Glyptosternon McClelland, 1842

Alfred W. Thomson & Lawrence M. Page, 2006, Genera of the Asian Catfish Families Sisoridae and Erethistidae (Teleostei: Siluriformes)., Zootaxa 1345, pp. 1-96 : 68-69

Glyptosternon McClelland, 1842

Fig. 21

Glyptosternon McClelland, 1842 : 584. (Type species: Glyptosternon reticulatum McClelland, 1842 , by subsequent designation by Bleeker (1862-63: 12).) Gender neuter.

Glyptosternum Agassiz, 1846 : 164. (Type species Glyptosternon reticulatum McClelland, 1842 . Unjustified emendation of Glyptosternon McClelland, 1842 ). Gender neuter.

Parexostoma Regan, 1905 : 182. (Type species: Exostoma stoliczkae Day, 1877 , by subsequent designation, apparently by Jordan (1920). Gender neuter. Synonomized with Glyptosternum (= Glyptosternon ) by Hora (1923b).

Diagnosis: Interrupted post-labial groove; gill openings extending onto venter; homodont dentition; pointed teeth in both jaws; crescent-shaped tooth patch in upper jaw; 10-12 branched pectoral rays.

Glyptosternon is distinguished from all other genera of Glyptosternina by having gill openings extending onto the venter. Glyptosternon is further distinguished from Oreoglanis , Pseudexostoma , Exostoma , Myersglanis , and Parachiloglanis by having an interrupted post-labial groove (Table 5). It is further distinguished from Glaridoglanis by having small pointed teeth in the upper and lower jaws (vs. strong, distally flattened teeth), and from Pareuchiloglanis by having tooth patches joined into a crescent-shaped band in the upper jaw (vs. tooth patches in the upper jaw joined into a band not produced posteriorly at the sides) and 10-12 (vs. 13-16) branched pectoral-fin rays.

Description: 6-7 dorsal rays; 10-12 branched pectoral-fin rays; 6 pelvic-fin rays; 6-8 anal-fin rays. Head depressed; snout broadly rounded; body elongate, flattened ventrally to pelvic fins. Eyes minute, dorsal, subcutaneous. Lips thick, fleshy, papillated. Post-labial groove broadly interrupted medially. Teeth in both jaws pointed, tooth patches in upper jaw joined, forming a band produced posteriorly at sides (crescent-shaped). Maxillary barbel with well-developed membrane, soft base, and striated pad of adhesive skin. Branchiostegal membranes confluent with isthmus. Coracoid process not externally visible. No thoracic adhesive apparatus. Paired fins plaited to form an adhesive apparatus.

Distribution: Indus drainage; Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China, east to Irrawaddy drainage, Myanmar (Coad, 1981b; Talwar & Jhingran, 1991; Rafique, 2000)