Undocumented translocations spawn taxonomic inflation in Sri Lankan fire rasboras (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae).

A recent (2013) taxonomic review of the freshwater-fish genus , which is endemic to Sri Lanka, showed it to comprise four species: , , and Here, using an integrative-taxonomic analysis of morphometry, meristics and mitochondrial DNA sequences of () and (), we show that is a synonym of , and that is a synonym of The creation and recognition of unnecessary taxa ('taxonomic inflation') was in this case a result of selective sampling confounded by a disregard of allometry. The population referred to in the Walawe river basin represents an undocumented trans-basin translocation of , and a translocation into the Mahaweli river of , documented to have occurred 1980, in fact involves A shared haplotype suggests the latter introduction was likely made from the Bentara river basin and not from the Kelani, as claimed. To stabilize the taxonomy of these fishes, the two valid species, and , are diagnosed and redescribed, and their distributions delineated. We draw attention to the wasteful diversion of conservation resources to populations resulting from undocumented translocations and to taxa resulting from taxonomic inflation. We argue against translocations except where mandated by a conservation emergency, and even then, only when supported by accurate documentation.