Niwaella fimbriata Chen & Chen, 2017

Chen, Yongxia, He, Dekui, Chen, Hao & Chen, Yifeng, 2017, Taxonomic study of the genus Niwaella (Cypriniformes: Cobitidae) from East China, with description of four new species, Zoological Systematics 42 (4), pp. 490-507 : 496-497

Niwaella fimbriata Chen & Chen , sp. nov. ( Figs 8–11 )

Holotype. HU 1540121, 60.2 mm SL, the Dongshaoxi River (a tributary of the Shaoxi River), Lin'an (30°24′N, 119°68′E), Zhejiang, China, April 2015, collected from the Lin'an farm product market by Yongxia Chen.

Paratypes. HU 1540119, 1 ex., 64.1 mm SL, same data as holotype .

Diagnosis. The new species is similar to N. nigrolinea Chen & Chen , sp. nov. in color pattern, but differs by having 19–20 large, conspicuous blotches on the dorsum (vs. 19–22 small, inconspicuous blotches); suborbital spine straight, with short processus latero-caudalis, less than one-fifth of processus medio-caudalis (vs. suborbital spine curved, with long processus latero-caudalis, less than one-third of processus medio-caudalis); caudal peduncle short, length of caudal peduncle 6.5–7.5 (mean 7.0) in SL (vs. caudal peduncle long, length of caudal peduncle 5.8–6.8 (mean 6.2) in SL); body sturdy, depth 8.3–8.5 (mean 8.4) in SL (vs. slender, depth 9.4–10.6 (mean 9.8) in SL); subdorsal scales with a small focal area (vs. a large focal area).

Description ( Figs 8–11 , Table 2). D. III–7; A. III–5; V. I–6; P. I–6–7; C. IV–14–16–IV. Body elongate, compressed, depth 8.3–8.5 (mean 8.4) in SL. Head small. Snout rounded. Preorbital part of head shorter than postorbital part of head. Mouth small, with three pairs of short barbels. Length of maxillo-mandibular barbels shorter than diameter of eye. Lower lip and mandible separated, with undeveloped mental lobes ( Fig. 9 ). Suborbital spine thick and straight, with short processus latero-caudalis, less than one-fifth of processus medio-caudalis ( Fig. 10 ). Subdorsal scales small and oval, with a slightly small focal area, 16–19 radial grooves, and 3–5 supplementary ones ( Fig. 11 ).

Dorsal fin inserted the midway between the eye and the base of the caudal fin. Ventral fins short, approximately at the same level as the second branched dorsal-fin ray. Anal fin located in far behind dorsal extremity and not reach the caudal fin. Anal orifice close to the anal fin. Caudal fin emarginated tip. Adipose crests developed. Lateral line short, not exceeding length of the pectorals.

Pigmentation pattern. Head sprinkled with many black spots, a black stripe extended from the insertion of the rostral barbels through the eye to the occiput. On the dorsum, a conspicuous black stripe from the occiput through the dorsal fin to the caudal fin, with a surface pigment containing 19–20 slightly large conspicuous blotches. Short and dense vertical bars on the dorsolateral surface, and a row of 8–10 long, sparse broad vertical stripes below the lateral midline posteriors to the dorsal fin. One conspicuous small half-moon-shaped spot present on the upper half of the caudal fin base; the upper spot smaller than the diameter of the eye. Three rows of brownish dots present on the dorsal and caudal fins.

Sexual dimorphism. Not obvious in external morphology.

Distribution. This new species occurs in the Dongshaoxi River (a tributary of the Shaoxi River) in Zhejiang Province in east China ( Fig. 1 ).

Etymology. The specific name derives from the Latin fimbria, meaning fringe, in reference to the lateral body coloration of the species.

Figures

Figure 1. Currently known localities of the eight Niwaella species in China.

Figures 8–11. Niwaella fimbriata Chen & Chen, sp. nov., the Dongshaoxi River, Lin'an, Zhejiang, China. 8. Holotype, HU 1540121, lateral view. 9. Mouth characters, front view. 10. Suborbital spine, left dorsal view, right interior view. 11. Subdorsal scales, dorsal view. Scale bars: 8 =1cm; 9–10=1mm; 11 =100μm.