Balitora laticauda, a new species of stone loach - Journal of ...

JoTT Co m m u n ic a t i o n 4(11): 3038–3049 

Western Ghats 

Special Series 

Balitora laticauda, a new species of stone loach 

(Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Balitoridae) from Krishna River, northern 

Western Ghats, India 

Sunil Bhoite 1 , Shrikant Jadhav 2 & Neelesh Dahanukar 3,4 

1 

280, Ramachagot, Satara, Maharashtra 415002, India 

2 

Zoological Survey of India, Western Regional Centre, Vidyanagar, Akurdi, Pune 411044, India. 

3 

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Sai Trinity Building, Sus Road, Pashan, Pune 411021, India. 

4 

Zoo Outreach Organization, 96 Kumudham Nagar, Villankurichi Road, Coimbatore 641035, India. 

Emails: 1 bhoitesunil@rediffmail.com, 2 shrikantj123@yahoo.com, 3 n.dahanukar@iiserpune.ac.in (corresponding author) 

Date of publication (online): 26 September 2012 

Date of publication (print): 26 September 2012 

ISSN 0974-7907 (online) | 0974-7893 (print) 

Editor: W. Vishwanath 

Manuscript details: 

Ms # o3129 

Received 22 March 2012 

Final received 13 September 2012 

Finally accepted 14 September 2012 

Citation: Bhoite, S., S. Jadhav & 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. 

Copyright: © Sunil Bhoite, Shrikant Jadhav & 

Neelesh Dahanukar 2012. Creative Commons 

Attribution 3.0 Unported License. JoTT allows 

unrestricted use of this article in any medium for 

non-profit purposes, reproduction and distribution 

by providing adequate credit to the authors and 

the source of publication. 

Author Details: Sun i l Bh o i t e is a naturalist 

and interested in freshwater biodiversity and 

conservation. Shr i k a n t Ja d h a v is Scientist at 

Zoological Survey of India, Western Regional 

Centre, Pune. He works on ecology, taxonomy 

and distribution patterns of freshwater fishes. 

Ne e l e s h Da h a n u k a r works in ecology and evolution 

with an emphasis on mathematical and statistical 

analysis. He also studies taxonomy, distribution 

and molecular phylogeny of freshwater fishes. 

Author Contribution: SB collected the 

specimens and provided the data on habitat. 

SJ and ND analyzed the data and wrote the 

paper. 

Acknowledgements: See end of this article 

Abstract: A new species of stone loach Balitora laticauda is described from the Krishna 

River, northern Western Ghats, India. It differs from all known species of the genus 

in a combination of characters including: 10 transverse bands on the dorsal surface, 

deeper caudal peduncle, two prominent rows of papilla encircling upper lip where the 

proximate row has small papillae while distal row has larger papillae, 66–68 lateral line 

scales, 8–9 simple rays in pectoral fin, two simple rays in the pelvic fin and pectoral fin 

not surpassing pelvic fin base. The new species also differs from its related species in 

the ratios such as caudal peduncle length to depth (2.21–2.89), standard length to body 

depth (7.48–8.72), head length to head depth (2.11–2.50), head length to interorbital 

distance (2.20–2.96), head depth to head length (0.42–0.47), eye diameter to head 

length (0.13–0.17) and head width to gape of mouth (3.12–4.78). As percent of standard 

length B. laticauda sp. nov. differs from other related species with respect to caudal 

peduncle depth (6.3–7.4%), caudal peduncle length (15.0–20.0%), body width at anus 

(8.7–11.5%), body depth at anus (9.1–11.4%), pre-dorsal fin length (43.7–47.4%), prepectoral 

fin length (12.9–16.2%), pre-anal fin length (74.3–79.3%), pre-pelvic fin length 

(44.4–48.3%), pelvic fin length (19.3–23.7%), pectoral fin length (24.1–28.9%) and body 

depth at dorsal (11.5–13.4%). 

Keywords: Balitora species, India, new fish, Western Ghats. 

INTRODUCTION 

Hill stream stone loaches of genus Balitora (Cypriniformes: Balitoridae) 

are distributed in South and South-East Asia and are currently represented 

by 18 species. Species of the genus Balitora inhabit clear and fast or 

moderately flowing streams and associated rivers in the mountain regions 

and are often found clinging to submerged rocks. 

The first species described in this genus, Balitora brucei Gray, 1830, 

is distributed in northern and northeastern India. The other known 

species from India, Balitora mysorensis Hora, 1941 was described 

from the Cauvery River system. Other species in this genus B. eddsi 

OPEN ACCESS | FREE DOWNLOAD 

This article forms part of a special series on the Western Ghats of India, disseminating the 

results of work supported by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), a joint initiative 

of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the Global Environment 

Facility, the Government of Japan, the MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank. A fundamental 

goal of CEPF is to ensure civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation. Implementation of 

the CEPF investment program in the Western Ghats is led and coordinated by the Ashoka Trust 

for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE). 

3038 

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | September 2012 | 4(11): 3038–3049

Balitora laticauda sp. nov. 

Conway & Mayden, 2010 is known from Nepal, B. 

burmanica Hora, 1932 from Myanmar, B. annamitica 

Kottelat, 1988 from Cambodia and B. meridionalis 

Kottelat, 1988 from Thailand. Balitora elongata 

Chen & Li, 1985, B. kwangsiensis (Fang, 1930), B. 

lancangjiangensis (Zheng, 1980), B. longibarbata 

(Chen, 1982), B. ludongensis Liu & Chen, 2012, B. 

nantingensis Chen et al. 2005, B. nujiangensis Zhang 

& Zheng, 1983 and B. tchangi Zheng, 1982 are known 

from China, while B. haithanhi Nguyen, 2005, B. 

nigrocorpa Nguyen, 2005, B. vanlani Nguyen, 2005 

and B. vanlongi Nguyen, 2005, from Vietnam. In the 

present communication, a new species of Balitora 

from the Krishna River system of northern Western 

Ghats of India is described. 

MATERIALS AND METHODS 

Morphological characterization 

Counts and measurements generally follow Kottelat 

(1988) and Conway & Mayden (2010). Measurements 

were taken point to point using dial calipers to the 

nearest 0.1mm. Body depth and body width were 

measured at dorsal fin origin (D) and at anus (A). 

Subunits of body are presented as percent of standard 

length (SL) and subunits of head are presented as 

percent of head length (HL). In the species description 

values for holotype are marked with asterisk (*) 

and values in parentheses are ranges. If there is no 

variation in a character the values are not marked with 

asterisk. All pored lateral line scales were counted. The 

holotype and seven paratypes of the new species are 

deposited in the Zoological Survey of India, Western 

Regional Centre, Pune (ZSI–WRC) and one paratype 

in the museum collection of the Wildlife Information 

Liaison Development, Coimbatore (WILD). 

Comparative material 

Balitora mysorensis: Holotype, ZSI Kolkata 

F13512/1, Shivasamudram (approx. 12.294 0 N & 

77.168 0 E, 530m), Mysore, coll. B.S. Bhimachar; ZSI– 

WRC P/3056, 2 exs., upstream of Shivasamudram falls 

near the town of Tirumakudalu Narasipura (12.219 0 N 

& 76.953 0 E), Mysore District, Karnataka, coll. Rahul 

Kumar (Biometric data in Appendix 3). 

Balitora brucei: ZSI Kolkata F11092/1, 1 ex., 

Nong–piomg stream below Cherrapunji (approx. 

S. Bhoite et al. 

25.298 0 N & 91.699 0 E, 1436m), Khashi Hills, Assam, 

coll. S.L. Hora; ZSI–WRC P/2669, 1 ex., Jim Corbett 

National Park (approx. 29.576 0 N & 78.819 0 E, 560m), 

Uttarakhand, coll. S. Chikane, June 2009. Additional 

information from Kottelat (1988). 

Balitora burmanica: ZSI Kolkata F11034/1, 2 exs., 

syntypes, Meekalan (approx. 16.117 0 N & 98.418 0 E, 

136m), Burma, specimens donated by Genova Museum. 

Additional information from Kottelat (1988). 

Data for Balitora annamitica and B. meridionalis 

was taken from Kottelat (1988), for B. eddsi from 

Conway & Mayden (2010), for B. nantingensis 

and Balitora nujiangensis from Chen et al. (2005), 

for Balitora ludongensis, B. kwangsiensis and 

B. longibarbata from Liu et al. (2012), for B. 

longibarbata and B. tchangi from Zheng et al. 

(1982), for B. elongata from Li & Chen (1985), for B. 

lancangjiangensis from Zheng (1980). Descriptions 

of four species of Balitora described by Nguyen 

(2005) were not available, inspite of several attempts 

to contact the authors, therefore these species (viz. B. 

haithanhi, B. nigrocorpa, B. vanlani and B. vanlongi) 

are not considered in the diagnosis of the new species, 

however, these species are from Vietnam and are less 

likely to be conspecific. 

RESULTS 

Taxonomy 


(Images 1, 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 4b and Table 1) 

Type material 

Holotype: 10.i.2012, 69.5mm SL, Stream of 

Krishna River drainage at Venegaon Village near 

Krishna River bridge (17.499 0 N & 74.118 0 E, 590m), 

Satara District, Maharashtra, India, coll. Sunil Bhoite, 

ZSI–WRC P/2848. 

Paratypes: 10.i.2012, 1 ex., 79.8mm SL, Venegaon 

Village near Krishna River bridge (17.499 0 N & 

74.118 0 E, 590m), Satara District, Maharashtra, India, 

coll. Sunil Bhoite, ZSI–WRC P/2849; 10.i.2012, 1 

ex., 63.6mm SL, Venegaon Village near Krishna River 

bridge (17.499 0 N & 74.118 0 E, 590m), Satara District, 

Maharashtra, India, coll. Sunil Bhoite, ZSI–WRC 

P/2850; 8.xii.2009, 2 exs., 59.7mm and 62.7mm SL, 

Nagthane Village on Urmodi River (17.568 0 N & 

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | September 2012 | 4(11): 3038–3049 

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Image 1. Holotype of Balitora laticauda sp. nov., holotype (ZSI-WRC P/2848) in (a) lateral view, (b) dorsal view and (c) ventral 

view. 

74.053 0 E, 606m), a tributary of Krishna River in Satara 

District, Maharashtra State, India, coll. Sunil Bhoite, 

ZSI–WRC P/2851; 10.i.2012, 1 ex., 48.7mm SL, 

Venegaon Village near Krishna River bridge (17.499 0 N 

& 74.118 0 E, 590m), Satara District, Maharashtra, India, 

coll. Sunil Bhoite, WILD–12–PIS–019; 8.xii.2009, 1 

ex., 61.5mm SL, Nagthane Village on Urmodi River 

(17.568 0 N & 74.053 0 E, 606m), a tributary of Krishna 

River in Satara District, Maharashtra State, India, 

coll. Sunil Bhoite, ZSI–WRC P/3058; 2.v.2012, 2 

ex., 54mm and 84.4mm SL, Khodashi village below 

Khodshi Dam (17.308 0 N & 74.167 0 E, 562m), Krishna 

River, in Satara District, Maharashtra State, India, coll. 

Madhavi Chavan, ZSI–WRC P/3057. 

Diagnosis 

Balitora laticauda sp. nov. differs from closely 

related species B. mysorensis based on seven most 

prominent characters viz. 10 transverse bands on the 

dorsal surface (vs. 7), caudal peduncle length versus 

depth ratio 2.21–2.89 (vs. 2.95–3.30), body depth at 

anus 9.1–11.4 %SL (vs. 8.4–9.0 %SL), depth of caudal 

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Image 2. Balitora laticauda sp. nov., holotype (ZSI-WRC 

P/2848) in life showing (a) lateral and (b) dorsal view 

and B. mysorensis (ZSI-WRC P/3056) in life (c). Note the 

difference in the number of dorsal bands. 

Image 4. Ventral view of head of (a) Balitora laticauda sp. 

nov., holotype (P/2848), (b) B. laticauda sp. nov., paratype 

(P/2849), (c) B. mysorensis, holotype (F13512/1), (d) B. 

mysorensis (ZSI-WRC P/3056), (e) B. brucei (F11092/1) and 

(f) B. burmanica, syntype (F11032/1). 

Image 3. Dorsal view of head of (a) Balitora laticauda 

sp. nov., holotype (P/2848), (b) B. mysorensis, holotype 

(F13512/1), (c) B. brucei (F11092/1) and (d) B. burmanica, 

syntype (F11032/1). 

peduncle 6.3–7.4 %SL (vs. 5.––5.4 %SL), body width 

at anus 8.7–11.5 %SL (vs. 7.8–8.8 %SL), length of 

lower caudal lobe 16.1–24.3%SL (vs. 24.7–26.5 

%SL) and length of median caudal ray (12.3–16.5 

%SL (vs. 11.0–11.3 %SL). The new species differs 

from all other known species in this genus based on a 

combination of characters including 66–68 lateral line 

scales, 8–9 simple rays in pectoral fin, two simple rays 

in the pelvic fin and pectoral fin not surpassing pelvic 

fin base. It also differs from other species in the ratios 

such as caudal peduncle length to depth (2.21–2.89), 

standard length to body depth (7.48–8.72), head length 

to head depth (2.11–2.50), head length to interorbital 

distance (2.20–2.96) and head width to gape of 

mouth (3.12–4.78). As percent of standard length, B. 

laticauda sp. nov. differs from other species by having 

caudal peduncle depth 6.3–7.4 %SL; caudal peduncle 

length 15.0–20.0 % SL; body width at anus 8.7–11.5 

% SL; body depth at anus 9.1–11.4 %SL; pre–dorsal 

fin length 43.7–47.4 %SL; pre–pectoral fin length 

12.9–16.2 %SL; pre–anal fin length 74.3–79.3 %SL; 

pre–pelvic fin length 44.4–48.3 %SL; pelvic fin length 

19.3–23.7 %SL; pectoral fin length 24.1–28.9 %SL; 

body depth at dorsal 11.5–13.4 %SL; head depth 42.1– 

47.3 %HL; eye diameter 10.8–20.7 % HL and gape of 

mouth 16.9–27.1 % head width. 


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Table 1. Morphometric and meristic characters of Balitora laticauda sp. nov. and B. mysorensis 

Morphometry 

Holotype 


Paratypes (n=8) 

Balitora mysorensis 

Holotype+2 topotypes 

Mean (sd) Range Mean (sd) Range 

Standard length (mm) 69.5 64.3 (12.1) (48.7–84.4) 58.1 (16.7) (38.8–68.3) 

Total length (mm) 84.4 77.5 (13.5) (59.2–98.3) 84.0 (0.9) (83.4–84.7) 

%SL 

Head length 21.9 20.8 (0.6) (20.1–21.9) 20.8 (1.8) (19.6–22.9) 

Dorsal head length 21.6 20.6 (1.4) (18.4–22.3) 19.0 (1.0) (18.4–19.7) 

Predorsal length 45.2 46.1 (1.2) (43.7–47.4) 44.5 (0.3) (44.2–44.7) 

Dorsal to caudal distance 55.7 55.6 (1.2) (53.6–57.2) 56.2 (0.6) (55.8–56.6) 

Prepectoral fin length 16.2 14.8 (1.1) (13.0–16.1) 15.3 (0.4) (15.1–15.6) 

Prepelvic length 44.4 46.6 (1.2) (44.8–48.3) 46.2 (0.3) (46.0–46.4) 

Preanus length 68.1 70.1 (1.4) (68.7–73.1) 70.8 (0.8) (70.3–71.4) 

Preanal length 77.0 77.4 (1.6) (74.3–79.3) 78.8 (0.4) (78.5–79.1) 

Ventral fin to anus distance 24.3 25.1 (1.5) (22.6–27.5) 25.0 (0.8) (24.4–25.5) 

Anal fin to anus distance 7.8 6.7 (0.5) (5.7–7.3) 7.7 (1.1) (6.9–8.5) 

Body depth (D) 13.4 12.2 (0.6) (11.5–13.1) 11.7 (1.2) (11.0–13.1) 

Body depth (A) 11.1 10.1 (0.8) (9.1–11.4) 8.7 (0.4) (8.4–9.0) 

Depth of caudal peduncle 7.0 7.0 (0.4) (6.3–7.4) 5.2 (0.2) (5.1–5.4) 

Length of caudal peduncle 17.5 17.7 (1.8) (15.0–20.0) 16.1 (1.0) (15.2–17.3) 

Body width (D) 17.9 18.1 (1.3) (16.3–19.7) 16.7 (0.7) (16.0–17.4) 

Body width (A) 12.0 9.7 (0.9) (8.7–11.5) 8.3 (0.7) (7.8–8.8) 

Height of dorsal fin 18.5 18.8 (1.3) (16.3–20.5) 16.8 (3.5) (13.9–20.6) 

Dorsal fin base 15.1 15.1 (0.7) (13.9–16.1) 14.8 (2.5) (13.0–16.6) 

Length of upper caudal lobe 18.0 19.3 (1.8) (15.7–21.0) 18.4 (1.7) (17.2–19.6) 

Length of lower caudal lobe 24.0 21.5 (2.8) (16.1–24.3) 25.6 (1.3) (24.7–26.5) 

Length of median caudal rays 14.6 14.1 (1.4) (12.3–16.5) 11.2 (0.2) (11.0–11.3) 

Height of anal fin 11.6 12.8 (1.1) (11.3–13.9) 13.6 (3.8) (11.3–18.0) 

Anal fin base 6.5 6.1 (0.6) (5.2–7.3) 6.3 (0.2) (6.2–6.4) 

Length of pelvic fin 21.7 21.5 (1.2) (19.3–23.7) 21.6 (1.2) (20.6–22.9) 

Length of pectoral fin 24.1 26.4 (1.5) (24.4–28.9) 25.1 (1.2) (23.9–26.3) 

%HL 

Head depth at eye 38.0 37.4 (1.9) (34.5–39.6) 39.8 (1.0) (39.0–40.5) 

Head depth at nape 46.0 44.2 (2.4) (40.9–47.3) 44.8 (0.7) (44.0–45.5) 

Head width (at nares) 66.1 69.5 (4.1) (63.6–75.2) 63.2 (1.1) (62.5–64.0) 

Maximum head width 79.3 87.4 (5.7) (77.7–93.3) 75.8 (4.5) (70.8–79.4) 

Eye diameter 13.2 15.5 (2.8) (10.8–20.7) 15.0 (2.6) (13.3–18.0) 

Interorbital width 39.5 39.8 (4.0) (33.7–45.4) 35.0 (2.1) (32.6–36.2) 

Snout length 58.2 56.3 (3.2) (52.7–61.8) 61.2 (1.3) (59.8–62.1) 

Gape of mouth 21.7 23.3 (3.2) (16.9–27.1) 19.8 (1.2) (18.9–20.6) 

Meristics 

D iii, 8 iii, 7–8 iii, 8–9 

A iii, 5 iii, 5 ii, 5 

P ix, 10 viii–ix, 10–11 viii–ix, 10–12 

V ii, 9 ii, 8–9 ii, 8–9 

Lateral line scales 67 66–68 68–69 

Lateral line to ventral fin scales 8 6–9 6 

Lateral line to dorsal fin scales 8 8–9 9 

Predorsal scales 20 19–25 21 

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Description 

Morphometric data and meristic counts are listed 

in Table 1. General body shape as in Image 1. 

Coloration of live specimen as in Image 2. Dorsal 

and ventral view of head as in Images 3a and 4a, b 

respectively. Appendix 1 provides general body 

structure of paratypes from a different locality than 

holotype. Appendix 2 provides biometric data of all 

the type material. 

Head depressed, longer than broad, studded with 

tubercles, more prominent on lateral margin of dorsal 

side. Tubercles prominent on cheeks, snout, lateral 

and ventral surface of head up to base of pectoral fin, 

between orbits with a distinct row on dorsal margin of 

eye, encircling the eyes. Eyes small, dorso-laterally 

positioned, not visible from underside of head, closer 

to operculum than to snout. Snout oblique and 

rounded. A skin flap divides nostril. Mouth inferior, 

deep groove between rostral fold and upper lip. Gape 

of mouth about half of head width at nares. Barbels 

three pairs, two rostral and one maxillary. Upper lip 

encircled with two rows of uneven papillae; first row 

having small papillae (16* in number) positioned 

continuously end to end, second row having large 

papillae (8* in number) positioned discontinuously with 

wide interspaces. Lower lip with 8* large papillae, two 

in the middle are elongated. Gill opening extending 

from level of posterior border of eye to middle point 

of pectoral–fin base. 

Body dorso–ventrally flattened before dorsal fin 

origin, become laterally flattened posterior to dorsal 

fin. Dorsal profile of body convex, shows rapid 

increase from snout to nostril, becomes flattened 

till nape, increases gradually till origin of dorsal 

fin, decreases gradually till end of caudal peduncle. 

Lateral line complete. Slightly bent towards dorsal 

surface at the posterior border of pectoral fin. Lateral 

line scales 67* (66–68). Ventral profile flat upto anal 

fin origin gradually descends till caudal peduncle 

end. Chest naked without scales. On ventral surface, 

scales present posterior to anal opening till caudal end. 

Scales anterior to anal opening till posterior of pelvic 

fin base indistinct. Body deepest at dorsal fin origin. 

Body width more than body depth at both dorsal fin 

origin and anus. 

Outer margin of dorsal fin straight. Dorsal fin 

originates exactly opposite to pelvic fin origin, closer 


to tip of snout than end of caudal peduncle; pelvic 

fin length lesser than head length; with three simple 

and eight branched rays, last branched ray bifurcates 

at base. Paired fins horizontally placed. Pectoral fin 

elongated, longer than head, its origin slightly behind 

posterior border of eye. Anterior margin of first 

pectoral fin thickened and curved. Posterior profile of 

pectoral fin straight with large gap between posterior 

border and pelvic fin origin; with ix* (viii–ix) simple 

rays and 10* (10–11) branched rays. Pelvic fin equal 

to or slightly shorter than head; fin origin closer to 

snout tip than caudal peduncle end; with two simple 

rays and 9* (8–9) branched rays. Thickened pads of 

skin along ventral surface of the anteriormost paired– 

fin rays, first 9* (8–9) in case of pectoral fin, first four 

in case of pelvic fins. Anal fin with three simple and 

five branched rays with last branched ray bifurcating 

at base. Caudal fin emarginate, lower lobe longer than 

upper. Caudal peduncle slender, length 2.21–2.89 

times its depth. Maximum size up to 84.4mm SL and 

98.3mm TL. 

Color pattern (fresh, Image 2): Dorsal surface grey 

with ten dark brown vertical bands behind occiput to 

base of caudal fin. Ventral surface pale yellow to white, 

laterally dark grey above lateral line and becomes faint 

from lateral line to ventral surface. A mid-lateral row 

of very irregular dark brown spots between opercle and 

middle of caudal fin base. Below the lateral line small 

irregular dark brown blotches scattered randomly 

on lateral surface of the body. A faint brown stripe 

extending from occiput to end of caudal base. Parts 

of head grayish-brown above, pale yellow below; with 

irregular brown patches on dorsal surface. Dorsal side 

of pectoral fin base with 3–4 dark brown spots. Dorsal 

and anal fins with light brown markings on centre of 

fin rays which appear to be oblique band. Pectoral and 

pelvic fins with dark brown markings extending from 

its base to middle of fin rays, hyaline distally. Caudal 

fin with irregular dark brown spots along midway and 

hyaline at tips and posterior margins. 

Color pattern (preserved): Two specimens 

(Holotype ZSI Pune P/2848 and paratype ZSI Pune 

P/2849), which were originally preserved in formalin 

before finally transferred in the alcohol, have lost their 

original color pattern. However, the other paratypes 

were preserved directly in alcohol and have retained 

their color pattern as in the live specimens. 


3043



18 0 N 

17 0 N 

74 0 E 75 0 E 

Figure 1. Distribution of Balitora laticauda sp. nov. Red solid circle is the type locality for the holotype (ZSI-WRC P/2848) and 

paratypes ZSI-WRC P/2849, P/2850 and WILD-12-PIS-019, while green solid circle is locality for paratypes ZSI-WRC P/2851, 

ZSI-WRC P/3058 and yellow solid circle is the locality for paratype ZSI-WRC P/3057. 

Etymology 

Specific name “laticauda” is derived from Latin 

‘latus’ meaning ‘broad’ and ‘cauda’ meaning ‘tail’ 

and refers to the deeper caudal peduncle of the species 

as compared to two geographically closely related 

species, Balitora mysorensis and B. brucei. 

Distribution 

Known from the type localities, Venegaon Village 

near Krishna River bridge, Nagthane Village on 

Urmodi River and Khodashi Village below Khodshi 

Dam on Krishna River, Satara District, Maharashtra 

State, India (Fig. 1). 

Other remarks 

Local name (in Marathi language) of the species is 

Palmas (Pal = lizard, mas = fish; lizard–fish) because of 

its general appearance of a lizard and habit of clinging 

to the rocks in streams and river. 

Common name 

We suggest ‘Palmas Stone Loach’ as a common 

name for the speceis. 

Habitat 

The fish mostly lives in streams with clear and 

swift current of water, rocky bottom, consisting of 

gravel, cobbles or large rocks associated with other 

species viz. Rasbora daniconius, Pethia ticto, Puntius 

sahyadriensis, Hypselobarbus kolus, Tor khudree, 

Mastacembelus armatus, Channa gachua and 

Lepidocephalichthys thermalis. There are no specific 

threats observed in the vicinity of type localities. 

However, potential threat to the habitat include severe 

sand mining upstream of type locality and agricultural 

run–off entering into the river. Habitat at the type 

locality is shown in Image 5. 

Image 5. Stream at Venegaon Village, type locality of 

Balitora laticauda sp. nov., showing its habitat 

3044 



DISCUSSION 

Kalawar & Kelkar (1956) included Balitora 

shimogensis Silas & Kalawar in their list of species 

from Panchaganga River, a tributary of Krishna River 

in northern Western Ghats of Kolhapur District, 

Maharashtra with a remark that the species will be 

described elsewhere. However, to our knowledge, till 

date the species has not been described and Kottelat 

(1988) considered it as nomen nudum for lack of any 

distinguishing characters and tentatively referred to it 

as a synonym of B. mysorensis. Since Panchaganga 

River is also a tributary of Krishna River system and 

lies just downstream of the type locality of B. laticauda 

sp. nov., it is quite possible that Kalawar & Kelkar 

(1956) might have actually referred to B. laticauda 

sp. nov. However, in the absence of any description 

and diagnostic characters of B. shimogensis, it is 

impossible to investigate this further. 

Balitora laticauda sp. nov. differs from its very 

closely related species B. mysorensis, in terms of 

both geographical distribution and general body 

structure, based the following characters. Balitora 

laticauda sp. nov., as compared to B. mysorensis, has 

higher ratio of caudal peduncle length versus depth 

(2.21–2.89 vs. 2.95–3.3), higher depth of body at 

anus (9.1–11.4 %SL vs. 8.4–9.0 %SL), higher depth 

of caudal peduncle (6.3–7.4 %SL vs. 5.1–5.4 %SL), 

higher body width at anus (8.7–11.5 %SL vs. 7.8–8.8 

%SL), shorter length of lower caudal lobe (16.1–24.3 

%SL vs. 24.7–26.5 %SL) and higher length of median 

caudal ray (12.3–16.5 %SL vs. 11.0–11.3 %SL). 

However, the most striking differences which separate 

these two species are—(a) more number of transverse 

bands on the dorsal surface of B. laticauda sp. nov. 

(10) as compared to B. mysorensis (7), (b) lower lobe 

of caudal fin much shorter in B. laticauda sp. nov. as 

compared to B. mysorensis, (c) two rows of distinct 

and prominent papillae encircling upper lip where 

the proximal row has small papillae while distal row 

has large papillae in the case of B. laticauda sp. nov. 

(Image 3a and 3b) versus less distinct rows of large 

and smaller papillae in case of B. mysorensis (Image 

3c and 3d), and (d) more stout caudal peduncle in B. 

laticauda sp. nov. as compared to B. mysorensis. Our 

comparison of B. laticauda sp. nov. and B. mysorensis 

is based on the study of B. mysorensis type material 

and type description given by Hora (1941) as well as 


two specimens collected from the type locality of B. 

mysorensis. Note that the holotype of B. mysorensis is 

in a very bad condition so the morphometric data we 

used is compiled from the original description by Hora 

(1941). Apart from distribution of the two species in 

different river systems, drastic differences between the 

new species and B. mysorensis suggest that they are 

not conspecific. 

While comparing Balitora laticauda sp. nov. with B. 

mysorensis, we have not considered the description of 

B. mysorensis provided by Menon (1987), as it is based 

on two specimens collected from Tungabhadra River, a 

tributary of Krishna River system in Karnataka, while 

the type of B. mysorensis is known from Cauvery River 

system in southern India. Even though Menon (1987) 

has mentioned that the type material of B. mysorensis 

was examined, he has provided no information about 

the type and has not provided any comparative account 

between the specimens from Tungabhadra and Cauvery 

rivers. It is therefore essential to investigate whether 

the B. mysorensis specimens studied in Menon (1987) 

are really conspecific with B. mysorensis sensu stricto. 

Balitora laticauda sp. nov. differs from the description 

of B. mysorensis given in Menon (1987) by having 

smaller head length (20.1–21.9 %SL vs. 23.30–24.75 

%SL), higher head depth (42.1–47.3 %HL vs. 32.0– 

41.66 %HL) and more number of lateral line scales 

(66–68 vs. 64–65). 

Among the other species of Balitora, which are 

geographically closer to the new species, B. laticauda 

sp. nov. differs from B. brucei in deeper caudal 

peduncle (6.3–7.4 %SL vs. 5.1–5.8 %SL), broader 

body width at anus (8.7–12.0 %SL vs. 5.4–8.1 %SL), 

lower ratio of caudal peduncle length to depth (2.21– 

2.89 vs. 3.20–4.00) and more number of lateral line 

scales (66–68 vs. 61–66). Balitora laticauda sp. nov. 

differs from B. burmanica in deeper caudal peduncle 

(6.3–7.4 %SL vs. 5.1–6.3 %SL), broader body width at 

anus (8.7–12.0 %SL vs. 6.4–7.4 %SL), lower ratio of 

caudal peduncle length to depth (2.21–2.89 vs. 3.00– 

4.00) and more number of lateral line scales (66–68 

vs. 62–65). Further, both B. brucei and B. burmanica 

have broader head (Image 3) and completely different 

structure of mouth as compared to B. laticauda sp. 

nov. (Image 4). 

Balitora laticauda sp. nov. differs from B. eddsi of 

Nepal in shorter pre–dorsal length (43.7–47.4 %SL vs. 

48.1–50.4 %SL), longer pre–anal distance (74.3–79.3 


3045


%SL vs. 68.5–70.1 %SL), deeper body at anus (9.1– 

11.4 %SL vs. 6.8–8.2 %SL), deeper caudal peduncle 

(6.3–7.4 %SL vs. 5.4–5.7 %SL), longer caudal 

peduncle (15.0–20.0 %SL vs. 22.0–23.2 %SL), longer 

pelvic fin (19.3–23.7 %SL vs. 12.8–14.0 %SL), longer 

pectoral fin (24.1–28.9 %SL vs. 19.6–21.7 %SL) and 

lower ratio of caudal peduncle length to depth (2.21– 

2.89 vs. 4.10–4.20). 

With respect to other species of genus Balitora, 

B. laticauda sp. nov. differs from B. annamitica in 

shorter pre-anus length (68.1–73.1 %SL vs. 73.2–75.2 

%SL), broader body width at anus (8.7–12.0 %SL 

vs. 7.0–7.8 %SL), shorter pelvic fin (19.3–23.7 %SL 

vs. 23.4–24.4 %SL) and more number of lateral line 

scales (66–68 vs. 62–64). Balitora laticauda sp. nov. 

differs from B. meridionalis in shorter pre–pelvic 

length (44.4–48.3 %SL vs. 48.1–48.9 %SL), broader 

body width at anus (8.7–12.0 %SL vs. 8.1–8.5 %SL), 

shorter pelvic fin (19.3–23.7 %SL vs. 22.3–22.4 

%SL) and more number of lateral line scales (66–68 

vs. 61–62). Balitora laticauda sp. nov. differs from 

B. nantingensis in shorter pre–pectoral fin length 

(12.9–16.2 %SL vs. 23.3–26.3 %SL), more number of 

lateral line scales (66–68 vs. 62–64) and more number 

of transverse bands on the dorsal surface (10 vs. 6). 

Balitora laticauda sp. nov. differs from B. ludogensis 

in shallower body depth (11.5–13.4 %SL vs. 15.0– 

19.5 %SL), flatter head (42.1–47.3 %HL vs. 51.2–67.2 

%HL) and less number of lateral line scales (66–68 

vs. 69–74). Balitora laticauda sp. nov. differs from 

B. kwangsiensis in shallower flatter head (42.1–47.3 

%HL vs. 47.7.2–57.6 %HL), smaller eye diameter 

(10.8–20.7 %HL vs. 19.7–21.4 %HL) and higher 

ratio of caudal peduncle depth to length ratio (62.6– 

89.6 %HL vs. 37.8–50.9 %SL). Balitora laticauda 

sp. nov. differs from B. longibarbata in shallower 

body depth (11.5–13.4 %SL vs. 15.5–17.2 %SL), 

flatter head (42.1–47.3 %SL vs. 50.5–60.3 %SL) and 

less number of lateral line scales (66–68 vs. 73–77). 

Balitora laticauda sp. nov. differs from B. tchangi in 

less number of lateral line scales (66–68 vs. 71) and 

higher ratio of head to interorbital distance (2.2–2.96 

vs. 2). Balitora laticauda sp. nov. differs from B. 

lancangjiangensis higher ratios of standard length to 

body depth (7.48–8.72 vs. 5.91–6.72), head length to 

head depth (2.11–2.50 vs. 1.72–2.00) and head width 

to gape of mouth (3.12–4.78 vs. 2.33–2.85). Balitora 

laticauda sp. nov. differs from B. elongata in having 


less number of pectoral fin simple rays (viii–ix vs. 

x–xi) and less number of pelvic fin simple rays (ii 

vs. iii–iv). Balitora laticauda sp. nov. differs from 

B. nujiangensis in having less number of pelvic fin 

simple rays (ii vs. iii) and pectoral fin not surpassing 

pelvic fin base (vs. surpassing). 

The Western Ghats of India is rich in freshwater 

fish diversity with about 290 known species, 65% of 

which are endemic to the river systems originating 

from the Western Ghats (Dahanukar et al. 2011), while 

about 40% are endemic to the Western Ghats mountain 

ranges (Dahanukar et al. 2004). Recent updates in the 

IUCN Redlist has suggested that out of the total 290 

species known from the Western Ghats, 37% fall under 

the threatened categories - Critically Endangered, 

Endangered or Vulnerable, owing to several 

anthropogenic threats including pollution, biological 

resource use (food fish and aquarium trade), invasive 

species, residential and commercial developments and 

natural system modification (Dahanukar et al. 2011). 

While freshwater fish diversity is subjected to severe 

threats, new species are still being discovered from 

this region suggesting that our understanding of the 

diversity in this region is still far from being complete. 

With increasing consciousness regarding conservation 

of flora and fauna of biodiversity hotspots such as 

Western Ghats, description of this new species bolsters 

the views expressed by Dahanukar et al. (2011) and 

Raghavan et al. (2012) that taxonomic work on the fish 

fauna of the Western Ghats is essential to understand 

the unknown diversity of this region, so as to design 

and implement potent conservation action plans. 

REFERENCES 

Chen, X.-Y., G.-H. Cui & J.-X. Yang (2005). Balitora 

nantingensis (Teleostei: Balitoridae), a new hill stream 

loach from Salween drainage in Yunnan, southwestern 

China. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 13: 

21–26. 

Conway, K.W. & R.L. Mayden (2010). Balitora eddsi, a new 

species of hill stream loach (Ostariophysi: Balitoridae) 

from Nepal. Journal of Fish Biology 76(6): 1466–1473. 

Dahanukar, N., R. Raghavan, A. Ali, R. Abraham & C.P. 

Shaji (2011). The status and distribution of freshwater fishes 

of the Western Ghats. Chapter 3, pp. 21–48. In: Molur, S., 

K.G. Smith, B.A. Daniel & W.R.T. Darwall (compilers), The 

Status and Distribution of Freshwater Biodiversity in The 

Western Ghats, India. IUCN, Cambridge, UK and Gland, 

3046 




Appendix 1. Comparative images of balitorids from India. (a-c) Balitora laticauda sp. nov. paratype (ZSI-WRC P/3057, 84.4mm SL) from Krishna River at Karad, (d-f) B. laticauda 

paratype (ZSI-WRC P/3058, 61.5mm SL) from Urmodi River, (g-i) B. mysorensis (ZSI-WRC P/3056, 67.1mm SL) from its type locality at Sivasamudra falls and (j-l) B. brucei (ZSI- 

WRC P/2669, 59.7mm SL) from Jim Corbett National Park. 


3047



Appendix 2. Biometric data (mm) of Balitora laticauda sp. nov. holotype and eight paratypes. 

Character 

Holotype Paratype 1 Paratype 2 Paratype 3 Paratype 4 Paratype 5 Paratype 6 Paratype 7 Paratype 8 

P/2848 P/2849 P/2850 

WILD- 

PIS-019 

P/2851 P/2851 P/3058 P/3057 P/3057 

Standard length 69.5 79.8 63.6 48.7 62.7 59.7 61.5 54.0 84.4 

Total length 84.4 95.1 77.3 59.2 77.2 73.7 75.9 63.8 98.3 

Head length 15.2 16.6 12.8 10.1 13.1 12.8 13.5 11.0 17.0 

Dorsal head length 15.0 15.5 12.6 9.9 13.7 13.0 12.9 12.1 15.5 

Gape of mouth 3.3 4.5 2.8 2.4 2.9 3.0 2.3 2.8 4.3 

Predorsal length 31.5 37.9 27.8 22.9 28.8 27.6 29.0 24.9 38.2 

Dorsal to caudal distance 38.7 42.8 36.4 26.8 35.0 33.5 33.5 30.7 47.5 

Prepectoral fin length 11.3 10.9 9.4 7.8 9.0 9.3 9.9 8.0 11.0 

Prepelvic length 30.8 37.9 28.8 22.7 29.4 28.3 28.6 26.1 37.8 

Preanus length 47.3 55.7 43.8 33.9 43.6 42.2 43.4 37.1 61.7 

Preanal length 53.5 62.9 49.1 36.2 48.6 46.2 48.8 41.1 66.3 

Ventral fin to anus distance 16.9 20.6 16.4 12.7 14.2 15.0 15.1 12.9 23.2 

Anal fin to anus distance 5.4 5.5 4.3 3.2 4.3 4.2 4.5 3.6 4.8 

Head depth at eye 5.8 6.6 4.6 3.6 5.1 4.9 4.7 4.2 6.5 

Head depth at nape 7.0 7.2 5.4 4.2 6.2 6.1 5.5 4.9 7.8 

Body depth (D) 9.3 10.0 7.4 5.6 8.2 7.6 7.2 6.9 10.2 

Body depth (A) 7.8 8.5 6.0 4.4 6.4 6.1 6.6 6.2 7.8 

Depth of caudal peduncle 4.9 5.4 4.4 3.1 4.6 4.4 4.6 4.0 5.6 

Length of caudal peduncle 12.2 12.0 12.7 8.6 11.8 10.4 10.5 10.7 13.3 

Snout length 8.8 10.2 7.5 5.4 7.6 7.2 7.1 6.1 9.1 

Head width (at nares) 10.0 12.5 8.8 6.9 9.5 8.1 8.6 7.8 12.2 

Maximum head width 12.0 14.0 11.8 8.9 11.7 9.9 10.9 10.3 15.8 

Body width (D) 12.4 15.1 10.4 8.2 12.1 10.4 10.7 10.4 16.7 

Body width (A) 8.3 9.1 5.7 4.6 6.8 5.2 5.8 5.1 7.7 

Eye diameter 2.0 2.6 1.9 1.7 1.8 2.0 2.1 2.3 1.8 

Interorbital width 6.0 5.6 5.2 3.9 5.9 5.5 5.3 4.7 6.0 

Height of dorsal fin 12.9 14.1 12.7 9.1 12.2 11.3 11.8 11.1 13.8 

Dorsal fin base 10.5 11.9 9.2 7.2 8.7 9.4 9.9 8.4 12.8 

Length of upper caudal lobe 12.5 14.7 12.6 9.5 12.8 12.5 12.4 damaged 13.3 

Length of lower caudal lobe 16.7 16.5 13.3 10.4 14.8 14.0 15.0 damaged 13.6 

Length of median caudal rays 10.2 12.0 8.6 6.0 9.4 8.6 10.2 6.7 11.5 

Height of anal fin 8.1 11.1 7.5 5.7 8.4 8.1 8.6 6.8 9.5 

Anal fin base 4.6 5.1 3.3 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.7 3.3 5.3 

Length of pelvic fin 15.1 17.0 13.7 9.4 13.8 12.9 13.5 12.8 17.5 

Length of pectoral fin 16.7 22.4 16.5 12.7 16.9 14.6 15.8 15.6 21.2 

D iii, 8 iii, 8 iii, 8 iii, 8 iii, 8 iii, 8 iii, 8 iii, 8 iii, 7 

A iii, 5 iii, 5 iii, 5 iii, 5 iii, 5 iii, 5 ii, 5 ii,5 ii, 5 

P ix, 10 viii, 10 ix, 10 viii, 11 viii, 11 viii, 11 vii, 11 vii, 11 vii, 11 

V ii, 9 ii, 9 ii, 8 ii, 8 ii, 8 ii, 8 ii, 8 ii, 8 ii, 8 

L.l. scales 67 66 68 67 67 66 68 67 68 

LL to ventral scales 8 8 7 9 8 8 6 8 6 

LL to dorsal scales 8 8 8 9 8 8 9 8 9 

Predorsal scales 20 25 19 23 20 19 20 21 21 

3048 



Appendix 3. Biometric data (mm) of Balitora mysorensis 

holotype (ZSI Kolkata F13512/1) and two specimens 

collected from the type locality. 

Character 

Holotype* 

P/3056 

(#1) 

P/3056 

(#2) 

Standard length 38.8 67.1 68.3 

Total length - 84.7 83.4 

Head length 8.9 13.3 13.4 

Dorsal head length - 12.3 13.5 

Gape of mouth - 2.7 2.5 

Predorsal length - 29.7 30.5 

Dorsal to caudal distance - 38.0 38.1 

Prepectoral fin length - 10.5 10.3 

Prepelvic length - 31.2 31.4 

Preanus length - 47.2 48.8 

Preanal length - 52.7 54.0 

Ventral fin to anus distance - 16.4 17.4 

Anal fin to anus distance - 5.7 4.7 

Head depth at eye - 5.2 5.4 

Head depth at nape 4.0 5.9 6.1 

Body depth (D) 5.1 7.4 7.5 

Body depth (A) - 5.7 6.1 

Depth of caudal peduncle 2.1 3.5 3.5 

Length of caudal peduncle 6.2 11.6 10.4 

Snout length 5.5 8.0 8.3 

Head width (at nares) - 8.3 8.6 

Maximum head width 6.3 10.6 10.4 

Body width (D) 6.2 11.2 11.9 

Body width (A) - 5.2 6.0 

Eye diameter 1.6 1.8 1.9 

Interorbital width 2.9 4.8 4.9 

Height of dorsal fin 8.0 10.7 9.5 

Dorsal fin base - 11.1 8.9 

Length of upper caudal 

lobe 

Length of lower caudal 

lobe 

Length of median caudal 

rays 

- 11.6 13.4 

- 17.8 16.9 

- 7.6 7.5 

Height of anal fin 7.0 7.7 7.7 

Anal fin base - 4.1 4.4 

Length of pelvic fin 8.9 14.2 14.1 

Length of pectoral fin 10.2 16.0 17.2 

D iii, 9 iii, 8 iii, 8 

A ii, 5 ii, 5 ii, 5 

P ix, 12 viii, 10 viii, 10 

V ii, 9 ii, 8 ii, 8 

L.l. scales - 68 69 

LL to ventral scales - 6 6 

LL to dorsal scales - 9 9 

Predorsal scales - 21 21 

* - = data not available 


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Acknowledgements: We are grateful to the Director, Zoological Survey 

of India, Kolkata, for permission to examine the type material available at 

fish section, ZSI, Kolkata. We are thankful to Dr. R.M. Sharma, Scientist-D 

& Officer-in-Charge, ZSI, Western Regional Centre, Pune for providing 

facilities and encouragement. We are thankful to Rahul Kumar for 

providing us the specimens of Balitora mysorensis from the type locality 

and suggesting corrections in the galley proof. We greatfully acknowledge 

Sadashiv Nayak for the photograph of live Balitora mysorensis. We 

thank Madhavi Chavan for providing us specimens of the new species 

from Khodashi Village. We are also thankful to Mandar Paingankar, 

Rajeev Raghavan and Anvar Ali for helpful discussion. Comments from 

two anonymous reviewers and the subject editor improved the quality of 

the paper substantially. The study was self funded. However the CEPFfunded 

freshwater assessment of the Western Ghats made us realize the 

taxonomic issues in the freshwater fishes and current description of the 

new species is a follow up of the same work. We duly acknowledge the 

help from CEPF for publication of this article. 


3049

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