New species of grayling Thymallus tugarinae sp. nova (Thymallidae) from the Amur River Basin

Abstract

Data on a new species, low Amur grayling Thymallus tugarinae sp. nova , inhabiting tributaries of the lower and middle current of the Amur River, are presented. This species has been earlier equated with the Amur grayling T. grubii , described by Dybowski (1869) from the rivers Onon and Ingoda (the Upper Amur Basin). The new species differs from other representatives of the genus in the body coloration, the pattern on the upper fin, and certain morphological characters. On most of the Amur Basin, the grayling from the Lower Amur is sympatric with T. grubii and in its tributary Bureya River, also with the Bureya grayling T. burejensis. Individuals with intermediate traits are unknown, pointing to reproductive isolation. These data are supported by the results of molecular-genetic analysis (Froufe et al., 2003, 2005; Knizhin et al., 2004).