A new cave‐dwelling loach, Triplophysa xichouensis sp. nov. (Teleostei Nemacheilidae) from Yunnan, China

• Published in: Journal of fish biology Vol. 90; no. 3; pp. 834 - 846
• Main Authors: Liu, S. W., Pan, X. F., Yang, J. X., Chen, X. Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-03-2017; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Animal behavior; Animals; Caves; China; Cypriniformes - anatomy & histology; Cypriniformes - classification; degenerated eyes; Female; Fish; Nemacheilidae; Red River; Rivers; scaleless; taxonomy; scaleless; Nemacheilidae; taxonomy; degenerated eyes; Red River
• ISSN: 0022-1112; 1095-8649
• DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13201

A new cave‐dwelling loach of the genus Triplophysa, T. xichouensis, is described from an outlet of a subterranean river in Xisa Town, Xichou County, Yunnan Province, China. It can be distinguished from its congeners by the following characters: dorsal‐fin rays iii, 8; anal‐fin rays ii, 6; pectoral‐fin rays i, 9 or 10; pelvic‐fin rays i, 5 or 6; branched caudal‐fin rays 16(8+8); eyes highly degenerated to a very tiny black dot; dorsal‐fin origin closer to snout tip than to caudal‐fin base and anterior to vertical line of pelvic‐fin origin; pectoral fin length about two‐thirds the distance between pectoral‐fin origin to pelvic‐fin origin; caudal peduncle slender, its length about three times its depth; caudal fin emarginate; body smooth and scaleless; lateral line complete and straight; anterior chamber of air bladder wrapped in dumbbell‐shaped bony capsule and the posterior one well developed, long, oval; intestine short, bending in zigzag shape behind stomach. A key for the cave‐dwelling species of Triplophysa is provided.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9162FFB1‐7911‐47C3‐AE50‐6A00E9590327