A New Genus and A New Species of Nemacheilinae From Yunnan Province,China

Protonemacheilus,gen.nov.Type-species:Protonemacheilus longipectoralis,sp.nov.Body slightly elongate and compressed.Anterior and posterior nostrils closely adjacent,anterior one in a short tube.Mouth inferior,upper and lower lips neither fimbriated nor papillated.Barbels 6,long,4 rostral and 2 maxillary.Body covered with minute scales except the head and thoracic region.Lateral line uncomplete,terminating over the anal fin.Pectoral girdle with a postcleithrum.The posterior wall of bony capsule membranous.The posterior chamber of air-bladder developed and connected to anterior chamber with a short tube.The new genus resembles Micronemacheilus Rendahl and Paranemachilus Zhu in having a postcleithrum in pectoral girdle,the posterior wall of bony capsule membranous and the anterior nostril in a short tube.However it can be distinguished from Micronemacheilus in the unfimbriated lips,having less dorsal fin rays.It differs from Paranemachilus in having no scales on cheeks,short barbels (Table 2).Protonemacheilus longipectoralis,sp.nov.(Fig.1).Diagnosis:Postcleithrum present;the posterior wall of bony capsule membranous;posterior chamber of air-bladder developed;anterior and posterior nostrils closely adjacent and the anterior one in a short tube;upper and lower lips neither fimbriated nor papillated;lateral line uncomplete.By these diagnostic characteristics this new species can be distinguished from other known species of the subfamily (Table 1).Holotype no.8310110,standard length 53.0 mm,collected from Luxi county (24°30′N,98°37′E),Yunnan in Oct.1983.Paratype nos.8310106,8310108,8310109,8310111,standard length 52.9-62.3 mm,locality and date same as holotype.Type speciemens are deposited in Kunming Institute of Zoology,Academia Sinica.