HOMALOPTERA MANIPURENSIS, A NEW HOMALOPTERID FISH FROM MANIPUR, INDIA
LAILFRAIKIPAM AIR UNKUMAR *
DEPARTMENT OF LIFE SCIENCES, MANIPUR UNIVERSITY, CANCHIIPUR – 795003, INDIA
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
A new hohalopterid fish, Homaloptera manipurensis is described from four specimens collected from the Lokchao river, a major tributary of the Yu river drainage system of Manipur, India. It is distinguishable from its cogeners by the combination of the following characters : closer insertion of dorsal fin to the base of caudal fin than the tip of snout, insertion of dorsal fin behind the origin of pelvic fin, 42 to 43 lateral line scales, pelvic fin shorter about 3/4 as long as pectoral fin, fork caudal fin with equal lobes and 19 branch rays, caudal fin more or less same as head length (caudal fin 90.90 to 100.00 and mean value is 95.68), prepelvic length 47.84 to 49.01, preanal length 80.00 to 82.64, head length 23.92 to 26.59 and snout length 10.86 to 12.25 in % of standard length, eye diameter 33.33 to 49.75, 15.39 to 22.77 and 50.00 to 89.28% of snout length, head length and interorbital distance, respectively.