Luciobarbus kottelati, Turan, Davut, Ekmekçï, Güler & Ïlhan, Alï, 2008

Turan, Davut, Ekmekçï, Güler & Ïlhan, Alï, 2008, Luciobarbus kottelati, a new species of barbel (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from the Büyük Menderes River, Turkey, with rediagnose of L. lydianus, Zootaxa 1824, pp. 35-44 : 40-42

Luciobarbus kottelati , sp. nov.

( Fig. 5 )

Holotype. IUSHM 27300-879, 165 mm SL, Turkey: Aydın Prov.: River Büyük Menderes, Dandalas Stream, Karacasu, 90 km south of Aydın; D. Turan, S. Engin & M. Gölükçetin, 6 April 2005.

Paratypes. IUSHM 27300-878, 4, 120– 145 mm SL; CMK 18592, 4, 111– 151 mm SL; FRR 454, 10, 91- 280 mm SL; CGE uncat., 2, 124– 143 mm SL; same data as holotype.

Diagnosis. Luciobarbus kotellatii is distinguished from all other species of Luciobarbus in Anatolia and Europe by the position of the dorsal-fin origin conspicuously behind the pelvic-fin origin (vs. directly above or very slightly behind) and by having 43–46 total lateral line scales (vs. 50–90 in all others, except L. lydianus and L. graecus [ Table 2]).

Other characters useful for identification are: 14–15, modally 15, gill rakers on the first gill arch; lips thin; lower lip with a swollen median pad margined by a shallow groove in some specimens; last simple ray of the dorsal fin well ossified, with moderate serrae along posterior edge ( Fig. 2 -b).

Description. General appearance of body is shown in Figure 5 and head from below in Figure 3 -b; morphometric and meristic data are given in Tables 1 and 2. Body moderately high and slightly compressed laterally, caudal peduncle deep. Dorsal profile of body slightly arched, ventral profile more or less similar. Dorsal head profile slightly convex. Upper lip thin; lower lip thicker than upper lip, with a median swollen pad margined by a shallow groove in some specimens ( Fig. 3 -b). Maxillary barbel reaching anterior margin of eye. Mandibular barbel reaching posterior margin of eye.

Dorsal fin with 4 simple and 8 branched rays, outer margin slightly concave, its origin markedly behind vertical through pelvic-fin origin, last simple ray thick and strongly ossified ( Fig. 2 a). Pectoral fin with 17–19 branched rays, outer margin convex. Pelvic fin with 1 simple and 8 branched rays, outer margin convex. Anal fin with 3 simple and 5 branched rays, outer margin convex. Caudal fin deeply forked, with lobes slightly rounded, lower lobe longer than upper lobe. Lateral line with 43–46 pored scales on body and anterior part of caudal; 7–8 scale rows between lateral line and dorsal-fin origin; 5–6 scales between lateral line and anal-fin origin. Gill rakers 4+9–11= 14–15 on outer side of fist gill arch; 41–43 (modally 42) total vertebrae. Pharyngeal teeth 5.3.2–2.3.4, usually four on right and five on left in main row. Sexual dimorphism is present, male with tubercles on snout in spawning period.

Coloration. Formalin preserved specimens, grey on back and brown on flanks, and yellowish white on belly. Dorsal and caudal fins greyish, pectoral, anal and pelvic fins yellowish. Flank scales with a faintly but distinctly marked dark brown edge along posterior margin; dark spot on scale pocket faintly marked. In life, dark brown on back and flanks, yellowish white on belly. Dorsal and caudal fins brown, pectoral, anal and pelvic fins yellowish. Each scale margined by a band of black pigments, forming a regular reticulated pattern.

Distribution. Luciobarbus kottelati is presently known only from the River Büyük Menderes drainage ( Fig. 4 ). The Büyük Menderes originates from the Denizli and Aydın Mountains and it discharges into the Aegean Sea in Aydın. Luciobarbus kottelati was collected in clean and very slowly running waters, in habitats with coarse sand and fine gravel bottom.

Etymology. The species is named for Maurice Kottelat , who contributed to the knowledge of the fish fauna of Europe and Asia.

Lateral line scales

Species N 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 Mean L. lydianus 14 - - 1 8 4 1 - - - - - - 46 L. graecus 4 - - 3 1 - - - - - - - - 45 L. kottelati 15 1 2 4 8 - - - - - - - 45 L. pectoralis 11 - - - - - - 1 1 1 2 4 2 53

Transverse line scales

Above lateral line Below lateral line

Pectoral rays Gill rakers The species of Luciobarbus from western Anatolia ( L. lydianus and L. kottelati ) had been identified as L. pectoralis by Ladiges (1960). Luciobarbus capito and L. pectoralis have been considered conspecific by Karaman (1971), followed by most Turkish authors (e.g., Geldiay & Balık, 1999; Kuru, 2004). This point of view was not followed by Almaça (1982, 1984, 1986), Doadrio (1990), Banarescu & Bogutskaya (2003) and Bogutskaya & Naseka (2004), they considered L. pectoralis as a valid species. Luciobarbus capito is known from the Caspian basin and L. pectoralis from the Orontes basin ( Almaça,1986; Kottelat & Freyhof, 2007). Their ranges are widely disjunct ( Fig. 4 ) and they are readily distinguished by differences in total lateral line scale counts (57–65 total scales in L. capito vs. 50–55 in L. pectoralis ) and gill raker counts (17–19 gill rakers on the first gill arch vs. 17–18).

The range of the Luciobarbus species of western Anatolia ( L. lydianus , L. kottelati ) are very distant from those of L. capito and L. pectoralis , separated by several river drainages and belong to conspicuously distinct zoogeographic regions; also they have very different appearance and it is difficult to understand why they had been considered conspecific. Further, they do not seem closely related. Molecular data of Tsigenopoulos et al. (2003) also show that they belong to different lineages. Luciobarbus lydianus and L. kottelati are distinguished from L. capito and L. pectoralis by having fewer total lateral line scales (43–47 vs. 50–55 in L. pectoralis and 52–72,usually 60–66 in L. capito ), fewer scale rows between dorsal-fin origin and lateral line (7–8, vs. 10–11 in L. pectoralis and 10–12 in L. capito ) and fewer scale row between anal-fin origin and lateral line (6, vs. 7–8 in L. pectoralis and L. capito ).

The populations of Luciobarbus from western Anatolia belong to two species, at once distinguished by the respective positions of the origin of the dorsal and pelvic fins. Luciobarbus kottelati is distinguished from L. lydianus by having the pelvic-fin origin markedly in front of the dorsal-fin origin (vs. originating directly below or slightly in front of the dorsal-fin), by having a greater predorsal distance (54.9–60.0 % SL, vs. 52.0– 55.1 in L. lydianus ) and by having fewer serrae along posterior edge of last simple dorsal-fin ray (23–27, vs. 29–33). The position of the pelvic-fin origin in front of the dorsal-fin origin in fact also distinguishes L. kottelati from all other species of Luciobarbus in Europe and Anatolia.

In L. kottelati , the anterior-most dorsal pterygiophore is inserted between the neural spines of vertebrae 12 and 13, or 13 and 14, the dorsal-fin origin is above vertebrae 15 or in space between vertebrae 14 and 15, and the base of the anterior pelvic-fin ray is below vertebra 14. In L. lydianus , the anterior-most dorsal pterygiophore is inserted between the neural spines of vertebrae 12 and 13, the dorsal-fin origin is above vertebra 14, and the base of the anterior pelvic-fin ray below vertebra 14 or 15 (modally 15).

Besides the very important difference in the respective position of the dorsal and pelvic fins, L. kottelati further differs from L. lydianus by having a well ossified last simple dorsal-fin ray in adults (vs. weakly ossified; Fig. 2 a,b), somewhat fewer scales in lateral line (43–46, vs. 45–48), fewer gill rakers on the first gill arch (14–15, mode 15, vs. 15–17, mode 16), the lower caudal-fin lobe longer than the upper one (vs. equal), a deeper body (body depth at dorsal-fin origin 25.6–28.9 % SL, mean 27.4, vs. 22.7–26.7, mean 24.4), a deeper caudal peduncle (caudal peduncle depth 11.4–12.6 % SL, mean 12.1, vs. 10.6–11.8, mean 11.4), and a shallower head (head depth at occiput 63.0–68.3, mean 66.1 % HL vs. 58.7–64.6, mean 62.1).

Luciobarbus kottelati is also distinguished from all other Luciobarbus species in Western Asia (all geographically very distant) by having fewer lateral line scales (43–46, vs. 62–90 in L. brachycephalus , 52–72 in L. capito , 85–103 in L. mursa , 56 in L. kersin , 52–55 in L. mystaceus , 59–61 in L. xanthopterus , 63–71 in L. esocinus , 53 in L. scheich , 50–55 in L. pectoralis , 52–54 in L. barbulus ) (data from Almaça, 1986; Kottelat & Freyhof, 2007).

Luciobarbus lydianus is similar in appearance to L. graecus from the Kifissos drainage of central Greece. Their morphometric and meristic datas are given the Tables 1 and 2. Molecular data of Tsigenopoulos et al. (2003) suggest that there is close relationship between L. lydianus from Gediz River (Western Turkey) and L. graecus from Sperchios River (Central Greece). Their ranges are separated by the Aegean Sea and by a large area where no other Luciobarbus is known (part of Central Greece, northern Greece and European Turkey). The two species can be distinguished by the well-developed black spot on each scale pocket in L. lydianus (vs. absent or inconspicuous in L. graecus ), the faintly marked and narrow black margin along the posterior edge of scales (vs. well marked and wide), the more pointed snout (vs. somewhat blunt), the wider mouth (vs. narrower; not quantifiable), the lips fleshy (vs. thin), with the lower lip conspicuously thicker than the upper lip (vs. only slightly thicker), the middle of the lower lip with a median fleshy pad with a shallow groove posteriorly (vs. without median fleshy pad). Moreover L. lydianus has a shorter pectoral fin than L graecus (14.0– 18.8 mm % SL, mean 17.7, vs.19.9–20.8, mean 20.4), a wider head at anterior margin of eye (39.7–43.5 % HL, mean 41.1, vs. 34.7–38.8, mean 37.4), a more slender head (depth at occiput 58.7–64.6 % HL, mean 6.12, vs. 67.3–71.4, mean 68.3), and a wider interorbital (33.5–36.6 % HL, mean 34.9, vs. 31.6–33.0, mean 32.3).

Luciobarbus kottelati occurs in sympatry with Barbus pergamonensis in the Büyük Menderes River. They are easily distinguished, with L. kottelati having fewer scales in lateral line (43– 46, vs. 52–58 in B. pergamonensis ), more gill rakers on the first gill arch (14–15, vs. 8–10), a strong, spinous last simple dorsal ray (vs. weak, flexible), a lower lip without median lobe (vs. thick, fleshy, with a median lobe) and by the absence of black spots and blotches on the body (vs. presence).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Last simple dorsal-fin ray of: a, Luciobarbus lydianus, FFR 454, 157 mm SL; b, L. kottelati, FFR 452, 142 mm SL.

FIGURE 3. Ventral view of head of: a, Luciobarbus lydianus, FFR 452, 187 mm SL; b, L. kottelati, FFR 454, 152 mm SL.

FIGURE 4. Distribution of some species of Luciobarbus in Turkey

FIGURE 5. Luciobarbus kottelati, holotype, FFR 454, 155 mm SL; Turkey: Büyük Menderes drainage.