Skip to main content

Ziyun high-plateau loach (Triplophysa ziyunensis) and King Yalu high-plateau loach (Triplophysa yaluwang)

Ziyun high-plateau loach (Triplophysa ziyunensis) and King Yalu high-plateau loach (Triplophysa yaluwang)

NEWS - Ziyun high-plateau loach (Triplophysa ziyunensis) and King Yalu high-plateau loach (Triplophysa yaluwang) inhabit underground rivers with reduced eyes and irregular brown spots as stygophile fishes in the hypogean group of the genus Triplophysa in Maoying Town, Ziyun County, Guizhou Province, China.

Mitochondrial cyt b revealed 1.4-2.0% genetic divergence between the two new species and their close relatives. The nuclear gene RAG1 showed that the two species had unique haplotypes with few linking mutations. This study emphasizes the importance of nuclear genes for identifying cave species undergoing rapid speciation with little genetic divergence due to mitochondrial introgression between species.

T. ziyunensis is genetically close to T. qingzhenensis, T. rosa and T. wudangensis and has some similar morphological characters, such as eye degeneration, decreased body pigmentation, pigmented markings on the body surface except the ventral, but can still be distinguished by a combination of several morphological characters.

This species is distinguished from T. qingzhenensis and T. wudangensis by having 10 branched pectoral fin rays (vs. 8-9), 6 branched pelvic fin rays (vs. 5), 16 branched caudal fin rays (vs. 14-15) and inhabiting the Pearl River basin (vs. Yangtze River basin).

Different from T. rosa by having reduced body pigmentation, pigmented markings on the body surface, except the ventral part (vs. none), eyes diameter 2.4-4.9% of HL (vs. none), 8 branched dorsal fin rays (vs. 9), 10 branched pectoral fin rays (vs. 12), 6 branched pelvic fin rays (vs. 7), 16 branched caudal fin rays (vs. 14) and inhabiting the Pearl River basin (vs. Yangtze River basin).

The specimen was only found in a cave in Shuitang Village, Maoying Town, Ziyun County, Guizhou Province, China, at an elevation of 1134 meters. Living in a pond with a length of more than 15 meters, a width of 13 meters, a depth of ~3 meters, slow water flow and 80 meters further inside the cave entrance.

Inside the cave, other fish (Sinocyclocheilus multipunctatus), bats (Rhinolophus sp.) and frogs (Odorrana wuchuanensis) were found. Outside the cave, rapeseed and pepper plants were being planted. The population of this new species is very small and only 5 specimens were collected.

The specific epithet ziyunensis refers to the type location of the new species Shuitang Village, Maoying Town, Ziyun County. The researchers proposed the English common name “Ziyun high-plateau loach” and the Chinese name “Zǐ Yún Gāo Yuán Qīu (紫云高原鳅)”.

T. yaluwang is genetically close to T. guizhouensis, T. longliensis and T. sanduensis, but can be distinguished in combination with morphological characteristics. It differs from T. ziyunensis by having a notched (vs. truncated) distal dorsal fin margin, a total of 40 vertebrae (vs. 39), 7 branched dorsal fin rays (vs. 8), 9 branched pectoral fin rays (vs. 10) and 14 branched caudal fin rays (vs. 16).

Different from T. longliensis with eye diameter 4.6-6.1% of HL (vs. 9.5-11.5%), interorbital width 24.3-26.0% of HL (vs. 31.4-37.5), total vertebrae 40 (vs. 42), posterior air sac chamber degenerated (vs. developed), 7 branched dorsal fin rays (vs. 8), 9 branched pectoral fin rays (vs. 10), and 14 branched caudal fin rays (vs. 15-16).

Different from T. sanduensis with eye diameter 4.6-6.1% of HL (vs. 11.9-15.4%), interorbital width, 24.3-26.0% of HL (vs. 31.2-40.2), total vertebrae 40 (vs. 41), dorsal fin rays, iii, 7 (vs. ii, 8-9), 3 anal fin rays unbranched (vs. 1), 14 caudal fin rays branched (vs. 17-18) and pelvic fin tips reaching the anus (vs. not reaching the anus).

Different from T. guizhouensis with eyes diameter 4.6-6.1% of HL (vs. 9.4-12.1%), distal dorsal fin margin notched (vs. truncated), body scaleless (vs. body sparsely scaled), posterior air sac chamber degenerated (vs. developed), 7 dorsal fin rays branched (vs. 8), 5 anal fin rays branched (vs. 6) and pelvic fin tips reaching anus (vs. not reaching anus).

This species was found in a cave far from Xinzhai Village, Maoying Town, Ziyun County, Guizhou Province, China, in a water system where an underground river is a tributary of the Hongshui River. The cave habitat is a vertical shaft with an entrance in the middle of a mountain slope.

The underground river is 150 meters deep from the entrance and the accessible part is about 200 meters long, 3 meters wide and 1-2 meters deep. In this cave, the new species is sympatric with Sinocyclocheilus multipunctatus and several spiders.

The specific epithet yaluwang is derived from King Yalu, a hero of the Miao people in Ziyun County, where the type site is located. He was the 18th-generation leader of the Miao ancestors. The researchers propose the common name in English “King Yalu high-plateau loach” and the Chinese name “Yà Lǔ Wáng Gāo Yuán Qīu (亚鲁王高原鳅)”.

Original research

Lan C-T, Wu L, Luo T, Liu Y-W, Zhou J-J, Yu J, Zhao X-R, Xiao N, Zhou J (2024). Two new hypogean species of the genus Triplophysa (Osteichthyes, Cypriniformes, Nemacheilidae) from Guizhou Province, Southwest China, with underestimated diversity. ZooKeys 1214: 237-264, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1214.122439

Dlium theDlium
Labels:

Popular Posts

Bugang (Clerodendrum calamitosum)

Bugang ( Clerodendrum calamitosum ) is a species of plant in the Lamiaceae family. It is an erect shrub, growing up to 1 meter tall, with cylindrical, green stems and white hairs. The leaves are opposite. The leaf blade is oval, wavy, with a central main vein with numerous pinnate minor veins, and serrated margins. The leaves are up to 9 cm long and 7 cm wide. The petiole is up to 2 cm long. The flowers are star-shaped, white, up to 3 cm in diameter and up to 6 cm in total length. The fruit is round, dark green, turning black when ripe. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Subfamily: Ajugoideae Genus: Clerodendrum L. in Sp. Pl.: 637 (1753) Species: Clerodendrum calamitosum L. in Mant. Pl. 1: 90 (1767) HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS Clerodendrum fastigiatum (W.Hunter ex Ridl.) H.J.Lam in Verben. Malay. Archip.: 317 (1919) Volkameria alternifolia Burm.f. in Fl. Indica: 137 (1768) Volkameria fastigiata W.Hunter...
Read more

Common sun skink (Eutropis multifasciata)

Kadal kebun or bengkarung or Mabuya multifasciata or common sun skink ( Eutropis multifasciata ) is a species of lizard in Scincidae, has a pattern of faint lines extending to the sides of the body, measuring 18 to 22 cm in length with a tail length of about 60% of the overall body and more many live on the ground. E. multifasciata has a sharp head with a very short neck and a square cross section. The upper part is dark brown or shiny grayish brown with a golden body side especially near the neck. Sometimes also decorated with small pale spots on the back. The lower neck is light brown and the abdomen to the anus is pale brown. The muzzle is reddish, the tail is the same color as the body, decorated with a faint dark line on the sides. The arms are also the same color as the upper body. Common sun skinks usually live on the edge of forests, gardens, rice fields and human settlements. They spend most of their time on the ground, usually in crevices and rocky cliffs as a place t...
Read more

Durian (Durio zibethinus)

Durian ( Durio zibethinus ) is a species of tropical plant in Malvaceae, an annual tree, everlasting green but there are certain times to grow new leaves after the fruiting period is over, popularly called "king of fruit" and considered a controversial fruit where many people like, but some others are even fed up with the scent. D. zibethinus grows to 25-50 m, reddish brown bark and irregular peeling, leafy and stretched canopy. The leaves are oval shaped to lanceolate, 10-15x3-4.5 cm, sitting alternately, stemmed, taper or blunt base and taper-pointed sloping, bright green upper side, the lower side covered with silver or golden scales. Flowers and fruit Flowers appear directly on the trunk or old branches at the proximal, clustered in panicles containing 3-10 florets or flat-shaped florets. Rounded flower buds, 2 cm in diameter and long stem. Tubular petals, 3 cm long, additional petals split into 2-3 round lobes. Crown shaped spatula with a length of 2 times the ...
Read more