Herichthys molango De la Maza-Benignos & Lozano-Vilano, 2013

Mejía, Omar, Pérez-Miranda, Fabián, León-Romero, Yatzil, Soto-Galera, Eduardo & Luna, Efraín de, 2015, Morphometric variation of the Herichthys bartoni (Bean, 1892) species group (Teleostei: Cichlidae): How many species comprise H. labridens (Pellegrin, 1903)?, Neotropical Ichthyology 13 (1), pp. 61-76 : 73-74

Herichthys molango De la Maza-Benignos & Lozano-Vilano, 2013

Herichthys labridens . -León-Romero et al., 2012: 1021-1026 in part [phylogenetic analysis].

Herichthys molango De la Maza-Benignos & Lozano-Vilano, 2013: 114-117 [original description].

Nosferatu molango . -De la Maza-Benignos et al., 2014: in press [citation].

Diagnosis. There are no unique autapomorphies that allow us to distinguish Herichthys molango from the rest of the species of the group. This species is distinguished from its sister taxon H. pantostictus primarily by its geographic distribution (see diagnosis of H. pantostictus above).

Description. Morphometric and meristic data are summarized in Tables 3-4.

Color in life. A highly polymorphic species, body ranges from yellow, light brown, reddish, gray and almost black, the color vanishes in the ventral region to pale yellow or almost white. Mid half of the body with irregular black blotches that extend from opercle to the caudal fin sometimes forming four to six vertical bands, in some specimens the blotches also in dorsal and anal fin. Some individuals with red, brown or black disperse dots in the body. Head usually covered with small brown dots that could be extended to the end of the body but always following the dorsal fin, red to purple axil mark present.

Color in alcohol. Body dark brown to gray vanishing to the ventral region, most of the blotches and dots also present, fins turn white, in some specimens gray or black, axil mark might disappear.

Distribution. Widely distributed in rivers windward of the Sierra Madre Oriental in the states of Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí.

Remarks. In the original description performed by De la Maza-Benignos & Lozano-Vilano (2013), the authors state that this species could be distinguished from the rest because it has two rows of 8 to 9 medium-sized molars that flank the midline in the lower pharyngeal plate. This result contrasts with that found in this study, where the number of teeth was only seven; additionally, the teeth were short incisives in the front and only molariforms backward. Similar results were found in other specimens that were previously classified as H. labridens from the states of Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí (here named H. cf. labridens = H. molango ). The use of pharyngeal teeth as a diagnostic character is questionable because their shape could vary with age and diet (Trapani, 2004; Muschick et al., 2011). In fact, a geometric morphometric analysis in the polymorphic species H. minckleyi reveals that both morphs (papilliform and molariform) have a similar shape and represent a single species (Trapani, 2003). Similar results were found in this study because all of the performed analyses failed to recover significant differences between H. molango and the specimens included in this study as H. cf. labridens (now H. molango ). Thus, this is a highly polymorphic species that is distinguished from its sister taxa H. pantostictus mainly by its geographic distribution, as H. molango is restricted to the states of Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí. Contrary to De la Maza-Benignos & Lozano-Vilano (2013), this species is not distributed in the río Santa María in the state of Querétaro, Mexico, because the populations distributed in this area were identified and classified as H. labridens (see above).

Material examined. Mexico: Laguna Atezca, Hgo. ENCB-P P4120, 3, 123.5-167.0 mm SL, Laguna Atezca, Hgo. ENCB-P P4140, 12, 56.0-193.0 mm SL, Laguna Atezca, Hgo. ENCB-P P4149, 4, 73.3-170.0 mm SL, Laguna Atezca, Hgo. ENCB-P P5235, 4, 63.5-66.8 mm SL, Laguna de Metztitlán, Hgo. ENCB-P P4062, 20, 72.0- 109.3 mm SL, río Huichihuayan, SLP. ENCB-P P4889, 11, 81.8-99.5 mm SL, río Atlapexco, Hgo. ENCB-P P4950, 12, 86.1-159.0 mm SL, río Talol, Hgo. ENCB-P P4972, 17, 74.5- 122. 3 mm SL, río Amajac, SLP. ENCB-P P4973, 9, 65.9-133.6 mm SL, Coacuilco, Hgo. ENCB-P P4980, 20, 74.0- 108.8 mm SL, Arroyo en Ahuatempa, Hgo. ENCB-P P4981, 20, 57.0- 124.4 mm SL, río Calnalí, Hgo. ENCB-P P4983, 11, 72.5-126.4 mm SL, río Atlapexco, Hgo. ENCB-P P4988, 14, 68.5-128.3 mm SL, río Santa María, Qro. ENCB-P P5036, 10, 64.5-115.3 mm SL, río Claro, SLP. ENCB-P P5919, 20, 61.1-97.1 mm SL, río Claro en Acuimantla, Hgo. ENCB-P P5920, 34, 61.8-182.6 mm SL, río Candelaria, Hgo. ENCB-P P5931, 20, 63.4-121.6 mm SL, río Mante, Tamps. ENCB-P P5993, 6, 58.6-70.6 mm SL, Arroyo between Jaumave and San Vicente, Tamps. ENCB-P P6003, 15, 80.3-113.4 mm SL, río Axtla, SLP. ENCB-P P6117, 14, 69.0- 164.2 mm SL, Pueblo de Calnalí, Hgo. ENCB-P P6258, 27, 64.7-105.0 mm SL, Entre San José y Coacuilco, Hgo. ENCB-P P6267, 16, 63.3-138.5 mm SL, Cerca de Tehuatlán, Hgo. ENCB-P P 6268, 14, 64.7-158.4 mm SL.

Finally, we want to highlight two important issues that must be evaluated in later studies. First, when we compare the shapes of the body within each phylogenetic group, it is clear that the sympatric species in phylogenetic groups I and II showed greater differences in body shape than did the allopatric species in phylogenetic group III, which allows us to suggest character displacement. Second, a close inspection of Figs. 4 and 5 revealed that a similar shape could evolve independently in different lineages, most likely in response to functional and phylogenetic constraints. This is the reason that three different species, namely H. labridens , H. pame , and H. molango , were previously described as a single species.

Figures

Fig. 4. Canonical variance analysis derived from the discriminant function analysis of the species included in the Herichthys bartoni species group. A) Meristic data B) Morphometric data adjusted by the method of Mossimann C) Morphometric data adjusted as proportions. Symbology: Blue: H. bartoni, Red: H. cf. labridens, Green: H. labridens, Violet: H. molango, Black: H. pame, Gray: H. pantostictus, Brown: H. steindachneri.

Fig. 5. Canonical variance analysis derived from the geometric morphometric analysis of the species included in the Herichthys bartoni species group. A) canonical variate 1 and 2 for the head, B) canonical variate 2 and 3 for the head, C) canonical variate 1 and 2 for the body, D) canonical variate 2 and 3 for the body. Symbology: Blue: H. bartoni, Red: H. cf. labridens, Green: H. labridens, Violet: H. molango, Black: H. pame, Gray: H. pantostictus, Brown: H. steindachneri.