 |
| Homatula gelao Xiao, in G.-B. Xiao, Guo, Cao, Lin, WeXi Deng, Q.-Q. Xiao, Zhou, Zhang et Fang, 2025. |
Abstract
Homatula gelao, a new species, is here described from the Wu-Jiang of the Yangtze River basin in Guizhou province, southwestern China. This new species belongs to the elongate-bodied group of Homatula defined by having a complete lateral line, sparsely scales hidden in skin on the predorsal body, and a slender body with a uniform depth. It, along with H. variegata, is distinguished from all other species of this group in having a broadly rounded caudal fin and a small number of scales sparsely scattered over the predorsal body. Both differ in body coloration, striped pattern on the predorsal body, and caudal-peduncle length. The validity of the new species is corroborated by distinct genetic distance divergence with closely related congeneric species and its monophyly recovered in a mtDNA COI gene-based phylogenetic analysis. It is separated from other Homatula species by a minimum of 8.2% Kimura 2-parameter distance in the COI gene.
Key Words: Homatula gelao, new species, morphological comparison, taxonomy, Yangtze River basin
 |
| Lateral (A), dorsal (B), and ventral (C) views of Homatula gelao, holotype, ZVTC 20200601, 127.6 mm SL, caught from Furong-Jiang, a tributary flowing into Wu-Jiang of the Yangtze River basin, at Huaiping Village, Daozhen Gelao and Miao Autonomous County, Guizhou Province, P. R. China. |
Homatula gelao Xiao, sp. nov.
Diagnosis: A member of the elongate-bodied group of Homatula defined by having a slender body with a uniform depth (9.2%–14.4% of SL), a complete lateral line, and a scarcely scaled or scaleless predorsal body. H. gelao resembles H. variegata in the presence of a broadly rounded (vs. truncate or obliquely truncate) caudal fin and scales sparsely scattered on the predorsal body (vs. predorsal body unscaled or sparsely scaled on the dorsum and flank), which distinguishes both from all other species of this group (H. berezowskii, H. guanheensis, H. laxiclathra, H. longidorsalis, H. oxygnathra, and H. tigris). It differs from H. variegata in possessing a body coloration of 17–18 brown vertical bars narrower than interspaces, particularly on the Caudal peduncle flank (vs. dense, undulating vertical bars slightly wider or equal to interspaces); a thick brown-black stripe running along dorsal midline from behind head to dorsal fin origin; and symmetrical black vertical bars on sides of body (vs. light brown spots on the dorsum and irregular markings on the sides of the body); and a longer (vs. equal) distance from the origin of the anal fin to the origin of the pelvic fin than the distance from the origin of the anal fin to the base of the caudal fin.
 |
Sampling locality of Homatula gelao in the Huaixi-He, tributary to the Furong-Jiang in Huaiping Village, Jiucheng Town, Daozhen Gelao and Miao Autonomous County, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, P. R. China; 2 June 2020, photographed by Guibang Xiao. The view of perched states of a fresh individual of Homatula gelao in Daozhen Gelao and Miao Autonomous County, Guizhou, P. R. China. The white arrow indicates the backwater areas. Red arrow indicates the natural habitat state of H. gelao. White square indicates the inhabitant situation of H. gelao. |
Etymology: The specific epithet is named after Gelao (in Chinese spelling) nationality. The type specimens of the new species were collected from the Huaixi-He in Daozhen Gelao Autonomous County, northern Guizhou Province. The Chinese common name for H. gelao is suggested as “仡佬荷马条鳅”.
Gui-Bang Xiao, Qi-Wei Guo, Liang Cao, Jia Lin, Wei-Xi Deng, Qi-Qi Xiao, Lin Zhou, Hao-Ran Zhang and Ding-Zhi Fang. 2025. Homatula gelao (Cypriniformes, Nemacheilidae), A New nemacheiline Species of loach from the upper Yangtze River basin in Guizhou Province, southwestern China. Zoosystematics and Evolution .101(1): 257-271. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zse.101.141973
