A new small barb (Cyprininae, Smiliogastrini) from the N'sele and Mayi Ndombe rivers in the lower reaches of the middle Congo basin (Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa). (American Museum novitates, no. 3848)
Supplemental Materials
Date
2016-02-04
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Journal Title
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Publisher
American Museum of Natural History.
DOI
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Abstract
A new species of smiliogastrin cyprinid is described from tributaries of the middle Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Restriction of the genus name, Barbus, to certain large-bodied, (polyploid) barbins, and current uncertainty regarding phylogenetic relationships among the numerous small-bodied African (diploid) barbs, renders generic assignment for the new species problematical. Pending the results of ongoing systematic analyses, and to reduce short-term nomenclatural instability, the new species is described here as a species of "Barbus." "Barbus" validus, new species, is readily distinguished from all other small-bodied African barbs by the combined possession of scales in midlateral series that are not enlarged relative to those along the impinging rows above and below; well-developed barbels, with the maxillary pair extending beyond the level of mideye, and the mandibular pair reaching the level of midopercle; the presence of numerous conical tubercles over the snout, cheek, and dorsum of head; a small circular occipital fontanel located medially at the parietal suture; well-developed gill rakers, with 8 or 9 on the hypo- and ceratobranchial elements of the first arch; a last unbranched dorsal-fin ray that is weakly ossified and lacking serrations along the posterior border; and a dorsal fin that is creamy white proximally and with the distal half to two thirds darkly pigmented.
Description
15 pages : illustrations (some color), color map ; 26 cm.
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Keywords
"Barbus" validus., Barbs (Fish), Freshwater fishes., Congo River Valley., Congo (Democratic Republic)