Biology:Zoogoneticus tequila
| Tequila splitfin | |
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| male above, female below | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cyprinodontiformes |
| Family: | Goodeidae |
| Genus: | Zoogoneticus |
| Species: | Z. tequila
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| Binomial name | |
| Zoogoneticus tequila Webb & Miller, 1998[2]
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Zoogoneticus tequila, Tequila splitfin or simply Tequila fish, is a species of goodeid fish (family Goodeidae) from Mexico.[3][4][5] The specific epithet, tequila, derives from the Tequila Volcano, which looms near the type locality.[2]
Distribution and conservation
Zoogoneticus tequila is endemic to the Ameca River basin in west-central Mexico. Its current distribution is restricted to a single spring pool in Teuchitlán, only 4 metres (13 ft) in diameter, where a population consisting of less than 50 adult fish live.[6] Even in this habitat, it is outnumbered by introduced guppies by a factor of six.[7] Before the discovery of the pool population in 2000/2001, Zoogoneticus tequila was generally thought to inhabit rivers; however, no fish could be found in the original habitat and the species was considered extinct in the wild.[1] Introduced fish species have been implicated in the disappearance of Zoogoneticus tequila from its type locality.[1][6] Habitat deterioration may also have contributed. Pollution and water extraction are threats to the pool where the wild population persists. Captive populations are maintained by aquarists.[1]
Description
Along with other Mexican goodeids, Zoogoneticus tequila are viviparous; this led the genus to be originally included in family Poeciliidae.[2] Clutch size is up to 29 young.[1] Males are smaller than females, with standard length up to 4.1 cm (1.6 in) in males and up to 5.8 cm (2.3 in) in females.[2] Total length can reach 7 cm (2.8 in) in females.[3] The sexes can also be distinguished by colouration.[2] Adult males have cream-colored terminal bands on the anal and dorsal fin.[8] The caudal fin of adult males has crescent-shaped band of red-orange, orange, or yellow. The rest of the caudal fin is not pigmented and is transparent. Some large adult females share this caudal coloration but generally their caudal fins are transparent. Both sexes display olive shaded, mottled bodies with males typically darker than the families. Juveniles are lighter colored with more obvious mottling.[8]
Diet
These fish typically eat various types of zooplankton and insect larvae in the water such as those of chironomids.[9] There have also been recorded instances of cannibalism of the immature young.[10]
Predation
Typical predators endemic in the geographic range are Esox sp. and Thamnophis sp.[10] There are also many introduced species in the area that likely prey on or outcompeted Z. tequila such as Xiphophorus maculatus, Tilapia aurea, Lepomis macrochirus, Cyprinus carpio, X. helleri and Poecilia reticulata.[2]
Conservation status
After a few successful reintroductions of Z. tequila in the wild became established, the International Union for Conservation of Nature gave the species the status of endangered. However, it is still considered by many to be extinct in the wild.[11] DNA analysis of natural populations of Z. tequila have shown that because the populations are extremely small there is a large amount of inbreeding which could be contributing to the precipitous decline in populations in the wild.[12]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Koeck, M. (2019). "Zoogoneticus tequila". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T169395A1276460. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T169395A1276460.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/169395/1276460. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Webb, S. A.; Miller, R. R. (1998). "Zoogoneticus tequila, a new goodeid fish (Cyprinodontiformes) from the Ameca drainage of Mexico, and a rediagnosis of the genus". Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 725: 1–23. http://www.akvarium.cz/1899/pages/text/recent/slaboch/z-t/zoogoneticus_tequila.pdf.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2016). "Zoogoneticus tequila" in FishBase. January 2016 version.
- ↑ Eschmeyer, W. N.; Fricke, R.; van der Laan, R., eds (2 May 2016). "Catalog of Fishes". California Academy of Sciences. http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatget.asp?spid=65242.
- ↑ "Zoogoneticus tequila". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=646978.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 De La Vega-Salazar, M. Y.; Avila-Luna, E. G.; Macías-Garcia, C. (2003). "Threatened Fishes of the World: Zoogoneticus tequila Webb & Miller 1998 (Goodeidae)". Environmental Biology of Fishes 68: 14. doi:10.1023/A:1026040727808.
- ↑ De La Vega-Salazar, M. Y.; Avila-Luna, E.; Macías-Garcia, C. (2003). "Ecological evaluation of local extinction: the case of two genera of endemic Mexican fish, Zoogoneticus and Skiffa". Biodiversity and Conservation 12 (10): 2043–2056. doi:10.1023/A:1024155731112.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Webb, Shane A. (1998). Zoogoneticus tequila, a new goodeid fish (Cyprinodontiformes) from the Ameca drainage of Mexico and a rediagnosis of the genus. Museum of Zoology, Univ. of Michigan. OCLC 246180758.
- ↑ Escalera-Vázquez, Luis H.; Domínguez-Domínguez, Omar; Hinojosa-Garro, Demián; Zambrano, Luis (2016-10-01). "Changes in diet, growth and survivorship of the native Tequila Splitfin Zoogoneticus tequila in co-occurrence with the non-native Shortfin Molly Poecilia mexicana" (in en). Fundamental and Applied Limnology 188 (4): 341–351. doi:10.1127/fal/2016/0932. https://www.schweizerbart.de/papers/fal/detail/188/87126/Changes_in_diet_growth_and_survivorship_of_the_nat?af=crossref.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lucidi, Alessio Arbuatti Roberto Trentini Nicola Bernabò Pia (2011). Contribution to the biology of the endangered Mexican fish, Zoogoneticus tequila, and suggestions for its indoor management. Bioflux. OCLC 860213559.
- ↑ Lyons, John; Piller, Kyle R.; Artigas-Azas, Juan Miguel; Dominguez-Dominguez, Omar; Gesundheit, Pablo; Köck, Michael; Medina-Nava, Martina; Mercado-Silva, Norman et al. (2019-04-11). "Distribution and current conservation status of the Mexican Goodeidae (Actinopterygii, Cyprinodontiformes)" (in en). ZooKeys (885): 115–158. doi:10.3897/zookeys.885.38152. ISSN 1313-2970. PMID 31736620.
- ↑ Bailey, N. W.; Macías Garcia, C.; Ritchie, M. G. (June 2007). "Beyond the point of no return? A comparison of genetic diversity in captive and wild populations of two nearly extinct species of Goodeid fish reveals that one is inbred in the wild" (in en). Heredity 98 (6): 360–367. doi:10.1038/sj.hdy.6800947. ISSN 1365-2540. PMID 17327873.
External links
- The Goodeid Working Group: Zoogoneticus tequila
- Biodiversity: The tale of the 'un-extinct' fish – BBC
Wikidata ☰ Q5492268 entry
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