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| Hongiastoma zhangbuensis Zheng & Chen, 2025 |
Abstract
Hongiastoma zhangbuensis sp. nov. is described from a tributary of the upper reach of the Pearl River basin based on the morphological and molecular data. It is distinguished from all known species within the subfamily Acrossocheilinae by having a combination of the following characteristics: a crescent horny sheath on the lower jaw, a less prominent lower lip limited to the corners of the mouth, a serrated posterior edge of the last simple dorsal-ray, 47–50 lateral-line scales, 9 scales above the lateral line, 16–18 circumpeduncular scales, and 16–18 pre-dorsal midline scales. The molecular phylogeny revealed that H. zhangbuensis sp. nov. was a sister taxon to Hongiastomata argentatum, with a genetic distance ranging from 10.49% to 10.68%. Together, they formed a lineage at the base of the Acrossocheilinae clade. Furthermore, the interspecific genetic distances between the new species and those of Onychostoma sensu lato ranged from 9.9 to 13.4%, indicating significant genetic divergence between this new species and all known species within Onychostoma sensu lato. Therefore, both morphological and molecular data support the recognition of this species as new.
Keywords: morphology; molecular phylogenetics; COI; Cypriniformes
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| Lateral view of Hongiastoma zhangbuensis sp. nov. (A) KIZ 2024011623, paratype, 144.6 mm SL; (B) not preserved, 217.2 mm TL. |
Hongiastoma zhangbuensis sp. nov.
Diagnosis. Hongiastoma zhangbuensis can be distinguished from Hongiastoma argentatum by the following unique combination of characteristics: last simple dorsal-ray hard and serrated posteriorly (vs. slender and smooth), dorsal-fin origin positioned anterior to (vs. behind/opposite to) pelvic-fin insertion, and more (9 vs. 7) scales above the lateral-line.
Lan-Ping Zheng and Wei-Tao Chen. 2025. Hongiastoma zhangbuensis, A New Species of the Subfamily Acrossocheilinae (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from South China. Animals. 15(17), 2563. DOI: doi.org/10.3390/ani15172563 [31 August 2025]
Simple Summary: The family Cyprinidae has significant economic value. The genus Hongiastoma belongs to the subfamily Acrossocheilinae within the family Cyprinidae, which was recently established and is currently monotypic. A new species, Hongiastoma zhangbuensis sp. nov. is described and illustrated from the Pearl River basin in this study. This is the first record of the genus Hongiastoma in China.
