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| (A) Hongshuia wangi; (B) H. boulobos Zeng & Zhang, in Zeng, Tan, B.-L. Zhang et E. Zhang, 2026. |
Two new species of the labeonin cyprinid genus Hongshuia, H. boulobos and H. wangi, are here described from tributaries of the Pearl River Basin, Southwest China. Both share with H. brevibarba the presence of a lower lip with a sector-shaped median lobe (the maximum width positioned at anterior potion of median lobe), distinguishing them from H. microstomata and H. megalophthalmus, which have a roughly rounded median lobe. Hongshuia wangi is distinct from H. brevibarba and H. boulobos in having wider median lobe of lower lip (width 47.8–57.6% of head width vs. 40.5–43.4% in H. brevibarba and 38.5–44.0% in H. boulobos). Hongshuia boulobos further differs from all other congeners in having a lower lip with larger lateral lobes (width more vs. less than one-third of the median lobe width). The study also considers H. paoli as a junior synonym of H. megalophthalmus based on morphological and molecular evidence.
Keywords: Biogeography, Cyprinidae, Morphology, Speciation, Taxonomy
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| Freshly collected specimen of (A) Hongshuia wangi, IHB 202402146680 and (B) H. boulobos, IHB 202405026699. |
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Distribution of species of Hongshuia. Habitat of (A) Hongshuia wangi: the Zhangbu River (the surface section) and (B) H. boulobos: the Dongsai Subterranean River (the outlet). |
Hongshuia wangi Zeng & Zhang, sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Hongshuia wangi, new species, shares with H. brevibarba and H. boulobos, new species, the presence of a lower lip with a sector-shaped median lobe (the maximum width positioned at anterior potion of median lobe), by which they are separated from H. microstomata and H. megalophthalmus, which have a roughly rounded median lobe of lower lip. It is distinct from H. brevibarba and H. boulobos through a wider median lobe of lower lip (width 47.8–57.6% of corresponding head width vs. ...
Etymology: The specific epithet is derived from the family name of the collector (Guo-Fu Wang), in honor of his contribution in protecting the Zhangbu River and discovering the new species.
Hongshuia boulobos Zeng & Zhang, sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Hongshuia boulobos, new species, is distinct from all congeneric species in having a lower lip with larger lateral lobes (width more than vs. less than one-third of the median lobe width). It is similar to H. wangi and H. brevibarba in having a sector-shaped median lobe of lower lip, a character used to separate them from H. microstomata and H. megalophthalmus where the median lobe of lower lip is roughly rounded. ...
Etymology: The epithet, used as a noun, is derived from the Greek words ‘bou-’ (large) and ‘lobos’(lobe), in allusion to the two large lateral lobes of the lower lip. The common Chinese name proposed for the new species is ‘大叶红水鲮’.
Zhi-Xuan Zeng, Cheng-Jiang Tan, Ben-Lin Zhang and E Zhang. 2026. Descriptions of Two New Species of the Cyprinid Genus Hongshuia (Pisces: Cypriniformes) from the Pearl River Basin, Southwest China, with a Re-evaluation of the Taxonomic Status of H. paoli. Zoological Studies 65:05. DOI: 10.6620/ZS.2026.65-05
