Hypselobarbus curmuca (Buchanan, 1807)

Marcus Knight, J. D., Rai, Ashwin & D’Souza, Ld. K. P., 2013, On the identities of Barbus mussullah Sykes and Cyprinus curmuca Hamilton with notes on the status of Gobio canarensis Jerdon (Teleostei: Cyprinidae), Zootaxa 3750 (3), pp. 201-215 : 204-208

Hypselobarbus curmuca (Buchanan, 1807)

( Figs. 3 , 8 B; Table 1 )

Cyprinus curmuca Buchanan, 1807: 344 , Pl. 30—Vedavathi River (Krishna basin). Cyprinus curmuca Hamilton, 1822: 294 .

Barbus kolus Sykes, 1838 (pt 6): 159—Mula-Mutha River (Krishna basin). Barbus kolus Sykes, 1841: 357 , Pl. 62 (fig. 1).

Barbus guentheri Day, 1869: 582 —Tungabhadra River (Krishna basin).

Material examined. ZSI/SRC F 8748 (neotype), 1, 145 mm SL, (13°32’N, 75°17’E), Holehoddu, Tunga River, Ashwin Rai, 16 May 2013. ZSI/SRC F 8749, 1, 94 mm SL, (13°32’N, 75°17’E) Holehoddu, Tunga River, Ashwin Rai, 16 May 2013. ZSI/SRC F 8751, 1, 150 mm SL, Mutha, Pune, Maharashtra, Hemant Ghate, Jun. 2002. ZSI/ SRC F 1593, 1, 134 mm SL, Mylavaram Dam, Pennar River, Cuddapah, Andhra Pradesh, T. Venkateshwarlu, 28 Jun.1983. ZSI/SRC F8057, 1, 120 mm SL, Holebagilu, Sharavathi River, Karnataka, Sreekantha, 15 Sep. 2002. MKC 408, 2, 144-145 mm SL, (13o32’N, 75 o17’E) Holehoddu, Tunga River, Ashwin Rai, 16 May 2013. AMS B.7518, 1, 153 mm SL, Deccan, Francis Day (data: R. Pethiyagoda, pers. comm.).

Diagnosis. Hypselobarbus curmuca is distinguished from all other species of Hypselobarbus by the combination of the following characters. Maxillary barbels present, rostral barbels absent; last simple dorsal ray weak, smooth. Lateral line complete, with 41–43 +1 pored scales; 9– 10 /1/4½–5 transverse scales from dorsal-fin origin to pelvic fin origin; 5½–6 scales between lateral line and anal-fin origin. Gill rakers long, branched; proximal end of the fifth ceratobranchial hook shaped, with 5+3+2 teeth. A black bar behind opercle, prominent in juvenile specimens (less than ~ 100 mm SL), becoming progressively fainter in mature specimens. All fins pale yellow, red pigments on interradial membranes in large (more than ~ 200 mm SL) individuals.

Description. Morphometric data of H. curmuca are given in Table 1 . General body shape and appearance as in Figs. 3 , 8 B. Body elongate, spindle shaped, moderately deep (body depth 3.7–4.1 times in SL), laterally compressed; dorsal contour ascending gradually, with an indentation at nape, tapering gradually posterior to dorsalfin insertion; ventral profile equally convex, curving gently up to anal-fin origin, thence sloping upward towards caudal peduncle; caudal peduncle narrow, its least depth almost equal to its length, concave in both dorsal and ventral profiles.

Head long, head length 3.5–3.9 times in SL; snout long, 2.3–2.5 times in HL, rounded with a transverse indention at the nares, covered with tubercles in adult males (tubercles absent in specimens smaller than ~ 150 mm SL). Mouth inferior, lips thick, lateral fold on snout present, overhanging upper lip. Maxillary barbels present, almost equal to eye diameter. Eye large (eye diameter 2.7–3.2 in HL), placed on the upper half of head, iris yellowish silver. Dorsal-fin with 3 simple and 9½ branched rays, last simple ray weak, smooth. Dorsal-fin origin slightly ahead of pelvic-fin origin, closer to snout than to hypural notch, its distal margin concave. Pelvic fin with 1 simple and 8½ branched rays. Anal fin rounded with 3 simple and 5½ branched rays, extending to vertical beneath hypural notch in males, well beyond hypural notch in females. Pectoral fin curved, pointed with 1 simple and 17 branched rays. Pectoral and pelvic fins short, not reaching pelvic and anal-fin origins respectively. Caudal fin with 1+9+8+1 principal rays, deeply forked.

Lateral line complete, with 41(3), 42(3), 43(1) scales + 1 scale on the caudal-fin base. Scales in transverse line from dorsal-fin origin to pelvic fin origin 10(1), 9½(4)–9(2)/1/4½(4)–5(3); 5½(5)–6(2) scales between lateral line and anal fin origin. Predorsal scales 13(4) or 14(3); circumpeduncular scales 21. Pelvic-fin axillary scale well developed. Gill rakers long, branched, 19(5), 20(1), 21(1) on first gill arch. Lower and upper arms of first gill arch unequal, with rudimentary gill rakers at both ends of arch ( Fig. 2 A). Proximal end of fifth ceratobranchial hookshaped, with 5+3+2 pointed teeth ( Fig. 2 B).

Coloration. Formalin-fixed, alcohol-preserved specimens grey dorsally, progressively lighter towards abdomen; fin edges tinged black. Outer edge of each scale with speckled densely with melanophores, giving it a dark appearance ( Fig. 3 ). In life, head and body overall silvery-grey, each scale with a dark outer edge; a black bar behind the opercle, prominent in juveniles (less than ~ 100 mm SL), becoming progressively fainter in mature specimens. All fins pale yellow; red pigments present on interradial membranes of large adults (larger than ~ 200 mm SL).

Distribution. Hypselobarbus curmuca is distributed in the east-flowing rivers of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra and Maharashtra states. The species has been reported also from some west-flowing rivers of Kerala (Abraham, 2011a).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Hypselobarbus curmuca, MKC 408, 145 mm SL: A, first gill arch (inset shows gill-raker structure); B, fifth ceratobranchial. Hypselobarbus canarensis, ZSI / SRC F 8750, 185 mm SL: C, first gill arch (inset shows gill-raker structure); D, fifth ceratobranchial. Hypselobarbus mussullah, ZSI / SRC F 8752, 128 mm SL: E, first gill arch (inset shows gill-raker structure); F, fifth ceratobranchial. (Scale bar = 5 mm)

FIGURE 3. Hypselobarbus curmuca, (neotype) ZSI / SRC F 8748, 145 mm SL, Tunga River.

FIGURE 8. A, drawing of Barbus kolus from Sykes (1841: pl. 62, fig. 1); B, adult Hypselobarbus curmuca (~ 300 mm SL) from Tunga River, Karnataka (specimen not preserved).