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| Indoreonectes evezardi (Day, 1872), Indoreonectes neeleshi & Indoreonectes rajeevi Kumkar, Pise, Gorule, Verma & Kalous, 2021 DOI: 10.3897/vz.71.e62814 |
Abstract
The hill stream loach genus Indoreonectes is endemic to peninsular India south of the Satpura hill ranges and is represented by three species I. evezardi, I. keralensis and I. telanganaensis. Indoreonectes evezardi has been suggested as a species complex based on recent genetic studies; however, due to lack of type material the species delimitation has been difficult. Here we redescribe I. evezardi collected from its type locality and describe two new species from the northern Western Ghats of India. Indoreonectes neeleshi, described from Mula River tributary of Godavari river system, can be diagnosed from all its congeners based on a combination of characters: inner rostral barbel reaching middle of nostril; maxillary barbel reaching midway between eye and posterior border of operculum; dorsal hump behind nape; bars on lateral side of the body wider than inter-bar space; total vertebrae 35 and dorsal fin insertion between 13th and 14th abdominal vertebrae. Indoreonectes rajeevi, described from Hiranyakeshi River of the Krishna river system, differs from all its congeners based on a combination of characters: inner rostral barbel reaching anterior margin of eye; maxillary barbel reaching posterior border of operculum; conspicuous black markings on lower lip, dorsal hump absent; total vertebrae 36 and dorsal fin insertion between 12th and 13th abdominal vertebrae. Further, I. neeleshi differs from its congeners by the raw genetic distance of 6.8–14.4% for the cox1 gene and 5.7–16.2% for the cytb gene, while I. rajeevi differs from its congeners by the raw genetic distance of 10.9–14.0% for the cox1 gene and 11.8–15.8% for the cytb gene.
Keywords: Biodiversity hotspot, Godavari river system, Krishna river system, Maharashtra
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| Indoreonectes evezardi (BNHS FWF 1070, 33.5 mm SL), topotype, collected from Kuran, Mutha River, Pune |
Indoreonectes evezardi (Day, 1872)
Habitat and distribution: Indoreonectes evezardi was collected from fast-flowing clear streams with substrate consisting of rock, pebbles and sand. Co-occurring fish species include Paracanthocobitis mooreh, Schistura denisoni, Rasbora dandia and Devario malabaricus. Indoreonectes evezardi sensu stricto is currently known only from its type locality in Pune (see Keskar et al. 2018) from Mutha River a tributary of the east flowing Krishna river system, Maharashtra, India (Fig. 1).
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| Indoreonectes neeleshi holotype (BNHS FWF 1071, 38.54 mm SL). Indoreonectes rajeevi holotype (BNHS FWF 1081, 45.76 mm SL). |
Indoreonectes neeleshi sp. nov.
Common name: Neelesh’s hill stream loach
Diagnosis: Indoreonectes neeleshi can be distinguished from all congeners by having the lateral bars wider than inter-bar spaces (vs. narrower in I. evezardi, I. keralensis I. telanganaensis, and I. rajeevi). Further, Indoreonectes neeleshi can be distinguished from I. keralensis by having long nasal barbel reaching middle of eye (vs. short nasal barbel barely reaching anterior margin of eye); inner rostral barbel reaching middle of nostril (vs. reaching further posteriorly to anterior margin of eye); presence of dorsal hump behind nape (vs. absence); presence of a dark brown to black spot on base of first dorsal-fin ray and distinct spots on the dorsal side of head (vs. absence); caudal peduncle as deep as long (vs. longer than deep); spots on cheek below eye absent (vs. present). Indoreonectes neeleshi can be distinguished from I. evezardi by having caudal peduncle as deep as long (vs. deeper than long); caudal peduncle bar not divided (vs. divided into two spots). Indoreonectes neeleshi can be distinguished from I. telanganaensis by having inner rostral barbel reaching middle of nostril (vs. reaching further posteriorly to anterior margin of eye); spots on cheek below eye absent (vs. present). Indoreonectes neeleshi can be distinguished from I. rajeevi by having inner rostral barbel reaching middle of nostril (vs. reaching further posteriorly to anterior margin of eye); maxillary barbel not reaching posterior border of operculum (vs. reaching to posterior border of operculum); absence of conspicuous black marking on lower lip (vs. presence); presence of dorsal hump behind nape (vs. absence); dorsal-fin insertion between neural spines of 13th and 14th abdominal vertebrae (vs. between 12th and 13th abdominal vertebrae); caudal peduncle as deep as long (vs. slightly longer than deep); total vertebrae 35 (vs. 36).
Etymology: The species name honours Neelesh Dahanukar researcher from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, India, for his remarkable contributions to the understanding of the systematics and evolution of Indian freshwater fishes.
Habitat and Distribution: Indoreonectes neeleshi was found in a fast-flowing clear stream with a rocky substrate. Co-occurring fish species include Parapsilorhynchus sp. and the exotic Gambusia affinis. Currently, Indoreonectes neeleshi is known only from its type locality in the Mula tributary of East flowing Godavari River at Harishchandragad, Maharashtra, India (Fig. 1).
Indoreonectes rajeevi sp. nov.
Common name: Rajeev’s hill stream loach
Diagnosis:
Indoreonectes rajeevi can be distinguished from all congeners by having maxillary barbel reaching the posterior border of operculum (vs. not reaching); presence of conspicuous black marking on the lower lip of mouth (vs. absence).
Indoreonectes rajeevi is further distinguished from I. keralensis by having long nasal barbel reaching middle of eye (vs. short nasal barbel barely reaching anterior margin of eye); dorsal-fin origin vertical from pelvic-fin base ...
Etymology: The species name honours Rajeev Raghavan from Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), Kochi, India, for his remarkable contributions to the understanding of the Systematics and Evolution of Indian freshwater fishes.
Habitat and Distribution: Indoreonectes rajeevi was found in a slow-flowing clear stream with boulders, pebbles and mud as major substratum. Co-occurring fish species includes Parapsilorhynchus sp., Schistura sp., Balitora laticauda, Rasbora dandia and Garra mullya. Currently, Indoreonectes rajeevi is known only from its type locality in the Hiranyakeshi tributary of east flowing Krishna River at Amboli, Maharashtra, India (Fig. 1).
Pradeep Kumkar, Manoj Pise, Pankaj A. Gorule, Chandani R. Verma and Lukáš Kalous. 2021. Two New Species of the Hillstream Loach Genus Indoreonectes from the northern Western Ghats of India (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae). Vertebrate Zoology. 71: 517-533. DOI: 10.3897/vz.71.e62814