2026/01/05 by Yu-Yang Zeng, Feng Lin, Hong-Fu Yang +3 · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · #Fish Biology and Ecology Studies #Fish biology, ecology, and behavior #Identification and Quantification in Food
paper · pdf · doi:10.3897/zse.102.167142
openalex created_date 2026/01/05 · openalex publication_date 2026/01/05 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
A new species of the genus Glyptothorax , Glyptothorax pulcher sp. nov. is described from the Tuoniang River, the Pearl River Basin, in south-eastern Yunnan Province and western Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. This new species most closely resembles G. quadriocellatus in overall morphology, including similar outline appearance, skin tubercles and colour pattern. It can be distinguished from its congeners that are found in east of the Red River in China by the following combination of characteristics: distinctive colour pattern, skin with sparse soft tubercules, dorsal surface of head smooth, thoracic adhesive apparatus (TAA) broad (length of 1–1.2 times its width, width of TAA 12.0–14.3% SL), adipose-fin base short (11.7–15.4% SL), caudal peduncle deep and short (13.7–17.5% SL in length, 10.3–12.3% SL in depth). Its validity is further confirmed by molecular phylogenetic analysis, based on mitochondrial CO I and Cyt b gene sequences, indicating it forms a sister group with G. pallozonum . The estimated K2P genetic distances between the new species and G. pallozonum range from 5.7% to 6.0%. In addition, phylogenetic evidence also suggests that G. zhujiangensis not be a valid species, but rather a junior synonym of G. pallozonum in this study.