Namaquacypris, Skelton & Swartz & Vreven, 2018

Skelton, Paul H., Swartz, Ernst R. & Vreven, Emmanuel J., 2018, The identity of Barbus capensis Smith, 1841 and the generic status of southern African tetraploid cyprinids (Teleostei, Cyprinidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 410, pp. 1-29 : 21-22

Namaquacypris gen. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CD4D7A27-7BAC-4747-A128-6B94C8CEF3CF

Barbus Daudin, 1805: 58 ( Barbus hospes Barnard, 1938 ).

‘ Pseudobarbus ’ – Yang et al. 2015: 99.

Type species

Namaquacypris hospes ( Barnard, 1938) gen. et comb. nov. ( Fig. 10E ).

Included species

Type species only.

Diagnosis

Namaquacypris gen. nov. may be separated from all other southern African tetraploid genera by the relatively posterior position of the dorsal fin (behind the pelvic fin and base to over the origin of the anal fin vs over the pelvic fin and base before the origin of the anal fin), by a high number of predorsal vertebrae (13–15 vs 13 or fewer), the inner pelvic rays partly attached to the body by a membrane (vs an absence of such attachment), and by having a pair of barbels sub-equal in length (vs anterior barbels shorter than posterior barbels). Namaquacypris gen. nov. differs further from both Pseudobarbus and Sedercypris gen. nov. in an absence of red pigment at the base of the fins (vs bright red base to the fins), from Pseudobarbus in an absence of sexual dimorphism in fin length and nuptial tubercles (vs strong sexual dimorphism in fin length and nuptial tubercles), and from Sedercypris gen. nov. in the position of the mouth (subterminal vs terminal) and in having five branched anal-fin rays (vs six or seven branched anal-fin rays). Namaquacypris gen. nov. differs from Amatolacypris gen. nov. in colour and pigmentation (silvery, white below vs grey with a dark thin stripe and stripe over the lateral line), the number of infraorbitals (five vs four), the number and length of the barbels (two pairs, as long as the eye diameter vs one pair, shorter than half an eye diameter), and the size and shape of the 3rd and 4th infraorbital (slender vs broad). It differs from Cheilobarbus in size (<150 mm SL vs> 150 mm SL), head shape (short snout vs long snout) and colour (adults plain silvery vs olive-bronze).

Etymology

Named for Namaqualand, a semi-desert region of the Northern Cape, South Africa and Namibia through which the Lower Orange River flows. The genus is endemic to the lower Orange river below the Augrabies waterfall. Masculine.

Description

Namaquacypris gen. nov. is a monotypic, tetraploid smiliogastrin genus of medium to small (<100 mm SL) minnows from southern Africa, with small, light (thin) radiately striated scales; small, inferior mouth, with two pairs of equivalently long (equal or longer than the orbit diameter) oral barbels; pharyngeal bones with three rows of hooked teeth, formula 2,3,5, - 5,3,2; intestine with simple s-fold, short, slightly less than SL; a relatively high number (13–15) of predorsal-fin vertebrae; dorsal-fin origin nearer caudal base than tip of snout, entirely behind the pelvic fins, dorsal-fin unbranched ray serrated along posterior edge, basal serrations directed distally, seven branched rays; pelvic fins with inner rays attached to body by a membrane; anal fin origin below hind margin of dorsal base. Mature adults of both sexes develop minute nuptial tubercles scattered over head dorsum and upper body anterior to the dorsal fin, with bands 2–3 tubercles deep over pectoral fin rays. The breeding biology is not known.

Figures

Fig. 10. Species representative of southernAfrican tetraploid cyprinine genera. A. Pseudobarbus afer (Peters, 1864). B. Cheilobarbus capensis Smith, 1841. C. Amatolacypris trevelyani (Günther, 1877) gen.et comb.nov. D. Sedercypris calidus(Barnard, 1938) gen.et comb.nov. E. Namaquacyprishospes (Barnard, 1938) gen. et comb. nov. Photograph credits:A–D by P.H. Skelton (SAIAB); E by R.I. Bills (SAIAB).