Two new species of freshwater fishes of the genus Alburnoides, A. fangfangae and A. devolli (Actinopterygii: Cyprinidae), from the Adriatic Sea Basin in Albania

Abstract

Two new species of the genus Alburnoides are described from the river Seman drainage in the eastern Adriatic Sea basin in Albania. Both species have a pharyngeal tooth formula of 2.5–4.2. Alburnoides fangfangae, which occurs in the upper Osum river system, is distinguished from other members of the genus by a combination of characters including 11½–13½ anal fin branched rays, small scales numbering 46–53 in the total pored lateral line, total vertebrae usually 40 (20+20 and 21+19) or 41 (21+20 and 20+21), caudal peduncle depth 43–48% body depth at dorsal fin origin, usually a mostly or completely scaleless ventral keel, the mouth with a curved and only slightly slanted cleft and a produced fleshy snout, the interorbital width 1.3–1.5 times the eye diameter, a weakly ossified preethmoid, and a depressed and considerably expanded anterior tip of the basihyal (a unique feature among the western European Alburnoides). Alburnoides devolli, which is described from the upper Devoll river system, differs in having 11½–13½ anal fin branched rays, larger scales numbering 44–48 in the total pored lateral line, total vertebrae usually 40 (20+20), caudal peduncle depth 35–43% body depth at dorsal fin origin, usually a mostly or completely scaled ventral keel, the mouth with a straight and upturned cleft, the interorbital width 1.1–1.4 times the eye diameter, a completely ossified preethmoid, and a narrow, very deeply indented anterior tip of the urohyal (a unique feature among the western European Alburnoides). A comparison with Alburnoides species from River Danube and Prespa, Ohrid, and Skadar lakes is provided.