taxonID	type	description	language	source
A4CEAB3DBD375B09A806EA3E849770E2.taxon	description	Figs 4, 5	en	Cao, Liang, Liu, Yi, Zeng, Zhixuan, Yi, Wenjing, Zhang, E (2025): Two new species of the loach genus Homatula Nichols, 1925 (Pisces, Nemacheilidae) from the upper Chang-Jiang Basin in China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 101 (2): 697-710, DOI: 10.3897/zse.101.146027
A4CEAB3DBD375B09A806EA3E849770E2.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. A member of the partially scaled group of Homatula defined by having a sparsely scaled or unscaled predorsal body. It differs from all other eight species of this group, except H. longidorsalis in possessing 9 (vs. 7 or 8) branched dorsal-fin rays. Homatula shexiang differs from this species in having an adipose crest along the dorsal mid-line of the caudal peduncle anteriorly terminating vertically away from the anal-fin origin (vs. above the anal-fin origin), a deep (vs. shallow) head (depth 54.0 – 60.8 % of its length vs. 46.46 – 48.65 %) and a slender (vs. stout) caudal peduncle with (depth 40.4 – 55.2 % vs. 57.2 – 61.5 % of its length).	en	Cao, Liang, Liu, Yi, Zeng, Zhixuan, Yi, Wenjing, Zhang, E (2025): Two new species of the loach genus Homatula Nichols, 1925 (Pisces, Nemacheilidae) from the upper Chang-Jiang Basin in China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 101 (2): 697-710, DOI: 10.3897/zse.101.146027
A4CEAB3DBD375B09A806EA3E849770E2.taxon	description	Description. Morphometric measurements for type specimens given in Table 2. General appearance of holotype shown in in Fig. 4. Body elongated, anteriorly cylindrical and posteriorly compressed laterally, with uniform depth from behind head to caudal-fin base. Ventral profile of head straight or slightly concave; ventral profile of head and body almost straight or slightly concave from pectoral-fin insertion to anal-fin origin and slightly convex from anal-fin origin to caudal-fin base. Body partially scaled; no scales on predorsal body, but scales only present on body behind dorsal-fin origin. Lateral line complete, with 85 – 95 pored scales, extending along mid-lateral body to caudal-fin base. Adipose crests along dorsal and ventral mid-lines of caudal peduncle supported by rudimentary rays. Dorsal adipose crest anteriorly terminating beyond the posterior end of the anal-fin base, but away from anal-fin origin. Head relatively long and slightly depressed, wider than deep. Snout blunt in lateral view, slightly shorter than postorbital head. Eye oval with slightly convex interorbital space, positioned dorsolaterally in upper half of head, not reaching dorsal profile when viewed laterally; diameter less than interorbital width. Anterior and posterior nostrils set closely; anterior nostril situated at end of small and oblique tube. Mouth inferior; lips slightly thick, slightly folded and smooth with small median incision in upper lip and marked median longitudinal groove on lower lip. Upper jaw with shallow processus dentiformis and lower jaw spoon-like without median notch. Two pairs of rostral barbels; inner barbels extending to rictus and outer barbels reaching rictus. Maxillary barbels rooted in corners of mouth, extending close to vertical through middle of eye, but short of posterior margin of eye. Cephalic lateralis system with 8 supraorbital, 4 + 10 infraorbital, 9 preoperculo-mandibular and 3 supratemporal pores. Gill opening large, with its upper extremity aligned with centre of orbit. Fin rays flexible. Dorsal fin with 3 unbranched and 9 branched rays; longest ray shorter than dorsal-fin base; distal margin slightly convex. Pectoral fin with one unbranched and 9 – 11 branched rays, tip of depressed fin not reaching mid-way between pectoral- and pelvic-fin insertion. Pelvic fin with one unbranched and 7 – 8 branched rays, reaching about mid-way between pelvic-fin insertion and anus; origin of pelvic fin at vertical of 1 st or 2 nd branched dorsal fin ray. Anus positioned closer to anal-fin origin than to pelvic-fin insertion; separated from anal-fin origin by distance 1.5 – 2 times greater than eye diameter. Anal fin with 3 unbranched and 5 branched rays, tip of depressed fin not reaching caudal-fin base; distal margin slightly convex. Caudal fin rounded; upper and lower lobes with 9 and 8 branched rays, respectively. Vertebrae 4 + 42 – 43 (n = 4), including 20 – 21 abdominal and 22 caudal vertebrae. Gas bladder bipartite; anterior chamber invisible, fully enclosed in capsule; posterior chamber degenerative. Intestine with a distinct transverse bend not reaching posterior end of U-shaped stomach.	en	Cao, Liang, Liu, Yi, Zeng, Zhixuan, Yi, Wenjing, Zhang, E (2025): Two new species of the loach genus Homatula Nichols, 1925 (Pisces, Nemacheilidae) from the upper Chang-Jiang Basin in China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 101 (2): 697-710, DOI: 10.3897/zse.101.146027
A4CEAB3DBD375B09A806EA3E849770E2.taxon	distribution	Distribution. To date, known only from Wu-Jiang, tributary to upper Chang-Jiang in Guiyang and Qianxi, Guizhou Province, China (Fig. 3).	en	Cao, Liang, Liu, Yi, Zeng, Zhixuan, Yi, Wenjing, Zhang, E (2025): Two new species of the loach genus Homatula Nichols, 1925 (Pisces, Nemacheilidae) from the upper Chang-Jiang Basin in China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 101 (2): 697-710, DOI: 10.3897/zse.101.146027
A4CEAB3DBD375B09A806EA3E849770E2.taxon	etymology	Etymology. The specific epithet, here used as a noun, is named after Mrs. She Xiang (奢香夫人), an outstanding female politician and the leader of the Yi nationality in Guizhou Province during the Min Dynasty. The Wugong Bridge, type locality of the new species, is one of stone bridges across the Maodong-He built by Mrs. She Xiang six hundred years ago. A corresponding common name “ 奢香荷马条鳅 ” in Chinese is proposed here for this new species. Phylogenetic analysis and genetic distances A total of 16 Cytb gene sequences with 1080 bp in length were amplified in this study. The molecular phylogenetic trees generated from the BI and ML analyses showed the same topologies, only the BI tree with Bayesian posterior probabilities (PP) and bootstrap support (BS) value being presented in Fig. 6. From the tree topologies, species of Homatula in China form a monophyletic clade with a high support. The two new species, H. shexiang sp. nov. and H. xiangzhi sp. nov., formed a highly-supported lineage itself and then constituted a well-supported clade which was sister to the species H. tigris with weak support. This group consisting of the three species was recovered as the sister to a well-supported clade formed by seven other species distributed in the Chang-Jiang, Huang-He and Nanpan-Jiang drainage areas. The genetic distances between the Homatula species are provided in Table 3. Interspecific genetic distance between the two new species, H. shexiang and H. xiangzhi and other congeneric species ranged from 6.7 % to 12.5 % and 7.1 % to 11.5 % (Table 4), respectively. Interspecific genetic distance between the two new species was 3.6 % and intraspecific genetic divergence was 0.61 % and 0.06 % for H. shexiang and H. xiangzhi, respectively. The molecular phylogenetic results supported H. shexiang and H. xiangzhi to be two distinct species.	en	Cao, Liang, Liu, Yi, Zeng, Zhixuan, Yi, Wenjing, Zhang, E (2025): Two new species of the loach genus Homatula Nichols, 1925 (Pisces, Nemacheilidae) from the upper Chang-Jiang Basin in China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 101 (2): 697-710, DOI: 10.3897/zse.101.146027
202DE744D4B0577E81BD7DA72059C44F.taxon	description	Figs 1, 2.	en	Cao, Liang, Liu, Yi, Zeng, Zhixuan, Yi, Wenjing, Zhang, E (2025): Two new species of the loach genus Homatula Nichols, 1925 (Pisces, Nemacheilidae) from the upper Chang-Jiang Basin in China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 101 (2): 697-710, DOI: 10.3897/zse.101.146027
202DE744D4B0577E81BD7DA72059C44F.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. A member of the scaleless group of Homatula, defined by having no scales on the body or a small number of scales sparsely scattering over the caudal peduncle. It is distinct from other six species of the group in having a complete (vs. incomplete in H. wujiangensis) lateral line, an elongate (vs. stout) body with a uniform depth (vs. non-uniform, gradually decreasing towards the caudal-fin base in H. wujiangensis and H. robusta), an adipose crest along the dorsal mid-line of the caudal peduncle anteriorly terminating vertically away from the anal-fin origin, but beyond the posterior end of the anal-fin base (vs. above vertical of the posterior end of the anal-fin base in H. wenshanensis; above or beyond the anal-fin origin in H. nanpanjiangensis, H. oligolepis, H. disparizona and H. robusta), a slender (vs. stout) caudal peduncle with (depth 42.0 – 53.8 % of its length vs. 70.5 – 78.5 % in H. robusta and 100.0 – 120.0 % in H. wujiangensis) of its length, vertebrae 4 + 42 - 43 (vs. 4 + 47 – 48 in H. wenshanensis and 4 + 35 – 41 in remaining species), more branched dorsal-fin rays (9 vs. 7 – 8 in H. disparizona, H. robusta, H. wenshanensis and H. wujiangensis), a truncate (vs. emarginate in H. disparizona, H. nanpanjiangensis and H. robusta and forked in H. wenshanensis) and no median notch on the lower jaw (vs. present in H. nanpanjiangensis, H. oligolepis, H. robusta, H. wenshanensis and H. wujiangensis).	en	Cao, Liang, Liu, Yi, Zeng, Zhixuan, Yi, Wenjing, Zhang, E (2025): Two new species of the loach genus Homatula Nichols, 1925 (Pisces, Nemacheilidae) from the upper Chang-Jiang Basin in China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 101 (2): 697-710, DOI: 10.3897/zse.101.146027
202DE744D4B0577E81BD7DA72059C44F.taxon	description	Description. Morphometric measurements for type specimens given in Table 2 and general appearance of holotype shown in Fig. 1. Body elongated, anteriorly cylindrical and posteriorly compressed laterally, with uniform depth from behind head to caudal peduncle. Ventral profile of head straight or slightly concave; ventral profile of body straight or slightly concaved from pectoral-fin insertion to anal-fin origin and slightly convex from anal-fin origin to caudal-fin base. Body nearly scaleless; only a few tiny scales scattered over caudal peduncle. Lateral line complete, with 80 – 90 pored scales, extending along mid-lateral body to caudal-fin base. Adipose crests along dorsal and ventral mid-lines of caudal peduncle supported by rudimentary rays; dorsal adipose crest anteriorly terminating vertically away from the anal-fin origin, but beyond the posterior end of the anal-fin base and ventral adipose crest anteriorly extending close to posterior end of anal-fin base. Head relatively long and slightly depressed, wider than deep. Snout blunt when viewed laterally, shorter than postorbital head and slightly pointed in dorsal view. Eye oval or elliptical with slightly convex interorbital space, placed dorsolaterally in upper half of head, not reaching dorsal profile, when viewed laterally; eye diameter less than interorbital width. Anterior and posterior nostrils set closely; anterior nostril situated at end of small and oblique tube. Mouth inferior; lips thick, slightly folded, smooth with small median incision in upper lip and marked median longitudinal groove on lower lip. Upper jaw with shallow processus dentiformis; lower jaw spoon-like, without median notch. Two pairs of rostral barbels; inner barbels extending close to rictus and outer barbels reaching rictus. Maxillary barbels rooted in corners of mouth, extending close to vertical through middle of eye. Cephalic lateralis system with 8 supraorbital, 4 + 10 infraorbital, 9 pre-operculo-mandibular and 3 supratemporal pores. Gill opening large, with its upper extremity aligned with centre of orbit. Fin rays flexible. Dorsal fin with 3 unbranched and 9 branched rays; longest ray shorter than dorsal-fin base; distal margin slightly convex; origin closer to snout tip than to caudal-fin base. Pectoral fin with one unbranched and 9 – 11 branched rays, tip of depressed fin not reaching mid-way between pectoral- and pelvic-fin insertion. Pelvic fin with one unbranched and 7 – 8 branched rays, reaching about half the distance between pelvic-fin insertion and anus; origin of pelvic fin at vertical of 1 st or 2 nd branched dorsal fin ray. Axillary lobe present on pelvic-fin base. Anus set closer to anal-fin origin than to pelvic-fin insertion; separated from anal-fin origin by distance 1.2 – 1.5 times greater than eye diameter. Anal fin with 3 unbranched and 5 branched rays, tip of depressed fin not reaching caudal-fin base; distal margin slightly convex. Caudal fin with 9 + 8 branched rays and truncate with slightly concave outer margin. Vertebrae 4 + 42 – 43 (n = 5), including 20 – 21 abdominal and 22 caudal vertebrae. Gas bladder bipartite; anterior chamber invisible, fully enclosed in capsule; posterior chamber degenerative. Intestine with a distinct transverse bend not reaching posterior end of U-shaped stomach.	en	Cao, Liang, Liu, Yi, Zeng, Zhixuan, Yi, Wenjing, Zhang, E (2025): Two new species of the loach genus Homatula Nichols, 1925 (Pisces, Nemacheilidae) from the upper Chang-Jiang Basin in China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 101 (2): 697-710, DOI: 10.3897/zse.101.146027
202DE744D4B0577E81BD7DA72059C44F.taxon	distribution	Distribution. The type specimens were collected from Qingshui-He, tributary to Wu-Jiang of upper Chang-Jiang Basin in Guizhou Province, China. The species is also known from upstream of Mengjiang, tributary to Zhu-Jiang Basin in Huaxi District of Guiyang City and Changshun County of Qiannan Prefecture, Guizhou Province, China (Fig. 3).	en	Cao, Liang, Liu, Yi, Zeng, Zhixuan, Yi, Wenjing, Zhang, E (2025): Two new species of the loach genus Homatula Nichols, 1925 (Pisces, Nemacheilidae) from the upper Chang-Jiang Basin in China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 101 (2): 697-710, DOI: 10.3897/zse.101.146027
202DE744D4B0577E81BD7DA72059C44F.taxon	etymology	Etymology. The specific epithet, used as a noun, is named after ‘ Xiangzhi’. This Chinese word means fragrant paper. The type locality (Xiangzhi-Gou) is named after the local intangible cultural heritage, the fragrant paper manufacturing technique. A corresponding common Chinese name “ 香纸荷马条鳅 ” is proposed here for the new species.	en	Cao, Liang, Liu, Yi, Zeng, Zhixuan, Yi, Wenjing, Zhang, E (2025): Two new species of the loach genus Homatula Nichols, 1925 (Pisces, Nemacheilidae) from the upper Chang-Jiang Basin in China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 101 (2): 697-710, DOI: 10.3897/zse.101.146027
