Nosferatu is a proposed genus of cichlid fishes endemic to the Río Pánuco Basin and the tributaries of the adjacent Tamiahua Lagoon (to the South) and San Andrés Lagoon (to the North)[1] in the states of Veracruz, Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas and Querétaro,[2]Mexico. The genus is characterized by a prolongation in the size of the symphysial pair of teeth relative to that of the other teeth in the outer row of the upper jaw (nosferatuform teeth); breeding pigmentation that consists of darkening of ventral area extending over nostrils, opercular series, and pectoral fins; depressed dorsal fin rarely expands beyond anterior third of caudal fin; and an elongated, elastic, smooth caecum adhered to a saccular stomach.[1]
These species are currently placed in genus Herichthys.[8]
Phylogenetics
Separate analysis of the mitochondrial gene Cox1 by León-Romero et al. and by De la Maza-Benignos, et al. confirmed the monophyly of the genus group, and revealed the existence of three clades within:[1][9] The paraphyletic[1]bartoniclade, conformed by sympatricN. labridens and N. bartoni; the paraphyletic[1] (in their study León-Romero et al. did not consider N. pame nor included N. pratinus and consequently report monophyly) steindachnericlade, conformed of the allopatric N. pratinus, and sympatric N. pame and N. steindachneri; and the monophyleticpantostictusclade (in the study by León-Romero et al. some of the lineages of N. pantostictus are misidentified as N. labridens; consequently they report polyphyly) composed of the nominal species N. pantostictus.[10] In comparison to Herichthys, high levels of intrageneric divergence and structure within Nosferatu were revealed.
Evolution
Divergence time for the split between Herichthys and Nosferatu has been estimated in ~5 Mya. During these times (i.e. Miocene-Pliocene), intense regional vulcanism led to the formation of the graben structure that conforms the sedimentary Rio Verde Basin;[11] and the drain-less depression was filled by a number of endorheic shallow lakes, where Nosferatu evolved into the bartoni (~3 Mya), steindacheri (~2 Mya) and pantostictus (~2 Mya) clades. Later on (~1.8 Mya), as regional faulting rejoined the Rio Verde with the Pánuco Basin during the course of the Pleistocene, the genus re-invaded the Pánuco, this time with the evolved mechanisms of reproductive isolation that allows its sympatry with Herichthys.[1]
Name
The name of this genus, Nosferatu, was given because of the pair of well-developed recurved fangs in the upper jaw present possessed by all species of the genus; these were said to be reminiscent of those of Count Orlok in F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu.[12]
References
^ abcdefghde la Maza-Benignos, Mauricio; Ornelas-García, Claudia Patricia; Lozano-Vilano, María de Lourdes; García-Ramírez, María Elena; Doadrio, Ignacio (April 2015). "Phylogeographic analysis of genus Herichthys (Perciformes: Cichlidae), with descriptions of Nosferatu new genus and H. tepehua n. sp". Hydrobiologia. 748 (1): 201–231. doi:10.1007/s10750-014-1891-8. hdl:10261/126238. S2CID16769534.
^ abcdde la Maza-Benignos, Mauricio; Lozano-Vilano, Ma De Lourdes (6 November 2013). "Description of three new species of the genus Herichthys (Perciformes: Cichlidae) from eastern Mexico, with redescription of H. labridens, H. steindachneri, and H. pantostictus". Zootaxa. 3734 (2): 101–129. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3734.2.1. PMID25277902. S2CID32123445.
