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| Pethia sanjaymoluri
Katwate, Jadhav, Kumkar, Raghavan & Dahanukar, 2016
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Abstract
Pethia sanjaymoluri, a new cyprinid, is described from the Pavana and Nira tributaries of Bhima River, Krishna drainage, Maharashtra, India. It can be distinguished from congeners by a combination of characteristics that includes an incomplete lateral line, absence of barbels, upper lip thick and fleshy, 23–25 lateral series scales, 7–12 lateral-line pored scales, 10 predorsal scales, 11–14 prepelvic scales, 17–20 pre-anal scales, 4½ scales between dorsal-fin origin and lateral line, four scales between lateral line and pelvic-fin origin, 8–15 pairs of serrae on distal half of dorsal-fin spine, 12–14 branched pectoral-fin rays, 4 + 26 total vertebrae, 4 + 5 predorsal vertebrae, 4 + 13 abdominal vertebrae, 13 caudal vertebrae and a unique colour pattern comprising a humeral spot positioned below the lateral line and encompassing the third and fourth lateral-line scales and one scale below, one caudal spot on 17th–21st lateral-line scales with a yellow hue on its anterior side and apical half of dorsal fin studded with melanophores making the fin tip appear black. Genetic analysis based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequence suggests that the species is distinct from other known species of Pethia for which data are available.
Keywords: barbel; freshwater cyprinid; Maharashtra; molecular phylogeny; osteology; taxonomy
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| Pethia sanjaymoluri, in life showing body coloration and prominent black dorsal fin tip. |
Etymology: The species is named after Sanjay Molur from the Zoo Outreach Organization, for his contribution to the conservation of threatened taxa in the South Asian region.
Common name: Sanjay's Black-tip Pethia.
Unmesh Katwate, Shrikant Jadhav, Pradeep Kumkar, R. Raghavan and Neelesh Dahanukar. 2016. Pethia sanjaymoluri, A New Species of Barb (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from the northern Western Ghats, India. Journal of Fish Biology. 88(5); 2027–2050. DOI: 10.1111/jfb.12980
New fish species named in honour of South Indian Conservation Biologist
https://sites.google.com/site/neeleshdahanukar2/publications/new-taxonomic-descriptions
