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Tachysurus pseudovirgatus Shao & Zhang 2026

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Description: A striped Tachysurus species. Distinguished from all other striped congeners except T. bailongensis, T. virgatus, T. trimaculatus and T. furcatus by the following combination of characters: a deeply (vs. moderately) forked caudal fin, a straight (vs. gently convex) posterior edge of the caudal-fin lobes, 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 further differs from T. bailongensis and T. trimaculatus by the absence (vs. presence) of a connection between the dorso-lateral stripe and the black blotches on the operculum, from T. furcatus in having a narrower caudal peduncle (depth 33.5–41.3% of HL vs. 42.1–45.3%), from T. virgatus in having a narrower (vs. broader) whitish-yellow patch along the posterior margin of eyes and absence (vs. presence) of a short whitish-yellow line in the beginning of the mid-lateral stripe. Habitat: Currently known from Boluo County, Guangdong Province, belonging to Dong River, a tributary of the Pearl River. 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 is derived from the Greek prefix pseudo-, in allusion to the close morphological and phylogenetic affinities of T. pseudovirgatus with T. virgatus. The onomatopoeic Chinese sound of this species is “Si Zong Wen Ni Chang”.

Common Name:

None

Synonyms:

None

Family:

Bagridae

Distribution:

Asia: Boluo County, Guangdong Province, belonging to Dong River, a tributary of the Pearl River, south China.

Size:

6.0cm (2½ins)

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 pseudovirgatus
South China: Guangdong Prov.: Boluo County: a stream in Dong River, the tributary of the Pearl River

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