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| Liobagrus chenhaojuni Chen, Guo & Wu, in Chen, Guo, Dai, X.-C. Huang, J.-H. Huang, Jiang, Ouyang, Wen et Wu, 2024. 浙江䱀 || DOI: 10.3897/zse.100.122472 |
Abstract
A new catfish species, Liobagrus chenhaojuni Chen, Guo & Wu, sp. nov., is described from the Tiaoxi River, a tributary of Taihu Lake, located in Zhejiang Province, China. This description is based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis. This species belongs to a group defined by the presence of a smooth posterior edge of the pectoral-fin spine and can be distinguished from other species in the group by a unique combination of characteristics, including: an upper jaw longer than the lower jaw; maxillary barbels reaching the middle of the pectoral fin; irregular blotches present on the lateral body; a rounded caudal-fin with a length ranging from 16.5% to 19.9% of the standard length; 39 to 41 post-Weberian vertebrae; and 15 to 17 anal-fin rays. The validity of this new species is further supported by the molecular phylogenetic analysis based on Cytb sequences.
Key Words: catfish, phylogeny, taxonomy, Zhejiang Province
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| Liobagrus chenhaojuni sp. nov. A–C. Dorsal, lateral, and ventral view of holotype (24_NCU_XPWU_Y01); D. Dorsal view of pectoral-fin spine of paratype (22_NCU_XPWU_Y31). Arrows show the anus. |
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| Living specimens of Liobagrus chenhaojuni sp. nov. and its similar congeneric species. A, B. Liobagrus chenhaojuni sp. nov.; C. Liobagrus chenhaojuni sp. nov. albino individual; D. L. styani; E. L. anguillicauda; F. L. brevispina; G. dorsal view of pectoral-fin spine of L. brevispina. |
Liobagrus chenhaojuni Chen, Guo & Wu, sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Liobagrus chenhaojuni sp. nov. is a member of the group defined by the presence of a smooth posterior edge of the pectoral-fin spine (i.e., L. reinii, L. formosanus, L. styani, L. nantoensis, L. anguillicauda, L. marginatoides, and L. aequilabris). It can be distinguished from all other species in this group by the following characteristics: the upper jaw is longer than the lower jaw (vs. equal in L. aequilabris and L. formosanus; shorter in L. marginatoides); the maxillary barbels reach the middle of the pectoral fin (vs. reach the pectoral-fin insertion in L. styani, L. reinii, and L. nantoensis); presence of irregular blotches on the lateral body (vs. absence in L. formosanus, L. nantoensis, L. anguillicauda, L. marginatoides, and L. aequilabris); the caudal fin is rounded (vs. sub-truncate in L. marginatoides); the caudal fin length ranges from 16.5% to 19.9% standard length (vs. 13.1–16.2 in L. styani, 20.3–27.0 in L. anguillicauda and 20.1–26.9 in L. aequilabris); it possesses 39–41 post-Weberian vertebrae (vs. 35–37 in L. aequilabris), the anal-fin rays range from 15 to 17 (vs. 12 in L. nantoensis) (Table 3).
Etymology: This species is named after Mr. Hao-Jun Chen, who assisted in the field survey.
Vernacular name: 浙江䱀 (Pinyin: zhe jiang yang).
Zhong-Guang Chen, Yan-Shu Guo, Yu-Ting Dai, Xiao-Chen Huang, Jun-Hao Huang, Jiao Jiang, Shan Ouyang, An-Xiang Wen and Xiao-Ping Wu. 2024. A New Species of Liobagrus Hilgendorf, 1878 (Teleostei, Siluriformes, Amblycipitidae) from the lower Changjiang River basin in southeast China. Zoosystematics and Evolution. 100(2): 555-563. DOI: 10.3897/zse.100.122472
