Puntius rohani, Devi & Indra & Knight, 2010

Devi, K. Rema, Indra, T. J. & Knight, J. D. Marcus, 2010, Puntius rohani (Teleostei: Cyprinidae), a new species of barb in the Puntius filamentosus group from the southern Western Ghats of India, Journal of Threatened Taxa 2 (9), pp. 1121-1129 : 1122-1125

Puntius rohani sp. nov.

( Images 1 , 2 , 3A )

Holotype

27.iii.2009, 69.0mm SL, Kodayar River drainage, near Mayilar, KWS, Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, India, 8.50520 N & 77.30150 E, 110m, coll. S. Prabakaran, ZSI/ SRS F.8336.

Paratypes

26.iii.2009, 1 ex., 72.0mm SL, same locality as holotype, ZSI/SRS F.8328 ; 21.iii.2008, 1 ex., 86.0mm SL, Lower Kodayar River drainage, near Kallar, KWS, 8.52820 N & 77.31190 E, 360m, ZSI/SRS F. 8344 ; 27.iii.2009, 1 ex., 80.0mm SL, Kodayar River drainage, near Vellachithodu, 8.52060 N & 77.31130 E, 330m, ZSI/ SRS F.8345 ; 18.iii.2008, 1 ex., 63.0mm SL, Paralayar River drainage, near Kalikesam, 8.41110 N & 77.39130 E, 110m, all coll. S. Prabakaran, ZSI/SRS F.8362 ; 16.iv.1992, 1 ex., 84.0mm SL, Pamburivaikal River drainage near Manavalakurichi, 8.16950 N & 77.31410 E, 10m, ZSI/SRS F.8365 ; 20.ix.1989, 5 ex., 65.0-85.0 mm SL, Palkulam , Paralayar River drainage, coll. J.C. Dhas, ZSI/SRS F. 8366 ; 18.ii.2003, 4 ex., 63.0-95.0 mm SL, Keeriparai 8.39580 N & 77.40970 E, 140m, / Kalikesam, 8.408730 N & 77.392260 E, 100m, Paralayar drainage, coll. R. J. Ranjit Daniels & J.D. Marcus Knight, ZSI/SRS F.7340 .

1 - Kallar; 2 - Vellachithodu; 3 - Mayilar; 4 - Kalikesam; 5 - Keeriparai; 6 - Palkulam; 7 - Manavalakurichi (map not to scale).

Additional material

20.ix.1989, 19 ex., 54.0-85.0 mm SL, Palkulam, Paralayar River drainage, coll. J.C. Dhas, ZSI/SRS F. 2831.

Diagnosis

Adults of Puntius rohani are distinguished from all members of the Puntius filamentosus Group sensu Pethiyagoda & Kottelat (2005a) by their unique colour pattern of a black club-shaped blotch 1.5 scales high extending from the 12-13 th lateral-line scales to the caudal-fin base, the absence of any other body colour pattern anterior to it (vs. presence in P. arulius ( Image 3K ), P. tambraparniei ( Images 3F,G ), P. srilankensis and P. exclamatio ( Image 3H )), and the absence of a transverse black band near the tip of each caudal-fin lobe (vs. presence in P. assimilis ( Image 4J ) and P. filamentosus ( Image 3E )).

Description Morphometric data of holotype and 14 paratypes

are provided in Table 1. General body shape and appearance as in Images 1 and 3A . Body elongate, laterally compressed; dorsal contour ascending, with a low indentation at nape, slightly convex anterior to dorsalfin origin, tapering gradually ventrad posterior to dorsal-fin inserion; ventral profile equally convex anterior to pelvic-fin origin, curving gently up to anal-fin origin, thence sloping dorsad towards caudal peduncle; caudal peduncle deep, its depth a little less than its length, concave in both dorsal and ventral profiles.

Head length 27.9-31.4 % SL; eyes large, their diameter 25.7-32.1 % HL, positioned nearer to snout than to opercular margin; interorbital wide, a little less than eye diameter; snout length almost equal to eye diameter; males with well-developed tubercles on snout ( Image 2 ). Mouth small, subterminal; lips thick, maxilla extending almost to anterior border of eye. A pair of maxillary barbels present, 8.2-16 % HL. Dorsal fin inserted nearer to tip of snout than to caudal-fin base, with three simple and 8½ branched rays (some branched rays extending as filaments in adults), its distal margin slightly concave. Anal fin with three simple and 5½ branched rays. Pelvic fin with one simple and eight branched rays, its origin slightly posterior to dorsal-fin origin. Pectoral fin with one simple and 13(5) or 14(10) branched rays. Pectoral and pelvic fins short, not reaching pelvic and anal-fin origins, respectively. Caudal fin with 1+9+8+1 principal rays, deeply forked, with pointed lobes. Lateral line complete, with 21(6), 22(8) or 23(1) scales on body including one scale on the caudal-fin base. Transverse scales from dorsal-fin origin to mid-ventral scale row ½4+1+3(13)- 3½(2), scales between lateral line and pelvic-fin origin 2(13)-2½(2). An axillary pelvic scale present. Eighteen circumferential scales (counted as the number of scales around the greatest depth of body beginning from the first scale anterior to dorsal-fin origin), 11(14) or 12(1) circumpeduncular scales. 2(9)-3(6)+6(1), 7(8), 8(5) or 9(1) gill rakers on first gill arch.

Colouration: In life, adult specimens greenish above, cream-white underside. Dorsal fin dusky, with traces of red. Pectoral and pelvic fins hyaline. Anal fin bordered with a bright red margin. Caudal fin bright red, lacking markings except for darker colour of principal rays. A dark bluish to black club-shaped marking present on tail, continuing on to principal rays of caudal fin. Formalin-fixed and alcohol-preserved specimens brownish above with a pale yellowish underside. Dorsal fin with branched rays more pigmented than other rays. All other fins creamish. Preserved juveniles express characteristic colouration of P. filamentosus group : pale yellow with three black bars on body ( Image 3B ).

Etymology

The species is named after Rohan Pethiyagoda, in appreciation of his extensive work on the freshwater fishes of India and Sri Lanka. The species name is formed as a

noun in the masculine genitive singular.

Distribution

Puntius rohani sp. nov. is at present known only from the hill streams of Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, India, draining into the Arabian Sea ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

Image 1. Puntius rohani sp. nov. holotype, 69mm SL, ZSI/SRS F.8336.

Figure 1. Principal localities in southern India from where Puntius rohani sp. nov. has been collected:

Image 2. Snout of Puntius rohani sp. nov. holotype, 69mm SL, ZSI/SRS F.8336, showing dense tuberculation.

Image 3. A - P. rohani sp. nov. (holotype); B - P. rohani sp. nov. juvenile; C - P. rohani sp. nov. (paratype, ZSI/SRS F.8345, 80mm SL); D - P. filamentosus (live specimen, uncatalogued); E - P. filamentosus juvenile (live specimen, uncatalogued); F - P. tambraparniei (ZSI/SRS F.8369, 57mm SL); G - P. tambraparniei juvenile (ZSI/SRS F.8370, 14mm SL); H - P. exclamatio (live specimen, uncatalogued); I, J - P.assimilis (ZSI/SRS F.8371, 84mm SL); K - P. arulius (ZSI/WGRC F.3954, 74mm SL).

Image 4. 4th Lateral-row scale above 4th lateral-line pored scale (LR) and 7th lateral-line (LL) scales of A - P. rohani; B - P. filamentosus, from Chembarampakkam Lake, Tamil Nadu, India.