Widemouth gambusia

Widemouth gambusia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Poeciliidae
Genus: Gambusia
Species: G. eurystoma
Binomial name
Gambusia eurystoma
R. R. Miller, 1975

The widemouth gambusia (Gambusia eurystoma) is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae of the order Cyprinodontiformes. It is endemic to Mexico, specifically to the Baños del Azufre (Grijalva River basin) near Teapa, Tabasco. The Baños del Azufre are sulfidic springs that contain high concentrations of toxic hydrogen sulfide (H
2
S
). This prevents most animals from living in them; the only other fish found in the toxic sections of Baños del Azufre is the sulphur molly (Poecilia sulphuraria).[1]

This species reaches a maximum overall length around 3.5 cm (1.4 in).

Little is known about G. eurystoma, but the IUCN classifies it as Critically Endangered on the basis of a very small (less than 250 individuals) and rapidly falling population and a small, localized, and diminishing geographical distribution.

References

  1. Tobler; Riesch; García de León; Schlupp; & Plath (2008). Two endemic and endangered fishes, Poecilia sulphuraria (Alvarez, 1948) and Gambusia eurystoma Miller, 1975 (Poeciliidae, Teleostei) as only survivors in a small sulphidic habitat. Journal of Fish Biology 72: 523–533.
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