Vasil’eva E.D., Shedko S.V.
Труды Зоологического института РАН 2026; 330(1): 48-53
Recent morphological and molecular genetic studies of the sharpbelly fishes (genus Hemiculter Bleeker, 1860 sensu lato) have significantly expanded the number of recognized species from 3–4 in Berg’s time (1949) to 9–10 today. However, these species remain the subject of taxonomic and nomenclatural debates. In this study, H. bleekeri Warpachowski, 1887 is established as a junior synonym of H. leucisculus (Basilewsky, 1855). Hemiculter tchangi Fang, 1942 is considered an invalid name, as it was established for a hybrid specimen. Siniichthys brevirostris Bãnãrescu, 1970 is established as a nomen dubium, suggesting that Siniichthys Bãnãrescu, 1970 is currently unavailable as a generic name. In addition, we propose an identification key for eight Hemiculter species supported by molecular data, with updated nomenclature based on this research.
