Notropis multicorniculatus Pinion, Kim, Dolan, Portnoy, Voelker & Conway, 2025, sp. nov.

?Notropis multicorniculatussp. nov. Figures 10 B, 13 B – 13, 14, 15, 16 B, 21 A, D, G, 22 A, 25, 26 Synonymy. Cyprinella ludibunda Girard, 1856: 199; Cottonwood River, Marion County, Kansas. Suppressed in ICZN Opinion 1991. Holotype. TCWC 15789.09, male, 43.2 mm SL, United States of America, Texas, Hemphill County, Canadian River at Highway 60, 35°56'8.62"N 100°22'14.51"W; 21 June 2012, Conway, K. W. and Kim, D. (Fig. 25 A). Paratypes. KU 30677, 20, 45–64 mm SL; Barber: Elm Creek, 37°24'10"N 098°38'47"W; 7 November, 2002. – KU 36562, 44, 36–52 mm SL; Barton: Arkansas River, 38°20'52"N 098°39'00"W; 29 July 2003. – TCWC 15789.07, 166, 29–44 mm SL; Hemphill: Canadian River at HW 60, 35°56'08"N 100°22'14"W; 21 June 2012. – TCWC 7250.01, 5, 32–42 mm SL; Pottawatomie: South Canadian River 2 mi S Asher, 34°57'55"N 096°55'47"W; 3 August, 1984. – TCWC 15783.09, 21, 21–46 mm SL; Guadalupe: Pecos River at HW 91, near Puerto de Luna, 34°49'35"N 104°37'27"W; 18 June, 2012. – TCWC 15790.07, 76, 17–46 mm SL; Wheeler: North Fork Red River at HW 83, 35°15'52"N 100°14'30"W; 21 June 2012. – TCWC 6971.01, 8, 38–44 mm SL; Carter: Caddo Creek, 34°14'01"N 097°00'31"W; 17 July 1982. Diagnosis. Notropis multicorniculatus sp. nov. is distinguished from all other members of the N. stramineus species group, except N. topeka, by the extent of tuberculation in spawning males, with tubercles large, well-developed and typically present across most regions of the head (vs. smaller, typically sparse, inconspicuous and concentrated in a few regions, or at least lacking in the gular region), on pectoral-fin rays 1–10 (vs. 1–8, sometimes with few sparse tubercles on pectoral-fin ray 9), on which are 8–10 rows of tubercles in the densest areas of the fins (vs. typically a maximum of 5–6 rows of tubercles on the pectoral fins), and by having tubercles organized in four rows on the surface of the anteriormost pectoral-fin ray (vs. one or two rows). It is distinguished from N. topeka by the presence of tubercles across every lateral region of the head, except the posteriormost part of the lacrimal and anteriormost part of the supraorbital regions (vs. presence of tubercles in those regions, but lacking in the infraorbital, preopercular, opercular, and subopercular regions), and sexual dichromatism limited to a yellow to peach coloration of the pectoral fins and pectoral-fin base (vs. orange to red coloration in nuptial males). It is distinguished from N. procne by the absence (vs. presence) of a dark lateral stripe, a shorter snout (26.3 % SL vs. 29.8 % SL), and a smaller eye (orbit diameter 26.3 % HL vs. 29.3 %). Notropis multicorniculatus sp. nov. is further distinguished from N. oblitus sp. nov. by a smaller orbit, with a diameter that is ca. 26 % of HL (vs. ca. 32 % of HL), a more conical-shaped head, with a snout-to-occiput distance that is ca. 82 % of HL (vs. a more rounded head, and a snout-to- occiput distance that is ca. 88 % of HL), a higher number of circumferential scales (11–16, modally 13 vs. 10–12, modally 11), and a higher number of circumpeduncular scales (7–10; modally 9 vs. 7–9, modally 7). Notropis multicorniculatus sp. nov. is further distinguished from N. stramineus by the development of large tubercles (vs. weakly developed tubercles), a smaller eye (orbit diameter ca. 26 % of HL vs. ca. 30 %), a higher number of circumferential scales (11–16; modally 13 vs. 9–12; modally 11), and a higher number of circumpeduncular scales (7–10; modally 9 vs. 6–8; modally 7). Notropis multicorniculatus sp. nov. is further distinguished from N. missuriensis by the large size of individual tubercles (vs. tubercles typically small to medium), typically a greater concentration of tubercles in the gular region (vs. tubercles absent or poorly developed in the gular region), presence of tubercles on chest (vs. tubercles absent on the chest), a slightly deeper head (depth at occiput ca. 52 % HL, depth at orbit ca. 67 % HL vs. 49 % and 63 %), 7–9 (modally 9) circumpeduncular scale rows (vs. 7–10, modally 7), 11–16 (modally 13) circumferential scale rows (vs. 10–13, modally 12), and predorsal scales relatively small and crowded (vs. predorsal scale rows with large, evenly distributed scales). Notropis multicorniculatus sp. nov. is further distinguished from N. lucifer sp. nov. and N. chihuahua by the presence of well-developed tubercles (vs. small tubercles), the presence of a cross-hatched pattern of melanophores along the posterior margin of the scales on the first two to three scale rows dorsal to the lateral-line scale row (vs. absence), and, in life, body with a bluish sheen and a peachy coloration to the pectoral fins and pectoral-fin base (vs. pectoral-fins hyaline, pectoral-fin base and lateral body sides pale absence of both the bluish sheen and yellow or peach pigmentation to the pectoral fins). Description. Body shape and general appearance in Figures 25 and 26. Morphometric and meristic data are listed in Tables 7. Maximum size examined 62.4 mm SL. As described for Notropis stramineus, except for the following. Total number of vertebrae 33–35. Dorsal profile strongly arched; body depth greatest at dorsal-fin origin. Head conical, ratio of orbit diameter to HL smallest of N. stramineus species group (ca. 26 % of HL). Tuberculation pronounced; males with medium to large tubercles on head, nape, and pectoral fins (Figs 21, 22 A, D, G). Mature males (presumably collected during peak of spawning activity) with large, well-developed tubercles in most regions of head, except for branchiostegal membranes, posteriormost part of lacrimal, anterior depression of nasal, gular regions; present but most sparse in ventral regions and central part of opercular region. Tubercles concentrated most densely in supraorbital, rostral and preopercular regions. In males at peak spawning, mandibular region with dense scattering of tubercles, some joined, creating short rows (Fig. 21 G). Tubercles on chest sparse, smaller than cephalic tubercles; restricted to anteriormost part of chest. Tubercles on pectoral fins present on rays 1–10 in dense rows that number between 2 and 8, with the largest number of rows on anterior-most fin-rays (Fig. 22 A). Coloration. As described for Notropis stramineus. Distribution. Notropis multicorniculatus sp. nov. is found in the western portions of the Arkansas, Canadian (Fig. S 15) and Red River systems in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, and possibly also Arkansas and Colorado. The species is found in but in all likelihood not native to the Pecos River (New Mexico) (see Remarks). Remarks. While a native population of “ sand shiners ” was reportedly present in the Pecos River in the past (e. g., see distributional records from this area in Sublette et al. 1990), these populations no longer persisted after the drying up of springs feeding tributaries of the Roswell Basin. Additionally, introduced sand shiners presumably representing those native to the Roswell Basin were introduced in 1935 to Chevelon Creek in Winslow Arizona (Miller and Lowe 1964). Specimens from this time and place were not evaluated in the present study but deserve future investigation to determine whether they belong to a lineage recognized herein or a novel lineage not represented in our dataset. The modern populations of Notropis multicorniculatus sp. nov. in the Pecos River in New Mexico may be the result of an introduction with a source population in the Canadian River, as the timing of their appearance coincided with that of the introduction of other species from the Canadian River drainage, e. g., Cyprinella lutrensis, Notropis girardi (Bestgen et al. 1989; M. Osborne and C. Hoagstrom, pers. comm; Osborne et al. 2016; Hoagstrom et al. 2025). Recent collections from the Trinity River in Texas likely represent collections of this species (N. multicorniculatus sp. nov.), but were not included in our dataset, and therefore also warrant further study. Etymology. The species name multicorniculatus is derived from the Latin multus (many) and the diminutive of cornu, (a horn), and therefore meaning many little horns. This is in reference to the many tubercles across the head and body of males of this species at the height of spawning, with tubercles of greater size and number than in the remaining members of the N. stramineus species complex, but smaller than those of many other minnows in which tuberculation is externally quite apparent. Compound noun.

Fetched live from OpenAlex and de-inverted. Abstracts are not stored in this database: the inverted indexes are 8.6 GB of the frame’s 9.3 GB of text, and the host has 13 GB free.