| Yaqui longfin dace | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Genus: | Agosia |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | A. c. ssp. 1 |
| Trinomial name | |
| Agosia chrysogaster ssp. 1 | |
The Yaqui longfin dace is a small fish of the American Southwest and northern Mexico, and considered a form of the longfin dace. It is often referred to as Agosia chrysogaster sp 1.
The Yaqui longfin dace is similar to the Gila longfin dace, but differs slightly in body shape and relative placement of fins, with this form being generally smaller, and less sexually dimorphic, and having longer pre- and postdorsal body lengths. [2] Tuberculation also appears to differ between the two forms. [2] Its silvery gray and olive color pattern is similar to the Gila longfin dace, however the Yaqui longfin dace can sometimes have golden speckles along its body. The lower abdomen can be white as well. The Gila and Yaqui longfin daces both have black spots on their caudal fins, and both are fusiform. They also have a triangular dorsal fin with the absence of a dark spot. [3] [4] [5] [6] [1]
In Arizona, the Yaqui longfin dace only occurs in the southeast, in Cochise County (in both the endorheic Sulphur Springs (Willcox Playa) and Río Yaqui drainages). However, it is also found in northern Mexico, in the Yaqui, Sonora, Mayo, Fuerte and Sinaloa River Basins of Sonora and Sinaloa. The Yaqui longfin dace was re-introduced into the Yaqui River on the San Bernardino Wildlife Refuge and the Leslie Creek Wildlife Refuge including West Turkey Creek at Rucker Canyon. The Yaqui longfin dace has the same elevation restrictions as the Gila longfin dace, ranging only below 1,484 m (4,869 ft), with records of up to 2,030 m (6,660 ft). They are found in desert scrub to Madrean pine–oak woodlands.
The habitat of the Yaqui longfin dace is similar to that of the Gila longfin dace, and it ranges from low and hot desert streams to about 1,600 m (5,200 ft) elevation. [7] They prefer brooks and streams that have sandy or gravely bottoms, typically with overhanging banks protecting them from predator or human observation. Their average water temperature preference is 23.9 °C (75 °F), with a water depth average of 0.18 m (7.1 in). During water shortages, they seek refuge in algae and detritus mats of wetland habitats.
Yaqui longfin dace usually spawn in the spring from December to July, but extend the season into September in low desert habitats. They reach sexual maturity within their first year, and create depressions in the sand to hide their eggs. This helps them provide a safe place for development, allowing minimal disturbance from other species or predators. Studies have shown a positive correlation between fecundity and fish length, and the same correlation is suggested to exist between male length and mating success.
Sediment discharge in river bottoms occurs during flooding seasons, and causes the dace to swim directly into the currents avoiding the spraying of sediment into the gills. If drought occurs, the fish also seek refuge in wetland areas such as algae mats. They prevent desiccation by hiding under logs and stones. The wetlands provide detritus, a nutrient that these fish primarily eat, as the fish are omnivorous and opportunistic feeders. They can also feed on invertebrates, zooplankton, and other forms of algae as circumstances allow. The lifespan of the Yaqui longfin dace is three years and they are very susceptible to predation, more so than the Gila longfin dace. Crayfish and other introduced species feed on the Yaqui longfin dace. [8]
Gila is a genus of fish belonging to the family Cyprinidae, native to the United States and Mexico. Species of Gila are collectively referred to as western chubs. The chiselmouth is a close relative, as are members of the genus Siphateles. Several members of the genus are endangered or extinct due to loss of habitat caused by diversion or overuse of water resources, particularly in the western United States.
The roundtail chub is a cyprinid fish in the genus Gila, of southwestern North America. It is native to the Colorado River drainage basin, including the Gila River and other tributaries, and in several other rivers. It is part of the "robusta complex", which includes the Gila robusta robusta, G.r. grahami, and G.r. seminuda.
The bonytail chub or bonytail is a cyprinid freshwater fish native to the Colorado River basin of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming in the southwestern United States; it has been extirpated from the part of the basin in Mexico. It was once abundant and widespread in the basin, its numbers and range have declined to the point where it has been listed as endangered since 1980 (ESA) and 1986 (IUCN), a fate shared by the other large Colorado basin endemic fish species like the Colorado pikeminnow, humpback chub, and razorback sucker. It is now the rarest of the endemic big-river fishes of the Colorado River. There are 20 species in the genus Gila, seven of which are found in Arizona.
The Yaqui sucker is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Catostomidae. It is found the Aridoamerica region of northern Mexico and south-western United States. Catostomus bernardini or Yaqui sucker belongs to the family Catostomidae. The Yaqui sucker is related to the Sonora sucker and could possibly be a subspecies of the Gila sucker.
The beautiful shiner is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is found in Mexico and Arizona and New Mexico in the United States. It is one of 22 species of Cyprinella found in North America.
The Sonora chub is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is found in Mexico and the United States.
The Gila chub is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is found in Mexico and the United States. The Gila chub is closely related to the roundtail chub. This species is commonly found in association with the Gila topminnow, the desert and Sonora sucker, and the longfin and speckled dace.
The Yaqui chub is a species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is found in northern Mexico and the United States. The Yaqui chub is a medium-sized minnow fish that historically occurred in streams of Rios Matape, Sonora, and the Yaqui systems of Sonora, Mexico. It is one of the five species of the genus Gila in Arizona. The Yaqui chub is closely related to G. ditaenia, and G. orcutti ; and shares several physical characteristics with the G. orcutti, but proves different by having a black wedge near the base of the caudal fin.
The spikedace is an endangered species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is found in Arizona and New Mexico in the United States. It lives in fast-moving streams.
Ictalurus pricei, the Yaqui catfish, is a species of North American freshwater catfish native to Mexico and Arizona.
The Mexican golden trout is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae. The species is endemic to high-elevation headwaters of the Fuerte River, Sinaloa River, and Culiacán River drainages in the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico.
The Rio Bavispe or Bavispe River is a river in Mexico which flows briefly north then mainly south by southwest until it joins with the Aros River to become the Yaqui River, eventually joining the Gulf of California.
The San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge is located on the U.S.-Mexico border in Cochise County, Arizona. Situated at 3,720 to 3,920 feet (1,130–1,190 m) elevation in the bottom of a wide valley, the refuge encompasses a portion of the headwaters of the Yaqui River, which drains primarily western Chihuahua and eastern Sonora, Mexico. The 2,309-acre (9.34 km2) ranch was acquired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1982 to protect the water resources and provide habitat for endangered native fishes.
The Gila longfin dace is a subspecies of the longfin dace found in Arizona. It is considered the nominate subspecies of the longfin dace.
The Mexican stoneroller is a species of fish native to Arizona and Texas in the United States and parts of adjacent Mexico. It belongs to the carp family, Cyprinidae. The other species in this genus, Campostoma are morphologically similar.
The Sonora Sucker, Catostomus insignis, is a medium-sized catostomid fish with 16 other species in the genus scattered throughout North America. This species is remarkably similar in appearance to the Yaqui Sucker.
The Sonoyta pupfish or Quitobaquito pupfish is an endangered species of pupfish from Sonora in Mexico and Arizona in the United States.
The Yaqui topminnow is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae. Its scientific name is Poeciliopsis sonoriensis; it is also sometimes considered a subspecies of Poeciliopsis occidentalis as P. o. sonoriensis. This fish is native to Mexico and the United States, with a few native and introduced populations persisting in Arizona in the United States, and a number of populations still extant in northern Sonora, Mexico.
The longfin dace is a species of leuciscid fish found in western North America in the United States and Mexico. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Agosia. The Gila longfin dace is considered the nominate subspecies. The Yaqui longfin dace is considered as a form.
The Mexican roundtail chub is a cyprinid fish endemic to Mexico.
