[Ichthyology • 2026] Amblyceps vayavy • A New Catfish (Siluriformes: Amblycipitidae) from the northern part of the Western Ghats, India

  Amblyceps vayavy

Vijayakrishnan, Thackeray & Shirke, 2026

DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5768.3.6 

 

Abstract

Amblyceps vayavy, a new species of amblycipitid catfish, is described from the northern part of the Western Ghats Hotspot, India. The new species can be distinguished from all congeners in having the following combination of characters: forked caudal fin, adipose-fin separate from dorsal procurrent part of the caudal fin, centrally projecting hooks on proximal lepidotrichia of median caudal-fin rays absent, incomplete lateral line, lower jaw longer than upper, anal-fin base 15.3–15.9% SL, body depth at anus 14.7–15.3% SL, and adipose-fin base length 21.8–22.3% SL.

Pisces, Sisoroidea, Siluriformes, torrent catfishes, Goa, Maharashtra

Amblyceps vayavy sp. nov. 

 

Balaji VIJAYAKRISHNAN, Tejas THACKERAY and Abhishek SHIRKE. 2026. Amblyceps vayavy, A New catfish from the northern part of the Western Ghats, India (Teleostei: Amblycipitidae). Zootaxa. 5768(1); 401-409. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5768.3.6 [2026-03-11]

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[Ichthyology • 2024] Liobagrus chenhaojuni • A New Species of Liobagrus Hilgendorf, 1878 (Siluriformes: Amblycipitidae) from the lower Changjiang River basin in southeast China

Liobagrus chenhaojuni Chen, Guo & Wu,

in Chen, Guo, Dai, X.-C. Huang, J.-H. Huang, Jiang, Ouyang, Wen et Wu, 2024.

浙江䱀  ||  DOI: 10.3897/zse.100.122472

Abstract

A new catfish species, Liobagrus chenhaojuni Chen, Guo & Wu, sp. nov., is described from the Tiaoxi River, a tributary of Taihu Lake, located in Zhejiang Province, China. This description is based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis. This species belongs to a group defined by the presence of a smooth posterior edge of the pectoral-fin spine and can be distinguished from other species in the group by a unique combination of characteristics, including: an upper jaw longer than the lower jaw; maxillary barbels reaching the middle of the pectoral fin; irregular blotches present on the lateral body; a rounded caudal-fin with a length ranging from 16.5% to 19.9% of the standard length; 39 to 41 post-Weberian vertebrae; and 15 to 17 anal-fin rays. The validity of this new species is further supported by the molecular phylogenetic analysis based on Cytb sequences.

Key Words: catfish, phylogeny, taxonomy, Zhejiang Province

Liobagrus chenhaojuni sp. nov. A–C. Dorsal, lateral, and ventral view of holotype (24_NCU_XPWU_Y01); D. Dorsal view of pectoral-fin spine of paratype (22_NCU_XPWU_Y31). Arrows show the anus.

Living specimens of Liobagrus chenhaojuni sp. nov. and its similar congeneric species. A, B. Liobagrus chenhaojuni sp. nov.; C. Liobagrus chenhaojuni sp. nov.  albino individual;
D. L. styani; E. L. anguillicauda; F. L. brevispina; G. dorsal view of pectoral-fin spine of L. brevispina.

 Liobagrus chenhaojuni Chen, Guo & Wu, sp. nov.

 

Diagnosis: Liobagrus chenhaojuni sp. nov. is a member of the group defined by the presence of a smooth posterior edge of the pectoral-fin spine (i.e., L. reinii, L. formosanus, L. styani, L. nantoensis, L. anguillicauda, L. marginatoides, and L. aequilabris). It can be distinguished from all other species in this group by the following characteristics: the upper jaw is longer than the lower jaw (vs. equal in L. aequilabris and L. formosanus; shorter in L. marginatoides); the maxillary barbels reach the middle of the pectoral fin (vs. reach the pectoral-fin insertion in L. styani, L. reinii, and L. nantoensis); presence of irregular blotches on the lateral body (vs. absence in L. formosanus, L. nantoensis, L. anguillicauda, L. marginatoides, and L. aequilabris); the caudal fin is rounded (vs. sub-truncate in L. marginatoides); the caudal fin length ranges from 16.5% to 19.9% standard length (vs. 13.1–16.2 in L. styani, 20.3–27.0 in L. anguillicauda and 20.1–26.9 in L. aequilabris); it possesses 39–41 post-Weberian vertebrae (vs. 35–37 in L. aequilabris), the anal-fin rays range from 15 to 17 (vs. 12 in L. nantoensis) (Table 3).

Etymology: This species is named after Mr. Hao-Jun Chen, who assisted in the field survey. 

Vernacular name: 浙江䱀 (Pinyin: zhe jiang yang).

  

 Zhong-Guang Chen, Yan-Shu Guo, Yu-Ting Dai, Xiao-Chen Huang, Jun-Hao Huang, Jiao Jiang, Shan Ouyang, An-Xiang Wen and Xiao-Ping Wu. 2024. A New Species of Liobagrus Hilgendorf, 1878 (Teleostei, Siluriformes, Amblycipitidae) from the lower Changjiang River basin in southeast China. Zoosystematics and Evolution. 100(2): 555-563. DOI: 10.3897/zse.100.122472

[Ichthyology • 2023] Amblyceps crassioris • A New sisoroid Catfish (Siluriformes: Amblycipitidae) from Odisha, India

 Amblyceps crassioris

Vijayakrishnan & Jayasimhan, 2023

 

DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15599

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Abstract

Amblyceps crassioris, a new species of amblycipitid catfish, is described from the Mahanadi River basin in Odisha, India. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners in having a combination of the following characters: a deeply forked caudal fin, centrally projecting hooks on proximal lepidotrichia of median caudal-fin rays absent, jaws equal in length, lateral line absent, body depth at anus 15.1%–19.5% standard length (SL), caudal peduncle depth 13.0%–18.3% SL, adipose-fin base length 21.1%–27.1% SL, eye diameter 7.35%–14.1% head length and 38 total vertebrae.

Keywords: biogeography, cryptic diversity, Eastern Ghats, Mahanadi River, Sisoroidea

Cleared and stained caudal fin of Amblyceps sp.
 (a) Amblyceps crassioris, paratype, showing absence of centrally projecting hooks (b) Amblyceps tenuisipinis  showing poorly formed centrally projecting hooks and (c) Amblyceps arunachalense (Photo Credit : Achom Darshan) showing well-developed hooks on the proximal lepidotrichia of median caudal-fin rays.  

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Amblyceps crassioris, a new species

 Amblyceps crassioris habitat

photo by Abhisek Mishra

Balaji Vijayakrishnan and Praveenraj Jayasimhan. 2023. Amblyceps crassioris, A New sisoroid Catfish from Odisha, India (Siluriformes: Amblycipitidae). Journal of Fish Biology. DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15599

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[Ichthyology • 2023] Liobagrus geumgangensis • A New Species of Torrent Catfish (Siluriformes: Amblycipitidae) from Korea

Liobagrus geumgangensis 

Kim, Yun & Park, 2023

DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1180.105233

 

Abstract

In a recent survey of populations of the Korean torrent catfish Liobagrus, a distinctive species was discovered from the Geum River and its tributaries flowing into the western coast of Korea, and here described as a new species, L. geumgangensis sp. nov. It is distinguishable from other congeners by a combination of the following characters: I, 8 pectoral fin-rays; 52–56 caudal-fin rays; a relatively short occiput to dorsal-fin origin distance (6.9–9.8% SL); a short pelvic-fin insertion to anal-fin origin distance (11.9–17.3% SL); a long dorsal-fin base (10.6–13.5% SL); 8–9 gill rakers; 5–8 serrations on the pectoral fin; the body and fins are dark yellow, the margins of the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins are dark brown, but the outermost rim is faintly yellow. Analysis of the cytb gene also confirmed that L. geumgangensis is a monophyletic lineage distinct from other congeners.

Key words: Catfishes, cytb, DNA, geographical speciation, key, morphometrics, taxonomy

Liobagrus geumgangensis sp. nov. holotype (CNUC 39103), 70.7 mm SL, male, Geum River, Namyang-myeon, Cheongyang-gun, South Korea;
 lateral (A), dorsal (B) and ventral (C) views.

Amblycipitidae Day, 1873

 Liobagrus geumgangensis sp. nov.

Diagnosis: Liobagrus geumgangensis can be distinguished from other species in the genus by the length of the upper and lower jaws, and the presence or absence of serrations on the posterior edge of the pectoral fin, which are representative characteristics of the genus Liobagrus. Liobagrus geumgangensis has a longer upper than lower jaw and serrations on the posterior edge of the pectoral fin. Species that share these characteristics with L. geumgangensis are as follows: L. mediadiposalis, L. somjinensis, L. hyeongsanensis, L. huaiheensis and L. pseudostyani. This new species can be distinguished by the relatively large number of serrations (5–8) on the posterior edge of the pectoral fin (vs. 4–6 in L. mediadiposalis and L. somjinensis, 2–3 in L. hyeongsanensis, L. huaiheensis and L. pseudostyani). It can be further differentiated from L. huaiheensis and L. pseudostyani by the subtruncate caudal fin (vs. rounded). Liobagrus geumgangensis is distinguished from its geographically closest congeners L. mediadiposalis and L. somjinensis by the following combination of characteristics: the body and fins are dark yellow, and the margins of the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins are dark brown, but the outermost rim is faintly yellow (vs. broad yellowish outer margin of the fins in L. mediadiposalis and crescent-shaped band in the middle of the caudal fin in L. somjinensis); pectoral fin rays I, 8 (vs. both I, 7); caudal fin rays 52–56 (vs. both 57–61); a relatively short occiput to dorsal-fin origin (6.9–9.8% SL vs. 10.3–13.3% in L. mediadiposalis and 9.7–13.0 in L. somjinensis); a short pelvic-fin origin to anal-fin origin (11.9–17.3% SL vs. 15.3–20.9% in L. mediadiposalis and 13.3–18.7% in L. somjinensis); a long dorsal-fin base (10.6–13.5% SL vs. 7.7–10.4% in L. mediadiposalis and 8.8–11.3% in L. somjinensis); and 8–9 gill rakes (vs. 7–11 in L. mediadiposalis and 7–9 in L. somjinensis) (Figs 1, 2).

...

Etymology: Named after the Geum River (Geumgang in Korean), the type locality. We propose the Korean name Geumgang-Jagasari for this species.

Liobagrus mediadiposalis (A), CNUC 39153, 97.0 mm SL; male, Nakdong River, Sancheong-gun, South Korea
and L. somjinensis (B), CNUC 39170, 99.4 mm SL, male, Somjin River, Namwon-si, South Korea.

Su-hwan Kim, Seung-woon Yun and Jong-young Park. 2023. A New Species of Torrent Catfish, Liobagrus geumgangensis (Teleostei, Siluriformes, Amblycipitidae), from Korea. ZooKeys. 1180: 317-332. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1180.105233

[Ichthyology • 2022] Amblyceps hmolaii • Integrative Taxonomy peeps A New Torrent Catfish Species of Genus Amblyceps (Siluriformes: Amblycipitidae) in Kaladan River of Mizoram, India

Amblyceps hmolaii 

Singh, Lalronunga & Ramliana, 2022

DOI: 10.1007/s11033-022-07302-7 

 Researchgate.net/publication/359022986 

Abstract

Background: 

Explorations of the Kaladan River of Mizoram, India during the last decade have given a large number of new species. Integrative taxonomy, when used at the time of discovery of new species, can correlate the morphological characters with the species-specific DNA signatures and ameliorate the process of species identification. Based on this approach, Amblyceps hmolaii sp. nov., a new torrent catfish species is described from the Kaladan River drainage.

Methods and results: 

The new species is distinguished from all twenty-two congeners by morphometric measurements and meristic counts. Sequence analysis of mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), generated in this study and those available in NCBI, separated A. hmolaii sp. nov. from seven species of Amblyceps. Analysis of COI sequences, with ABGD software to delimit the species, also provided eight stable groups corresponding to the eight species of Amblyceps. The new species was separated from its congeners with an average genetic distance of 11.77%. Maximum-likelihood (ML) phylogenetic tree was constructed using the best fit nucleotide substitution model HKY + G + I.

Conclusion: 

This study used all the twenty-two congeners in morphomeristic analysis and seven congeners in molecular analysis, for comparison with the new species. This approach unambiguously resolved the new species from other species of Amblyceps and created its species-specific DNA signatures. The discovery of new species even marked the first record of genus Amblyceps from the Kaladan drainage.

 

Keywords: Barcode gap, Cytochrome c oxidase I, Genetic distance, Morphometric characters, Phylogenetic tree

Amblyceps hmolaii sp. nov., ZSI FF 9059, holotype, 51.5 mm SL;
 India: Mizoram: Kawlchaw River (Kaladan River drainage)

Class: Actinopterygii Klein 1885.

Order: Siluriformes Cuvier, 1817.

Family: Amblycipitidae Day 1873.

Genus: Amblyceps Blyth 1858.

Amblyceps hmolaii sp. nov. 

Etymology: Named in honor of Hmolai, a famous Lakher chief of Lushai hills (present-day Mizoram state).

 

Mahender Singh, Samuel Lalronunga and Lal Ramliana. 2022. Integrative Taxonomy peeps A New Torrent Catfish Species of Genus Amblyceps (Siluriformes: Amblycipitidae) in Kaladan River of Mizoram, India. Molecular Biology Reports. DOI: 10.1007/s11033-022-07302-7

  Researchgate.net/publication/359022986_Integrative_taxonomy_peeps_a_new_torrent_catfish_species_of_genus_Amblyceps_in_Kaladan_River_of_Mizoram_India

[Ichthyology • 2018] Amblyceps improcerum • A New Sisoroid Catfish (Siluriformes: Amblycipitidae) from Kachin State, Myanmar

Amblyceps improcerum

 Ng & Kottelat, 2018

  DOI: 10.1007/s10641-017-0712-0 

Abstract 

A new species of amblycipitid catfish is here described from the Indawgyi Lake basin of the Irrawaddy River drainage in Kachin State, Myanmar as Amblyceps improcerum, new species. It can be distinguished from congeners in having a unique combination of the following characters: lower jaw longer than upper; head length 17.4–22.3% SL; head width 13.7–15.2% SL; head depth 9.0–11.7% SL; interorbital distance 31–39% HL; eye diameter 7–10% HL; 37–38 vertebrae; lateral line incomplete; predorsal length 25.5–30.7% SL; smooth posterior margin of pectoral spine; pectoral-fin length 13.5–16.8% SL; pelvic-fin length 9.6–13.4% SL; dorsal-to-adipose distance 25.2–28.7% SL; length of adipose-fin base 19.4–23.3% SL; adipose fin separate from dorsal procurrent caudal-fin rays; preanal length 62.1–66.9% SL; body depth at anus 9.8–12.8% SL; depth of caudal peduncle 10.1–12.6% SL; length of caudal peduncle 21.4–24.0% SL, post-adipose distance 15.8–17.8% SL; weakly-forked caudal fin with short broadly, rounded lobes (length of longest ray 1.3–1.5 times length of median rays); centrally projecting hooks on proximal lepidotrichia of median caudal-fin rays absent.

Keywords: Ostariophysi, Sisoroidea, Irrawaddy river, New species 

Fig. 1 Amblyceps improcerum, holotype, MHNG 2768.061, 53.2 mm SL; Myanmar: Kachin State: Lake Indawgyi basin. Dorsal, lateral and ventral views

Amblyceps improcerum, new species

Etymology: The specific epithet comes from the Latin adjective improcerus, −a, −um, meaning "not tall" or "undersized", in reference to the relatively short caudalfin lobes and adipose-fin base of this species when compared to nearly all congeners.

Heok Hee Ng and Maurice Kottelat. 2018. Amblyceps improcerum, A New Sisoroid Catfish from Kachin State, Myanmar (Teleostei: Siluriformes: Amblycipitidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes.  DOI: 10.1007/s10641-017-0712-0

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