Troglonectes jiarongensis
(Lin, Li and Song 2012) Huang, Yang, Wu and Zhao 2019
| ORDER | SUB-ORDER | FAMILY |
|---|---|---|
| Cypriniformes | Cobitoidei | Nemacheilidae |
Synonyms
Triplophysa jiarongensis Lin, Li and Song 2012
Country
ChinaTypes
Holotype: SOU 10111801 49.2mm SL, 57.9mm TL. Paratypes: SOU 10111802, 10111803.
Distribution
Type locality: Shuijingwan Cave, Jiarong Town, Libo County, Guizhou Province, China. 25°28'12.89”N, 108°06'34.35”E, altitude 634m. Also recorded from Menshui Cave, Limingguan Village, Banzhai Township, Maolan Town, Libo County, Guizhou Province (25o12'14.79"N, 108o01'21.58"E). These two locations are reported to be hydrologically linked (Liu et al 2019). Zhang et al (2000) reported that these caves were initiated c. 91000-163300 years ago.
Systematics
The original description placed this species in Triplophya and this is followed in the authoritative summary of world loaches by Kottelat (2012:127) and by Zhang and Zhao (2016:138). Xu, Deng and Zhou (2017) place it in Oreonectes but without explanation. In a fuller examination using both morphological and molecular approaches Liu et al. (2019) showed conclusively that the species belongs in the genus Oreonectes. Liu et al. (2019) showed that O. jiarongensis is in a monophyletic group with O. daqikongenis, O. shuilongensis and another species they call O. furcocaudalis. However the last species was transfered to the genus Troglonectes by Zhang and Zhou (2016). This work suggests that Troglonectes and Oreonectes are sister genera but this will require confirmation from further molecular studies.
There are 19 described species in the genus Troglonectes (Eschmeyer 2022), all expect one are hypogean fishes with reduced eyes, reduced pigment and reduced scales. The only epigean member of the genus is Troglonectes hechiensis Zhao, Liu, Du and Luo 2021. The epigean species is a member of a monophyletic group which also contains T. furcocaudalis, T. daqikongensis, T. jiarongensis and T. shuilongensis (Zhao, Liu, Du and Luo 2021).
Biological Notes
Xu et al. (2017) examined the response of the species to light and showed that it took only 14 days to generate dark melanin-pigmented regions on the body. Their explantion for this response was that the caves they are found in are relatively young (see Systematics, above) and therefore that this species developed its troglomorphy only recently and has not yet received mutations in the melanin-sythesis path that are found in other, longer-evolved, species such as Astyanax jordani. Clearly this is an early observation and more work is required to substantiate this reasoning.
Conservation Status
MuG [NE]
Museum Holdings
As above plus: GZNU20090820001, GZNU 20090820010, GZNU 20160803001, GZNU 20160803015.
Internet Resources
Oreonectes jiarongensis cytochrome b (cytb) gene, mitochondrial
Key References
- Zhang, M., Liu, Y. and Ran, J. (2000)
- Kottelat, M. (2012)
- Lin, Y., Li, C. and Song, J.K (2012)
- Zhang, C.G. and Zhou, Y.H. (2016)
- Xu, T, Deng, H. and Zhou, J. (2017)
- Li, J., Lan, J.H., Chen, X.Y. and Du, L.N. (2017)
- Zhang, Y., Wang, Z., Zhang, Z., Wu, M.. Chen, J. and Zhao, Y. (2018)
- Wu, W.J., He, A.Y., Yang, J.X. and Du, L.N. (2018)
- Liu, X., Deng, H., Liu, Z. and Jiang, Z. (2019)
- Huang, J.Q., Yang, J., Wu, Z.Q. and Zhao, Y.H. (2019)
- Zhao, L.-X., Liu, J.-H., Du, L.N. and Luo, F.G. (2021)
- Zhang, J.H., Long, R., Jing, Y.Y., Zhang, P., Xu, Y., Xiong, W., Zhu, Y.Q. and Luo, Y.P. (2023)
| Zhang, M., Liu, Y. and Ran, J. | Journal Article | 2000 | The characteristics of karst caves development in Libo, Guizhou |
| Kottelat, M. | Journal Article | 2012 | Conspectus cobitidum: An inventory of the loaches of the world (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Cobitoidei) |
| Lin, Y., Li, C. and Song, J.K | Journal Article | 2012 | A new species of troglobitc loach (Cypriniformes, Balitoridae), Triplophysa Jiarongensis, From Guizhou, China. |
| Zhang, C.G. and Zhou, Y.H. | Book | 2016 | Species diversity and distribution of inland fishes in China |
| Xu, T, Deng, H. and Zhou, J. | Journal Article | 2017 | The cavefish Oreonectes jiarongensis can be induced to differentiate and recover under the light condition |
| Li, J., Lan, J.H., Chen, X.Y. and Du, L.N. | Journal Article | 2017 | Description of Triplophysa luochengensis sp.nov. (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae) from a karst cave in Guangxi, China |
| Zhang, Y., Wang, Z., Zhang, Z., Wu, M.. Chen, J. and Zhao, Y. | Journal Article | 2018 | The complete mitochondrial genome of Triplophysa brevibarba with phylogenetic consideration |
| Wu, W.J., He, A.Y., Yang, J.X. and Du, L.N. | Journal Article | 2018 | Description of a new species of Triplophysa (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae) from Guizhou Province, China |
| Liu, X., Deng, H., Liu, Z. and Jiang, Z. | Journal Article | 2019 | Reassignment of 'Triplophysa' jiarongensis (Cypriniformes: Nemacheilidae) to Oreonectes Günther, 1868 |
| Huang, J.Q., Yang, J., Wu, Z.Q. and Zhao, Y.H. | Journal Article | 2019 | Oreonectes guilinensis (Teleostei, Cypriniformes, Nemacheilidae), a new loach species from Guangxi, China |
| Zhao, L.-X., Liu, J.-H., Du, L.N. and Luo, F.G. | Journal Article | 2021 | A new loach species of Troglonectes (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae) from Guangxi, China |
| Zhang, J.H., Long, R., Jing, Y.Y., Zhang, P., Xu, Y., Xiong, W., Zhu, Y.Q. and Luo, Y.P. | Journal Article | 2023 | Loss of behavioral stress response in blind cavefish reduces energy expenditure |