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Tachysurus furcatus Shao & Zhang 2026

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Description: A striped Tachysurus species. Distinguished from all other striped congeners except T. pseudovirgatus, T. virgatus, T. trimaculatus and T. bailongensis by the following combination of characters: straight (vs. gently convex) posterior edges of the caudal-fin lobes, a deeply (vs. moderately) forked caudal fin, presence (vs. absence) of a prominent post-dorsal-fin notch on the dorso-lateral stripe and a uniform and unconstricted (vs. tapering, constricted and irregular) mid-lateral stripe. It can be differentiated from T. virgatus, T. trimaculatus and T. bailongensis by the origin of the mid-lateral stripe diverging into two or three short black lines (vs. the entire lower portion) connecting to the black blotches on the operculum, from T. trimaculatus and T. bailongensis by the absence (vs. presence) of a connection between the dorso-lateral stripe and the black blotches on the operculum, and from T. pseudovirgatus in having a deeper caudal peduncle (depth 59.5–71.1% vs. 42.1–45.3% HL). Habitat: Currently known from the Nhat Le River in Quang Binh Province, and Huong River in Thùa Thiên Huë Province, central Vietnam, which are two coastal rivers flowing into the South China Sea. Recorded exclusively in flowing streams. Etymology: The genus name of Tachysurus: tachys, swift; oura, tail, referring to the presumed agility of T. sinensis based on its “long and nimble” tail (translation). The specific epithet furcatus is derived from Latin, meaning “forked”, referring to the distinctive mid-lateral stripe of this species, which diverges into two or three short black lines to connect to the black blotches on the operculum, forming a fork-like pattern. The species is locally known in Chinese as “Cha Wen Ni Chang”.

Common Name:

None

Synonyms:

None

Family:

Bagridae

Distribution:

Asia: Nhat Le River in Quang Binh Province, and Huong River in Thùa Thiên Huë Province, central Vietnam.

Size:

7.0cm (2¾ins)

Temp:

21-25°C (70-77°F)

p.H.

6.0-7.0.

IUCN Red List

Not Evaluated.

Reference:

Fish in the News 2026.
Shao, W., Cai, X., Nguyen, T. D., & Zhang, E. (2026). Beyond Morphological Conservatism: Integrative Taxonomy Unveils Remarkable Cryptic Diversity in the Tachysurus virgatus (Oshima 1926) Group (Siluriformes: Bagridae) Endemic to the Northern Margin of East Asian Tropics. Animals, 16(15), 2422.

Family: Bagridae Back to Ident-A-Cat Click on Thumbnails

Tachysurus furcatus
Central Vietnam: Quang Binh Prov.: Nhat Le River, a coastal river flowing into South China Sea

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