Mystus ngasep, a new catfish species (Teleostei: Bagridae) from the headwaters of Chindwin drainage in Manipur, India

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A. Darshan
W. Vishwanath
P.C. Mahanta
A. Barat

Abstract

Mystus ngasep, a new species of bagrid catfish from the headwaters of Chindwin drainage in Manipur, India, is described here. It is distinguished from its congeners in having a unique combination of the following characters: a colour pattern of the body consisting of a distinct dark tympanic spot and three brown stripes separated by pale narrow longitudinal lines, cranial fontanel reaching the base of the occipital process, a long-based adipose fin contacting the base of the last dorsal-fin ray anteriorly, 16-19 gill rakers on the first branchial arch, a slender cleithral process, pectoral spine with 9-11 serrations on the posterior edge, eye with a diameter of 16.5-19.8 % HL and prepectoral length 22.2-26.0 % SL. The new species has been compared with its congeners from Myanmar and also from northeastern India.

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Section
Communications
Author Biographies

A. Darshan

A. Darshan is a Post-Doctoral Fellow of Department of Biotechnology, Govt of India and is at present attached to the Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research, Bhimtal, Uttarakhand. He is working on the phylogeny of catfishes based on classical and molecular techniques.

W. Vishwanath

W. Vishwanath is a Professor in the Department of Life Sciences, Manipur University. His field of specialization is fish and fisheries. He is presently engaged in taxonomy and systematics of freshwater fishes of northeastern India.

P.C. Mahanta

P.C. Mahanta is the Director of Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research (DCFR), Bhimtal, Uttarakhand (under ICAR). He is presently engaged in various aspects of coldwater fishery including exploration and documentation of coldwater fishes of India. He is also supervising the Post doctoral research.

A. Barat

A. Barat is a Principal Scientist in DCFR, Bhimtal. His field of specialization is cytogenetics and fish molecular biology. He is presently engaged in the molecular characterization and phylogeny of Coldwater fishes of India. He also supervises doctoral and post doctoral research in fish and fisheries.

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