Conspectus cobitidum - Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research

tová et al. (2007) and Bohlen & Šlechtová (2009). However,
their phylogeny recovers Ellopostomatidae, Nemacheilidae
and Balitoridae as an unresolved trichotomy and their
Balitoridae is quite heterogeneous and includes a number of
very distinctive groups. In their Balitoridae, they recovered
four lineages corresponding to Gastromyzontidae, ‘Homalopteridae’
of earlier authors (e.g., Silas, 1953), Barbucca
and Serpenticobitis. The position of these two genera has
been very uncertain since their description, with Barbucca
being placed in Cobitidae (Roberts, 1989) or in Balitoridae
(Kottelat et al., 1993; Šlechtová et al., 2007), and Serpenticobitis
hypothesized to belong to Cobitidae (Roberts, 1997;
Kottelat, 2001b), Nemacheilidae (Nalbant, 2002: pl. 7) or
Balitoridae (Šlechtová et al., 2007). As more characters (morphological
and molecular) are explored and as data on more
species become available, these two genera are likely to continue
their Brownian movement within the phylogeny of
Cobitoidei. I find it convenient to give these two genera the
It is impossible to mention all those who provided information
and literature over the years of gestation of this checklist,
but in the final years the following helped in finding
rare or hard-to-get literature and helped with translations,
information and comments: Nina Bogutskaya (ZISP), Jörg
Bohlen (Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics,
Liběchov, Czechia), Ralf Britz (BMNH), Chen I-Shiung
(National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan), Chen
Xiao-Yong (KIZ), Kevin Conway (Texas A&M University,
College Station, USA), Fang Fang (NRM), Jörg Freyhof
(Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries,
Berlin, Germany), Alain Hennache (Parc de Clères,
Clères, France), Kim Ik-Soo (CNUC), Katsuma Kubota
(Bangkok, Thailand), Sven Kullander (NRM), Kelvin Lim
(ZRC), Michal Mikšik (Prague), Sonia Fisch-Muller
(MHNG), Ng Heok Hee (ZRC), Rohan Pethiyagoda (AMS),
Graham Proudlove (University of Manchester, U. K.), Vendula
Šlechtová (Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics,
Liběchov, Czechia), Tan Heok Hui (ZRC), Tran Anh Duc
(Hanoi University of Science, Hanoi, Vietnam), Davut Turan
(Rize University, Rize, Turkey), Ekaterina Vasil’eva
(ZMMU), Claude Weber (MHNG), Yang Jian (Guangxi
Teacher’s Education University, Nanning, China), Zhang E
(IHB). Kevin Conway generously made available a number
THE RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY 2012
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
141
same rank as the two other lineages (Gastromyzontidae and
Balitoridae s.s.).
Some might prefer recognising a hierarchy of families, subfamilies,
tribes etc. and are free to do so. At this stage, I do
not see any advantage at recognising a hierarchy of ranks
within the still unstable Nemacheilidae-Balitoridae-Ellopostomatidae
assemblage (see Introduction, Families vs. subfamilies).
The classification with a single rank allows easier
reference for those not concerned by phylogeny or taxonomy.
It is easier (for example for ecologists) to handle units
with some sort of internal consistency in morphology, habitat
preferences, etc. with only one level of family-group
names, without having to worry about a hierarchy of names
or debates on phylogeny. A classification using (naming) few
ranks only is less quickly obsolete than a classification using
a complex hierarchy.
of unpublished osteological information and photographs
used in the diagnoses of the new taxa. Kevin Conway, Jörg
Bohlen and Jörg Freyhof read and commented on the manuscript.
Rohan Pethiyagoda commented on the manuscript and
helped in making it more readable. Hazelina Yeo Hwan Theng
read and checked the manuscript. Jörg Bohlen, Chen Xiao-
Yong, Kevin Conway, Jörg Freyhof, Alexander Golubtsov
(Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Moscow,
Russia), Kazumi Hosoya (Kinki University, Nara, Japan),
Zdenek Lajbner (Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics,
Liběchov, Czechia), Lan Jia-Hu (Fishery Technique Popularization
Station, Du’an, China), Beta Mahatvaraj (Chennai,
India), Artem Prokofiev (Severtsov Institute of Ecology
and Evolution, Moscow, Russia), Ren Qiu (KIZ), Tan Heok
Hui, Yang Jian, Zhang E, Zhao Ya-Hui (ASIZB) and Zakhar
Zhidkov (Saint Petersburg University, Russia) provided photographs.
Tan Heok Hui designed the cover page.
Over the years, Antoinette Kottelat-Kloetzli contributed to
my work on loaches by assisting in library work, sorting and
shelving collections, supporting my frequent and long absences
while in the field, coining a number of names of new
taxa (and building a stock of names available for future new
taxa), and many other ways.