Tongchuania mingiana H. Chen, H.-Q. Xiang, Y.-M. He, X.-C Huang & X.-P. Wu, 2025

Tongchuania mingiana H. Chen, H.-Q. Xiang, Y.-M. He, X.-C Huang & X.-P. Wu , gen. et sp. nov.

Material examined.

Holotype: NCUTM 250511 , shell length 54.27 mm, shell width 19.23 mm, shell height 28.97 mm (Fig. 4 A View Figure 4 ), Bahe River , Dazhou City, Sichuan Province, China, 31.0978°N, 107.1856°E, in April 2025. GoogleMaps

Paratypes: 5 specimens, NCUTM 250512 –16, shell length 51.02–79.08 mm, shell width 18.34–27.33 mm, shell height 29.03–41.22 mm (Fig. 4 B, C View Figure 4 ), locality and habitat same as holotype GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis.

Same as the genus.

Description.

Same as the genus.

Etymology.

The specific epithet “ mingiana ” refers to the highly distinctive yellow-green band on the shell (a diagnostic character clearly distinguishing this species from other genus in the tribe Unionini ), derived from the Chinese “ mingiana ” (bright mirror), alluding to the vivid band’s mirror-like contrast against the darker shell background.

Vernacular name.

明鉴通川蚌 (ming jian tong chuan bang) (Chinese); Brightband Tongchuan mussel (English).

Habitat and distribution.

The species is currently only found in the slower-flowing sections of the Bahe River in Dazhou City, Sichuan Province. It lives in crevices between stones on gravel riverbeds at a depth of 0.5 to 1 meter (Fig. 1 B View Figure 1 ).