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| Opsariichthys rubriventris J.-B. Chen, Y.-T. Li, J.-J. Zhou & J.-J. Wang, in Chen, Y.-T. Li,Zhou, C. Li, Weng, Lin et Wang, 2024. |
Abstract
A new cyprinid fish, Opsariichthys rubriventris sp. nov., is described from the Xizhijiang River, a tributary of the Pearl River basin in Huizhou City, Guangdong Province, southern China. The species is distinguished from all other congeners by the following combination of characters: predorsal scales 13–14; lower jaw projecting slightly beyond upper jaw; cheek with two mainly longitudinal rows of tubercles; and lower jaw, belly, pectoral fin, and anterior margin of anal fin in adult males being reddish-orange. The principal component analysis result of the morphological data indicated that O. rubriventris sp. nov. could be clearly distinguished fromfour other congeners. The phylogenetic analysis conducted in this study, utilizing both Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Bayesian Inference (BI) methods, supported the monophyly of the novel species O. rubriventris sp. nov. at the species level. Additionally, the genetic distance analysis revealed that O. rubriventris sp. nov. exhibits a genetic distance ranging from 0.14 to 0.16 with its congeneric species, further affirming its taxonomic status.
Keywords: taxonomy; phylogenetic analysis; Guangdong province; opsariichthine
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| Opsariichthys rubriventris sp. nov.: (a) freshly preserved male; (b) male, preserved specimen, SCNU202404001, holotype, 67.9 mm SL, Huidong County, Huizhou City, Guangdong Province, China; (c) female, SCNU202404002, paratype, 60.7 mm SL, Huidong County, Huizhou City, Guangdong Province, China. |
Opsariichthys rubriventris sp. nov. J.-B. Chen, Y.-T. Li, J.-J. Zhou & J.-J. Wang,
Diagnosis:
Opsariichthys rubriventris sp. nov. can be distinguished from the congeneric species by the following combination of morphological characters: (1) no maxillary barbels; (2) no anterior notch at the tip of the upper lip; (3) lateral line scales 39–43; (4) predorsal scales 13–14; (5) narrow body width; (6) lower jaw protrudes slightly beyond the front of the snout; (7) 2 rows of pearl organs of the cheek, and the pearl organs are cone-shaped; (8) the pectoral fins of adult males do not extend to the origin of the pelvic fins; (9) adult males have significant nuptial coloration; the lower jaw and ventral side are orange-red; (10) the envelope of the first six rays of the anal fin of adult males, females, and juveniles is orange-red, and the remaining rays gradually become colorless.
Morphologically, O. rubriventris sp. nov. can be clearly distinguished from its congeners O. bidens and O. hainanesis based on these characteristics: O. bidens and O. hainanesis have a concave notch at the front of the upper jaw in which the anterior end of the mandible fits, while the O. rubriventris sp. nov. does not have a deep notch at the front of the upper jaw ...
Etymology: The specific epithet rubriventris is constructed from the Latin words ruber, meaning red, and venter, meaning belly, an adjective, referring to the red belly of the mature males. In addition, since O. rubriventris sp. nov. is only distributed in Guangdong Province, China, we suggest its Chinese vernacular to be “广东马口鱼”.
Jia-Bo Chen, Ying-Tao Li, Jia-Jun Zhou, Cheng Li, Guo-Xi Weng, Hung-Du Lin and Jun-Jie Wang. 2024. A New Species of Cyprinid Genus Opsariichthys (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from the Pearl River, Southern China. Diversity. 16(10), 596. DOI: doi.org/10.3390/d16100596
