Garra cavernicola, a new species from the Hajar Mountains in Oman (Teleostei: Cyprinidae), with a short discussion on monophyly and the description of evolutionarily young species

Garra cavernicola, new species, is described from the Hajar Mountains in Oman. It is very closely related to the sympatric, but not syntopic, G. longipinnis, from which it is distinguished by the absence of an external eye, reduced squamation, and a whitish, or pink-coloured body. Garra cavernicola was identified as a “cave form” of G. longipinnis, but is now recognised as a separate species following the ‘Evolutionary Species Concept’, with an evolutionary trajectory distinct from those of G. longipinnis.

As G. cavernicola is nested within the G. longipinnis clade, this species is now considered a paraphyletic ancestral species. Key words: Freshwater fish, subterranean biodiversity, evolution, species concepts, Western Asia