Triplophysa lixianensis He, Song & Zhang 2008

Distinguished from all its congeners by possessing a unique combination of the following characters: posterior chamber of gas bladder absent or greatly reduced; caudal peduncle columnar with a roughly round cross-section at its beginning; anterior edge of lower jaw completely exposed or uncovered by lower lip; intestine short, forming a zigzag loop below stomach; origin of dorsal fin closer to the base of caudal fin than to snout tip; pelvic fin insertion anterior to dorsal-fin origin; snout length 50.6-57.5% HL; eye diameter 12.3-15.4% HL; caudal peduncle length 25.1-27.1% SL; anal fin with 5 branched rays; lower lip greatly furrowed with two thick lateral lobes; and body smooth or naked (Ref. 75016).Description: Dorsal fin iii,7-8; Anal fin ii,5; Pectoral fin i9-10; Pelvic fin i7 (Ref. 75016).

Dorsal soft rays (total): 10 - 11; Analsoft rays: 7

Found in rocky bottom with gravels and cobbles (Ref. 75016). Syntopic with a river loach Oreias dabryi and a cyprinid species Gymnocypris potanini where they may forage together (Ref. 75016).