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| Yunnanilus polylepis Qin, Shao, Du & Wang, 2024 |
Abstract
A new species of Yunnanilus is described from the Nanpanjiang River, Yunnan, China. The new species, Yunnanilus polylepis, can be distinguished from other species of Yunnanilus by the following combination of characteristics: Processus dentiformis absent; eye diameter smaller than interorbital width; outer gill raker absent and 10 inner gill rakers on first gill arch; whole trunk covered by scales; nine branched dorsal-fin rays; 10 or 11 branched pectoral-fin rays; six branched pelvic-fin rays. Despite our phylogenetic analysis, which sheds light on the complex relationships among Yunnanilus species, the majority of Yunnanilus species are restricted to more localized environments and habitats. It is urgent to address the environmental threats that jeopardize their survival, especially given their generally restricted distribution.
Key Words: Loach, mitochondrial gene, morphology, Nanpanjiang River, taxonomy
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| Morphometric characters of Yunnanilus polylepis sp. nov. A–C. Lateral, dorsal, and ventral views of female, holotype KIZ2023000009; D–F. Lateral, dorsal, and ventral views of male, paratype KIZ2023000041; G–H. Living photo of female and male; I. Location of anterior and posterior nostrils. |
Yunnanilus polylepis sp. nov.
Diagnosis: The new species is distinguished from all other members of the genus based on the following characters: whole trunk covered by scales; processus dentiformis absent; eye diameter smaller than interorbital width; nine branched dorsal-fin rays; 10 or 11 branched pectoral-fin rays; six branched pelvic-fin rays; outer gill raker absent and 10 inner gill rakers on first gill arch.
Etymology: The specific name polylepis is derived from the characteristic of being entirely covered by scales Gender: Masculine. We suggest the Chinese and English common names as “多鳞云南鳅” and “densely scaled Yunnan loach,” respectively.
Zhi-Xian Qin, Wei-han Shao, Li-Na Du and Zhen-Xing Wang. 2024. A New Species of Yunnanilus (Cypriniformes, Nemacheilidae) from Yunnan, southwest China. Zoosystematics and Evolution. 100(2): 747-754. DOI: 10.3897/zse.100.122962