Synonyms:

Glyptosternon interspinalum Mai, 1978

original description

Glyptothorax merus Li, 1984

junior synonym

Vernacular names:

樌棘纹缈摟

Mandarin Chinese

Etymology:

The generic name ‘glyptothorax’ is a compound of the Greek word; ‘glyptes’: carver, and the Latin word ‘thorax’: breast plate; an allusion to the adhesive thoracic apparatus, which looks like a carved plate; gender: masculine.

Size / Weight:

61 mm SL, northern Vietnam (Kottelat, 2001).

64-70 mm SL, northern Vietnam (Mai, 1978).

57-97 mm SL, 18 ex., Jingdong, Nanjian, Honghe town, all in Red River basin, Yunnan Province, China (Chu & Mo in Chu, Zheng, Dai et al., 1999).

Diagnosis:

D I,5-6; A II,9-11; P I,8; V I,5.

Body depth/SL 23.1 %; head length/SL 26.0 %; eye diameter/head length 9.5 %; interorbital distance/head length 30.0 %.

Body naked. Head depressed. Body laterally compressed. Caudal peduncle slightly flattened. Snout moderately long. Upper jaw longer than lower one. Interior of jaw covered by rows of tiny incisive teeth. Four pairs of barbels. Nasal barbel not reaching eye. Maxillary barbel well reaching pectoral fin base. Two pairs of mandibular barbels.

Eye small, dorsally placed. Interorbital distance moderately large. Nostril near snout, far from eye. Gill opening wide. Head skin thick and rugose. Dorsal fin origin near snout and far from caudal fin base. Dorsal spine serrated on top of posterior edge. Pectoral fin not reaching to pelvic fin base. Pectoral spine well serrated. Pelvic fin not reaching anal fin. Adipose fin opposite to anal fin. Caudal fin deeply forked, lobes equal.

Presence or absence of 6-7 hemal spines between dorsal and adipose fins. Lateral line conspicuous in middle of body side. Pectoral disk with 9-10 grooves.

Coloration: Body pale brown, absence of white dorsal stripe (Mai, 1978, translated in Kottelat, 2001, modified).

Sex differentiation:

No sexual dichromatism nor dimorphism.

Distribution:

In the riffle section of EW-CN 66-09, Mengyejiang River 勐野江, tributary to Lixianjiang River李仙江, Red River 红河 basin, Yunnan Province, China (ME, 2009-12-30, 2010-01-06).

Occurrence in Nam Ma basin, Laos questionable (Kottelat, 2001).

Red River basin in Yunnan Province, China and northern Vietnam; in riffles among smooth surfaced rocks and boulders featuring clear, well oxygenated water with swift current.

Ecology:

Singly, hiding among and beneath rocks, browsing rapidly among the rock formations slightly above substratum permanently foraging.

Carnivorous with a tendency to insectivorousity (ME, 2010-05-07).

A rare species in the riffle section of EW-CN 66-09 (Mengyejiang River 勐野江, tributary to Lixianjiang River李仙江, Red River 红河 basin, Yunnan Province, China) occurring syntop with Pseudecheneis paviei, Glyptothorax quadriocellatus, Schistura callichromus, Schistura laterivittata, Sinogastromyzon tonkinensis. For details of the biotope see S. callichromus (ME, 2009-12-30, 2010-01-06).

Conservation status:

IUCN Red List not evaluated.

Aquarium maintenance:

Well aerated river setup with plenty of hiding spaces, bottom should be covered with big pebbles and rocks with smooth surface; vast sandy areas to be avoided.

Overwintering at temperatures down to 16 ˚C are optimal; summer temperatures may range at 26 ˚C.

Easy feeder with life food or frozen red moskito larvae, Artemia.

Easy to keep.

Remarks:

All images of G. interspinalum circulating in the internet seem to show another species.