Skeletal anatomy and phylogenetic position analysis of Gobiocypris rarus

The phylogenetic position of Gobiocypris rarus, a small cyprinid fish of interest in many biological areas due to its unique characteristics, is still under debate. At the morphological view, it belongs to the Danioninae subfamily of Cyprinidae; however, recent molecular research recognizes it as a member of the Gobioninae subfamily. To investigate the phylogenetic position of Gobiocypris rarus, we prepared transparent skeleton specimens, selected 47 characteristics and reconstructed the phylogenetic tree using PAUP. The results indicated that Gobiocypris rarus was clustered with Gobioninae, which was in agreement with recent molecular phylogenetic conclusions.