Dracula fish

Dracula fish
Danionella dracula
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Genus: Danionella
Species: D. dracula
Binomial name
Danionella dracula
Britz, Conway & Rüber, 2009

The dracula fish, Danionella dracula, is a species of tropical danionin fish from the cyprinid family. It is a freshwater fish indigenous to Burma. A close relative is Brachydanio rerio, the zebrafish of aquariums. It is named dracula after its unusual "fangs": male dracula fish have protruding tooth-like bones stemming from their jawbones. Males have been observed using their fangs to spar against other males.[1][2]

Identified in April 2007[3] from specimens shipped to the United Kingdom in a consignment of aquarium fish, the dracula fish has so far only been found in the wild in a small stream at Sha Du Zup between Mogaung and Tanai in northern Burma.[2] It is a colourless miniature species and grows to a maximum size of around 17 millimetres (0.67 in).[4] The fish has an elongate body with a large head and eyes. Dracula fish lack scales and the upper body is dominated by the jaws on large males. Much of the fish's structure is cartilaginous, it has 44 fewer bones than the zebrafish, and thus it is translucent and appears similar to larval forms.[1][2] The natural diet of the dracula fish is unknown but in captivity it eats shrimp larvae, small nematodes and fish flakes. Close relatives of the fish feed upon small crustaceans and invertebrates.[5]

The dracula fish is unusual in that its ancestors lost their true teeth around 50 million years ago, but re-evolved its bone fangs as a replacement around 30 million years ago.[2] The species is sexually dimorphic in that the female does not have such prominent bone fangs. It becomes sexually mature while its body is still not fully developed; scientists speculate that this may happen because younger fish were more successful reproductively.[2] Ichthyologist Dr Ralf Britz, who named the fish after Bram Stoker's character Count Dracula, stated that the dracula fish "is one of the most extraordinary vertebrates discovered in the last few decades."[1][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c Black, Richard (2009-03-11). 'Dracula' fish shows baby teeth. BBC News. Retrieved on 2009-03-11.
  2. ^ a b c d e Ralf Britz, Kevin W. Conway, Lukas Rüber. (2009-03-06). Spectacular morphological novelty in a miniature cyprinid fish, Danionella dracula n. sp.. The Royal Society. Retrieved on 2009-03-11.
  3. ^ Tiny fish developed its own set of dracula fangs. The Times (2009-03-11). Retrieved on 2009-04-30.
  4. ^ a b Devlin, Kate (2009-03-11). New 'dracula' fish discovered. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2009-03-11.
  5. ^ Jaggard, Victoria (2009-03-11). Photo In The News: New "Dracula" Fish Discovered. National Geographic. Retrieved on 2009-03-12.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Dracula (disambiguation) — Dracula is an 1897 novel by Bram Stoker. Dracula may also refer to: Count Dracula, the title character in the novel Vlad the Impaler (1431–1476), Romanian prince that Count Dracula may have been partly based on Contents 1 Film 2 …   Wikipedia

  • Dracula (1992 film) — Dracula Theatrical release poster Directed by Francis Ford Coppola[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Dracula (Film, 1992) — Dracula L’abbaye de Whitby, ville portuaire dans laquelle échoua le Demeter à bord duquel se trouvait Dracula dans le roman de Stoker. Titre original …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Dracula in popular culture — Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula at the Hollywood Wax Museum The character of Count Dracula from the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, has remained popular over the years, and many films have used the Count as a villain, while others have named him… …   Wikipedia

  • Dracula Twins — Legendo s Dracula Twins Developer(s) Legendo Entertainment NERLASKA Publisher(s) …   Wikipedia

  • Bram Stoker's Dracula — Filmdaten Deutscher Titel: Bram Stoker’s Dracula Originaltitel: Dracula Produktionsland: USA Erscheinungsjahr: 1992 Länge: 123 Minuten Originalsprache: Englisch …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Bram Stokers Dracula — Filmdaten Deutscher Titel: Bram Stoker’s Dracula Originaltitel: Dracula Produktionsland: USA Erscheinungsjahr: 1992 Länge: 123 Minuten Originalsprache: Englisch …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • List of marine aquarium fish species — The following list of marine aquarium fish species commonly available in the aquarium trade is not a completely comprehensive list; certain rare specimens may sometimes be available commercially yet not be listed here. A brief section on each,… …   Wikipedia

  • Stonogobiops dracula —   Stonogobiops dracula Clasificación científica Reino …   Wikipedia Español

  • Bram Stoker’s Dracula — Filmdaten Deutscher Titel Bram Stoker’s Dracula Originaltitel Dracula …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”