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| Triplophysa xiuwenensis Zhu, Zhang & Yuan, in Zhu, Yuan, Zhang et Zhao, 2025. |
Abstract
Based on morphological and molecular data, we described a new cave-dwelling species, Triplophysa xiuwenensis sp. nov., from the karst region of southwest China. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by the following morphological characteristics: body scaleless without pigmentation; eye diameter of HL with 4.6–6.7%; tip of pelvic fin not reaching anus; outer rostral barbel reaching to posterior margin of eyes; 14–15 branched caudal fin rays. Phylogenetic relationships based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cyt b) gene support the validity of the new species. The discovery of the new species brings the number of cave-dwelling Triplophysa species in Guizhou Province to 15, making it the region with the highest number of Triplophysa cave species in the southwestern karst area.
Key Words: Cavefish, karst, morphology, new loach, taxonomy
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| Live specimen of Triplophysa xiuwenensis sp. nov. |
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| Triplophysa xiuwenensis sp. nov., holotype, GZNUSLS202306086, 69.1 mm SL. a. dorsal view; b. lateral view; c. ventral view. |
Triplophysa xiuwenensis Zhu, Zhang & Yuan, sp. nov.
Diagnosis. The new species can be distinguished from all other species in the genus Triplophysa by the following combination of characteristics: body naked, without skin pigmentation, lateral line complete; eye reduced, with diameter of HL 4.6–6.7%; anterior nostril with elongated barbel-like tip; long outer rostral barbel reaching to posterior margin of eyes; distal margin of dorsal fin truncate; tip of pectoral fin not reaching to pelvic-fin origin, tip of pelvic fin near anus; dorsal fin 8, anal fin 6, and caudal fin 14–15 branched fin rays; vertebrae 41.
Etymology. The specific name refers to the type locality of the new species: Shilin Village, Xiuwen County and the Latin suffix (ensis). We propose the Chinese name ‘修文高原鳅’.
Ting-Ting Zhu, Feng-Hua Yuan, Ren-Yi Zhang and Ya-Hui Zhao. 2025. A New cave-dwelling Species of the Genus Triplophysa (Cypriniformes, Nemacheilidae) from southwest China. Zoosystematics and Evolution. 101(4): 1383-1396. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zse.101.154380
