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Conservation status of the San Christóbal pupfish Profundulus hildebrandi Miller (Teleostei: Profundulidae) in the face of urban growth in Chiapas, Mexico
Author(s) -
VelázquezVelázquez Ernesto,
SchmitterSoto Juan J.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
aquatic conservation: marine and freshwater ecosystems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.95
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1099-0755
pISSN - 1052-7613
DOI - 10.1002/aqc.605
Subject(s) - teleostei , miller , face (sociological concept) , geography , humanities , environmental ethics , sociology , ecology , art , biology , fishery , philosophy , fish <actinopterygii> , social science
1. Profundulus hildebrandi , the San Cristóbal pupfish, is a small cyprinodontiform fish endemic to the closed basin of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, a fast‐growing city in highland Chiapas, Mexico. This study constitutes the first population study of this endangered taxon. 2. In order to judge its conservation status, its distribution and habitat were described, and its population size was estimated through a capture–recapture technique. To the extent possible, present conditions of its habitat were compared with historic information, mainly old city maps and photographs. 3. Introduction of largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides ) coincided with local extirpation of P. hildebrandi . Other risk factors related to urban growth include pollution of streams, as well as habitat destruction, fragmentation, and modification; about 60% of the original pupfish habitat is heavily polluted by sewage. 4. Although its population size is apparently large (probably more than 8000), its very restricted distribution, its shrinking habitat and the increasing risk factors provide justification to consider P. hildebrandi as an endangered fish, according to the Mexican Official Norm and the Red Book of the IUCN. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.