Some Remarks on Eastern Asiatic Loaches of the Genus Misgurnus (Cobitidae)

Abstract

The determination following N_ICHOLS'S keys (1943) has brought following results: The specimens from Yang-tse-kiang (China) belong to Misgurnus anguillicaudatus tungting, one specimen from Nagasaki (Hondo, Japan) is believed to belong to Misgurnus mizolepis elongatus, similarly as specimens from Kyushu and Kagawa Prefecture (both in Japan). Four specimens from Hyogo and 1 sp.from Kagawa Prefecture were determined as Misgurnus mizolepis elongatus and Misgurnus anguillicaudatus anguillicaudatus.
It seems probable that the species Misgurnus anguillicaudatus can be divided in two groups, the one with a shorter, the other with a longer caudal peduncle. To the first group belong than Misgurnus anguillicaudatus with its subspecies M. anguilli caudatus anguillicaudatus and Misgurnus anguillicaudatus tungting. To the second one Misgurnus erikssoni R_ENDAHL 1922 and Misgurnus mizolepis with its subspecies M. m. mizolepis G_ÜNTHER 1888, M. mizolepis grangeri N_ICHOLS 1925, M. mizolepis fukien N_ICHOLS 1925, M. mizolepis punctatus O_SHIMA 1926, M. mizolepis hainan N_ICHOLS et P_OPE 1927, M. mizolepis unicolor L_IN 1932, M. mizolepis elongatus K_IMURA 1934.
The intergrade between both groups is the species M. mohoity D_YBOWSKI 1869, with its subspecies M. mohoity yunnan N_ICHOLS 1925 and M. mohoity leopardus N_ICHOLS 1925, M. crossochilus S_AUVAGE 1878 has an unclear systematic position (see N_ICHOLS 1943) and according to F_ANG (1943) this species is identical with M. anguillicaudatus. The variability of Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, mentioned already by G_ÜNTHER (1868) seems to be very probable especially regarding the body depth, but the occurence of dilatation of tail “by fatty layers along the upper and lower rudimentary caudal rays ” thought by G_ÜNTHER (1. c.) as caused by different kinds of food is for N_ICHOLS (1943) a systematic character of the subgeneric rank.
The subspecific value of some forms will be probably revised in the future, when we keep the conception of BERG (1948). The occurence of two subspecies on one locality seems impossible (e. g. M. mizolepis punctatus and M. mizolepis hainan both on the island of Hainan, M. mizolepis unicolor and M. mizolepis hainan in Heung chow, M. mizolepis fukien and M. mizolepis punctatus in Fukien). It is very remark able to note that M. mizolepis hainan lives from Hainan to Heungchow (throughout the province Fukien) and M. mizolepis punctatus has approximately the same areal from the island of Hainan to the province of Fukien. We can than assume that in the same areal of Fukien according to data of N_ICHOLS (1943) three subspecies of Misgurnus mizolepis (fukien, punctatus, hainan) occur. This is in contradiction with the BERG'S concept of the subspecies as a geographical unit.