Thursday, August 9, 2012

Glyptothorax maceriatus, a new sisorid catfish from Mizoram, northeast India



Glyptothorax maceriatus, new species, is described from the Meghna-Surma River system in Mizoram, northeast India by 
Dr Heok Hee Ng, 
Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore 
and 
Dr Lalramliana, 
Department of Zoology, Pachhunga University College, 
Mizoram, India. 
The species differs from most congeners in the Indian subcontinent in having thoracic adhesive apparatus with a narrow elliptic central depression that is almost enclosed posteriorly by skin ridges. The following combination of characters serve to distinguish it from congeners in the Indian subcontinent: nasal barbel not reaching anterior orbital margin; interorbital distance 27.0–31.4% HL; head length 23.7–25.3% SL; head depth 12.5–14.2 % SL; thoracic adhesive apparatus with narrow elliptic central depression that is almost enclosed posteriorly by skin ridges (striae) and with single, non-diverging series of striae running along its edges; width of adhesive apparatus 55.8–72.1% its length; unculiferous ridges of adhesive apparatus not extending anteriorly onto gular region; absence of striae on first pectoral- and pelvic-fin elements; pectoral-fin length 20.7–24.9% SL; dorsal-spine length 13.0–17.1% SL; smooth posterior edge of dorsal spine; dorsal-to-adipose distance 17.8–23.6% SL; body depth at anus 11.3–13.8% SL; pelvic-fin length 15.9–19.1 % SL; length 
of anal-fin base 13.9–16.2% SL; caudal peduncle length 21.4–23.9% SL; and 
caudal peduncle depth 6.4–7.6% SL (3.1–3.4 times in its length).

Ref: Ng HH & Lalramliana (2012). Glyptothorax maceriatus, a new species of sisorid catfish (Actinopterygii: Siluriformes) from north-eastern India. Zootaxa 3416:44-52