A new cavefish of Sinocyclocheilus (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) from the Nanpanjiang River in Guizhou, China

Abstract

AbstractA new species, Sinocyclocheilus xingyiensis, is described based on specimens collected from a karst cave in Guizhou Province, China. The authors used an integrated taxonomic approach, including morphological and molecular data, to identify the new species as a member of the Sinocyclocheilu angularis group, and it can be distinguished from all other members of this group by a combination of the following features: two pairs of long barbels and long pectoral fins, 42–46 lateral‐line scales, 7 (13–14) on outer (inner) side of the first gill arch and 35 (14–15 + 4 + 16 − 17) vertebrae. Phylogenetic analyses based on the cytochrome b (cyt b) gene fragment suggest that S. xingyiensis is a sister lineage to Sinocyclocheilus flexuosdorsalis. The genetic distance (Kimura 2‐parameter) between the S. xingyiensis and S. angularis groups of Sinocyclocheilus species based on cyt b gene fragment ranged from 1.2% to 15.4%.