| Cyprinodon alvarezi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cyprinodontiformes |
| Family: | Cyprinodontidae |
| Genus: | Cyprinodon |
| Species: | C. alvarezi |
| Binomial name | |
| Cyprinodon alvarezi R. R. Miller, 1976 | |
Potosi pupfish (Cyprinodon alvarezi) is a species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae. It is endemic to Mexico, but is now extinct in the wild, only surviving in captivity. [1]
The Potosi pupfish is endemic to an isolated spring known as Ojo de Potosi near El Potosi, a settlement in southwestern Nuevo Leon state in Mexico. [2] However, the species is now regarded as being extinct in the wild, and is represented only by captive populations. [1]
The Potosi pupfish is endemic to a clear spring-fed pool in an endorheic basin known as 'La Hediondilla' near the foot of Cerro Potosi. The pool had a maximum depth of 2.5 meters, and surface area of 10,000 m2, covered by abundant vegetation including Ceratophyllum, Najas, Nasturtium, and Utricularia. Sparse clumps of Typha and Scirpus were also present in the spring. A large earthen and rock dam enlarged the original pool, and a series of seeps and secondary outflows created distributaries that ran 1-1.5 km downstream. The Potosi pupfish shared the pools with the Catarina pupfish (Megupsilon aporus) and the crayfish Cambarellus alvarezi, which are both fully extinct. [3] [4] In addition, the introduced goldfish (Carassius auratus) had sustained a small population from its introduction (which may have occurred before 1961), and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), [2] which had become common in the deeper central pond, with some individuals growing to 30 cm in total length. No large individuals of the endemic species were found, and populations had declined precipitously. From 1968 to 1983 the ecosystem remained relatively stable, with water levels fluctuating 0.2-0.3 meters, and losing 10% of the pond's surface area. By 1984, the water level had dropped 1.5 meters, and the pond had lost 90% of its former surface area. On October 26, 1985, the water level dropped another 0.3 meters, and by the next summer no water was left in the pool or reservoir, limiting the distribution of the cyprinodontids and the crustacean to the small side springs downstream from the former pond. [2] In conclusion, the species had become extinct in the wild due to invasive species and habitat alteration. Potosi pupfish are maintained in aquariums in both North America and Europe, and can be used as a basis for reintroducing it back into the wild in the future. [3]
Fin of nuptial male is white, milky or bluish white, the terminal black caudal fin bar is broad (wider than the pupil). Dorsal and anal fin of nuptial male has milky white edge, pelvic is bluish. Pectoral fins are grey-black. [5] The interradial membranes of the rest of the caudal fin are immaculate in both sexes. Nuptial males are typically without vertical bars. Both sexes possess a long mandible and prominent lower jaw and reduced pelvic fins. [6] Mature individuals are typically 50–60 mm in standard length. [5]
Details on the number and presence of various characteristics of the Potosi pupfish, as collected by R.R. Miller: [6]
| Feature | Number/Presence |
| Lateral scales | 24-26 (typically 25) |
| Gill-rakers | 16-20 (typically 17-19) |
| Vertebrae | 26-27 (predominantly 26) |
| Mandibular pores | 2 |
| Branchiostegal rays | 5-6 |
| Scales around Caudal Peduncle | 14-16 (typically 16) |
| Scales around body | 30-34 (typically 32) |
| Lacrimal pores | 2-5 (typically 4) |
| Dorsal-fin ocellus | Well developed in female/juvenile, males of <37mm (SL) may have remnants |
Fin rays:
|
|
Scales:
|
|
The Potosi pupfish's scientific name Cyprinodon alvarezi honours Jose Alvarez del Villar (1903-1986) who had originally intended to describe the species, but had given the type, which he had collected in 1952, to Robert Rush Miller who took on the task of describing it. [6] [7]
The Tecopa pupfish is an extinct subspecies of the Amargosa pupfish. The small, heat-tolerant pupfish was endemic to the outflows of a pair of hot springs in the Mojave Desert of Inyo County, California. Habitat modifications, the introduction of non-native species and hybridization with the related Amargosa River pupfish led to its extinction around 1979.
Cerro El Potosí is the highest mountain in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range of northeast Mexico. It is located in the state of Nuevo León, about 80 km (50 mi) south of Monterrey.
The Shoshone pupfish is a subspecies of Cyprinodon nevadensis from California in the United States. It is characterized by large scales and a "slab-sided," narrow, slender body, with the arch of the ventral contour much less pronounced than the dorsal. It also has fewer pelvic fin rays and scales than the other subspecies of C. nevadensis.
Pupfish are a group of small killifish belonging to ten genera of the family Cyprinodontidae of ray-finned fish. Pupfish are especially noted for being found in extreme and isolated situations. They are primarily found in North America, South America, and the Caribbean region, but Aphanius species are from southwestern Asia, northern Africa, and southern Europe. As of August 2006, 120 nominal species and 9 subspecies were known. Several pupfish species are extinct and most extant species are listed. In the U.S., the most well-known pupfish species may be the Devils Hole pupfish, native to Devils Hole on the Nevada side of Death Valley National Park. Since 1995 the Devils Hole pupfish has been in a nearly steady decline, where it was close to extinction at 35–68 fish in 2013.
Cyprinodon is a genus of pupfishes found in waters that range from fresh to hypersaline. The genus is primarily found in Mexico, the Caribbean Islands and southern United States, but C. variegatus occurs as far north as Massachusetts and along the entire Gulf of Mexico coastline, and C. dearborni and C. variegatus are found in northern South America. Many species have tiny ranges and are highly threatened, in some cases already extinct. Cyprinodon are small; the largest reaches 10 cm (3.9 in) in length and most other species only reach about half that size.
Blackfin pupfish is a species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae. This pupfish is endemic to Lake Chichancanab in Quintana Roo, Mexico. In almost all places, different Cyprinodon species do not overlap in their range, but there are two notable exceptions and one of these is Lake Chichancanab, which is inhabited by C. beltrani, C. esconditus, C. labiosus, C. maya, C. simus, C. suavium and C. verecundus. Among the endemic Cyprinodon species in Lake Chichancanab, only C. beltrani and C. labiosus still occur in some numbers in their habitat, while the remaining are virtually—if not fully—extinct in the wild. This species feeds on detritus. Compared to the other species of pupfish mentioned previously, the C. beltrani prefer a different feeding substrate. In regards to mating, the female blackfin pupfish seems to mate with other species of pupfish and not just the C. beltrani. The male blackfin pupfish have similar markings and courting behaviors to other pupfish in their habitat. The person honored in the specific name of this pupfish is the Mexican biologist Enrique Beltrán Castillo (1903–1994) to mark his quarter century of being a biologist.
Cyprinodon ceciliae is an extinct species of pupfish. It was endemic to the Ojo de Agua la Presa in southwestern Nuevo Leon state in Mexico, but disappeared in 1990 due to habitat loss. The same freshwater spring system was the home of three other pupfish: Cyprinodon inmemoriam (extinct), Cyprinodon longidorsalis and Cyprinodon veronicae. Although these were from the same spring system, each was restricted to its own individual spring and associated waters. The exact spring and associated waters inhabited by the Villa Lopez pupfish were also the home of a now-extinct, undescribed species of Cambarellus crayfish. The specific name honours the daughter of María de Lourdes Lozano-Vilano and niece of Salvador Contreras-Balderas, Cecilia Contreras Lozano, who assisted on the trip on which the type was collected.
The Carbonera pupfish, also known as the Perrito de carbonera, is a small, endangered species of pupfish in the family Cyprinodontidae. It is endemic to springs and associated waters at Bolsón de los Muertos in northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico. It was last rated by the IUCN in 1996 where considered endangered, but most subpopulations now appear to be extirpated, while a few are extinct in the wild. In 2012, it only survived in the wild in a single spring, which also was the last remaining habitat for the largemouth shiner and the dwarf crayfish Cambarellus chihuahuae. As this single spring was declining, it was decided to move some individuals of all three species to a nearby refuge in 2014 as a safeguard.
The Cachorrito de la Trinidad, also known in English as the Charco Azul pupfish, was a small species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae. It was endemic to Ojo de Agua la Presa in southwestern Nuevo Leon state in Mexico, but became extinct in 1985 due to habitat loss. The same freshwater spring system was the home of three other pupfish: Cyprinodon ceciliae (extinct), Cyprinodon longidorsalis and Cyprinodon veronicae. Although these were from the same spring system, each was restricted to its own individual spring pool. The spring pond inhabited by the Charco Azul pupfish was also the home of a now-extinct, undescribed species of Cambarellus crayfish. The specific name inmemoriam means "in memory" and signifies the extinction of the species due to its native spring being dried out by groundwater extraction soon after the discovery of this fish in 1983.
Cyprinodon longidorsalis, the cachorrito de charco palmal or La Palma pupfish, is a species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae. It was endemic to the Ojo de Agua la Presa in southwestern Nuevo Leon state in Mexico, but became extinct in the wild in 1994 due to habitat loss. The same freshwater spring system was the home of three other pupfish: Cyprinodon ceciliae (extinct), Cyprinodon inmemoriam (extinct) and Cyprinodon veronicae. Although these were from the same spring system, each was restricted to its own individual spring pool. The Charco La Palma pool and its spring had a combined area of about 10 m2 (110 sq ft) and was no more than 1.4 m at the deepest point, making the range of the La Palma pupfish perhaps the smallest known for any vertebrate species. This tiny spring pond also was the home of a now-extinct, undescribed species of Cambarellus crayfish.
The Mezquital pupfish is a species of pupfish in the family Cyprinodontidae. It is endemic to Durango in Mexico. This species was described by Robert Rush Miller in 1976 from a pond which was fed by hot springs within the basin of the Río del Tunal, approximately 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) east of Durango City at an altitude of about 1,880 metres (6,170 ft). The specific name honors the American ichthyologist Seth Eugene Meek (1859-1914), a pioneer of the study of the freshwater fish of Mexico.
The Owens pupfish is a rare species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae, the pupfish. It is endemic to California in the United States, where it is limited to the Owens Valley. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States. This pupfish is up to 5 centimetres long, the largest males sometimes longer. The male is blue-gray, turning bright blue during spawning. The female is greenish brown with a silvery or whitish belly.
The Charco Palma pupfish is a species of small fish in the family Cyprinodontidae. It is endemic to the Ojo de Agua la Presa in southwestern Nuevo Leon state in Mexico. Although listed as critically endangered by the IUCN in 1996, the species is now extinct in the wild. The same freshwater spring system was the home of three other pupfish: Cyprinodon ceciliae (extinct), Cyprinodon inmemoriam (extinct) and Cyprinodon longidorsalis. Although these were from the same spring system, each was restricted to its own individual spring and associated waters. The exact spring and associated waters inhabited by the Charco Palma pupfish were also the home of three now-extinct invertebrates: An undescribed species of Cambarellus crayfish, the valvatid freshwater snail Valvata beltrani and an undescribed species of valvatid freshwater snail. The specific name honours the niece of María de Lourdes Lozano-Vilano and daughter of Salvador Contreras-Balderas, Verónica Contreras Arqueita, who assisted on the trip on which the type was collected.
The Catarina pupfish was a diminutive species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae, first described in 1972. It was endemic to a spring in Nuevo León, Mexico. In an attempt of saving the rapidly declining species, some were brought into captivity in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but it proved very difficult to maintain. In 1994 it became extinct in the wild. Gradually the captive populations also perished. The last male died in 2014 and the species became extinct.
Cambarellus is a genus of small freshwater crayfish in the family Cambaridae. The 19 species are found in Mexico and the Gulf States of the United States. Among the Mexican species, C. areolatus, C. patzcuarensis, and C. prolixus are considered seriously threatened by the IUCN, and C. alvarezi is already extinct. C. chihuahuae was also believed to be extinct until rediscovered in 2012. C. alvarezi and four undescribed, extinct Cambarellus species were restricted to desert spring systems in southwestern Nuevo León; each one shared its habitat with a Cyprinodon pupfish.
The Guzmán Basin is an endorheic basin of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. It occupies the northwestern portion of Chihuahua in Mexico, and extends into southwestern New Mexico in the United States.
The desert pupfish is a rare species of bony fish in the family Cyprinodontidae. It is a small fish, typically less than 7.62 cm (3 in) in length. Males are generally larger than females, and have bright-blue coloration, while females and juveniles are silvery or tan. A notable attribute of the desert pupfish is their ability to survive in environments of extreme salinity, pH, and temperature, and low oxygen content. The desert pupfish mates in a characteristic fashion, wherein compatible males and females will come in contact and collectively jerk in an s-shape. Each jerk typically produces a single egg that is fertilized by the male and deposited in his territory. Breeding behavior includes aggressive arena-breeding and more docile consort-pair breeding.
The Sonoyta pupfish or Quitobaquito pupfish is an endangered species of pupfish from Sonora in Mexico and Arizona in the United States.
The Saratoga Springs pupfish is a subspecies of the Amargosa pupfish of the family Cyprinodontidae. The native population is endemic to Saratoga Springs, a small wetland in Death Valley National Park in the United States.
Cyprinodon arcuatus is a species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae. It was endemic to the Santa Cruz River in Arizona. It has been declared extinct as of 2011.
