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Balitora chipkali
Balitora chipkali, a new species of stone loach, is described from the westward-flowing Astoli tributary of the Kali River system in the northern part of the Western Ghats, India.

Description
Body elongate, sub-cylindrical, compressed dorsally anterior to dorsal-fin origin, compressed laterally posteriorly; dorsal profile convex, deepest at dorsal-fin origin, ventral profile straight. Body wider than its depth at dorsal-fin origin, deeper than wide at anus. Head small, less than one-fourth SL, depressed, longer than broad, with prominent tubercles on cheeks, lateral and ventral surface of head up to base of pectoral fin, and a distinct row on anterodorsal margin of orbit; tubercles on snout small, indistinct. Eyes small, dorso-laterally positioned in posterior half of head, not visible from underside of head. Snout oblique, rounded. Nostrils positioned dorso-laterally, closer to anterior border of eye than to snout tip, skin flap divides anterior and posterior nares. Mouth inferior, a deep groove between rostral fold and upper lip. Lips fleshy. Gape of mouth less than half head width at nares. Barbels three pairs, two rostral: outer rostral barbels longer than inner ones; one pair of maxillary barbels, situated at the angle of mouth. Lips papillated, upper lip with two rows of papillae, an outer row with 8(1), 9*(4), 10(3), 11(2) or 12(1) large papillae and an inner row of 3(2), 4(1), 5(2), 7(2) or 8*(4) small papillae. Lower lip with 8*(11) papillae, with two median inner papillae elongated (Fig. 2). Gill opening extending vertically from lower third of the eye to vertical from one-third gape of mouth. Dorsal soft rays (total): 11; Anal soft rays: 8; Vertebrae: 34. Balitora chipkali is distinguished from all other species of Balitora by the following combination of characters: a single maxillary barbel on each corner of the gape; upper lip with 9-12 papillae in first series and 3-8 papillae in second series, lower lip with 6 papillae; eye diameter greater than 15% HL; gape of mouth less than 30% HL, snout length 49.6-57.6% HL with snout length less than 4 times eye diameter; body depth less than 15% SL; caudal peduncle depth 6.9-7.8% SL; caudal peduncle length-to-depth ratio less than 3.0, 66-68 lateral line scales; 11 caudal vertebrae excluding compound centrum; third infraorbital sensory-canal tube straight; pharyngobranchial 2 greatly reduced; posterior ceratohyal more than 80% of the length of the anterior ceratohyal and almost round; and 7 dorsal saddles, not reaching lateral irregular crossbar markings.

Biology
The type locality is a shallow stream with substrates composed of boulders, rocks, pebbles, gravel, and mud. Occurs together with the following fish species: Cyprinidae (Haludaria sp., Hypselobarbus pulchellus (Day), Osteochilichthys cf. nashii (Day), Pethia sp., Puntius cf. sahyadriensis Silas, Devario malabaricus (Jerdon)); Aplocheilidae (Aplocheilus cf. lineatus (Valenciennes)); Mastacembelidae (Mastacembelus armatus (Lacepède)); and Sisoridae (Glyptothorax sp.)