Garra qiaojiensis Wu & Yao, 1977

Sun, Chao, Li, Xu, Zhou, Wei & Li, Fenglian, 2018, A review of Garra (Teleostei: Cypriniformes) from two rivers in West Yunnan, China with description of a new species, Zootaxa 4378 (1), pp. 49-70 : 57-59

Garra qiaojiensis Wu & Yao

( Figs. 4B, 4C and 7 )

Garra qiaojiensis Wu & Yao in Wu 1977: 381–382 (Qiaojie in Tengchong, Yunnan, China) [Longchuan-jiang drainage]; Chu & Cui 1987: 96 (Longchuan-jiang and Daying-jiang drainages); Chu & Cui 1989: 274–275 (Tengchong and Longchuan, Yunnan, China) [Longchuan-jiang and Daying-jiang drainages]; Chen 1998: 179–180 (Tengchong, Yunnan, China) [Longchuan-jiang and Daying-jiang drainages]; Zhang et al. 2000: 238–239 (Tengchong and Yingjiang, Yunnan, China) [Longchuan-jiang drainage]; Zhang & Chen 2002: 462 (the upper Irrawaddy River basin, Yunnan, China); Zhang 2005: 11 (Daying Jiang in Tengchong, Yunnan); Zhang 2006: 452 (Daying Jiang of the upper Irrawaddy River basin in Tengchong, Yunnan, China); Chen 2013: 311 (Longchuan-jiang and Daying-jiang drainages).

Garra longchuanensis Yu, Wang, Xiong & He 2016 : 295 –300 (Longchuan-jiang River, a tributary flowing to the Irrawaddy River basin in Tengchong, Yunnan, China).

Material examined. SWFC 0 101671, 0 101672, 2 ex., 91.0– 105.8 mm SL, Yunnan: Tengchong City: Beihai (=Daju), Daying-jiang, an upper tributary of the Irrawaddy River; SWFC 0202023–0202025, 0 203348, 0 203349, 0 204360, 0 204361, 7 ex., 92.1–121.3 mm SL, Yunnan: Tengchong City: Mangbang, Longchuan-jiang, an upper tributary of the Irrawaddy River; SWFC 0 203320, 0 603008, 0 502068, 0 502069, 4 ex., 89.35–124.9 mm SL, Yunnan: Tengchong City: Tuantian, Longchuan-jiang, an upper tributary of the Irrawaddy River; SWFC 0 502021, 0502039–0502047, 10 ex., 57.7–114.5 mm SL, Yunnan: Lianghe: Mengyang, Longchuan-jiang, an upper tributary of the Irrawaddy River; SWFC 0 203285, 1 ex., 181.8 mm SL, Yunnan: Yingjiang: Xincheng, Daying-jiang, an upper tributary of the Irrawaddy River; KIZ 2006004438, 1 ex., 88.4 mm SL, Yunnan: Yingjiang: Xincheng, Daying-jiang, an upper tributary of the Irrawaddy River; KIZ 2006011169–2006011174, 6 ex., 81.6–119.3 mm SL, Yunnan: Tengchong City: Wuhe: Lianmeng, Longchuan-jiang, an upper tributary of the Irrawaddy River.

Diagnosis. Meristic and morphometric data are shown in Tables 3 and 4. Garra qiaojiensis can be easily distinguished from congeners having no proboscis in the Irrawaddy River and the Salween River basins by its welldeveloped transverse lobe and proboscis. Garra qiaojiensis is distinguished from its congeners that have a transverse lobe and a proboscis in the Irrawaddy River and the Salween River basins by the combination of the following characters: unilobed proboscis (vs. bi-lobed proboscis in G. bispinosa ; tri-lobed proboscis in G. fuliginosa , G. salweenica , and G. surgifrons ); 12 circumpeduncular scales (vs. 16 circumpeduncular scales in G. bispinosa , G. fuliginosa , G. gotyla , G. salweenica , and G. surgifrons ); well-developed proboscis (vs. poorly developed in G. elongata , G. gravelyi , G. litanensis , and G. rotundinasus ); a more compressed body, body depth 20.5–26.0% SL (a shallower body, body depth 15.7–21.8% SL in G. rotundinasus ); dorsal part of proboscis smooth and not covered with tubercles (vs. antedorsal of proboscis covered with many tubercles in G. gotyla ); larger mental adhesive disc, its width almost equal to the width of the corresponding head ( Fig. 4B ); posterior margin of disc extending beyond the vertical of the posterior margin of the eye (vs. a small disc, its width shorter than the width of the corresponding head, posterior margin not extending to, or slightly beyond the vertical of the posterior margin of the eye in G. gotyla and G. litanensis ); 34–35 lateral line scales (vs. 39–40 in G. elongata ; 32–34 in G. gravelyi ; 32– 33 in G. litanensis ; 35–37 in G. rotundinasus ); dorsal and caudal fins without bands (vs. distal margin of dorsal fin with a black band, a longitudinal black stripe along the base to outside margin of caudal fin in G. elongata ).

Distribution. This species has only been observed in the Longchuan-jiang and Daying-jiang, two upper tributaries of the Irrawaddy River, western Yunnan, China.

Remark. According to the original description, the morphology of G. longchuanensis is similar in morphology to G. qiaojiensis and could be distinguished from G. qiaojiensis by having a slightly pointed snout (vs. rounded), 15–16 branched pectoral-fin rays (vs. 13), and 9 branched pelvic-fin rays (vs. 8) ( Yu et al. 2016). In the original description of Garra qiaojiensis , only 8 branched pelvic-fin rays were recorded ( Wu et al. 1977) with this count confirmed in later studies ( Chu & Cui 1989; Zhang et al. 2000) as well as in this study. Some species of Garra in China are recorded to have 7–8 or 8–9 branched pelvic-fin rays ( Chu & Cui 1989; Zhang et al. 2000), indicating the number of branched pelvic-fin rays is labile and of little taxonomic value. Fifteen branched pectoral-fin rays were recorded in the original description of G. qiaojiensis ( Wu et al. 1977) , and 13–15 or 15–16 branched pectoralfin rays have also been recorded ( Chu & Cui 1989; Zhang et al. 2000). It was shown that the number of branched pectoral- and pelvic-fin rays obviously overlap between G. longchuanensis and G. qiaojiensis . We argue that the difference in these counts may be the result of two factors. First, the counts of branched pectoral- and pelvic-fin rays may show a range as the examined number of specimens increases. Second, the counting method for the two innermost branched pectoral- and pelvic-fin rays is different among ichthyologists. Some ichthyologists treat them as one ray because they come from the same base while others count them as two. Additionally, the innermost branched pectoral-fin rays are difficult to accurately count, so ichthyologists avoid using these morphological characteristics in diagnosing cyprinids. Excepting the above statement of branched pectoral- and pelvic-fin rays, according to the comparison of results between G. qiaojiensis and G. longchuanensis in snout shape, mental adhesive discs, and body shape, there is no difference. Specially, both taxa have a unilobed proboscis ( Figs. 4B, 4C and 7 ); therefore, G. longchuanensis should be the junior synonym of G. qiaojiensis .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Morphological comparisons of the snout and mental adhesive disc among three species of Garra from west Yunnan.

FIGURE 7. Comparisons between Garra qiaojieNsis and G. loNgchuaNeNsis. (A) G. qiaojieNsis, SWFC 0502021, 114.5 mm SL; Yunnan: Tengchong: Mangbang: Longchuan-jiang, an upper tributary of the Irrawaddy River; dorsal, lateral, and ventral views. (B) G. loNgchuaNeNsis, IHB 201306027, holotype, 145.2 mm SL, China, Yunnan Province, Irrawaddy River basin, Longchuan-jiang in Tengchong; lateral view (from Yu et al. 2016).