Balitora jalpalli, a new species of stone loach (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Balitoridae) from Silent Valley, southern Western Ghats, India

Abstract

TA new species of stone loach (Cypriniformes: Balitoridae), Balitora jalpalli, is described from Kunthi tributary of Bharatapuzha River located inside Silent Valley National Park in the southern Western Ghats of Kerala, India. It can be distinguished from known Indian species of Balitora by five major characters: head length, caudal peduncle depth, maximum head width and difference in number and pattern of bands on the dorsal side. The new species is distinct in having two unbranched and 8-9 branched ventral fin rays, nine unbranched and 10-11 branched pectoral fin rays and 66 lateral line scales, a caudal peduncle length to depth ratio of 2.3-2.7, anal fin to anus distance 3.3-4.7 % SL, least depth of caudal peduncle 6.3-6.7 % SL, length of caudal peduncle 15.4-17.2 % SL, length of upper caudal lobe 22.1-22.8 % SL, maximum head width 67.9-74.1 % HL, eye diameter 12.1-14.2 % HL, and gape 31.3-31.5 % HL.