Integrative taxonomy peeps a new torrent catfish species of genus Amblyceps (Siluriformes: Amblycipitidae) in Kaladan River of Mizoram, India.

BACKGROUND: Explorations of the Kaladan River of Mizoram, India during the last decade have given a large number of new species. Integrative taxonomy, when used at the time of discovery of new species, can correlate the morphological characters with the species-specific DNA signatures and ameliorate the process of species identification. Based on this approach, Amblyceps hmolaii sp. nov., a new torrent catfish species is described from the Kaladan River drainage. METHODS AND RESULTS: The new species is distinguished from all twenty-two congeners by morphometric measurements and meristic counts. Sequence analysis of mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), generated in this study and those available in NCBI, separated A. hmolaii sp. nov. from seven species of Amblyceps. Analysis of COI sequences, with ABGD software to delimit the species, also provided eight stable groups corresponding to the eight species of Amblyceps. The new species was separated from its congeners with an average genetic distance of 11.77%. Maximum-likelihood (ML) phylogenetic tree was constructed using the best fit nucleotide substitution model HKY + G + I. CONCLUSION: This study used all the twenty-two congeners in morphomeristic analysis and seven congeners in molecular analysis, for comparison with the new species. This approach unambiguously resolved the new species from other species of Amblyceps and created its species-specific DNA signatures. The discovery of new species even marked the first record of genus Amblyceps from the Kaladan drainage.

Badis kaladanensis, a new fish species (Teleostei: Badidae) from Mizoram, northeast India.

Badis kaladanensis, a new percoid fish is described from the Kaladan basin of Mizoram, northeast India. It belongs to the Badis badis species group but can be easily distinguished from its congeners, except from B. kanabos and B. tuivaiei, in having a dark blotch on the dorsal fin between the base of 3rd to 5th spines. It is further distinguished from B. kanabos in having more scales in lateral row (27-30 vs. 25-26), more circumpeduncular scale rows (18-20 vs. 16-17) and smaller eye (7.5-8.9% SL vs. 9.5-12.7); and from B. tuivaiei in having fewer vertebrae (28-29 vs. 30-31) and more rakers on the first gill arch (9 vs. 6-8). The analysis of the mitochondrial DNA (coi and cytb) revealed the distinctness of B. kaladanensis from all other Badis species with the interspecific distance ranges from 5.4-20.4%. (coi) and 5.1-26.3% (cytb).