Seminemacheilus ekmekciae, Yoğurtçuoğlu & Kaya & Geiger & Freyhof, 2020

Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Kaya, Cüneyt, Geiger, Matthias F. & Freyhof, Jörg, 2020, Revision of the genus Seminemacheilus, with the description of three new species (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae), Zootaxa 4802 (3), pp. 477-501 : 491-494

Seminemacheilus ekmekciae , new species

( Figs. 12–14 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BB29A43F-C2A1-48C3-BD01-759E6FE9866A

Holotype. FFR 15567, 50 mm SL; Turkey: Konya prov: stream Insuyu in Pınarbaşı village at Cihanbeyli , 38.7336 32.7054.

Paratypes. FFR 15568, 8, 47–55 mm SL; same data as holotype.—FFR 15569, 5 , 56–71 mm SL; Turkey: Ankara prov: stream Baltain near Balçıkhisar , 39.2510, 32.7580 .— FSJF 2513 , 3 , 33–34 mm SL; Turkey: Aksaray prov.: spring area at eastern shore of former Lake Büget in Esmekaya north of first mosque, 38.2655, 33.4427 .— FSJF 2529 , 6 , 57–73 mm SL; Turkey: Konya prov: stream north of Sarı Yayla, draining to former Lake Samsam , 39.1189, 32.7592 .— FSJF 2608 , 5 , 36–63 mm SL; Turkey: Aksaray prov.: stream at Gölyazı at road from Eskil to Cihanbeyli , 38.5526, 33.2009 .

Material used in molecular genetic analysis. FSJF DNA-966 ; Turkey: Aksaray prov.: spring area at eastern shore of former Lake Büget in Esmekaya north of first mosque, 38.2655, 33.4427. (GenBank accession numbers: KP163989 , KP163990 ) .— FSJF DNA-1066 ; Turkey: Aksaray prov.: stream at Gölyazı at road from Eskil to Cihan- beyli, 38.5526, 33.2009. (GenBank accession numbers: MT 077016 - MT 077018 ) .

Diagnosis. Seminemacheilus ekmekciae is distinguished from other species of Seminemacheilus by a combination of characters, none of them unique. It is distinguished from S. lendlii , S. ispartensis and S. attalicus by having a round caudal fin (vs. truncate in S. lendlii and S. ispartensis , slightly emarginate in S. attalicus ). It is further distinguished from S. attalicus by lacking a central pore in the supratemporal head canal (vs. present) and by having 2–4 pores in the supraorbital head canal (vs. 7–13 in S. attalicus , 5–8 in S. lendlii , 6–10 in S. ispartensis ). The new species is further distinguished from S. ispartensis by lacking scales (vs. scales present on the caudal peduncle); a shorter post-dorsal length (31–38% SL vs. 37–41), and a deeper caudal peduncle (13–16% vs. 10–12). Seminemacheilus ekmekciae is distinguished from S. ahmeti by lacking black or brown dots or blotches on the belly (vs. present) and the posterior naris not reaching to the anterior eye margin when folded backward (vs. reaching).

Description. See Figures 12–14 for general appearance and Table 4 for morphometric data of holotype and 17 paratypes. Small, deep and wide-bodied species with long head. Body deepest at about dorsal-fin origin, depth decreasing very slightly towards caudal-fin base. No hump at nape or, in FFR 15569, having a shallow hump. Greatest body width at pectoral-fin base, body almost equally wide until dorsal-fin origin. Section of head roundish, flattened on ventral surface. Caudal peduncle compressed laterally, 0.9–1.1 (mean 1.0) times longer than deep. No axillary lobe at base of pelvic fin. Pelvic-fin origin below 1 st or 2 nd branched dorsal-fin ray. Pectoral fin reaching approximately 50–65% (female), 80–100% (male) of distance from pectoral-fin origin to pelvic-fin origin. Pelvic fin not reaching anus. Anus about half eye diameter in front of anal-fin origin. Anal fin reaching almost to or to caudal-fin origin.A short or long and shallow adipose crest on caudal peduncle, reaching under dorsal-fin rays in few individuals. Margin of dorsal fin convex. Caudal fin rounded. Largest known specimen 73 mm SL.

Dorsal fin with 7½ (n=7) or 8½ (n=2) branched rays. Anal fin with 5½ (n=8) or 6½ (n=1) branched rays. Caudal fin with 8+8 (n=7), 8+7 (n=2) branched rays. Pectoral fin with 9–11 and pelvic fin with 5–6 branched rays. Body without scales. Lateral line incomplete, with 6–10 pores, reaching to about vertical of 1/3 of pectoral-fin length. Anterior nostril opening on anterior side of a low, pointed and flap-like tube, not reaching to anterior eye margin when folded backwards. No central pore and 2–3 lateral pores on each side of supratemporal canal, 8–10 pores in anterior infraorbital canal, 3–4 pores in posterior infraorbital canal, 2–4 pores in supraorbital canal and 5–9 pores in mandibular canal. Mouth small, slightly arched ( Fig. 18 ). Lips thick with deep furrows, mental lobes thick with deep furrows but not elevated. A median interruption in lower lip. Upper lip with median incision. Processus dentiformis small, very shallow and blunt. Lower jaw rounded, without median notch. Barbels long, inner rostral barbel almost reaching base of maxillary barbel; outer one reaching to anterior margin or middle of eye. Maxillary barbel reaching beyond vertical of posterior margin of eye. Male with much longer pectoral fin than female.

Coloration. In ethanol, body pale yellow or grey with brown or black pattern. Flank with a coarse or fine, mottled or marbled pattern of irregular shaped, partly confluent blotches, pattern almost absent in few individuals. Blotches on back and on upper part of flank, in some populations also along midlateral flank and below, forming horizontal rows or short or longer stripes. Usually a prominent stripe along midlateral flank and series of longitudi- nally elongated blotches above and below midlateral stripe. A dark-brown inner axial stripe present in some individuals. Back without pigmentation in most individuals, with dark-brown, large, roundish blotches in others. Usually a pale brown, poorly pigmented field on upper flank between lateral midline and upper as well lower stripes or series of blotches. No or a short dark brown or black bar at posterior extremity of caudal peduncle. Cheeks and ventral surface of head cream and belly pale yellow without brown blotches. Cheeks and head above cheeks dusty grey or brown or with many small brown spots and blotches. Dorsal- and caudal-fin rays with many elongated blotches, forming 2–3 dark vertical rows in most individuals. Margin of dorsal and caudal fins hyaline. Anal-, pelvic- and pectoral fins hyaline or with brown dots or blotches on rays.

In life, silvery or yellowish with dark-brown pattern. Without inner axial stripe.

Etymology. Named for Fitnat Güler Ekmekçi (Ankara), the first author’s supervisor for 15 years, for her lasting support, and for her contribution to the knowledge of the fish fauna of Turkey. A noun in the genitive, indeclin- able.

Distribution. Seminemacheilus ekmekciae is widespread in the endorheic Lake Tuz basin. It was also recorded from Eregli marshes from where it seems to have vanished as the marshes dried out.

Remarks. Based on DNA barcoding S. ekmekciae is well separated from other species of Seminemacheilus , and by a minimum K2P distance of 2.4% from S. ahmeti . It is supported by the PTP approach, but not by the mPTP delimitation as a distinct species. Seminemacheilus ekmekciae seems to be widespread in the endorheic Lake Tuz basin, with a patchy distribution.A possible explanation for this distribution pattern might be that this basin consists of subbasins of two main paleo-lakes: Paleo-Lake Tuz and Paleo-Lake Konya, which had been separated during Plio-Pleistocene ( Bayari et al., 2009). Within each subbasin, the individual extant shallow lakes, swamps, salt marshes and springs are remnants of these two lakes, and all were connected to, and isolated from each other, several times during the glacial cycles ( Toshiro et al. 1997). In parallel with their patchy distribution pattern, the examined populations of S. ekmekciae show morphological variation; e.g., individuals with a moderate hump at the nape in the northern basin (near Balçıkhisar vs. absent in others) and large brown blotches on flank fused into stripes in the İnsuyu population (vs. absent in others). Also, our molecular data support the theory that different populations of S. ekmekciae lack gene flow between them, but more studies are encouraged to better understand the patterns of isolation and connection in S. ekmekciae in the wider Lake Tuz basin.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Seminemacheilus ekmekciae, holotype, FFR 15567, male, 51 mm SL; stream Insuyu.

FIGURE 13. Seminemacheilus ekmekciae, from top: paratypes, FFR 15568, female, 49 mm SL; male, 47 mm SL; stream Insuyu.

FIGURE 14. Seminemacheilus ekmekciae, left from top: paratypes, FFR 15568, female, 49 mm SL; male, 47 mm SL; stream Insuyu; right from top: FSJF 2513, male, 34 mm SL; Lake Büget; FSJF 2608, female, ~50 mm SL; Gölyazı.

FIGURE 18. Upper row, from left: Seminemacheilus lendlii, FFR 15570, 53 mm SL; stream Eymir; S. ispartensis, FFR 15565, 60 mm SL; stream Sevinçbey; S. ahmeti, FSJF 2604, 53 mm SL; spring Soysallı. Lower row, from left: S. attalicus, FFR 15555, paratype, 86 mm SL; spring Kırkgöz; S. ekmekciae, FFR 15568, paratype, 47 mm SL; stream Insuyu; S. tubae, FSJF 3100, paratype, 65 mm SL; stream Büyükçay.