Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 1729 No. 1: 20 Mar. 2008
Type: Article
Published: 2008-03-20
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1729.1.3
Page range: 23–36
Abstract views: 45
PDF downloaded: 2

A review of the Nemacheilinae genus Oreonectes Gunther with descriptions of two new species (Teleostei: Balitoridae)

Department of Systematic Zoology, Kunming Institute of Zoology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, 650223, P. R. China Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, P. R. China
Department of Systematic Zoology, Kunming Institute of Zoology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, 650223, P. R. China
Department of Systematic Zoology, Kunming Institute of Zoology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, 650223, P. R. China
Fish Nemacheilinae Oreonectes Guangxi China

Abstract

The loach genus Oreonectes is reviewed in this study. Six valid species are recognized, including two new species. Oreonectes polystigmus sp. nov., and Oreonectes microphthalmus sp. nov. are described from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Among its congeners, O. polystigmus is most similar to O. platycephalus in morphology. It can be distinguished from all its congeners by an incomplete lateral line with 6–8 pores; a cephalic lateral-line system with 7 supraorbital and 4+7 infraorbital pores; sexual dimorphism (males have a genital papilla located immediately posterior of the anus, and the gonad is opened at the end of a fleshy prominence); and a body with many differently shaped spots. Oreonectes microphthalmus is most similar to O. furcocaudalis in morphology. It can be distinguished from all congeners by its degenerate eyes, which only have black pigment; a cephalic lateral-line system with 2+2 supratemporal, 7 supraorbital, 3+0 infraorbital and 8 preoperculomandibular pores; and an incomplete lateral line with 3 pores. A key to all valid Oreonectes species is provided. The validity of some related species is discussed. Nemacheilus liboensis, Oreonectes liboensis and Oreonectes translucens are all proved to be synonyms of Paracobitis longibarbatus, and Paracobitis longibarbatus is actually a species of Triplophysa.

References

  1. Chen, J.X. & Zhu, S.Q. (1984) Phylogenetic relationships of the subfamilies in the loach family Cobitidea (Pisces). Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica, 9, 201–208.

    Chen, Y.R. (2000) The life extended in the dark-precious cave fish. Man and the Biosphere, 2, 38–41.

    Chen, Y.R., Yang, J.X., Sket, B. & Aljancic, G. (1998) A new blind cave loach of Paracobitis with comment on its characters evolution. Zoological Research, 19, 59–63.

    Gnther, A. (1868) Catalogue of the Fishes in the British Museum. Volume seventh. Trustees of the British Museum, London. 512 pp.

    Kottelat, M. (1990) Indochinese nemacheilines. A revision of nemacheiline loaches (Pisces: Cypriniformes) of Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia and southern Viet Nam. Druckerei braunstein, Mnchen. 262 pp.

    Kottelat, M. (2001) Freshwater Fishes of Northern Vietnam, A Preliminary Check-list of the Fishes Known or Expected to Occur in Northern Vietnam with Comments on Systematics and Nomenclature. Environment and Social Development Sector Unit, East Asia and Pacific Region, the World Bank, 1–261.

    Lan, J.H., Yang, J.X. & Chen, Y.R. (1995) Two new species of the subfamily Nemacheilinae from Guangxi, China. Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica., 366–372.

    Lin, S.Y. (1932) New cyprinid fishes from White Cloud Mountain, Canton. Lingnan Science Journal, 11, 380–381.

    Martens, E. (1868) Uber eine neue Untergattung von Homaloptera. Monatsber. AK. Wiss. Berlin: 608.

    Meng, Q.W., Su, J.X. & Li, W.D. (1987) Comparative Anatomy of Fishes. Science press, Beijing, China, 1–403.

    Ran, J.C. (2000) A preliminary research on cave fish in Libo County. Carsologica Sinica, Guangxi, China, 19, 327–332.

    Tang, Q.Y., Liu, H.Z., Mayden R. & Xiong B. X. (2006) Comparison of evolutionary rates in the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene and control region and their implications for phylogeny of the Cobitoidea (Teleostei: Cypriniformes). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 39, 347–357.

    Zhang, Z.L., Zhao, Y.H. & Zhang, C.G. (2006). A new blind loach, Oreonectes translucens (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Nemacheilinae) from Guangxi. Zoological Studies, 45 (4): 611–615.

    Zheng, C.Y. (1989) The Fishes of Pearl River. Science Publishing Company, Beijing, 1–438.

    Zheng, P.S. (1981) Freshwater Fishes Guangxi. Guangxi People’s Publishers, Nanning, China, 1–256.

    Zhu, S.Q. (1986). A comparative study on the air-bladder and its bony capsule of noemacheiline fishes (Cobitidae) in China. Acta Hydrobiologica Sinica, 10, 137–143

    Zhu, S.Q. (1989) The Loaches of the Subfamily Nemacheilinae in China (Cypriniformes: Cobitidae). Jiangsu Science & Technology Publishing House, Nanjing, China, 1–150.

    Zhu, S.Q. & Cao, W.X. (1987) The noemacheiline fishes from Guangdong and Guangxi with descriptions of a new genus and three new species (Cypriniformes: Cobitidae). Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica, 12, 323–331.