ABSTRACT
A new species of Pethia from Nagaland, northeastern India is distinguished from all its congeners in the Ganges-Brahmaputra drainage, Kaladan drainage and the Chindwin- Ayeyarwady drainage by the following combination of characters: lateral line complete with 22-23 pored scales up to tail-fin base, 3rd and 4th lateral line scales with minute humeral spot, a large elliptical to rounded black blotch covering 16th to 18th, or 17th to 19th lateral-line scales; live male specimens with reddish-green body above lateral line and reddish-orange beneath; dorsal, pectoral, pelvic, anal and caudal fins reddish-orange; dorsal fin in both sexes with broad black submargin. Genetic analysis based on the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase unit I (cox1) suggests that the species is distinct from other known species of Pethia for which data are available.
Subject(s)
Cyprinidae , Rivers , Female , Male , Animals , Cyprinidae/genetics , IndiaABSTRACT
Channa brunnea, a new species of snakehead fish lacking pelvic fins, from West Bengal, India, is distinguished from its pelvic fin-less congeners by possessing an uniform dark brown body, ochre to bright-orange blotches on the caudal fin, fewer dorsal and anal-fin rays (35-37 vs. 47-51 and 24 vs. 28-32, respectively), fewer vertebrae (43 vs. 45-57), and fewer lateral-line scales (43-46 vs. 51-63). Though Channa brunnea superficially resembles C. bleheri, it can be distinguished from the latter by possessing dark-brown oblique markings on the upper half of the body; transverse scale rows (4½-5½ vs. 3½); pre-anal scales (22-26 vs. 17-20); 2 rows of teeth in the fifth ceratobranchial, the outer row with 16 large conical teeth (vs. 3 rows of teeth, the outer row with 13 large conical teeth); dentary with 20 large, stout, conical teeth in the inner row (vs. 32 medium-sized conical teeth); and a Kimura's two parameter (K2P) distance of 9.8-10.6%.
