Luther's Spiny Loach

description

Description. Dorsal-fin rays iii 7 ½ (8), anal-fin rays iii 5 ½, pectoral-fin rays i 7 – 8 ½, pelvic fin (V) i 5 ½ – 6 (7), caudal-fin rays i (13) 14 i, total vertebrae in five specimens from the Karasik River 41 – 44. Morphometric characters of adult specimens from the type locality are presented in Table 2. Body elongate, rather deep, laterally compressed. Largest adult females, from Amur River, reaching 88 mm SL (ZMMU P- 7566, P- 7572). Head elongated, compressed, its upper profile convex; eyes large, superiorly located; eye diameter usually (80 – 100 % of adult individuals in sample) greater than 20 % of the head length; interorbital space narrow, convex. Snout mostly short, obtuse, its length in males usually (80 – 100 %) less than 42 % of head length; specimens with elongated snout observed among large adult females. Suborbital spine bifid, thick, slightly curved, mostly reaching center of eye (see below). Mouth small, inferior, with fleshy lips; lower lip divided in two well developed parts, its mental lobes a little longer than rest of folded portion. Three short pairs of barbels: rostral, maxillary, and mandibular barbels; mandibular barbel often reaches anterior edge of e

Cobitis nalbanti, a new species of spined loach from South Korea, and redescription of Cobitis lutheri (Teleostei: Cobitidae)

diagnosis

Diagnosis. Cobitis lutheri is distinguished by a combination of the following character states: wide poleaxshaped lamina circularis; round scales with slightly-displaced focal zone equal to 61 – 65 % of the scale diameter; short (usually less than 42 % of head length) obtuse snout in adults; suborbital spine mostly reaching the center of the eye, and mandibular barbel reaching the anterior edge of the eye in adult specimens; usually fewer than 12 dark brown blotches on the side at the middle of the body; two pronounced spots at the base of caudal fin; commonly several dark streaks on the head, across the eye, suborbital, and two crossed stripes on the opercle; 2 n = 50 (20 meta- and submetacentrics, and 30 subtelo- and acrocentrics); NF = 70.

Cobitis nalbanti, a new species of spined loach from South Korea, and redescription of Cobitis lutheri (Teleostei: Cobitidae)

materials_examined

Type material. The original description of C. lutheri was based on five specimens. One specimen initially deposited in the Finnish Museum of Natural History, Zoological Collection (MZH), collected from the Santakheza River (= Spasovka), 46.0 mm SL, was indicated as “ typus ” for males, whereas another specimen, in the NRM, from the Odarka River (tributary of the Santakheza River), 90.0 mm SL, was specified as “ typus ” for females (Rendahl, 1935). Consequently, no single specimen was designated as name-bearing type (type or holotype), and all specimens in the description are syntypes. The MZH specimen mentioned by Rendahl has been lost (Risto Väinölä, pers. comm.). The specimens in the NRM collection are bleached (see NRM Ichthyology search). However, the syntype of 64.5 mm SL, male, NRM 10813 (Fig. 2) retains the traces of species-specific color pattern on the head, previously documented on Fig. 4 in Rendahl (1935). Moreover, this specimen defines the other diagnostic characteristics of the species, as the shape of lamina circularis, the snout shape, the position of suborbital spine, and the mandibular barbel length (Fig. 2). We designate this specimen as lectotype of Cobitis luth

Cobitis nalbanti, a new species of spined loach from South Korea, and redescription of Cobitis lutheri (Teleostei: Cobitidae)