The poorly known but threatened cyprinid genus Eechathalakenda : phylogenetic position, mitogenome characterization and an unexpected new species

Eechathalakenda is a poorly-known, monotypic, cyprinid genus endemic to the Western Ghats of India, whose phylogenetic position has been debated – either considered ‘incertae sedis’ at the level of Cyprinidae, or sometimes placed in the subfamily Smiliogastrinae. For the first time, we include Eechathalakenda in a multigene (13 protein-coding mitochondrial genes) phylogenetic analysis and recover the genus within the cyprinid subfamily Torinae. While studying samples of Eechathalakenda from its distribution range, we encountered a new species that differs from its only known congener, E. ophicephala by several morphological characters including the pigmentation pattern, number of pectoral-fin rays, shape of supraneurals 3 and 5–10, shape and number of lateral-line scales, number of scale rows between the dorsal fin and lateral line, and by a raw genetic distance of 4.9–5.3% in the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) gene sequences. We described this new species, Eechathalakenda incognita, and generated its complete mitogenome using Illumina sequencing chemistry. Both, E. ophicephala and E. incognita have a narrow distribution range, the former to the headwaters of the Pamba River (>1000 m above sea level) and the latter restricted to the headwaters of the Periyar River (>900 m above sea level). The restricted distribution and habitat threats suggest that both species have a high risk of extinction, making them urgent priorities for conservation.