{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,13]],"date-time":"2026-02-13T06:04:38Z","timestamp":1770962678896,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,28]],"date-time":"2025-07-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1753660800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","award":["#32260333"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["#32260333"]}]},{"name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","award":["#31860600"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["#31860600"]}]},{"name":"Guangxi University","award":["#32260333"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["#32260333"]}]},{"name":"Guangxi University","award":["#31860600"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["#31860600"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>China\u2019s southwestern karst landscapes support remarkable cavefish diversity, especially within Sinocyclocheilus, the world\u2019s largest cavefish genus. Using integrative taxonomic methods, we describe Sinocyclocheilus wanlanensis sp. nov., found in a subterranean river in Guizhou Province. This species lacks horn-like cranial structures; its eyes are either reduced to a dark spot or absent. It possesses a pronounced nuchal hump and a forward-protruding, duckbill-shaped head. Morphometric analysis of 28 individuals from six species shows clear separation from related taxa. Nano-CT imaging reveals distinct vertebral and cranial features. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial cytb and ND4 genes place S. wanlanensis within S. angularis group as sister to S. bicornutus, with p-distances of 1.7% (cytb) and 0.7% (ND4), consistent with sister-species patterns within the genus. Sinocyclocheilus wanlanensis is differentiated from S. bicornutus by its eyeless or degenerate-eye condition and lack of bifurcated horns. It differs from S. zhenfengensis, its morphologically closest species, in having degenerate or absent eyes, shorter maxillary barbels, and pelvic fins that reach the anus. The combination of morphological and molecular evidence supports its recognition as a distinct species. Accurate documentation of such endemic and narrowly distributed taxa is important for conservation and for understanding speciation in cave habitats.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani15152216","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,28]],"date-time":"2025-07-28T10:51:14Z","timestamp":1753699874000},"page":"2216","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Description of a New Eyeless Cavefish Using Integrative Taxonomic Methods\u2014Sinocyclocheilus wanlanensis (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae), from Guizhou, China"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4712-1072","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yewei","family":"Liu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1942-1353","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tingru","family":"Mao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0994-3462","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hiranya","family":"Sudasinghe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland"},{"name":"Naturhistorisches Museum Bern, Bernastrasse15, 3005 Bern, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-8902-0261","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rongjiao","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7115-6713","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jian","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Environment Change and Resource Use, Beibu Gulf, Nanning Normal University, Nanning 530001, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4599-6724","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Madhava","family":"Meegaskumbura","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Yuan, D. 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