Nine in one: integrative taxonomic evidence of hidden species diversity in the widespread Zambezi grunter, Parauchenoglanis ngamensis (Siluriformes: Auchenoglanididae), from southern and south-central Africa Author Sithole, Yonela National Research Foundation-South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (NRF-SAIAB), Makhanda, South Africa & Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa y.sithole@saiab.nrf.ac.za Author Vreven, Emmanuel J. W. M. N. National Research Foundation-South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (NRF-SAIAB), Makhanda, South Africa & Vertebrate Section, Ichthyology, Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA), Tervuren, Belgium Author Bragança, Pedro H. N. National Research Foundation-South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (NRF-SAIAB), Makhanda, South Africa & Department of Ichthyology, American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), New York, United States of America Author Musschoot, Tobias Vertebrate Section, Ichthyology, Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA), Tervuren, Belgium Author Chakona, Albert text Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 2024 2024-11-13 202 3 1 33 https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae121 journal article 306549 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae121 a27fb5d2-9a22-45eb-a672-f073e0455642 0024-4082 14504088 3C2308D-7334-412D-871F-DE1F17C38D0E

Table 3. Morphometrics and meristics of the Parauchenoglanis species (re)described in this study.The given range for a species also includes holotype and paratype(s).

	P. ngamensis s.s. (N = 63)			P. patersoni (N = 14)			P. dolichorhinus (N = 4)
Variables	Holotype	Range	Mean	Holotype	Range	Mean	Holotype	Range	Mean
Standard length (mm)	184.5	22.8–204.2	98.8	192.9	42.9–223.0	111.5	139.8	52.4–115.1	86.5
Body measurements (% standard length)
Preanal length	60.9	55.9–74.1	64.0	61.1	56.1–62.2	60.6	58.8	58.6–59.9	59.4
Prepelvic length	50.2	48.0–54.9	50.9	52.1	48.1–53.5	51.1	48.9	49.6–50.9	50.2
Predorsal length	38.8	36.0–42.7	39.7	38.3	36.8–42.1	39.6	37.1	37.2–39.8	38.1
Prepectoral length	27.4	25.6–31.2	28.4	26.3	26.7–32.5	28.7	28.1	26.8–28.5	27.6
Adipose fin length	33.5	28.7–41.0	33.5	34.1	31.6–38.8	34.8	32.7	32.8–34.7	33.9
Interdorsal-adipose distance	4.5	3.0–12.9	7.7	6.9	3.5–10.0	6.4	10.5	6.3–9.9	8.4
Dorsal fin base length	15.9	14.2–18.4	16.3	15.5	14.7–18.7	16.2	15.5	15.7–17.6	16.5
Dorsal fin length	15.2	13.5–25.1	19.9	16.2	15.3–21.0	18.4	16.2	15.5–21.1	17.8
Dorsal fin spine length	14.0	12.4–20.3	16.3	16.6	14.5–19.5	16.3	11.3	11.4–13.7	12.7
Pectoral fin length	17.1	15.9–24.0	20.0	18.4	14.0–22.4	19.1	18.5	16.1–21.2	18.8
Pectoral fin spine length	16.7	12.7–21.1	17.0	16.5	12.9–19.0	16.9	16.6	12.6–15.8	14.6
Pelvic fin length	13.1	11.6–17.5	15.1	15.0	12.2–14.9	13.4	14.5	11.6–14.8	13.3
Anal fin length	12.1	10.2–25.1	16.2	13.3	10.6–14.6	12.3	12.6	13.2–14.2	13.7
Interpectoral distance	14.7	15.9–25.0	19.7	18.4	17.0–23.8	20.2	18.2	17.4–17.8	17.6
Interpelvic distance	6.8	5.2–12.0	8.6	10.9	8.6–11.3	9.9	11.0	9.8–11.2	10.3
Maximum body depth	17.4	14.6–23.5	18.4	16.3	15.5–21.4	17.6	13.2	11.6–14.0	12.9
Pelvic body depth	16.5	9.3–21.0	14.6	13.1	11.3–16.6	13.0	9.2	8.7–9.3	9.1
Minimum caudal peduncle depth	11.0	8.4–13.6	11.2	11.7	9.9–12.1	11.1	9.7	10.0–11.8	10.9
Maximum caudal peduncle depth	14.5	12.3–17.9	15.5	17.0	11.3–16.6	13.7	15.4	14.0–14.4	14.3
Adipose fin-caudal fin interdistance	6.8	4.8–8.3	6.6	5.4	4.1–6.7	5.9	5.8	5.3–6.4	5.9
Anal fin-caudal fin interdistance	14.7	12.6–18.5	15.2	14.1	12.4–17.1	15.2	17.6	14.0–17.7	16.0
Adipose fin depth	4.6	4.6–8.2	6.4	7.7	5.8–8.5	7.3	4.9	5.0–6.2	5.6
Head length	34.3	30.6–35.5	33.0	32.6	30.2–34.9	33.1	33.6	32.5–32.7	32.6
Head measurements (% head length)
Postorbital head length	42.6	39.1–47.9	42.9	43.0	39.9–46.1	43.5	41.5	41.4–43.3	42.5
Preorbital head length	45.4	34.3–50.9	45.8	47.2	38.2–50.8	44.0	48.1	44.8–45.2	45.0
Head width	49.5	60.9–85.9	70.1	66.6	66.8–78.5	71.3	65.8	63.1–72.5	67.5
Orbital head width	54.3	52.2–69.1	60.0	57.0	57.5–64.2	60.4	49.4	49.4–57.6	54.0
Head depth	47.6	40.6–60.8	52.3	52.5	48.5–54.9	51.7	34.6	38.9–40.0	39.6
Orbital head depth	33.1	21.8–48.1	36.7	40.8	27.4–45.9	36.9	25.8	27.6–28.6	28.2
Snout depth	18.1	10.9–28.5	17.6	20.4	13.2–20.9	17.0	13.5	12.1–12.5	12.2
Maxillary barbel length	42.7	30.3–79.0	48.1	37.3	39.4–62.0	50.6	48.3	60.4–72.1	66.1
Variables	Holotype	Range	Mean	Holotype	Range	Mean	Holotype	Range	Mean
External mandibular barbel length	81.2	48.6–110.1	85.3	86.0	76.7–118.2	93.0	86.3	99.5–118.1	106.0
Internal mandibular barbel length	44.4	31.0–55.8	43.5	37.8	36.1–58.3	45.2	35.3	40.7–52.7	45.8
Mandibular barbels interdistance	13.5	9.3–21.4	14.0	14.0	10.3–18.7	14.6	12.0	12.4–13.4	13.0
Interorbital distance	22.0	19.3–28.0	22.6	20.0	19.7–25.8	22.8	17.5	16.7–22.8	19.7
Anterior nostrils interdistance	9.4	7.6–20.2	13.0	9.5	13.7–20.3	16.8	10.5	7.2–17.6	13.4
Posterior nostrils interdistance	7.5	8.5–12.2	10.0	8.9	7.9–11.1	9.4	8.8	8.0–9.2	8.5
Supraoccipital process-nuchal plate interdistance	1.3	.9–7.2	2.7	1.3	1.4–6.7	3.6	6.7	4.0–6.8	5.9
Supraoccipital process-dorsal fin interdistance	18.1	13.9–23.2	17.9	18.2	10.2–21.2	15.1	14.0	9.2–15.0	13.0
Prehyoid length	15.4	7.9–21.7	15.7	20.4	10.3–25.8	16.0	20.8	15.5–21.0	18.3
Mouth width	41.7	27.6–66.6	46.6	45.7	40.2–61.2	46.9	47.6	44.0–54.4	48.9
Premaxillary toothplate width	9.5	8.7–19.4	12.2	11.4	9.1–13.2	11.3	12.0	8.8–15.8	11.5
Orbital diameter	13.1	11.4–24.5	16.5	15.5	14.2–19.7	16.9	15.7	16.4–19.5	17.5
Meristics			Median			Median			Median
No.of dorsal-fin rays	7	7–8	7	7	6–7	7	7	7	7
No.of anal-fin rays	10	8–11	10	11	10–11	10	8	9–10	9
No.of pectoral-fin rays	8	7–8	8	7	7	7	7	7	7
No.of pelvic-fin rays	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6
No.of caudal-fin rays	18	15–18	17	18	15–17	17	14	15–16	15
No.of serrae anterior margin pectoral-fin spine	2	0–7	3	5	2–5	3	4	2–4	3
No.of serrae posterior margin pectoral-fin spine	18	4–19	12	17	7–16	9	15	8–10	9
Vertebrae		(N = 4)			(N = 4)			(N = 4)
No.of pre-anal vertebrae	15	15–17	15	16	16	16	15	15–17	15
No.of caudal vertebrae	20	19–21	19	20	19–20	19	20	19–21	20
Total Vertebrae	35	34–36	36	36	35–36	35.5	35	35–36	35.5