Loach experts Jörg Bohlen and Vendula Šlechtová have named a new nemacheilid loach from southern Thailand after Thai fish exporter Kamphol Udomritthiruj.
The description of Schistura udomritthiruji is published in a recent issue of the journal Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters.
The type locality of S. udomritthiruji is a clear stream with a substrate of gravel and stones and the species is only known from two streams in southern Thailand flowing into the Andaman Sea between Takua Pa and Ranong. The pH of the water was about 8 and water temperature about 29°C.
Picture kindly supplied by Jörg Bohlen.
The authors diagnose the new species as a species of Schistura with the predorsal dark bars thinner than the posterior ones, and differing from others with a similar colour pattern in having a combination of: 9+8 branched rays in the caudal fin, males with suborbital flap and females without flap, lateral line ending above the base of the anal fin, hyaline caudal fin, and the bars on the posterior half of the body more than twice as wide as the interspaces.
For more information, see the paper: Bohlen, J and V Šlechtová (2009) Schistura udomritthirjui, a new loach from southern Thailand (Cypriniformes: Nemacheilidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 20, pp. 319–324.