Erromyzon kalotaenia, Yang & Kottelat & Yang & Chen, 2012

Yang, Jian, Kottelat, Maurice, Yang, Jun-Xing & Chen, Xiao-Yong, 2012, Yaoshania and Erromyzon kalotaenia, a new genus and a new species of balitorid loaches from Guangxi, China (Teleostei: Cypriniformes), Zootaxa 3586, pp. 173-186 : 180-184

Erromyzon kalotaenia , new species

( Fig. 6)

Holotype: KIZ 200304310 , 41.3 mm SL; Changle village ( Liuding river ), Jinxiu County, Guangxi, China; 24°22'54.3"N, 110°06'38.7"E; altitude 256 m; Kong De Ping & Cui Gui Hua; 13 April 2003.

Paratypes. KIZ 200304313 , 1 , 47.9 mm SL ; KIZ 200304317 , 1 , 46.9 ; SL ; KIZ 200304314 , 1 , 47.8 mm SL; same data as the holotype .— KIZ 200304049−52 , 200304071 , 5 , 32.4−45.8 mm SL; Shibajia village (Dishui river), Jinxiu County, Guangxi, China; 24°10'21.9"N, 110°16'34.4"E; altitude 600 m; Kong De Ping and Cui Gui Hua; 14 April 2003 .

Nontypes: KIZ 200242069 , 1 , 47.7 mm SL; KIZ 200242070 , 1 , 44.0 mm SL; Shibajia village ( Dishui river ), Jinxiu County, Guangxi, China, Kong De Ping and Cui Gui Hua; 20 April 2002 .

Diagnosis. Erromyzon kalotaenia is distinguished from the other species of the genus by the combination of the following characters: a small median lobe of the rostral fold ( Fig. 3B); lower lip distinctly covered with melanophores; 9–12 squarish blotches on side of body, their height about one-third body depth; lateral line with 85–89 scales. Erromyzon kalotaenia differs from E. sinensis ( Fig. 7) by having 9–12 irregular blotches on body (vs 17–21 very irregular bars or a mottled pattern). Erromyzon kalotaenia differs from E. compactus ( Fig. 8) by the following characters: lower lip with two or three folds (vs folds absent); a midlateral row of squarish blotches on flank (vs bars continuous across dorsum); four rows of blackish spots on dorsal-fin rays, six rows on caudal-fin rays (vs two rows on both dorsal and caudal-fin rays). Erromyzon kalotaenia further differs from E. yangi ( Fig. 9) in having fewer lateral-line scales (85–89 vs 96–99), and by color pattern (9–12 blotches on flank vs a black midlateral stripe dark brown dorsum and an incomplete lower black stripe).

Description. Morphometric characters of E. kalotaenia are given in Table 1. Figure 1 shows the general appearance and Fig. 3B shows the ventral view of the head. Body moderately elongate, compressed, head length greater than head width and length of dorsal-fin base. Snout blunt, snout length almost half head length, 1.5–2.0 times eye diameter. Anterior and posterior nostrils close together, anterior nostril within a short tubular flap. Eye small, 19.2–25.1% of head length, eye diameter shorter than length of gill opening. Interorbital width less than snout length, 57.4–70.9% of head length. Gill opening small, not reaching base of pectoral fin. Mouth inferior, width 32.9–40.5% head width. Three pairs of barbels. Rostral fold with four broad notches to accommodate rostral barbels; notches creating three small lobes; median lobe smallest, equal in length to inner rostral barbels. Outer rostral barbel longer than inner one, but shorter than eye diameter. A shallow groove between rostral fold and upper lip; upper lip continuous with lower lip. A small papilla present anteriorly at base of maxillary barbel. Maxillary barbel present at corner of mouth, longer than rostral barbels. A small fleshy lobe posterior to maxillary barbel present on lower lip. Lower lip thick, forming a pad with an uneven surface. In some specimens, surface of lower lip with two or three transverse folds ( Fig. 3B). Lower lip without papilla. Postlabial groove continuous in some specimens. Lower jaw not covered by lower lip, without radial grooves or ridges on surface.

Dorsal fin inserted behind midlength of body, with 3 simple and 8 branched rays, longest ray shorter than head length. Pectoral-fin origin between posterior edge of eye and lower extremity of gill opening. Pectoral fin longer than head, with 1 simple and 16–17 branched rays; last 4 or 5 branched rays shorter, close to flank. Pectoral fin reaching two-thirds of distance between pectoral fin and pelvic-fin origins. Pelvic-fin origin opposite to first branched ray of dorsal fin, with 1 simple and 7–8 branched rays. Anal fin with 2 simple and 5 branched rays; reaching caudal-fin base. Caudal fin shallowly emarginate, lower lobe slightly longer than upper one. Lateral line with 85–89 scales. Conspicuous tubercles on suborbital part of head and side of snout, some larger tubercles in a row below lateral line, between tip of pelvic fin to base of caudal fin; numerous small tubercles on posterior half of caudal peduncle anterior to dark spot on caudal-fin base.

Coloration. In fresh condition, 9–12 squarish brown blotches on flank, blotches 1/3 depth of body, as wide as interspace, interrupted on dorsum. A light brown stripe along lateral line connecting all squarish blotches. Lower lip distinctly covered with melanophores. Body and fins light reddish. After fixation in 10% formalin and preservation in 75% alcohol, body background straw yellow; light-brown stripe along lateral line faded, leaving 9–12 distinct squarish black blotches on flank, height about 1/3 body depth. Four rows of dark-brown spots on dorsal fin, six rows on caudal fin; four or five dark-brown spots present on anterior half of pectoral-fin rays. A dark spot equal to eye diameter on middle of base of caudal fin. In two small specimens (KIZ 200304071, 32.4 mm SL; KIZ 200242070, 44.0 mm SL), blotches on flanks more or less fused, forming a dark maroon lateral stripe (but individual blotches still distinguished as darker areas).

Distribution and habitat. Erromyzon kalotaenia is presently known only from two headwater streams (Liuding and Dishui streams) of the Guijiang river drainage (a tributary of Pearl River), in Guangxi, China ( Fig. 4). It is collected in shallow water at depths of 0.1–0.5 m amongst boulders and cobbles mixed with sand on the river bed ( Fig. 10). The maximum depth of the river is about 1 m in June. Aquatic macrophytes are absent but aquatic bryophytes and algae are abundant on the stream substrate. Other fishes found in the same locality (Shibajia village, Dishui River) include the following species, Cyprinidae : Opsariichthys bidens , Acrossocheilus parallens ; Balitoridae : Pseudogastromyzon fangi , Vanmanenia pingchowensis , Yaoshania pachychilus , Schistura fasciolata ; Sisoridae : Glyptothorax fokiensis , Pterocryptis anomala . In Changle village (Liuding River), species present with E. kalotaenia include, Cyprinidae : Zacco platypus , Puntius semifasciolatus , Pseudorasbora parva , Carassius auratus ; Balitoridae : Oreonectes platycephalus , Traccatichthys pulcher ; Cobitidae : Cobitis sinensis ; Bagridae : Tachysurus adiposalis .

Etymology. Kalo from the Greek kalos, meaning beautiful, and taenia, from Greek tainia, meaning stripes or bars; in reference to the blotches on the flank of this species. A noun in apposition.