Taxonomic Problems of Some Nemachilus Fishes

A great many specimens of some nemachilus fishes have been studied and their taxonomic problems are cleared up as follows.N.kungessanus Kessler is far different from N.dorsalis in the shape of air-bladder,intestine and vertebrate counts.They should not be merged into one taxon under the name of N.dorsalis,N.kungessanus can be subdivided into two subspecies,I.e.,N.k.kungessanus Kessler,and N.korientalis with elongatus as a synonym.N.papilloso-labiatus is well different from N.strauchii in a series of characters.Both are considered to be valid monotypic species.The formerly used diagnoses of N.wuweiensis are discovered not effectively enough to differentiate from the relative species N.scleropterus and,therefore,are revised.Based on their morphological differences and sympatric distribution in both river systems of Shule He and Ruo Shui of the northern Gansu Province,N.leptosoma and N.brevicauda formerly treated as two subspecies of N.stoliczkae are raised to independent species taxa.