[Ichthyology • 2024] Oreichthys warjaintia • A New Species of cyprinid fish (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) from Meghalaya, India

 

Oreichthys warjaintia

Dann, Dahanukar & Raghavan, 2024 

DOI: doi.org/10.1111/jfb.16001 

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Abstract

Oreichthys warjaintia, new species, is described from the Pyrngang stream (Surma–Meghna basin), Meghalaya, northeast India. It can be distinguished from all known species within the genus Oreichthys in having the following combination of characters: complete lateral line with 25–27 pored scales, 13 branched pectoral-fin rays, 5–5½ branched anal-fin rays, 14 rows of papillae on suborbital, ½3/1/2½ scale rows in transverse line on body, presence of a black blotch on caudal-fin base, and in the coloration of dorsal, caudal, and anal fins. Oreichthys warjaintia is distinct from all known Oreichthys species for which mitochondrial cox1 sequence data are available by a raw genetic distance ranging from 8.3% to 11.1%.

Keywords: Cox1 gene, eastern Himalaya, high-fin barb, Surma–Meghna, taxonomy

Oreichthys warjaintia sp. nov.

 

Lekiningroy Dann, Neelesh Dahanukar and Rajeev Raghavan. 2024. Oreichthys warjaintia, A New Species of cyprinid fish from Meghalaya, India (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae). Journal of Fish Biology. DOI: doi.org/10.1111/jfb.16001

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[Ichthyology • 2022] Pangio pathala • A New Diminutive Subterranean Eel Loach Species of the Genus Pangio (Teleostei: Cobitidae) from southern India

Pangio pathala

 Sundar, Arjun, Sidharthan, Dahanukar & Raghavan, 2022

 

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5138.1.9 

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Abstract

A second subterranean species of Pangio is described from an old dug-out well in Kerala, Southern India. The new species, Pangio pathala is unique within the genus in possessing the highest number (27) of caudal vertebrae. Pangio pathala is distinguished from P. bhujia, the only subterranean Pangio species known so far, in having four pectoral-fin rays (vs. three), five anal-fin rays (vs. six), 67 vertebrae (40 abdominal and 27 caudal vertebrae) (vs. 62–63), and a raw genetic distance of 8.1–8.7% in the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene. This paper also provides an additional record of Pangio bhujia from a location 40 km south of the type locality.

Keywords: Pisces, freshwater fish, groundwater, Taxonomy, Western Ghats 

 Pangio pathala holotype (KUFOS.FT.2020.1, 32.1 mm SL) in life 

Pangio pathala, new species

Etymology. The species name is based on the Sanskrit word pâtâla, which means ‘below the feet’, denoting the subterranean realms of the universe—which are located under the earth’s surface. A noun in apposition.

Remya L. Sundar, C.P. Arjun, Arya Sidharthan, Neelesh Dahanukar and Rajeev Raghavan. 2022. A New Diminutive Subterranean Eel Loach Species of the Genus Pangio (Teleostei: Cobitidae) from Southern India. Zootaxa. 5138(1); 89-97. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5138.1.9

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To Find the Fish, Find the People: How Scientists Came Upon the Pathala Eel Loach

 science.thewire.in/environment/pathala-eel-loach-citizen-science/

 twitter.com/LabRajeev/status/1513220105798184962

[Ichthyology • 2020] Rakthamichthys gen. nov. • Osteology of ‘Monopterus’ roseni with the Description of A New Genus (Synbranchiformes: Synbranchidae), and Comments on the Generic Assignment of the Amphipnous Group Species

Rakthamichthys digressus (Gopi. 2002)

in Britz, Dahanukar, Standing, Philip, Kumar & Raghavan, 2020. 

DOI: 10.23788/IEF-1163

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We provide a detailed description of the head and shoulder girdle osteology of the holotype of the synbranchid ‘Monopterus’ roseni Bailey & Gans. Collected from a well in Kerala, this subterranean synbranchid shows a number of unique and highly derived characters in the gill arch skeleton. In ‘Monopterus’ roseni, basibranchial 2 does not articulate with basibranchial 1, but is situated more posteriorly between the proximal ends of hypobranchials 2, with which it articulates; and ceratobranchial 2 does not articulate with hypobranchial 2, but is offset posteriorly so that the distal tip of hypobranchial 2 is situated in between the proximal ends of ceratobranchial 1 and 2. Based on these striking osteological differences and a combination of additional diagnostic characters, we erect the new genus Rakthamichthys with the type species Monopterus roseni. We also include the other two southern Indian subterranean species formerly referred to as M. indicus Eapen (= M. eapeni Talwar) and M. digressus Gopi in the new genus Rakthamichthys along with the northeast Indian M. rongsaw Britz, Sykes, Gower & Kamei. Rakthamichthys also differs genetically from the other Asian genera of synbranchids, Monopterus and Ophichthys, by an uncorrected p-distance of 18.9-23.9 % in the cox1 barcoding gene. We further resurrect the genus name Typhlosynbranchus Pellegrin for the two West African species ‘M.’ boueti and ‘M.’ luticolus. 

Rakthamichthys roseni (Bailey & Gans 1998) 

Rakthamichthys digressus (Gopi. 2002) 

 Ralf Britz, Neelesh Dahanukar, Ariane Standing, Siby Philip, Biju Kumar and Rajeev Raghavan. 2020. Osteology of ‘Monopterus’ roseni with the Description of Rakthamichthys, New Genus, and Comments on the Generic Assignment of the Amphipnous Group Species (Teleostei: Synbranchiformes). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters. IEF-1163; 1-16. DOI: 10.23788/IEF-1163

 pfeil-verlag.de/publikationen/osteology-of-monopterus-roseni-with-the-description-of-rakthamichthys-new-genus-and-comments-on-the-generic-assignment-of-the-amphipnous-group-species

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Researchgate.net/publication/347975439_Rakthamichthys_new_genus

Swamp eel: Blood-red subterranean dweller is newest fish genus discovered

 phys.org/news/2021-01-swamp-eel-blood-red-subterranean-dweller.html