Sanjay’s Black Tip Pethia

Pethia sanjaymoluri is diagnosed from all its congeners by a combination of the following characteristics: lateral line incomplete; barbels absent; fleshy upper lip; lateral-line pored scales ceasing after the seventh to 12th lateral-line scale; 23-25 scales in lateral series; 10 predorsal scales; 11-14 prepelvic scales; 17-20 pre-anal scales; 4 1?2 scales between dorsal-fin origin and lateral-line row; four scales between lateral-line row and pelvic-fin origin; last simple dorsal-fin ray strong, serrated, with 8-15 serrae on its distal half, one serra on its apical half; dorsal fin originatingbehind pelvic-fin origin; caudal fin with 8+8 procurrent rays and 9+8 branched caudal-fin rays; four supraneurals; six predorsal neural spines; third infraorbital deep, overlapping preoperculum; gill rakers simple, four on lateral and 11-12 on medial margin of first ceratobranchial and four on medial side of first epibranchial; 4+5 predorsal vertebrae; 4+26 total vertebrae, with 4+13 abdominal and 13 caudal vertebrae. Body color pattern consists of a black humeral spot below the lateral line, covering third and fourth lateral-line scales and extending to one scale below the lateral-line row; a caudal spot, covering 17 th-19th scales in lateral series; apical half of dorsal-fin membrane between anterior-most five branched rays studded with melanophores, making the tip of the dorsal fin appear dark black; and anal, pelvic and pectoral fins colorless in adults (Ref. 107652).Description: Dorsal-fin rays iii 8; anal-fin rays iii 5; pectoral-fin rays i 12-14; and pelvic-fin rays i 7 (Ref. 107652).

Dorsal soft rays (total): 11; Analsoft rays: 8; Vertebrae: 30

At Rawet, this species occupied the main river channel beneath riparian vegetation and submerged boulders and silt as substratum. It was found among aquatic vegetation. It co-occurred with the following fishes: Salmostoma boopis (Day 1874), Devario aequipinnatus (McClelland 1839), Rasbora daniconius (Hamilton 1822), Aplocheilus lineatus (Valenciennes 1846), Notopterus notopterus (Pallas 1769), Mastacembelus armatus (Lacépède 1800), Puntius sophore (Hamilton 1822), and Rohtee ogilbii Sykes 1839. At Bhor, it was encountered in ponds and ditches formed by boulders in the main river channel, with no riparian vegetation and with substratum composed of basalt bedrock and silt. It was observed to co-occur with the following fishes: Nemacheilus denisoni (Day 1867), R. daniconius, Garra mullya (Sykes 1839), S. boopis, Lepidocephalichthys thermalis (Valenciennes 1846) and D. aequipinnatus (Ref. 107652).

Pethia sanjaymoluri, Sanjay's black-tip pethia, is a species of ray finned fish from the subfamily Barbinae, of the family Cyprinidae. It is found in the Pavana and Nira rivers which are tributaries of the Bhima River, part of Krishna River system in Maharashtra, India.