Macrognathus aureus, a new spiny eel of the M. aculeatus species group from the Upper Ayeyarwaddy River Drainage, Myanmar (Teleostei: Synbranchiformes: Mastacembelidae)

Abstract

Macrognathus aureus, new species, from the upper Ayeyarwaddy River Drainage, northern Myanmar, is distinguished from all other species of the M. aculeatus species group by the following combination of characters: rostral tooth plates 8–10, dorsal-fin spines 21–22, and a unique colour pattern consisting of a series of large white-rimmed, dark-brown to black blotches along the dorsal fin and even larger blotches along the lateral line, of which some are confluent with the dorsal series.