Description:
Head depressed. Snout short, rounded when viewed dorsally.
Mouth terminal, with lower jaw slightly longer; lips
with thickened skin. Eye small and rounded, nearer
to the snout tip than the end of the opercle. Nostrils
very short, tubular, situated immediately anterior
to and posterior to the base of the nasal barbel.
Nasal barbel not reaching the posterior margin of
the opercle. Maxillary and outer mandibular barbels
reaching beyond the base of the pectoral fin (Singh
et al. 2022). Inner mandibular barbel not reaching
the base of the pectoral fin. Gill membranes narrowly
joined at the isthmus. Lateral line incomplete, slightly
curved downward, and terminating at a point slightly
anterior to vertical through the pelvic-fn origin.
Habitat: Known from the Kawlchaw River and
Sala River of the Kaladan River drainage, Mizoram,
India. Colouration: Dorsal and lateral
surfaces of head and body a strong brownish hue, fading
to creamish on ventral surfaces. All barbels greyish
basally and becoming lighter distally. Dorsal, adipose,
pectoral, pelvic, and anal fns uniformly cream-colored
with lighter distal margins. Caudal fn uniformly dusky
(Singh et al. 2022). Etymology: The
specific name hmolaii: in honour of Hmolai,
a “famous” Lakher chief of Lushai hills
(present-day Mizoram state, India), where this catfish
occurs (Singh et al. 2022).
Common
Name:
None
Synonyms:
None
Family:
Amblycipitidae
Distribution:
Southern Asia:
Kaladan River drainage, Mizoram, India.
Size:
5.5cm
(2¼ins)
Temp:
18-22°C
(63-71°F)
p.H.
6.5-7.5.
Reference:
Singh, M., S. Lalronunga
and L. Ramliana 2022 (4 Mar.) Integrative
taxonomy peeps a new torrent catfish species of genus
Amblyceps (Siluriformes: Amblycipitidae) in Kaladan
River of Mizoram, India. Molecular Biology Reports
v. 49: [1-8] 4565-4572.
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