Oxynoemacheilus phasicus, a new nemacheilid loach from the eastern Black Sea basin with some remarks on other Caucasian Oxynoemacheilus (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae)

Freyhof J., Kaya C., Epitashvili G., Geiger M. F.

ZOOTAXA, vol.4952, no.1, pp.135-151, 2021 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 4952 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 2021
  • Doi Number: 10.11646/zootaxa.4952.1.8
  • Journal Name: ZOOTAXA
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Aquatic Science & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Veterinary Science Database
  • Page Numbers: pp.135-151
  • Keywords: Freshwater fish, Taxonomy, Cytochrome oxidase I, Middle East, ACCURACY, DRAINAGE, DNA
  • Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Oxynoemacheilus phasicus , new species, is described from the Rioni and Enguri River drainages in Georgia. It is distinguished from other Oxynoemacheilus species in the O. brandtii group by a mottled or marbled flank pattern in adults, a slightly emarginate caudal fin, and a deep caudal peduncle. Molecular data suggest that the new species is characterized by a minimum K2P distance of 7.5% from O. brandtii from the Kura drainage in the mtDNA COI barcode region. Oxynoemacheilus brandtii and O. elsae are re-diagnosed. A very slender Oxynoemacheilus from the Aras drainage clusters as sister to O. elsae in our molecular analysis and not with O. brandtii from the Kura River. However, it is identified as O. brandtii as it is indistinguishable from this species in morphological characters.