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Issue: Vol. 1393 No. 1: 18 Jan. 2007
Type: Articles
Published: 2007-01-18
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1393.1.4
Page range: 35–44
Abstract views: 64
PDF downloaded: 3

Schistura papulifera, a new species of cave loach from Meghalaya, India (Teleostei: Balitoridae)

Route de la Baroche 12, case postale 57, CH-2952 Cornol, Switzerland (address for correspondence); and School of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore 119260
School of Life Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburg, Scotland EH14 4AS, UK
Department of Zoology, the Manchester Museum, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PI, UK.
teleostei cavefish Meghalaya Schistura Balitoridae

Abstract

Schistura papulifera, new species, is described from a cave of the Synrang Pamiang system, Meghalaya State, India. It is distinguished from all other known species of Schistura in having the lower half of the head covered by small skin projections and 5 pores in the supratemporal canal of the cephalic lateral-line system. In addition, it has a white body and vestigial eyes. The closest epigean relative of S. papulifera has not yet been identified due to the lack of survey and usable data. The identity of the cave nemacheiline from Siju Cave is briefly discussed, but this remains inconclusive, again due to the lack of material and usable data.

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