A new species of Lepidotrigla from the South China Sea off Vietnam (Teleostei: Scorpaeniformes: Triglidae)

A new species of the gurnard genus Lepidotrigla is described from the South China Sea off southernmost central Vietnam. Lepidotrigra firmisquamis sp. nov. is most similar to L. alata and L. marisinensis and co-occurs with L. marisinensis in the Bays of Nha Trang and Van Phong, but can be easily distinguished from both species by the well developed preocular spines and postorbital groove and by a slightly lower lateral-line scale count (54–58 instead of 58–64). A comparison with all Lepidotrigla species known from the South China Sea is presented.

Characidium chancoense, a new species of South American darter from the Río Cauca drainage, Colombia (Characiformes: Crenuchidae)

Characidium chancoense new species, is described from the transandean upper Río Cauca drainage in Colombia. It can be distinguished from all congeners by its pigmentation pattern that consists of 7–12 vertical bars, most of which are cuneate-shaped with the vertex ending on or just below the lateral-line scale series, except for the last 1–4, which are dorsoventrally elongate rectangular bars that extend well below the lateral line. Characidium chancoense is sympatric with C. caucanum Eigenmann, C. phoxocephalum Eigenmann, C. cf. zebra Eigenmann and C. cf. boavistae Steindachner. Unlike C. caucanum and C. cf. boavistae, C. chancoense does not appear to be sexually dimorphic.

A new syntopic species of small barb from the Western Ghats of India (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)

A new species of the cyprinid genus Pethia is described from the Hiranyakeshi, a tributary of the Krishna River system in the Western Ghats mountain ranges of peninsular India. The new species, Pethia sahit, is syntopic—and shoals together—with Pethia longicauda, a species described recently from the same river. Pethia sahit is distinguished from P. longicauda and its congeners by a combination of characters like, incomplete lateral line with 3–6 pored scales; 19–22 scales in lateral series; 4½ scales between dorsal-fin origin and lateral-line row and 2½ scales between lateral line row and pelvic-fin origin; intercalated scale row originates above and after the 6th scale of the lateral-line scale row; dorsal fin originating behind the pelvic-fin origin; 4+13 abdominal and 12 caudal vertebrae; dorsal, pectoral, pelvic, anal and caudal fins without any bands or spots, deep yellow-orange in color or deep red with a pale tint of orange in mature males; a dark-black vertically elongate humeral spot, overlapping the 4th lateral-line scale, extending over the base of one scale above and below the 4th scale; caudal peduncle spot dark, covering 14th–16th scales in lateral-line scale row. Genetic analysis based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene indicates that P. sahit and P. longicauda are not sister taxa. Further, P. sahit has no genetically proximate congener in the Western Ghats region, and differs from known congeners from south and southeast Asia, for which genetic data are available, with genetic distance ranging from 11.8–16.4%.

Revision of the genus Parequula (Pisces: Gerreidae) with a new species from southwestern Australia

The genus Parequula, which has long been considered monotypic, is reviewed with a new species described fromsouthwestern Australia on the basis of 21 types and 17 non-type specimens (42–81 mm in standard length); its onlycongener, P. melbournensis (Castelnau), is also redescribed. Parequula elongata n. sp. differs from P. melbournensis inhaving a more slender body, a lower soft anal-fin ray count (14–15, mode 15 vs. 16–18, mode 17), a lower pored lateral-line scale count (34–35, mode 34 vs. 37–40, mode 38), and the dorsal fin with a reddish upper margin when fresh (vs.semi-translucent to bluish with a narrow, parallel, yellowish vertical line on each fin membrane and a yellowish fin marginin P. melbournensis). Furthermore, the head profile of P. elongata n. sp. is nearly straight to slightly convex, whereas P.melbournensis is distinctly concave in outline above the eyes. Nominal species (junior synonyms) of P. melbournensis are discussed and a key to the two species is also provided.

Leporinus amazonicus, a new anostomid species from the Amazon lowlands, Brazil (Osteichthyes: Characiformes)

Leporinus amazonicus, a new species of anostomid fish, is described from the central portion of the Amazon lowlands. It is a medium-sized fish (up to 250 mm SL) with streamlined body (maximum body height approximately 25% of SL) and high lateral line scale counts (45–47). Leporinus amazonicus is morphologically similar to the slender bodied species L. cylindriformis Borodin, 1929 and L. brunneus Myers, 1950, but differs from them by the higher lateral line scale count (41–43 in L. cylindriformis and 36–42 in L. brunneus) and by a different color pattern. Moreover, L. amazonicus is apparently restricted to the white waters of the Amazon lowlands whereas L. cylindriformis and L. brunneus are known only from clear and black waters of several of the Rio Amazonas tributaries. Despite intensive collecting efforts historically developed in Brazilian Central Amazon, just a few specimens of L. amazonicus were caught, indicating that the new species is relatively rare in that area and apparently do not join in large schools. However, this supposed rarity may be biased by the concentration of our collecting efforts around Manaus, which may represent a marginal distribution of this species. Nevertheless, the presence of a new species of a taxonomically well-known fish family in an area intensively exploited by commercial and subsistence fisheries evidences the need for fish species surveys in the Amazon, even in supposedly well sampled sites and around the most populous areas.

On a new species of the genus Moenkhausia Eigenmann (Ostariophysi: Characidae)

A new species of the genus Moenkhausia is described from the middle portions of the Rio Tocantins and tentatively from the Rio Apure in Venezuela, Rio Orinoco drainage. It is diagnosed by the presence of a dark spot in the half proximal length of the upper caudal-fin lobe, and by the presence of a large, irregularly shaped humeral spot located above the sixth to ninth perforated lateral line scale which is more posteriorly positioned along the body side in relation to other members of the genus. The distribution pattern of the new species is discussed.

Anostomoides passionis, a new fish species from rio Xingu, Brasil (Characiformes: Anostomidae)

We describe Anostomoides passionis, a new species of anostomid fish from rio Xingu. The species attains 306 mm SL and is distinguished from the other two congeneric species by the lateral line scale count (38–39, instead of 39–41 in A. atrianalis and 42–44 in A. laticeps) and by the color pattern: brownish-grey with two round to heart-shaped, dark blotches on the side (a larger one under the dorsal fin and another above the origin of the anal fin). Anostomoides passionis inhabits rocky stretches of the rio Xingu with moderate to high current. Stomach contents of two specimens of A. passionis caught during the low water season were composed mainly of fragments of sponges.

A comparison between two populations of the Johnny darter, Etheostoma nigrum nigrum (Percidae), from Ontario, with notes on other populations

Johnny darters, Etheostoma nigrum nigrum, collected from Lake Superior were compared with individuals of the same subspecies collected in the Nith River (Lake Erie drainage). Nith River specimens, on an average, had 4.5 fewer lateral line scales, and more scales on the nape. The Lake Superior individuals had a snout which exhibited a subconical profile, whereas the individuals from the Nith River possessed a blunt profile.Examination of other populations of this subspecies indicates that lateral line scale count exhibits a northwest to southeast cline from Saskatchewan and Manitoba to North Carolina. All the supplementary populations were predominantly of one morph with regards to snout profile, the northwesterly populations being similar to the Lake Superior population, and the southeasterly ones being similar to the Nith River population. The taxonomic significance of snout profile is discussed.