Draconectes narinosus, a new genus and species of cave fish from an island of Halong Bay, Vietnam (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae)

Abstract

Draconectes narinosus, new genus and species, is described from a cave in Van Gio island in Halong Bay, Vietnam. Besides characters commonly observed in cave fishes such as absence of eyes and pigmentation, it is distinguished by having the pores of the lateral line system on body and head situated at the tip of small papillae, a row of papillae along each side of the base of the dorsal fin, 7+6 branched caudal-fin rays; and the nostrils adjacent, posterior one broader than anterior one, anterior one broad and situated at the tip of a short tube. The relations of this species are not known but it has some similarity with several species described from caves of Guangxi (China) that had been placed in the genus Oreonectes.