THE OSTEOLOGICAL FEATURE OF ASPIDOPARIA MORAR)HAMILTON), 1822, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ITS SYSTEMATIC POSITION

The osteological characters of Chinese cyprinid fish genera Aspidoparia, Danio, Rasbora and Xenocyprinus, respectively belonging to Danioninae and Xenocyprinae, have been described and compared. It is discovered that no synapomoorphy is identified here showing Aspidoparia and Danioninae to be sister taxa; but a series of synapomorphic characters identified in both Aspidoparia morar and Xenocyprine fishes enable them to be related as a monophyletic assemblage. The synapo-morphies shared by Aspidoparia and Xenocyprinae are: the anterior arm of pharyngeal a little longer than or as long as the posterior arm; the pharyngeal teeth straight, compressed and with obvious grinding facet; the basioccipital process bending downward and the masticatory plate developed, longitudinal elliptical and protruding forward; the dorsal aortic channel of the same length of the masticatory plate; the parasphenoid keel developed; the premaxillary bearing cartilaginous border short and broad; the process on exterior facet of maxillary existing; the antero-lateral of dentary bearing prominent angles. It is obvious that the classification of Aspidoparia in Danioninae has been based upon the close similarity in morphology of circumorbitals which can not serve as a synapomor-phy. In order to interpret the systematic position of Aspidoparia morar in Cyprinidae, the ascribing of Aspidoparia to Xenocyprinae might seen feasible.