Black-spotted longnose gudgeon (Microphysogobio punctatus) as new species and M. elongatus as synonym of M. tungtingensis

NEWS - Researchers have established the black-spotted longnose gudgeon (Microphysogobio punctatus) as a new species and redescribed M. elongatus (Yao & Yang, 1977) as a junior synonym of M. tungtingensis (Nichols, 1926) based on morphological analysis and molecular evidence supported by mitochondrial gene sequences.

M. tungtingensis has been considered valid since its description, but its morphology is still vague especially when compared to another similar species, M. elongatus. In this study, researchers examined both species and compared several lots of specimens from a wide geographical range.

There was no significant morphological difference between the two. Molecular evidence supported by mitochondrial gene sequences also showed low genetic distance and suggested that M. elongatus is a junior synonym of M. tungtingensis. At the same time, M. punctatus was found to have a similar distribution to both.

M. punctatus is distributed in the Guijiang and Liujiang rivers, two northern tributaries of the Xijiang River system, which belong to the Pearl River basin. The specimen was also found in the upper Xiangjiang River flowing into the middle Yangtze River basin.

The new species inhabits slow-flowing river water with a width of 30-40 meters and usually in sandy areas with gravel and rocks. They coexist with Opsariichthys bidens, Acheilognathus tonkinensis, Squalidus argentatus, Sarcocheilichthys sp. Microphysogobio zhangi and Cobitis spp.

The name punctatus is derived from the Latin punctum, meaning spot. The name refers to the many black spots on the scales and fins. The suggested Chinese name for the species is “斑点小鳔鮈”.

A total of 37 haplotypes from 43 Microphysogobio individuals for the Cyt b gene were included in the molecular phylogenetic study and the new species is sister to M. bicolor (Nichols, 1930) which together is sister to the clade M. luhensis (Huang, Chen, Zhao & Shao 2018), M. kachekensis (Oshima, 1926) and M. yunnanensis (Yao & Yang, 1977).

Original research

Sun Z-X, Tang W-Q, Zhao Y-H (2024) Redescription of Microphysogobio tungtingensis (Nichols, 1926) with the description of a new species of the genus (Cypriniformes, Gobionidae) from southern China. ZooKeys 1214: 161-186, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1214.127061

Dlium theDlium

Screw tree (Helicteres isora)

Screw tree ( Helicteres isora ) is a species of plant in the Malvaceae family. It is a shrub or small tree, up to 8 meters tall. It has gray bark and alternate leaves, up to 22 cm long and 17 cm wide, oval in shape, with serrated edges and hairs. The flowers are red or white and reach a total length of 5.5 cm. The fruit is green when unripe, brown or gray when dry, twisted, spiral-shaped, and pointed at the tip. The seeds are black or brown, shiny, and diagonal, triangular, or rectangular. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Malvales Family: Malvaceae Subfamily: Helicteroideae Tribe: Helictereae Genus: Helicteres Pluk. ex L. in Sp. Pl.: 963 (1753) Species: Helicteres isora L. in Sp. Pl.: 963 (1753) HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS Helicteres baruensis var. ovata DC. in Prodr. 1: 476 (1824) Helicteres chrysocalyx Miq. ex Mast. in J.D.Hooker, Fl. Brit. India 1: 365 (1874) Helicteres corylifolia Buch.-Ham. ex Dillwyn in Rev. Hortus Malab....

Breng (Coldenia breng)

Breng ( Coldenia breng ) is a species of plant in the Boraginaceae family. It is a herbaceous plant that grows along the ground, with radial, cylindrical stems, red, multi-branched, alternate, and white-haired. C. breng has alternate leaves along the stem, oval to nearly round, up to 2.5 cm long, up to 1.5 cm wide, and white-haired. This plant grows in floodplains, seasonally inundated riverbanks, and drying rice fields. It thrives in sandy or silty soils and is drought-tolerant. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Boraginales Family: Boraginaceae Subfamily: Cordioideae Genus: Coldenia L. in Sp. Pl.: 125 (1753) Species: Coldenia breng Aryo Bandoro Dlium TheDlium YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium

The oldest drawing specimen collection, Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus, 1758 (OBS.296787995)

BLOG - Before the invention of photography, everything was explained by hand drawings that required naturalists to be able to draw to describe the specimens they documented. Scholars from taxonomy to medicine had to be able to sketch leaves to the human heart, this is why the academic world at that time had the subject of "art and science". A tradition that taxonomic drawings are accompanied by a measurement scale usually by placing a measuring tool in millimeters or centimeters or inches that supports scientific sketches has an identification context, but of course there are obstacles to having to document large specimens. I found a picture of a large specimen: Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758). Uniquely, the specimen with catalogue number: OBS.296787995 and stored at the Observation International, Aarlanderveen, Netherlands, is the oldest I have ever known. The shabby drawing with three folds and worn edges was made in 1547 or more than 500 years old. Previously I ...

Dlium