Paratanakia haifengensis Huang & Cheng & Shao & Chen 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Huang, Shih-Pin
name: Cheng, You-Hua
name: Shao, Kwang-Tsao
name: Chen, I-Shiung
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Cypriniformes
Cyprinidae
Paratanakia
Paratanakia haifengensis

description: Paratanakia haifengensis sp. nov.
(DZḆƂḛ)
(Figs. 2A, 2B, 3, 4A)
Material examined
Holotype.— NTOUP 2009-11 - 001, 66.3 mm SL, male, a tributary of the Huang River (Huangjiang), near Lianhua Mountain in Haifeng County, Guangdong Province, China, coll. Shih-Pin Huang, 2 April 2009.
Paratypes.— NTOUP 2009-11-002, 10 specimens, 2 males, 8 females, 49.6-62.9 mm SL. ASIZP0081785, male, 1 specimen, 47.6 mm SL. ASIZP0081786, female, 1 specimen, 61.6 mm SL. Paratypes were collected with holotype.
Diagnosis. P. haifengensis sp. nov. can be well distinguished from other congeners by the following unique combination of features: (1) meristic counts: dorsal fin rays 3, 9; anal fin rays 3, 11–13 (modally 3, 12); pectoral fin rays 1, 12–13 (modally 13); lateral-line scales 36–37 (modally 36); and (2) color patterns: a distinct longitudinal blue stripe on posterior half of body, starting from caudal fin base and extending forward to the position below the third spine of dorsal fin in maximum, its anterior tip inserted above the 13 th– 14 th lateral-line scales, and usually not exceeding the anterior margin of dorsal fin; dorsal fin gray with a broad shiny yellow stripe, and with an indistinct, very thin gray margin in male.
Description. Dorsal fin rays 3, 9. Anal fin rays 3, 11–13 (modally 3, 12). Pectoral fin rays 1, 12–13 (modally 13). Pelvic fin rays 1, 7. Lateral-line scales 36–37 (modally 36). Transverse scales 10. Pre-dorsal scales 12–13 (modally 13). A frequency distribution of meristic features of current new species— P. haifengensis sp. nov., and other two species of Paratanakia is listed as Table 1.
Body compressed and roughly spindle shaped. The highest position of dorsal line located at the anterior margin of dorsal fin base. Head small, snout slightly prominent, tip slightly rounded. Mouth small, a pair of barbels at mouth corner. Eye moderately large and located on lateral side of head, the proportion of orbit diameter in female is slightly bigger than in male, orbit diameter was measured as 30.2–35.7% (33.7% on average) of head length in female, and 30.2–33.3% (31.6% on average) in male (Table 2). Belly slightly rounded in both sexes. Lateral-line complete and running slightly downward abruptly above the anus and along the ventral profile into middle of caudal fin base. Body covered with moderate-sized cycloid scales. Belly from inter-pectoral fin basal region extending backward to anal fin anterior base, always covered with cycloid scales.
Pectoral fin can reach anterior margin of pelvic fin when compressed in both sexes. Pelvic fin slightly rounded. Anterior margin of anal fin inserted below second branched ray of dorsal fin. The length of dorsal fin in male is distinctly longer than in female when compressed, length of depressed dorsal fin was measured as 35.7–40.9% (38.4% in average) of standard length in male, and 29.2–33.5% (31.7% in average) in female (Table 1). Caudal fin deeply forked and rear margin of caudal fin lobe rounded. Two patches of turbucles appeared on snout in adult male, absent in female. All female specimens were examined with a spawning tube. The morphometric measurements of P. haifengensis sp. nov. were provided in table 1.
Coloration in alive fish. Upper areas of head and body generally pale yellowish. Scales on upper area of body side with gray margin. Belly silver white. A distinct longitudinal blue stripe on posterior half of body, starting from caudal fin base and extending forward to the position below the third spine of dorsal fin in maximum, but usually extending to the position below the 1 st –2 nd branched ray of dorsal fin in most individuals and not exceeding the anterior margin of dorsal fin; its anterior tip inserted above the 13 th –14 th lateral-line scales. Middle belly from inter-pectoral region to anterior margin of anal fin is grayish black in mature male, but white in female. Eye grayish white with orange pigments around the pupil in mature male, but grayish white in female (Fig. 3).
Color of all fins in male and female is completely different. In male, dorsal fin gray with a broad shiny yellow stripe, and with a very thin gray margin. Anal fin gray with broad yellowish orange stripe, and with broad grayish black margin. Pectoral fin pale yellow. Pelvic fin grayish black. Caudal fin yellow, central area with a longitudinal black stripe. In female, dorsal fin usually uniformly grayish, but some individuals with indistinct pale yellow stripe. Anal fin usually uniformly grayish, but some individuals with indistinct pale yellow stripe. Pectoral fin cream yellow. Pelvic fin grayish white. Caudal fin cream yellow, central area with a longitudinal black stripe (Fig. 3).
Coloration in preserved specimen. Head and body generally pale yellowish. Scales on upper area of body side with grayish black margin. A distinct longitudinal blackish blue stripe on posterior half of body. Middle belly from inter-pectoral region to anterior margin of anal fin is grayish black in mature male, but white in female. Eye grayish white in both sexes. Dorsal fin gray with a broad white stripe, and with a very thin gray margin in male, but uniformly grayish in female. Anal fin gray with broad white stripe, and with broad grayish black margin, but uniformly grayish in female. Pectoral fin grayish white in both sexes. Pelvic fin grayish black in male, grayish white in female. Caudal fin grayish white, central area with a longitudinal black stripe in both sexes (Fig. 2).
Distribution. Known only from the upper reaches of the Huang River (Huangjiang), a river located in eastern Guangdong Province, southern China (Fig. 1).
Etymology. The Latinized specific name, “ haifengensis ” refers to “Haifeng County,” located in eastern region of Guangdong Proivne, China, wherein lies the type locality.
Remarks. When compared to the two valid species of Paratanakia, P. haifengensis sp. nov. can be immediately distinguished from P. himantegus by their meristic features and color patterns: (1) when compared to P. himantegus, P. haifengensis sp. nov. has more dorsal fin rays (3, 9 vs. 3, 8), more pectoral fin rays (modally 1, 13 vs. modally 1, 12), more anal fin rays (modally 3, 12 vs. modally 3, 10), and more lateral-line scales (36–37 vs. 32–34). (2) These two species also have different color patterns in mature male: in P. haifengensis sp. nov., dorsal fin and anal fin with a broad yellow stripe in male; in P. himantegus, dorsal fin with a broad red stripe, anal fin with black distal edge and a thin red band in male.
Paratanakia haifengensis sp. nov. is most similar to P. chii: both species share similar broad yellow stripe on dorsal fin and anal fin. However, P. haifengensis sp. nov. can be well recognized based on following meristic features and color patterns: (1) P. haifengensis sp. nov. with more pectoral fin rays (modally 1, 13 vs. modally 1, 12), more anal fin rays (modally 3, 12 vs. modally 3, 11), and more lateral-line scales (36–37, modally 36 vs. 32–35, modally 34). (2) In P. haifengensis sp. nov., the longitudinal blue stripe on body side extending forward to the position below the third spine of dorsal fin in maximum and usually not exceeding the anterior margin of dorsal fin, its anterior tip inserted above the 13 th –14 th lateral-line scales (Fig. 4A). In P. chii, the longitudinal blue stripe on body side always exceeding the anterior margin of dorsal fin, its anterior tip inserted above the 8 th- 9 th lateral-line scales (Fig. 4B). (3) In P. haifengensis sp. nov., the dorsal fin with an indistinct, very thin gray margin in male (Fig. 4A). In P. chii, the dorsal fin with a distinct, broader gray margin in male (Fig. 4B).
description: Published as part of Huang, Shih-Pin, Cheng, You-Hua, Shao, Kwang-Tsao & Chen, I-Shiung, 2024, A new species of Paratanakia (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from Guangdong, China, pp. 240-249 in Zootaxa 5550 (1) on pages 242-247, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5550.1.24, http://zenodo.org/record/14388988