In this study researchers present a taxonomic revision of Phoxinus minnows (Leuciscidae) from the Caucasus and describe a new narrow-ranged endemic species Phoxinus adagumicus from the Adagum River basin, Russia. The authors note that due to the high anthropogenic load on local water systems, this newly described species is potentially under threat and needs protection.
Open-access – https://zse.pensoft.net/article/115696/
𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲
Taxonomic revision of Phoxinus minnows (Leuciscidae) from Caucasus, with description of a new narrow-ranged endemic species
𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Artaev ON, Turbanov IS, Bolotovskiy AA, Gandlin AA, Levin BA (2024) Taxonomic revision of Phoxinus minnows (Leuciscidae) from Caucasus, with description of a new narrow-ranged endemic species. Zoosystematics and Evolution 100(1): 291-308. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.100.115696
𝗔𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁
Taxonomic revision of Phoxinus from the Caucasus revealed two distinct species. One species, 𝑃. 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑠, was known from eastern drainage of Black Sea, but was recorded also in the middle reach of the Kuban (Sea of Azov basin), for the first time. The Kuban population represents a genetically unique sub-lineage of 𝑃. 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑠. Its ancestors might have colonized the Kuban system through the event of ancient river capture.
Another species inhabits only the Adagum River basin in the lower Kuban and represents a new narrow-ranged endemic species – Phoxinus adagumicus sp. nov. According to mtDNA phylogeny (COI and cytb), 𝑃. adagumicus sp. nov. represents deeply divergent and one of the two early branched lineages of the genus Phoxinus being distant to other species (min. p-distance = 0.074) including geographical neighbors – 𝑃. 𝑐ℎ𝑟𝑦𝑠𝑜𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑢𝑠 from Crimean Peninsula and 𝑃. 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑠 from the Caucasus.
The new species differs from most Phoxinus species by frequently occurring single-row pharyngeal teeth (modal formula 5–4). The narrow geographic range (ca. 55 km in length and 15–20 km in width) and high anthropogenic load on local water systems suggests the new species is under threat and needs protection.
𝗘𝘁𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆
The new species is named after the Adagum River, left tributary of the lower reach of the Kuban River, where the species occurs; adagumicus – an adjective.
𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁
Live coloration of Phoxinus adagumicus sp. nov. from the Zybza River. Side and ventral views are of the same specimens (IBIW_FS_339). Fish of spawning or post-spawning coloration were caught on 8th May 2022.
Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published in Zoosystematics and Evolution journal. This paper is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
