Lateral (a) and dorsal (b) views of B. laticauda with a specimen of B. mysorensis (c) for comparison. © Bhoite et al. 2012

The Western Ghats mountain range in southern India is well-known as one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, and in recent years a number of new freshwater fish species have been described from the region, most of which are endemic.

The latest of these is a new hill stream loach of the genus Balitora which represents the third representative of the grouping known from India, and its description has now been published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa.

Balitora laticauda (Bhoite et al. 2012) is so-named due to its relatively deep caudal peduncle when compared with its Indian congeners B. brucei and B. mysorensis, the name being derived from the Latin latus, meaning broad, and caudus, meaning tail.

Holotype of B. laticauda. © Bhoite et al. 2012

It differs from other members of the genus by the following characters: possession of 10 transverse bands on the dorsal surface; a relatively deeper caudal peduncle; two prominent rows of papilla encircling the upper lip with the proximate row possesing small papillae and the distal row larger papillae; 66–68 lateral line scales; 8–9 simple pectoral-fin rays; two simple pelvic-fin rays; pectoral fin not extending beyond pelvic-fin base. There are also a number of meristic differences.

The new species is known only from a handful of localities within the Krishna River system in  Maharashtra State, and was collected alongside a number of other fishes including Rasbora daniconius, Pethia ticto, Puntius sahyadriensis, Hypselobarbus kolus, Tor khudree, Mastacembelus armatus, Channa gachua, and Lepidocephalichthys thermalis.

Habitat was fairly typical of those preferred by balitorid loaches with clear, well-oxygenated water flowing swuftly over substrates of boulders, rocks, and cobbles.

For further information please refer to the full, open access paper: Bhoite, S., S. Jadhav, and N. Dahanukar. 2012. Balitora laticauda, a new species of stone loach (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Balitoridae) from Krishna River, northern Western Ghats, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 4(11): 3038-3049