Vanmanenia pseudostriata Zhu, Zhao, Liu & Niu

Li, Xu, Zhou, Wei & Che, Xing-Jin, 2019, Loaches of Vanmanenia (Cypriniformes: Gastromyzontidae) from Yunnan, China with Description of a New Species, Zootaxa 4603 (1), pp. 125-144 : 134-136

Vanmanenia pseudostriata Zhu, Zhao, Liu & Niu

( Fig. 5 )

Ƒanmanenia pseudostriata Zhu, Zhao, Liu & Niu, 2019: 419 (Jinsha-Jiang drainage), in Zhang et al. 2019.

Ƒanmanenia tetraloba Chen 1990: 85 (Jinsha-Jiang drainage); Chen & Tang, 2000: 465 (Jinsha-Jiang drainage).

Ƒanmanenia pingchowensis Zhou et al. 2010: 100 (Zhangjiu-he in Luquan, Jinsha-Jiang drainage); Chen, 2013: 291 (Jinsha- Jiang drainage).

Material examined: Holotype, ASIZB 205511 (176278), 60.0mm SL, Zhangjiu-he, Luquan County, Yunnan Province, China ; paratype, KIZ 873071 , 1 ex., 50.5 mm SL, Zhangjiu-he , Luquan County, Yunnan Province, China.

Diagnosis. Vanmanenia pseudostriata differs from the congeners belonging to the barred group in Vanmanenia by the following combination of characters: the flank with 9–10 regular bars with widths approximately equal to the eye diameter (vs. 14–22 vermiculations with widths smaller than the eye diameter in V. microcephala ); the flank with 9–10 regular bars with widths approximately equal to the eye diameter (vs. 27–35 slim vermiculations with widths smaller than the eye diameter in the holotype [ Kottelat 2000, Fig. 68-c] and a paratype [ Kottelat 2000, Fig. 68-a] of V. serrilineata ; vs. a paratype [ Kottelat 2000, Fig. 68-a] with 4 large cloud-like blotches about 3–4 times the eye diameter, and a paratype [ Kottelat 2000, Fig. 68-b] with a series of irregular dark cloud-like blotches on the flank in V. serrilineata ); the flank with 9–10 regular bars with widths approximately equal to the eye diameter (vs. the holotype [ Kottelat 2000, Fig. 66-b] with 12–16 regular bars with widths equal to the eye diameter, and a paratype [ Kottelat 2000, Fig. 66-a] with 3 large cloud-like blotches about 3–4 times of eye diameter in V. crassicauda ); the flank with 9–10 regular bars with widths approximately equal to the eye diameter (vs. 16–21 vermiculations in V. striata ); covered by vermiculations on the dorsal side of head (vs. a large dark blotch in V. crassicauda , V. microcephala , and V. serrilineata ); gill opening bigger with upper angle level to the middle point of the eye (vs. the gill opening smaller and its upper angle level with the lower edge of the eye in V. microcephala ); dorsal part of the body with 6–7 black saddles (vs. 4–5 in V. crassicauda and V. serrilineata ); the blotch of the caudal-fin base complete and connected to the upper and lower margins of the caudal peduncle (vs. dissociated and not connected to the upper and lower margins of the caudal peduncle in V. microcephala and V. striata ); and anus located between the pelvic-fin insertion and anal-fin origin (vs. anus located in front one third between the pelvicfin insertion and anal-fin origin in V. microcephala , V. striata , and V. tetraloba ) ( Table 1 ). The rostral fold is divided into three lobes with a smooth and arcuate outer edge and possesses inner and outer rostral barbels.

Distribution: Currently known only from the Zhangjiu-he in Luquan County, Yunnan, flowing into the Puduhe, a right branch of Jinsha-jiang drainage (upper portion of the Yangtze River) ( Fig. 4 ).

Remark: At present, the only record of Vanmanenia tetraloba in Jinsha-jiang was a specimen collected from Luquan (KIZ 873071, 1 ex., 50.5 mm SL, China: Yunnan: Luquan County: Zhangjiu-he), Yunnan ( Chen, 1990) and reproduced from this record by Chen & Tang (2000) without any new evidence. Although we conducted several supplementary collections in Luquan County, no specimens of Vanmanenia were collected. We carefully examined the specimen of Vanmanenia collected from Luquan, Yunnan, which is housed at KIZ (KIZ 873071, 50.5 mm SL, Luquan County, Jinsha-jiang drainage (Yangtze River), Yunnan, China) ( Fig. 5B ). The discoloration of the specimen made it difficult to observe the marks on the flank. However, the characteristics of the specimen from Luquan are not similar to that of Vanmanenia tetraloba . According to The Fish of Sichuan ( Ding 1994), there was only one record of V. pingchowensis in the Youshui River of the Dongting Lake system on the right side of the Yangtze River in Xiushan County, Chongqing City, which is adjacent to the lower Jinsha-jiang in Yunnan. Based on these available morphological and geographic data, the specimen from Luquan was assigned by Zhou et al. (2010) as Vanmanenia pingchowensis occurring in the Yangtze River. In order to confirm the reliability of our conjecture, we asked Dr. Y.H. Zhao, an Associate Professor from the Institute of Zoology (IZ) to examine the specimen of V. pingchowensis collected from Duyun, Guizhou Province, China. The results showed that their flank had irregular cloud-like blotches and the edges of the rostral fold were sharp, or only the middle lobe edge forms the cusp process. These characteristics are obviously different from the specimens of the genus Vanmanenia from Luquan, Yunnan.

Fortunately, another Vanmanenia specimen at the same location was collected by the Institute of Zoology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2010 (ASIZB 205511, 1 ex., 60.0 mm SL, China: Yunnan: Luquan County: Zhangjiu-he) ( Fig. 5A ). Its characteristics were mostly consistent with the external morphological characteristics of specimens preserved by the Kunming Institute of Zoology (KIZ), the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Therefore, we agreed that the specimen collected from Zhangjiu-he in Luquan County should be an independent species of the barred group in Vanmanenia .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Localities of examined material of Ƒanmanenia. A symbol may represent several adjacent localities. 1—Lancangjiang drainage (the upper Mekong River); 2—Lixian-jiang (first branch of the Red River); 3—Yuan-jiang (the upper Red River); 4—Jinsha-jiang (the upper Yangtze River).

FIGURE 5 A. Ƒanmanenia pseudostriata Zhu, Zhao, Liu & Niu. (A) Holotype, ASIZB 205511 (176278), 60.0mm SL; Yunnan: Luquan County: Zhangjiu-he (photographed by C.G. Zhang). Scale bar = 5mm.