Hypselobarbus

Abstract: The identity and generic placement of Barbus mussullah Sykes, the type species of Hypselobarbus Bleeker, have for long been unclear, variously having been considered a synonym of Cyprinus curmuca Hamilton or a species of Tor Gray or Gonoproktopterus Bleeker. Here, through a re-examination of the original descriptions and the examination of specimens from western peninsular India, we redescribe H. mussullah and show that Hypselobarbus is a valid genus, of which Gonoproktopertus is a junior synonym. Hypselobarbus mussullah is distinguished from all other species of Hypselobarbus by possessing both rostral and maxillary barbels; having the last simple dorsal-fin ray weak and smooth; the lateral line complete, with 41 +1 pored scales; 9/1/4 scales in transverse line between origins of dorsal and pelvic fins; and 5½ scales between lateral line and anal-fin origin. Species of Hypselobarbus are distinguished from other genera of Cyprinidae by possessing long, branched gill rakers and the anal fin distally rounded in adults. Hypselobarbus canarensis was found to be a valid species and H. kurali is considered its synonym. Hypselobarbus canarensis can be distinguished from all congeners by possessing both rostral and maxillary barbels; having the last simple dorsal-fin ray weak and smooth; the lateral line complete, with 40–42+1 pored scales; ½7–½8/1/3½ scales in transverse line from dorsal-fin origin to pelvic-fin origin; 4½ scales between lateral line and anal-fin origin. Hypselobarbus kolus is considered a synonym of H. curmuca , which is redescribed: it is distinguished from all congeners by possessing maxillary barbels only; the last simple dorsal-fin ray weak and smooth; 41–43+1 lateral-line scales; 9–10/1/4½–5 scales in transverse line between origins of dorsal and pelvic fins; and 5½–6 scales between lateral line and anal-fin origin.

Abstract: In recent times, though the genus Hypselobarbus has been studied substantially, the identities of individual species remain ambiguous. Hypselobarbus lithopidos has been assessed as Data Deficient in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with a speculation that it could possibly be extinct as there has not been any validated record of this species since 1941 from its known range. In this work we report a population of this species from its type locality and re-describe this little known species to clear any taxonomic ambiguity that surrounds the identity of this species. We also attempt to clear the taxonomic ambiguity that surrounds the identity of the Critically Endangered H. thomassi with fresh collections from the type locality are discussed.

Abstract: Knight et al. (2013a) clarified the identity of Barbus mussullah Sykes, the type species of Hypselobarbus Bleeker, showing it to represent a lineage clearly distinct from Tor Gray (type species Tor hamiltonii Gray (= Cyprinus tor Hamilton)). They showed the two species to be distinguished by a suite of characters, with Hypselobarbus lacking the distinctive median fleshy lobe of the lower lip (present in T. tor ), having the last simple ray of the dorsal fin weak (vs. strong, 'osseous'), gill rakers long and branched (vs. short and simple, unbranched) on first gill arch, and the proximal end of the fifth ceratobranchial hooked (vs. only slightly curved). Nevertheless, some subsequent authors (e.g., Ambili et al. 2014; Khare et al. 2014) have persisted in referring Barbus mussullah to Tor, in effect synonymyzing Hypselobarbus (in which 12 species are currently recognized) with Tor and thereby causing confusion with regard to the identities of these groups of fishes which, being large and relatively common cyprinids, are of significant economic importance.

Abstract: The genus Neolissochilus was described by Rainboth, 1985 and currently includes 24 nominal taxa with distributions in southern and south-eastern Asia. Five new species of Neolissochilus are described herein from streams and rivers of the Western Ghats, peninsular India, one of the World’s hotspots of biodiversity. The new species include N. capudelphinus , N. minimus , N. micropthalmus , N. acutirostris and N. tamiraparaniensis . Neolissochilus wynaadensis (Day, 1873), also from the Western Ghats is considered a valid species. The five new species are described based on meristic, morphometric characters, and molecular data. Relationships among the newly described species and the relationships of Neolissochilus with Systomus (= Barbodes / Puntius ), Hypselobarbus Bleeker and Tor Gray, all presumed closely related lineages are discussed.