Abstract
Paracanthocobitis linypha Singer & Page, a freshwater nemacheiline zipper loach, is reported for the first time from the Lokchao River of Manipur (headwaters of Chindwin drainage), in northeastern India. The species is diagnosed in having an incomplete lateral line, flank with 10–14 thin dark bars, long bars occasionally alternating with short bars extending up to about lateral mid-line, interspaces broader than bar width. Morphometric and meristic data of the examined specimens were compared with the original description to validate the species identity.
Highlights
Fishes of the genus Paracanthocobitis Grant, 2007 are widely distributed in southern and southeastern Asia, ranging from the Indus drainage in eastern Pakistan to the Mekong drainage in Cambodia and Laos (Rainboth et al 2012)
The specimens were identified as Paracanthocobitis linypha Singer & Page, 2015 and the species is hereby reported for the first time from the Chindwin drainage in Manipur, northeastern India
Diagnosis: Paracanthocobitis linypha is distinguished from all other species of Paracanthocobitis by the following combination of characters: 10–14 thin dark bars on flank, long bars occasionally alternating with short bars extending up to about lateral mid-line; interspaces wider than bars; an incomplete lateral line; absence of axillary pelvic lobe; males with suborbital flap
Summary
Fishes of the genus Paracanthocobitis Grant, 2007 are widely distributed in southern and southeastern Asia, ranging from the Indus drainage in eastern Pakistan to the Mekong drainage in Cambodia and Laos (Rainboth et al 2012). Hora (1921) reported the presence of Paracanthocobitis zonalternans (Blyth, 1860) from the Chindwin drainage and P. botia (Hamilton, 1822) from the Brahmaputra drainage of Manipur, northeastern India. Kottelat & Vishwanath (2021) clarified that P. zonalternans, which Hora recorded from the Chindwin drainage is P. marmorata Singer et al, 2017. A recent ichthyological survey in the Lokchao River of Manipur, Chindwin drainage, resulted in the collection of 10 specimens of Paracanthocobitis. The specimens were identified as Paracanthocobitis linypha Singer & Page, 2015 and the species is hereby reported for the first time from the Chindwin drainage in Manipur, northeastern India
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