Laogarra, Kottelat, 2025

Kottelat, Maurice, 2025, Laogarra heokheei, a new genus and species of ' garra' from north-eastern Laos (Teleostei: Cyprinidae), Zootaxa 5666 (3), pp. 389-407 : 399-400

Laogarra and Oriental genera of Garraina

All the above genera, including Laogarra , are in the Semilabeoina subtribe. As presently recognised, the South, Southeast and East Asian species of the subtribe Garraina that possess a gular disc are placed in only two genera: Garra and Ceratogarra. Species of Parapsilorhynchus have been reported as having a disc, which is not correct (see below). Garra includes a large number of species, apparently representing several lineages (genera; see above). Compared to Laogarra , Oriental species may have a transverse lobe on the snout and/or a proboscis and/or a complex pattern of tubercles on the head. In species of Garra , the torus is arched, not continuous with the labellum; the toral groove is present, not or only slightly extending to the sides of the pulvinus; there is no postpulvinal groove; there are no papillae on the pulvinus; the posterior margin of the labrum is not notched ( Fig. 1 ). The snout and disc structures of the Indian species of Garra are discussed and figured by Nebeshwar & Vishwanath (2017).

Ceratogarra is distinguished from Laogarra by a pair of large, laterally directed tubercles at the tip of the snout (other, smaller tubercles may be present); a conspicuous broad midlateral stripe that remains distinct also in preserved specimens (other species of garras often have a midlateral stripe, less contrasted, that disappears after preservation); a reddish to black stripe on the outer margin of each caudal-fin lobe. The pulvinus is flatter and thinner than in most other garras and expands forward as a short 'blade' that covers the posterior edge of the torus ( Kottelat, 2020: fig. 14a).

Li et al. (2024: table 1) qualify the torus of Ceratogarra as horseshoe-shaped, but this is not evident from their figure 1d. In my opinion, the torus appears markedly arched but not horseshoe-shaped ( Fig. 10 ); see Kottelat (2020: fig. 5). In fact, in the smallest available specimens ( C. cambodgiensis, CMK 27964, 34.4 mm SL [ Fig. 11a ]; C. fasciacauda, CMK 16094, 37.4 mm SL [ Fig. 11b ]), the torus is greatly arched and also continuous with the labrum, encircling the pulvinus. Papillae are present on torus, labrum, labella, anterior edge of pulvinus and on posterior part of pulvinus. With increasing size, the labrum appears narrower and the papillae on the labrum and posterior part of the pulvinus become less distinct or disappear altogether.

The genus Parapsilorhynchus includes seven species from Peninsular India ( Jadhav et al., 2020). The genus was tentatively placed in synonymy of Garra by Roberts (1989: 40). It was treated as valid by Kottelat (2020: 172), though without conclusive discussion, for lack of material or usable figures. Additionally, he overlooked the description of an additional species by Baliarsingh & Kosygin (2017). Kottelat commented that the oral and gular elements were reminiscent of Paracrossochilus vittatus and that possibly not all species were closely related. Jadhav et al. (2020) and Patil et al. (2018) published molecular analyses totalling four species of Parapsilorhynchus ; both found them forming a monophyletic lineage, a sister-group to a lineage of Garra . This is, however, of limited use to a discussion of relationships within Garra s.l. as, added up together, the two studies included only five species of Garra ( G. bicornuta , G. gotyla , G. hughi , G. mullya and an unidentified species), none from outside India. Jadhav et al. (2020) included photographs of the mouth of six species of Parapsilorhynchus . Despite comments by earlier authors that there is "indication of or a rudimentary disc" ( Hora, 1921a), "rudimentary disc or callous pad" (e.g. Baliarsingh & Kosygin, 2017: 44; Jadhav et al., 2020: 563), none of the figures in Jadhav et al. shows a gular disc. There is no structure like a torus, a pulvinus, labella or a labrum. A wider study of Garraina including material of Ceratogarra and Paracrossochilus might show their closer relationships.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Garra dulongensis, CMK 27239, 104.6 mm SL; ventral view of head, showing external oral and gular morphology. From Kottelat, 2020: 158.

FIGURE 10. Mouth and disc of Ceratogarra: a, C. cambodgiensis, CMK 23487, 118.3 mm SL; b, C. fasciacauda, CMK 23940, 71.4 mm SL (possibly C. bisangularis). From Kottelat, 2020: 159, 160.

FIGURE 11. Mouth and disc of juvenile Ceratogarra. a, C. cambodgiensis, CMK 27964, 34.4 mm SL; b, C. fasciacauda, CMK 16094, 37.4 mm SL.