A NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF NEMACHILINAE (PISCES: COBITIDAE) FROM CHINA

Type-species: Paranemachilus genilepis, sp. nov.Body robust, slightly elongate and compressed, and completely covered with minute scales. Suborbital spine absent. Lateral line incomplete, disappeared behind the vertical at the end of pectoral. Head slightly depressed, naked above, cheeks scaly. Nostrils close together, the anterior one in a short tube. Barbels 6, long, 4 rostral and 2 maxillary. Caudal emarginate. Air-bladder with its anterior part enclosed in a bony capsule which is membranous posteriorly, and with its larger posterior part lying free in the abdominal cavity.The new genus can easily be distinguished from all the known genera in Nemachilinae by the scaled cheeks.Paranemachilus genilepis, sp. nov. (figs. 1-4)Holotype: No. 790002, total length 93 mm, standard length 79 mm, collected from Changping, Fusui County, southern Guangxi, in September 1979, and kept in the Institute of Zoology, Academia Sinica.Paiatypes: 19, Nos. 790003-790007,790009-790020 (kept in the Institute of Zoology, Academia Sinica), 790001, 790008 (kept in the Nanjing Geographical Institute, Academia Sinica), total length 39.5-86mm, standard length 32.5-73mm, collected with the holotype.D. 3,(7) 8; A. 3,5; P. 1,11-13; V. 1,6-7; C. 17 (branched). Gill-rakers (inner row) 18 (15-20). Vertebrae 4+34-35 + 1.Depth of body 4.3 (3.83-4.78), length of head 4.2 (3.96-4.96), length of caudal peduncle 7.7 (6.53-8.85) in standard length. Length of snout 3.1 (2,70-3.44), diameter of eye 5.5 (4.25-6.80) in head length. Diameter of eye 5.5 (4.25-6.80) in interor-bital length. Depth of caudal peduncle about 1.0 (0.77-1.16) in its own length.Mouth inferior, lips smooth, the lower with a slight median incision. Barbels reaching the operculum or beyond.Dorsal fin commenced slightly in advance of the ventral, its origin being considerably nearer to the caudal base than to the snout tip. Ventral not reaching vent.Air-bladder divided into two parts: the anterior part enclosed in a bilobed bony capsule and the larger posterior part lying free in the abdominal cavity, the two parts being connected by a long tube.The alimentary canal being a simple tube, with only 2 convolutions, about 1.5 times as long as the standard length.Colour in formalin: Upper surface brown, with many dark brown patches and spots interspersed irregularly; side of body with many dark brown, quite variable short stripes and markings, arranged in a longitudinal series from behind the operculum to the caudal base. Fin rays brownish and membranes hyaline.