Gambusia zarskei
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Cyprinodontiformes
Poeciliidae (Livebearers)
Gambusia
Gambusia zarskei
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: Elongated. Gambusia zarskei is a small sized species of the subgenus Arthrophallus (SL in males usually not exceeding 25 mm and in females 35 mm), which is distinguished from all other species of the senilis species group by the following characters: shafts of distal spines of gonopodium ray 3 much prolonged, lateral projection on elbow weekly developed, vs. well developed in G. amistadensis and G. hurtadoi or absent in G. alvarezi, G. gaigei and G. senilis. G. zarskei is also distinguished by the following unique combination of characters: relative gonopodial ray 4p serra length of gonopodium long; frequency distribution of SEL/SEW radius 1.35 – 1.65, vs. 0.95 – 1.25 in G. alvarezi, 1.55 – 1.90 in G. amistadensis, 1.00 – 1.35 in G. gaigei and 0.75 – 1.05 in G. hurtadoi; elbow on gonopodium ray 4a simple and not rounded or distally hooked, vs. usually hooked in G. alvarezi, G. gaigei, G. senilis; 8 dorsal fi n rays, vs. usually 9 in G. alvarezi and G. hurtadoi; black anal spot present vs. absent in G. senilis.
Distribution
North America: Mexico. Only known from the upper Rio Conchos system in the Sierra San Diego area, east of San Diego de Alcalá, Chihuahua, Mexico (Ref. 84135).
Habitat Associations
Freshwater. pelagic. Found in: streams.
Biology
Max length: 2.3 cm SL.
IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable (VU), assessed 2019-03-04. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
References
Meyer, M.K., S. Schories and M. Schartl (2010) Description of Gambusia zarskei sp. n. - a new poeciliid fish from the upper Rio Conchos system, Chihuahua, Mexico (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae). Verteb. Zool. 60(1):11-18.
Comments On Gambusia zarskei