Big Bend gambusia

Big Bend gambusia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Poeciliidae
Genus: Gambusia
Species:
G. gaigei
Binomial name
Gambusia gaigei

The Big Bend gambusia (Gambusia gaigei) is a rare species of fish in the family Poeciliidae.[4] It is endemic to the Big Bend region of the Rio Grande of the United States and Mexico. The only known remaining population is in a protected pond in the Big Bend National Park.[5]

This livebearer is about 2 inches (5.1 cm) long. It feeds on aquatic invertebrates.[5]

This species was described by the American ichthyologist Carl Leavitt Hubbs in 1929 from a type collected in slough close to the Rio Grande at Boquillas, Brewster County, Texas[6] by Frederick McMahon Gaige (1890–1976), a zoologist who was director of the Zoological Museum of the University of Michigan. The specific name honours Gaige.[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ NatureServe (2013). "Gambusia gaigei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T8890A18229201. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T8890A18229201.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Big Bend gambusia (Gambusia gaigei)". Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  3. ^ 32 FR 4001
  4. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Gambusia gaigei" in FishBase. Aiugust 2019 version.
  5. ^ a b "Big Bend Gambusia (Gambusia gaigei)". Texas Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  6. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Gambusia gaigei". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  7. ^ Christopher Scharpf; Kenneth J. Lazara (26 October 2019). "Order CYPRINODONTIFORMES: Families POECILIIDAE, ANABLEPIDAE, VALENCIIDAE, APHANIIDAE and PROCATOPODIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 2 November 2019.