Hemibagrus centralus Mai, 1978

Ng, Heok Hee & Kottelat, Maurice, 2013, Revision Of The Asian Catfish Genus Hemibagrus Bleeker, 1862 (Teleostei: Siluriformes: Bagridae), Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 61 (1), pp. 205-291 : 264-266

Hemibagrus centralus Mai, 1978

( Fig. 40 )

Hemibagrus centralus Mai, 1978: 253 , Fig. 115 (type locality: Quang Binh province, central Vietnam); Mai, 1985: 284; Mai & Nguyen, 1991: 52; Kottelat, 2001a: 51; Ferraris, 2007: 87; Vu & Vo, 2012: 13.

Material examined. — VIETNAM: ZMUH 409 , 2 syntypes, 147.8–155.6 mm SL; Quang Binh province ; AMNH 227901 , 1 ex., 126.1 mm SL; Quang Binh province : Minh Hoa district , Cha Lo frontier station, streams near station ; AMNH 227933 , 1 ex., 143.0 mm SL; Ha Tinh province : Minh Hoa district , Quy Dat market ; AMNH 227983 , 3 ex., 94.0– 170.8 mm SL; Ha Tinh province : Huong Son district, Rao An region , deep pool in main stream below base camp ; AMNH 228019 , 1 ex., 253.4 mm SL; Ha Tinh province : Huong Son district, Rao An region market .

Diagnosis. — Hemibagrus centralus is distinguished from H. hainanensis in having a deeper caudal peduncle (8.0–9.8% SL vs. 7.7–7.8), a longer adipose-fin base (31.3–7.5% SL vs. 27.8–29.3), a smaller dorsal to adipose distance (5.8–8.5% SL vs. 10.1–10.4), and a greater interorbital distance (31–34% HL vs. 30), from H. imbrifer in a brown (vs. grey) body in life, a shorter adipose-fin base (31.3–7.5% SL vs. 38.4–44.2), and sensory pores on body not easily visible (vs. relatively large sensory pores arranged in vertical columns along the sides of the body), from H. pluriradiatus in having the adipose fin separated from (vs. in contact with) the base of the last dorsal-fin ray by a distance of 5.8–8.5% SL and a greater interorbital distance (31–34% HL vs. 28–31), and from H. variegatus in having a shorter post-adipose distance (8.7–10.6% SL vs. 12.9–14.1), and a uniform (vs. mottled) brown body in life.

Description. — Biometric and meristic data as in Table 25. General description as for genus. Head depressed and broad, body moderately compressed. Interorbital distance 31–34% HL. Eye diameter 13–18% HL. Dorsal profile rising evenly but not steeply from tip of snout to origin of dorsal fin, then sloping gently ventrally from there to end of caudal peduncle. Ventral profile horizontal to origin of anal fin, then sloping dorsally to end of caudal peduncle. Adipose fin with long base, about 3.0 times length of anal-fin base (31.3–39.2% SL) and spanning most of postdorsal distance. Origin of adipose fin separate from base of posteriormost dorsal-fin ray by distance of 5.8–8.5% SL. Post-adipose distance 8.7–10.6% SL. Dorsal spine stout, without serrations on posterior edge. Pectoral spine stout, with 9–10 large serrations on posterior edge. Caudal-peduncle depth 8.0–9.8% SL. Caudal fin forked; upper lobe rounded with principal ray produced into a filament, lower lobe rounded posteriorly. Sensory pores on body not prominent. Rakers on first gill arch 15–17. Maximum recorded size 253 mm SL.

Colour. — Preserved specimens with dorsal and lateral surfaces of head and body uniform brown, lateral line cream; ventral surface of head and body dirty white; adipose fin and fin rays of all fins brown; inter-radial membranes of all fins hyaline.

Distribution. — Known from Quang Binh province, Song Ngan Pho in Ha Tinh province, Song Thu Bon in Da Nang province, and Song Tra Khuc in Quang Ngai province (all in central Vietnam) ( Fig. 39 ).

Figures

Fig. 40. Hemibagrus centralus, AMNH 227983, 126.2 mm SL; Vietnam: Rao An region.

Fig. 39. Map showing collection localities of Hemibagrus pluriradiatus, H. centralus, H. hainanensis, H. imbrifer, and H. variegatus specimens examined in this study