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Two endemic and endangered fishes, Poecilia sulphuraria (Alvarez, 1948) and Gambusia eurystoma Miller, 1975 (Poeciliidae, Teleostei) as only survivors in a small sulphidic habitat
Author(s) -
Tobler M.,
Riesch R.,
Garcíade León F. J.,
Schlupp I.,
Plath M.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2007.01716.x
Subject(s) - biology , gambusia , poeciliidae , poecilia , ecology , habitat , mosquitofish , endangered species , critically endangered , teleostei , endemism , zoology , crayfish , fishery , fish <actinopterygii>
In the Baños del Azufre in Tabasco, Mexico, only two poeciliid species, Poecilia sulphuraria and Gambusia eurystoma , were found in sulphidic habitats, whereas adjacent non‐sulphidic habitats were characterized by a vastly different fish community. Exposure of fishes to water from a sulphidic spring showed that all species except for P. sulphuraria quickly lost motion control, probably because of the toxic properties of H 2 S. It is suggested that the fishes endemic to the Baños del Azufre are highly specialized, and competitive exclusion allows them to survive only in this particular habitat type.