Konavle dace

description

Description. Morphometric data are summarised in Table 1 b, selected counts in Tables 2 - 4. General appearance can be seen in Figs 7 a and 7 b. Body compressed, elongate. Caudal peduncle depth equal to or only slightly less than half maximum body depth; head length greater than maximum body depth. Eye small, its diameter smaller than snout length. Snout not fleshy, rostral cap covering only part of upper lip, at least in preserved specimens. Mouth subterminal, tip of mouth cleft at level of ventral margin of eye or, more frequently, below it. Lower jaw-quadrate junction at vertical through anterior half of eye. Length of lower jaw 8 - 10 % SL or 33 - 38 % HL, or 96 - 107 % depth of operculum (equal to depth of operculum on average). Dorsal fin with 81 / 2 branched rays. Dorsal-fin origin above posterior end of pelvic-fin base. Anal fin with 81 / 2 branched rays. Outer margin of anal fin slightly concave. Caudal fin moderately forked, lobes weakly pointed, with 9 + 8 principal branched rays. Total gill rakers (Table 2) 8 (1 specimen), 9 (11) or 10 (6), 10 in holotype. Pharyngeal teeth 5 - 4, hooked, slightly serrated (examined in 5 specimens). Scales covering entire body including

Two new freshwater fish species of the genus Telestes (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae) from karst poljes in Eastern Herzegovina and Dubrovnik littoral (Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia)

diagnosis

Diagnosis. Telestes miloradi is distinguished from Telestes metohiensis and Telestes dabar by having the following combination of characters: slightly curved, relatively narrow dark stripe (obvious in most preserved specimens) present on ventral portion of trunk from just behind operculum to vertical at or anterior to origin of anal fin, this stripe separated from dark pigmented area on back along its entire length; scales on most of body not overlapping; mouth subterminal with tip of mouth cleft at or below level of ventral margin of eye; snout not fleshy; lateral line complete with 55 - 67 total scales; branched dorsal-fin rays 81 / 2; branched anal-fin rays 81 / 2; gill rakers usually 8 - 10, mode 9; total vertebrae usually 40 or 41; abdominal vertebrae 22 - 23, mode 23; caudal vertebrae 16 - 18, mode 18; head width 48 - 58 % HL, and lower jaw short, length 8 - 10 % SL.

Two new freshwater fish species of the genus Telestes (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae) from karst poljes in Eastern Herzegovina and Dubrovnik littoral (Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia)

distribution

Distribution. The new species is known from Ljuta River in Konavosko Polje, also called Konavoska Ljuta, of Dubrovnik littoral (Fig. 4). Only historical NMW samples are known to us.

Two new freshwater fish species of the genus Telestes (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae) from karst poljes in Eastern Herzegovina and Dubrovnik littoral (Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia)

etymology

Etymology. The species is named for Milorad Mrakovcic, Zagreb, in recognition of his many contributions to the study of freshwater fishes in the Adriatic basin. Comparative remarks Telestes dabar, Telestes miloradi, Telestes metohiensis, Telestes croaticus, and Telestes fontinalis are distinguished from all congeners by having the pharyngeal teeth in one row, 5 - 4 or 5 - 5 (vs. usually 2.5 - 5.2 or 2.5 - 4.2), having the preoperculo-mandibular canal terminating in a free pore at the upper margin of the opercular antedorsal process and not communicating with the infraorbital canal (vs. communicating), and in lacking a postcleithrum (vs. postcleithrum present). All five species possess a dark midlateral stripe from the head to the caudal peduncle that forms the ventral border of the darkly pigmented area on the back. This feature is similar to that in some other Telestes species (Kottelat and Freyhof 2007: 282 - 289). Within this group, Telestes dabar, Telestes miloradi, and Telestes metohiensis differ from Telestes croaticus and Telestes fontinalis in having an additional black lateral stripe occurring on the otherwise pale ventral portion of the trunk. This character was considere

Two new freshwater fish species of the genus Telestes (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae) from karst poljes in Eastern Herzegovina and Dubrovnik littoral (Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia)