments of the first branched ray of the pectoral fin; 3) a short maxillary barbel whose length equals diameter of the eye; 4) 14 prepelvic myotomes, and 5) L3 and L5 well developed, forming longitudinal obvious stripes in males during the spawning season.

Keywords: Cobitoidei, Tango tetraploid form of Cobitis striata, Cobitis sp. 5, freshwater fish

Remarks

Till date, Cobitis takenoi has only been found in one small river system, and the habitat is under threat from river improvement. In addition, some threatened freshwater fishes are captured and sold illegally in Japan (e.g. Parabotia curtus, Watanabe et al. 2015), and this new species is similarly at the risk of being commercially overfished for the ornamental fish market (Takeno et al. 2010). Therefore, the species is ranked as a critically endangered species (CR) – as Cobitis sp. – in the Japanese Red List (Kitagawa 2015). The distribution pattern, suitable habitat and life history of this species are not well-known. Basic biological investigations are required for its effective conservation.

Jun Nakajima. 2016. Cobitis takenoi sp. n. (Cypriniformes, Cobitidae): A New Spined Loach from Honshu Island, Japan. ZooKeys. 568: 119-128. DOI:  10.3897/zookeys.568.7733

[Ichthyology • 2015] Cobitis sakahoko • A New Species of Spined Loach (Cypriniformes: Cobitidae) from southern Kyushu Island, Japan

Cobitis sakahoko Nakajima & Suzawa, 2015
Fig. 6 Photographs of living Cobitis sakahoko sp. nov. (non-type specimen).
a Male, lateral view of head and pectoral fin, b male, dorsal view of head and pectoral fin, c male, 19 April 2014, in the type locality.

All photos by Ryu Uchiyama || DOI: 10.1007/s10228-015-0476-5

Abstract

We describe a new species of spined loach, Cobitis sakahoko, based on the holotype and nine paratypes collected from the Oyodo River system in the southern region of Kyushu Island, Japan. This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characteristics: lamina circularis at the base of the pectoral fin in adult males, a rectangular plate with a neck in the mid-lower part; the upper segments of the first branched soft ray of the pectoral fin broad; snout relatively short, length 32.1–38.2% of head length; long maxillary barbel, longer than the eye diameter; prepelvic myotome number 14; and line L5 organised in 8–13 oblong or ovoid blotches.

Keywords: Cobitoidei, Freshwater fish, Cobitis sp. Oyodo form, Oyodo-shima-dojyô

Fig. 4 Male (a, c, e holotype, TKPM-P17335, 67.0 mm SL) and female (b, d, f paratype, KPM-NI31984, 65.1 mm SL) of Cobitis sakahoko sp. nov. a, b Lateral view (after fixing), c, d dorsal view (after fixing), e, f lateral view (in life)

Jun Nakajima and Yuzuru Suzawa. 2015. Cobitis sakahoko, A New Species of Spined Loach (Cypriniformes: Cobitidae) from southern Kyushu Island, Japan.
Ichthyological Research. DOI: 10.1007/s10228-015-0476-5

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[Ichthyology • 2014] ปลาอีดน้ำลึก | Lepidocephalus nanensis | Thai Spirit Loach • A Revision of the Spirit Loaches, genus Lepidocephalus (Cypriniformes, Cobitidae)

ปลาอีดน้ำลึก | Thai Spirit Loach
Lepidocephalus nanensis Deein, Tangjitjaroen & Page 2014  

Abstract

Lepidocephalus has been assumed to include only two species and confined to peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia. However, based on records and collections reported herein, the genus contains five species and is most common in the Chao Phraya basin of Thailand. Large rivers seem to be the preferred habitat, and difficulty in collecting these rivers may account for the paucity of specimens in collections. The known range of these five species includes western and southern Borneo, Java, Sumatra, peninsular Malaysia, and central Thailand.

Keywords: Teleostei, Southeast Asia, Lepidocephalichthys, Lepidocephalus nanensis

ปลาอีดน้ำลึก Lepidocephalus nanensis

photo: N. Panitvong | siamensis.org

Lepidocephalus nanensis Deein, Tangjitjaroen & Page 2014 

Thai Spirit Loach

Etymology. The name nanensis, an adjective, refers to the river system where most specimens have been collected. 

Distribution. Lepidocephalus nanensis is found in Thailand in the Nan River and in the Chao-Phraya River below the confluence of the Nan and Yom rivers (Fig. 2). To our knowledge, Šlechtová et al. (2008) first recorded this species from Thailand (as L. macrochir) and included molecular data from specimens collected at a fishpond at Nakom Savan (Nakon Sawan, Nakon Sawan Province), Thailand. Recent collections suggest that this species is common in the Nan and lower Chao Phraya rivers. These large rivers seem to be the preferred habitat of the species.

  

Deein, Gridsada, Weerapongse Tangjitjaroen & Lawrence M. Page. 2014. A Revision of the Spirit Loaches, genus Lepidocephalus (Cypriniformes, Cobitidae). Zootaxa. 3779(3): 341–352.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3779.3.2

http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2014/f/zt03779p352.pdf