Potosi pupfish

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Cyprinodon alvarezi

Extinct in the Wild (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Cyprinodontidae
Genus: Cyprinodon
Species:
C. alvarezi
Binomial name
Cyprinodon alvarezi

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]

Distribution

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]

Habitat and extinction in the wild

The Potosi pupfish is endemic to a clear spring-fed pool in an

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 (12 in) 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]

Description

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.

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:
  1. Dorsal
  2. Anal
  3. Pectoral
  4. Pelvic
  5. Caudal
  1. 10-12 (usually 10-11)
  2. 9-11 (usually 10)
  3. 13-17 (usually 15 or 16)
  4. 5-7 (usually 6)
  5. 16-20 (usually 17-19)
Scales:
  1. Lateral
  2. Dorsal-anal
  1. 24-26 (usually 25)
  2. 10-12 (usually 11-12)

Etymology

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]

References

  1. ^ . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Contreras Balderas, Salvador; Lozano-Vilano, Lourdes (1996-05-16). "Extinction of most Sandia and Potosí valleys (Nuevo León, Mexico) endemic pupfishes, crayfishes and snails". Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters. 7.
  3. ^ .
  4. . Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Cyprinodon alvarezi – Potosí Pupfish". Seriously Fish. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  6. ^ a b c Miller, R.R. (1976). "Four new pupfishes of the genus Cyprinodon from Mexico, with a key to the Cyprinodon eximius complex". Bulletin of The Southern California Academy of Sciences. 75 (2): 68–75.
  7. ^ Christopher Scharpf; Kenneth J. Lazara (8 December 2023). "Order CYPRINODONTIFORMES: Families PANTANODONTIDAE, CYPRINODONTIDAE, PROFUNDULIDAE, GOODEIDAE, FUNDULIDAE and FLUVIPHYLACIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 23 March 2024.

External links