scientific news
Description of a new species of the genus Yunnanilus Nichols, 1925 (Teleostei:
Nemacheilidae) from Yunnan, China.
Yunnanilus niulanensis Chen, Yang & Yang, 2012 sp. nov.
Yangtze basin, Yunnan, China
ME, 2012-04-18
The catfish genus Erethistoides (Siluriformes: Sisoridae) in Myanmar, with descriptions of three new species.
Erethistoides longispinis Ng, Ferraris & Neely, 2012 sp. nov.
Erethistoides luteolus Ng, Ferraris & Neely, 2012 sp. nov.
Erethistoides vesculus Ng, Ferraris & Neely, 2012 sp. nov.
Irrawaddy, Sittang, Ann Chaung basins, Myanmar
ME, 2012-04-18
Glyptothorax lanceatus, a new species of sisorid catfish (Teleostei: Siluriformes) from southwestern China.
Glyptothorax lanceatus Ng, Jiang & Chen, 2012 sp. nov.
Salween basin, Yunnan, China
ME, 2012-04-18
A new cyprinid species, Placocheilus dulongensis, from the upper Irrawaddy system in northwestern Yunnan, China.
Placocheilus dulongensis Chen, Pan, Xiao & Yang, 2011 sp. nov.
Irrawaddy basin, Yunnan, China
ME, 2012-03-22
A new species of Triplophysa (Nemacheilidae: Cypriniformes), from Guangxi, southern China.
Triplophysa huapingensis Zheng, Yang & Chen, 2012 sp. nov.
Pearl River basin, Guangxi, China
ME, 2012-02-25
A new species of the genus Sinocyclocheilus (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae) from Guanxi, China.
Sinocyclocheilus flexuosdorsalis Zhu & Zhu, 2012 sp. nov.
Pearl River basin, Guangxi, China
ME, 2012-02-25
Homatula laxiclathra (Teleostei: Balitoridae), a new species of nemacheiline loach from the Yellow River drainage in Shaanxi Province, northern China
Homatula laxiclathra Gu & Zhang, 2011 sp. nov.
Yellow River basin, Shaanxi, China
ME, 2011-11-21
A new blind loach, Oreonectes elongatus sp. nov. (Cypriniformes: Balitoridae) from Guangxi, China
Oreonectes elongatus Tang, Zhao & Zhang, 2011 sp. nov.
Huanjiang County, Guangxi, China
ME, 2011-11-14
A new species of the genus Balitora (Teleostei: Balitoridae) from Guangxi, China
Balitora ludongensis Liu, Zhu, Wei & Chen, 2011 sp. nov.
Pearl River basin, Guangxi, China
Online article
ME, 2011-10-07
Two new species of Sinocyclocheilus in Guangxi, China (Cypriniefrmes [sic!], Cyprinidae).
Sinocyclocheilus huanjiangensis Wu, Gan & Li, 2010 sp. nov.
Sinocyclocheilus mashanensis Wu, Liao & Li, 2010 sp. nov.
Guangxi, China
ME, 2011-09-17
Synonymization of Pararasbora, Yaoshanicus, and Nicholsicypris with Aphyocypris, and Description of a New Species of Aphyocypris from Taiwan (Teleostei: Cyprinidae).
Aphyocypris amnis Liao, Kullander & Lin, 2011 sp. nov.
Choshui River, Taiwan
ME, 2011-09-10
A new cave-dwelling loach, Triplophysa macrocephala (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Balitoridae), from Guangxi, China.
Triplophysa macrocephala Yang, Wu & Yang, 2011 sp. nov.
Nandan County, Guangxi, China
ME, 2011-09-10
A New Species of the Genus Oreonectes (Balitoridae) from Guangxi, China.
Oreonectes guananensis Yang, Wei, Lan & Yang, 2011 sp. nov.
Guangxi, China
ME, 2011-09-02
A new blind loach, Triplophysa huanjiangensis (Teleostei: Balitoridae), from Guangxi, China.
Triplophysa huanjiangensis Yang, Wu & Lan, 2011 sp. nov.
Huanjiang County, Guangxi, China
ME, 2011-09-02
A New Genus of Glyptosternine Catfish (Siluriformes: Sisoridae) with Descriptions of Two New Species from Yunnan, China..
Creteuchiloglanis n. gen. Zhou, Li & Thomson, 2011 sp. nov.
Creteuchiloglanis brachypterus Zhou, Li & Thomson, 2011 sp. nov.
Irrawaddy basin, Yunnan, China
Creteuchiloglanis longipectoralis Zhou, Li & Thomson, 2011 sp. nov.
Mekong basin, Yunnan, China
ME, 2011-07-12
Description on a New Species of Sinocyclocheilus in Guizhou.
Sinocyclocheilus dongtangensis Zhou, Liu & Wang, 2011 sp. nov.
Guizhou, China
ME, 2011-07-12
Two new species of cobitid fish (Teleostei, Cobitidae) from the River Nanliu and the River Beiliu, China..
Cobitis microcephala Chen & Chen, 2011 sp. nov.
Cobitis multimaculata Chen & Chen, 2011 sp. nov.
Nanliu and Beiliu Rivers, Guangxi, China
ME, 2011-07-12
Physoschistura yunnaniloides, a new species of loach from Myanmar (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae)..
Physoschistura yunnaniloides Chen, Kottelat & Neely, 2011 sp. nov.
Chindwin River basin, Sagaing Division, Myanmar
ME, 2011-07-12
A new genus and two new species of loaches (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae) from Myanmar..
Pteronemacheilus n. gen. Bohlen & Šlechtová, 2011 sp. nov.
Pteronemacheilus lucidorsum Bohlen & Šlechtová, 2011 sp. nov.
Schistura callidora Bohlen & Šlechtová, 2011 sp. nov.
Irrawaddy basin, Shan State, Myanmar
ME, 2011-07-12
A new species, Microphysogobio wulonghensis (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae), from Shandong Province, China..
Microphysogobio wulonghensis Xing, Zhao, Tang & Zhang, 2011 sp. nov.
Shandong, China
ME, 2011-06-05
Cophecheilus bamen, a new genus and species of labeonine fishes (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from South China.
Cophecheilus bamen Zhu, Zhang, Zhang & Han, 2011 sp. nov.
Pearl River basin, Guangxi, China
ME, 2011-05-30
Two new species of the Glyptosternine catfish genus Euchiloglanis (Teleostei: Sisoridae) from southwest China with redescriptions of E. davidi and E. kishinouyei.
Euchiloglanis longibarbatus Zhou, Li & Thomson, 2011 sp. nov.
Euchiloglanis longus Zhou, Li & Thomson, 2011 sp. nov.
Upper Yantze, Sichuan, China
Upper Red River, Yunnan, China
ME, 2011-05-10
A review of the genus Mastacembelus (Perciformes, Mastacembeloidae) in China with description of two new species and one new record.
Mastacembelus strigiventus Yang & Zhou, 2011 sp. nov.
Mastacembelus triolobus Yang & Zhou, 2011 sp. nov.
Irrawaddy basin, Yunnan, China
ME, 2011-05-10
A new species of the genus Crossostoma from Zhejiang Province, China (Cypriniformes: Homalopteridae).
Crossostoma galericula Zhang, 2011 sp. nov.
Zhejiang, China
ME, 2011-04-24
Description of a new species of Barbinae, Sinocyclocheilus huangtianensis from China (Teleostei: Cypinidae)
Sinocyclocheilus huangtianensis Zhu et al., 2011 sp. nov.
Pearl River basin, Guangxi, China
ME, 2011-03-31
A new loach, Oreonectes luochengensis sp. nov. (Cypriniformes: Balitoridae) from Guangxi, China
Oreonectes luochengensis Yang et al., 2011 sp. nov.
Luocheng, Guangxi, China
ME, 2011-03-31
Description and DNA Barcoding of a New Sillago Species, Sillago sinica (Perciformes: Sillaginidae), from Coastal Waters of China
Sillago sinica Gao & Xue, 2011 sp. nov.
Coastal waters, China
ME, 2011-03-04
Claea, a new replacement name for Oreias Sauvage, 1874 (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae)
Claea nom. nov. Kottelat, 2011
ME, 2011-03-04
Liobagrus somjinensis, a new species of torrent catfish (Siluriformes: Amblycipitidae) from Korea
Liobagrus somjinensis Park & Kim, 2011 sp. nov.
Western and southern coastal rivers, Korea
ME, 2011-03-04
Bangana musaei, a new cave fish from central Laos (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)
Bangana musaei Kottelat & Steiner, 2011 sp. nov.
Xe Bangfai subbasin, Middle Mekong, Laos
ME, 2011-03-04
Rhodeus shitaiensis, a new bitterling from China (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)
Rhodeus shitaiensis Li & Arai, 2011 sp. nov.
Lower Yangtze, Anhui, China
ME, 2011-03-04
Acheilognathus changtingensis sp. nov., a New Species of the Cyprinid Genus Acheilognathus (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from Southeastern China Based on Morphological and Molecular Evidence.
Acheilognathus changtingensis Yang, Zhu, Xiong & Liu, 2011 sp. nov.
Hanjiang River basin, Fujian, China
ME, 2011-02-14
Protolabeo protolabeo, a new genus and a new species of labeonine fishes from southwest China (Teleostei, Cyprinindae)
Protolabeo An, Liu, Zhao & Zhang, 2010 gen. nov.
Protolabeo protolabeo An, Liu, Zhao & Zhang, 2010 sp. nov.
Upper Yangtze, Yunnan, China
ME, 2010-08-20
A new species of the genus Triplophysa (Nemacheilinae: Balitoridae), Triplophysa jianchuanensis sp. nov., from Yunnan, China.
Triplophysa jianchuanensis Zheng, Du, Chen & Yang, 2010 sp. nov.
Upper Mekong basin, Yunnan, China
ME, 2010-06-30
Acheilognathus striatus (Family: Cyprinidae), a new bitterling species from the lower Yangtze River, China
Acheilognathus striatus Yang, Xiong, Tang & Liu, 2010 sp. nov.
Lower Yangtze River, China
ME, 2010-05-03
Homatula pycnolepis, a new species of nemacheiline loach from the upper Mekong drainage, South China (Teleostei: Balitoridae) from Yunnan, China
Homatula pycnolepis Hu & Zhang, 2010 sp. nov.
Upper Mekong basin, Yunnan, China
ME, 2010-04-07
Paracobitis nanpanjiangensis, a new loach (Balitoridae: Nemacheilinae) from Yunnan, China
Paracobitis nanpanjiangensis Min, Chen & Yang, 2010 sp. nov.
Upper Pearl River basin, Yunnan, China
ME, 2010-03-13
Two new species and a new record of the genus Sinogastromyzon (Teleostei: Balitoridae) from Yunnan, China.
Sinogastromyzon lixianjiangensis Liu, Chen & Yang, 2009, sp. nov.
Red River basin, Yunnan Province, China.
Sinogastromyzon macrostoma Liu, Chen & Yang, 2009, sp. nov.
Red River basin, Yunnan Province, China
Read related online news at http://en.kunming.cn
Read the China Science and Technology Newsletter online
ME, 2010-01-27
aquariophil news
Artificial breeding program for Tyre Track Eels Mastacembelus armatus at RIA I, Hanoi
Mastacembelus armatus is an esteemed food fish in Vietnam with prices ranging from 12.5-17.5 USD/kg. Aquaculture researchers at RIA I now successfully
bred the Tyre Track Spiny Eel. Using carp pituitaries and HCG they could induce a spawning rate >90%, which is considered an excellent result. Read the full article here. The pictured 190 mm SL individual was captured in the Luosuojiang River subbasin, Mekong basin, Xishuangbanna, China PR in December 2010.
ME, 2012-03-12
Giant seagrass to be the oldest recent organism on Earth
Australian scientists sequenced the DNA of the Giant Seagrass Posidonia oceanic with an amazing outcome. Among the samples obtained from the Mediterranean Sea were some patches aged up to 200.000 years. This makes them the ‘oldest living thing on Earth’. Read an online article in ‘The Telegraph’.
ME, 2012-03-07
New Poecilia from Laguna Miramar, Chiapas, Mexico
Laguna Miramar seems to shelter plenty of endemics and not yet released treasures; during my Mexico 2011 excursion to this isolated freshwater lake within the Lacandon jungle I was able to collect a new species of livebearer belonging to the well known genus Poecilia.
ME, 2011-10-10
New Heterandria in upper Rio Coatzacoalcos discovered
A colorful new species of the livebearer genus Heterandria has been discovered in the upper Rio Coatzacoalcos basin, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Caught individuals differ strikingly from all hitherto known Mexican species.
ME, 2011-10-07
KIZ research: Chemical warfare as a defense mechanism in frog skin
A team of researchers around Han Liu from Kunming Institute of Zoology of 
Chinese Academy of Sciences analysed the chemical composition of tree frog skin obtained from Guangxi province collections. The proteomic analyse unveiled secretes acting as salves for wound treatment as well as prophylaxis against settlement of fungi inter alia on the frogs skin. In addition secretes akin to snake venom were found. Snakes are the major predators to anuran amphibians.
Reseachers are now working on if and how to make these secretes biochemistrically usable. Read the full online article on the KIZ website. Picture shows Kaloula pulchra hainana, a bottom dwelling frog. This subspecies is endemic to Hainan Island.
ME, 2011-09-17
KIZ research: Lake Dianchi molluscan diversity shrinked to a fifth during past 20 years due to eutrophication
The mulluscan diversity of Lake Dianchi in Yunnan province has been shrinked down to a fifth. This is the result of studies done during the early 1990s and recent researches. Du Lina and colleagues from KIZ, Chinese Academy of Sciences, verified 16 different species still populating the lakes body, while there were 83 species registered in the early 1990s. Eutrophication is called out for this tremendous shrinkage in biodiveristy. Read the article.
ME, 2011-09-17
Garra mirofrontis Chu & Cui, 1987 - Facts about a rare Garra species from the upper Mekong basin
Garra mirofrontis belong into the species group bearing a proboscis. Its proboscis is bifurcate and reminds one of the horns of a bull.
This Garra seems be widely spread within the upper Mekong basin in Yunnan Province, China, but is never frequently encountered.
ME, 2011-02-14
Conservation status of an endangered fish, Gymnodiptychus integrigymnatus (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) endemic to Gaoligongshan Mountains, China
Surveys of the ichthyofauna of the Gaoligongshan Mountains during 1998 and 2008 unveiled two different populations of Gymnodiptychus integrigymnatus; a well known population in the Longchuanjiang River, Irrawaddy basin, and a newly discovered population inhabiting the Salween basin. G. integrigymnatus is listed critically endangered in the Chinese Red List, but not evaluated in ‘The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species’.
Read an online article about the species’ conservation status.
ME, 2011-01-23
Schistura porthos Kottelat, 2000 - Facts sheet online
The facts sheet of Schistura porthos has been added to the species section. We could catch plenty of this species
in Nanxinghe River, a left hand tributary of Luosuojiang River, Mekong basin. Schistura porthos have been reported from northern Laotian subbasins of the Mekong (Kottelat, 2000). This is the first record of the occurrence in Chinese waters.
ME, 2010-09-24
New Physoschistura sp. in Yunnan, Red River basin, discovered
We collected a not yet described species of the genus Physoschistura in the Mengyejiang River, Yunnan, China.
With the description of this new species the number of taxa in Physoschistura will reach eight, the number of Physoschistura spp. occurring in Chinese waters should be three.
ME, 2010-07-09
Three Gorges affects Acipenser sinensis population
Experts say that there are no more than 1000 fishes left in the Yangtze River, only half of them able to reproduce. The dwindling number of rare Chinese sturgeon is mainly caused by habitat destruction and environmental degradation due to pollution.
If there are no appropriate protective measures applied Acipenser sinensis will go extinct within the next 50 years.
In order to support the population China has established two large breeding centers in Hubei province which produced almost 6 millions fingerlings between 1983 and 1988 that had been released into the Yangtze River.
Read an China daily online article how a new threat, the mighty Three Gorges Dam, affects the well being of the remaining fishes.
ME, 2010-06-30
Channa gachua (Hamilton, 1822) - Facts sheet online
This common snakehead species is widely spread all over the southern Chinese provinces. We have collected it during our stay at the Mengyejiang River, Yunnan Province, China.
ME, 2010-05-12
Glyptothorax interspinalum (Mai, 1978) - Facts sheet online
This sisorid catfish is hardly known and have probably not been exported nor kept by aquarists. It is easy to maintain in aquaria though, but is not an eyecatcher. We caught this species in Mengyejiang River, Yunnan Province, China.
ME, 2010-05-10
Glyptothorax quadriocellatus (Mai, 1978) - Facts sheet online
This sucker catfish lives in well oxygenated streams with rocky bottom substrate within the Red River basin of Yunnan Province, China and northern Vietnam. We caught it in EW-CN 66-09, which is the Mengyejiang River, Yunnan Province, China
ME, 2010-05-07
Pseudecheneis paviei Vaillant, 1892 - Facts sheet online
This sisorid catfish can be encountered in the riffles of streams with swift current and well oxygenated water within the Red River basin. We have found them in a tributary to Lixianjiang River, southern Yunnan Province, China.
ME, 2010-05-06
Vanmanenia tetraloba (Mai, 1978) - Facts sheet online
This balitorid occurs in tributaries of the Lixianjiang River, a sub-basin of the 
upper Red River basin, Yunnan Province, China. It populates fast running sections of streams over gravel and rock substratum. There was a healthy population in Mengyejiang River, a right hand tributary of Lixianjiang River.
ME, 2010-03-20
Schistura laterivittata (Zhu & Wang, 1985) - Facts sheet online
This nemacheilid from the Red River basin has been misidentified as S. caudofurca 
since 2001 (Kottelat, 2001b). In fact, it is much distinct from S. caudofurca. We could catch plenty of them in Mengyejiang River, Yunnan, China.
ME, 2010-03-06
Schistura callichromus (Zhu & Wang, 1985) - Facts sheet online
As plenty of Chinese nemacheilids Schistura callichromus is virtually unknown to 
Western hobbyists. It inhabits riffle sections of the upper Red River basin featuring fast flowing water over rock substratum. We observed them in the Mengyejiang River, Yunnan Province, China, just some 15 km north of the borderline with Laos.
ME, 2010-02-21
Schistura kloeztliae Kottelat, 2000 - Facts sheet online
This nemacheilid loach is an absolute riffle specialist. It exclusively inhabits the 
interspaces of rock and boulders in riffles featuring fast flowing water. The maximum water depth we could observe them is 20 cm. Stagnant areas are avoided due to its high demand of dissolved oxygenium. The loaches’ morphology shows some adaptations to this extreme environment.
ME, 2010-01-27
Sinogastromyzon tonkinensis Pellegrin & Chevey, 1935
Facts sheet online
This species is widely spread in the Red River basin in Yunnan Province, China. It 
requires well oxygenated water inhabiting riffles in clear streams with swift current and can be considered as a water quality indicator.
ME, 2010-01-23
Nemacheilus elegantissimus Chin & Samat, 1992 - Facts sheet online
This small sized nemacheilid is endemic to Sabah and is found in the upper reaches 
featuring clear water running with slow to moderate current over a pebble substratum in the Labuk, Kinabatangan and Segama River basins, East Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia.
ME, 2009-12-20
Shots posted of latest trip to Guangxi Province by Zhou Hang
Zhou Hang posted several interesting pictures of aquatic animals at insect-fans
.com. All shots have been taken during a trip into the boonies of Chinese Guangxi Province close to the Vietnamese border. Among the fishes caught there are some undescribed Rhinogobius spp. (Gobiidae) and Beaufortia sp. (Balitoridae).
ME, 2009-12-20
Opsariichthys hainanensis Nichols & Pope, 1927 - Facts sheet online
The Opsariichthys form of Hainan have been recognized as O. bidens since its original description in 1927. Finally, Chen et al. (2008) unveiled clear evidences that the taxon is distinct from O. bidens and revalidated it. It inhabits clean, riverine environ-ments with gravel to rocky substratum on Hainan Island.
ME, 2009-10-24
excursions
Mexico 2011 excursion - Laguna Miramar, Chiapas
Been fishing in pristine Laguna Miramar located in the Lacandon jungle featuring plenty of livebearers and cichlids never been photographed hitherto.
ME, 2012-05-11
Yunnan 2009 - Red River, Mekong
It took me around 14 months to compile this article about our first Yunnan trip. The objective was to obtain accurate IDs of all fishes caught. Due to a lack of related literature proper identification took a long time.
See various species of Sinogastromyzon, Vanmanenia, Beaufortia, Pseudecheneis, Glyptothorax, Garra, Danio, Opsarius, Schistura spp. Due to a couple of complex taxonomic matters I have not finished all identifications at this time. I am still working on that.
ME, 2011-04-09
Malaysia 2009 - Sabah, Borneo
In June 2009 we went to the northern part of Borneo, to Sabah, investigating hillstreams. Sabah is a balitorid paradise.
Our target species were Gastromyzon extrorsus and G. auronigrus. We found the former one. Read the updated article of this collecting trip featuring latest IDs.
ME, 2010-07-06
USA 2010 excursion - Northern Georgia
Northern Georgian waters are well known for their appealing darters, Etheostoma spp., and small sized, fantastically colored cyprinids, such as Notropis and Cyprinella spp. Besides, there are dozens of interesting crayfishes occurring in the riverine environment of Northern Georgia.
I could catch the target fish in a deeply hidden forest stream: Notropis chrosomus (Jordan, 1877).
ME, 2010-06-30
in preparation !!!
Yunnan 2011 excursion - Mekong
Fishing was mainly done in Xishuangbanna, but also in adjacent Puer Prefecture around Lancang; exclusively in tributaries of the Mekong River.
Picture shows a nuptial male of Opsarius pulchellus from a tributary of the Nanlahe River.
ME, 2011-01-27
in preparation !!!
Yunnan 2010-II excursion - Mekong, Salween
We were heading for mastacembelids and nemacheilids in Mekong and Salween basins, Lincang Prefecture, western Yunnan.
Successful recollection of Schistura latifasciata from its terra typica.
ME, 2011-01-26
in preparation !!!
Yunnan 2010 excursion - Mekong, Red River
We caught plenty of nemacheilid loaches and cyprinids mainly the Mekong basin. It was rainy season and we hardly found non-turbid waters. Although all water level marked up very high we were able to collect a tremendous number of specimen.
ME, 2010-06-29
