Two new species of the loach genus Homatula Nichols, 1925 (Pisces, Nemacheilidae) from the upper Chang-Jiang Basin in China Author Cao, Liang 0000-0003-3208-1370 Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, Hubei Province, China Author Liu, Yi Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, Hubei Province, China & University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China Author Zeng, Zhixuan 0000-0001-9740-1342 The Department of Endocrinology, Hubei Clinical Medical Research Center for Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, China Author Yi, Wenjing Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, Hubei Province, China Author Zhang, E 0000-0002-6971-7160 Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, Hubei Province, China text Zoosystematics and Evolution 2025 2025-03-26 101 2 697 710 journal article 308812 10.3897/zse.101.146027 17a8eb26-f9d7-4b55-a517-86009c547add B49514A4-5753-4411-8156-4C43D6788B8F

Table 4. Major diagnostic characters for the partially scaled group and the scaleless group of Homatula in China.

Species	Characters
	Body squamation	Caudal-peduncle depth (% of its length)	Median notch on lower jaw	Pelvic-fin origin	Dorsal fin branched rays	Anterior end of dorsal adipose crest of caudal peduncle	Caudal-fin shape	Lateral line	Vertebrae
a: morphometric measurements data used here is from Min and Yang (2021); b: morphometric measurements data used here is from Guo et al. (2021); c: the data used here is from Che et al. (2023); d: the data used here is from Min et al. (2010); e: the data used here is from Min et al. (2013); f: the data used here is from Min et al. (2022); g: the data used here is from Yang et al. (2017).
H. variegata	Postdorsal body scaled, predorsal body scales sparse	36.4–46.6	Present	Opposite to dorsal fin insertion	8	Above the posterior end of the anal-fin base	Broadly rounded	Complete	4 + 42–44
H. laxiclathra		38.9 – 57.1	Present	Opposite to dorsal fin insertion	8	Above the posterior end of the anal-fin base	Obliquely truncate	Complete	4 + 43–44
H. berezowskii		33.9 – 63.4	Present	At vertical of 1 st or 2 nd branched dorsal fin ray	8	Above the posterior end of the anal-fin base	Truncate	Complete	4 + 42–44
H. guanheensis		46.1 – 65.0	Present	Opposite to dorsal fin insertion	7–8	Above the posterior end of the anal-fin base	Truncate	Complete	4 + 41–43
H. oxygnathra		45.1 – 56.0	Absent	At vertical of 1 st or 2 nd branched dorsal fin ray	8	Above the anal fin origin	Obliquely truncate	Complete	4 + 42–44
H. longidorsalis a		57.2–61.5	Absent	At vertical of 1 st or 2 nd branched dorsal fin ray	9	Above the anal fin origin	Obliquely truncate	Complete	4 + 42–44
H. potanini b		95.0–136.4	Present	At vertical of 1 st or 2 nd branched dorsal fin ray	8	Above the anal fin origin	Rounded or truncate	Incomplete	4 + 35–36
H. tigris c		43.1–55.3	Absent	At vertical of 1 st or 2 nd branched dorsal fin ray	8	Beyond anal-fin origin	slightly emarginate	Complete	4 + 40–41
H. shexiang sp. nov.		42.0–53.8	Absent	At vertical of 1 st or 2 nd branched dorsal fin ray	9	Vertically away from the anal-fin origin but beyond the posterior end of the anal-fin base	Obliquely truncate	Complete	4 + 42–43
H. xiangzhi sp. nov.	Body scaleless or only a few scales covering the caudal peduncle	42.0–57.8	Absent	At vertical of 1 st or 2 nd branched dorsal fin ray	9	Vertically away from the anal-fin origin, but beyond the posterior end of the anal-fin base	Obliquely truncate	Complete	4 + 42–43
H. oligolepis d		51.0–57.0	Present	At vertical of 1 st or 2 nd branched dorsal fin ray	9	Above the anal fin origin	Broadly rounded	Complete	4 + 39–41
H. nanpanjiangensis d		50.0–70.0	Present	At vertical of 1 st or 2 nd branched dorsal fin ray	8–9	Above the anal fin origin	Emarginated	Complete	4 + 36–38
H. disparizona e		47–62	Absent	Opposite to dorsal fin insertion	7–8	Beyond anal-fin origin	Emarginate	Complete	4 + 39–40
H. robusta f		70.5–78.5	Present	At vertical of 1 st or 2 nd branched dorsal fin ray	8	Beyond anal-fin origin	Emarginated	Complete	4 + 37–39
H. wujiangensis b		100–120	Present	At vertical of 1 st or 2 nd branched dorsal fin ray	8	Vertically away from the anal-fin origin but beyond the posterior end of the anal-fin base	Truncate	Incomplete	4 + 35–36
H. wenshanensis g		27.3–35. 0	Present	At vertical of 1 st or 2 nd branched dorsal fin ray	7	Above the posterior end of the anal-fin base	Furcate	Complete	4 + 47–48