The identity and distribution ofBhavania annandaleiHora 1920 (Cypriniformes: Balitoridae), a hillstream loach endemic to the Western Ghats of India

Bhavania annandalei Hora 1920, is resurrected from the synonymy of B. australis (Jerdon 1849) based on examination of freshly collected topotypic specimens. The two species can be distinguished by a combination of morphological, morphometric and meristic characters, and by genetic distance using mitochondrial cox1 gene. The distribution of B. annandalei is restricted to the river systems draining the Agasthyamalai hills, below the Shencottah Gap in southern Western Ghats.