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| Barbodes pyrpholeos Tan & Husana, 2021 |
Abstract
Barbodes pyrpholeos, new species, is the first cave-dwelling cyprinid fish reported from the Philippines. It is described from karst systems in Mindanao. It is distinguished from other congeners by having a poorly pigmented body with reddish fins in combination with a smooth dorsal-fin spine without serrations, and several additional morphological characters. It differs from the Indonesian troglobitic congener Barbodes microps by the presence of eyes, and a narrower body amongst other characters. Barbodes montanoi, a putative close relative of the new species, is redescribed based on recently collected material.
Key words. troglobite, Cyprinidae, biodiversity, new species, Southeast Asia
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| Fig. 1. Barbodes pyrpholeos, in situ photograph of an immature fish
near lower part of second author’s leg, about 60 mm SL, Ugnop
Cave system. Fig. 2. Barbodes pyrpholeos, freshly caught individual of about 100 mm SL, Ugnop Cave system. (Photographs by Daniel Edison M. Husana) |
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| Fig. 3. Barbodes pyrpholeos, freshly captured individual (likely to be the holotype), about 100 mm SL, Ugnop Cave system. (Photograph by Daniel Edison M. Husana) Fig. 4. Barbodes pyrpholeos, PNM 15649, holotype, 104.1 mm SL; radiograph below. (Photograph and radiograph by Tan Heok Hui) |
Barbodes pyrpholeos, new species
Diagnosis. Barbodes pyrpholeos can be differentiated
from all congeners by the following unique combination
of characters: body with little brown pigment, appearing
white or pinkish in life; unpaired fins with posterior half
bright orangey-red in life, anterior half of unpaired fins and
paired fins hyaline; eyes present and pigmented, possibly still
functional. All other congeners (except the cave-dwelling B.
microps) having body with black blotches, bars, stripes, dots,
and triangular markings; body and fins appear pigmentless
in B. microps (information on colours in life not available).
Barbodes pyrpholeos can be further differentiated from B.
microps (some data obtained from Haryono, 2006) in having
the following characters: eye present, though variable in
size (based on available material only) vs. eye absent or
represented by a small, possibly non-functional eye in some
individuals of B. microps; more dorsal-fin rays (8–9½, vs.
8); greater mean head length (32.3% SL, vs. 30.8%); lower
mean predorsal length (55.1% SL, vs. 57.5%); lower mean
body depth at anus (20.6% SL, vs. 36.5%); lower mean
caudal peduncle depth (12.4% SL, vs. 14.7%); larger eye
diameter (14.9–22.3, mean 17.3% HL, vs. 10.2–17.9, mean
14.9, when present).
Distribution. Known only from karstic cave systems in
Mindanao Island, the Philippines.
Field notes. See Larson & Husana (2018: 98, fig. 1) and
Husana (2020) for view of the habitat and syntopic species.
Barbodes pyrpholeos was originally discovered by Arnel
Pasilan (Prosperidad Mountaineering Club) during their
earlier exploration, and brought to the attention of the
second author.
Etymology. The species name is a combination of the Greek
words pyr, meaning fire, and pholeos, meaning cave, in
reference to the fiery red fins of this cave-dwelling species.
Used as a noun in apposition.
Tan Heok Hui and Daniel Edison M. Husana. 2021. Barbodes pyrpholeos, New Species, the First Cave-dwelling Cyprinid fish in the Philippines, with Redescription of B. montanoi (Teleostei: Cyprinidae). RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY. 69; 309–323. DOI: 10.26107/RBZ-2021-0054