Gila topminnow
The Gila topminnow or charalito (Poeciliopsis occidentalis) is a fish in the family Poeciliidae. It lives in North America and Mexico.[2]
| Gila topminnow | |
|---|---|
| |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cyprinodontiformes |
| Family: | Poeciliidae |
| Genus: | Poeciliopsis |
| Species: | P. occidentalis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Poeciliopsis occidentalis | |
Home
This fish lives in the southern United States and northern Mexico. It lives as far south as the Gila River.
Threats
It is endangered because people brought other fish to the places where it lives. The mosquitofish is the most important of these animals.[2] It is also endangered because human beings take water out of their streams and ponds.[3]
Size
This fish looks like a guppy, but it has no spots on its fins. It is about 2.5 to 5 cm in size. Male fish are black with yellow fins. This fish lives about 1 year.[2]
Subspecies
There are two subspecies:[2]
- The Gila topminnow (P. occidentalis occidentalis), which lives in the Gila River basin.
- The Yaqui topminnow (P. occidentalis sonoriensis), which lives in the Rio Yaqui.
Food
This fish eats many different kinds of things: dead things, plants, insect larvae, and crustaceans. Sometimes they eat their own babies.[2]
Young
Topminnows keep their eggs inside their bodies until they hatch. There are 1-20 eggs in each brood. Sometimes the mother fish carries two broods at a time. The eggs take 24-28 days to hatch. Young fish hide from the adults so the adults won't eat them.[2]
Gila Topminnow Media
School of topminnows—taken at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson
References
- ↑ Matamoros, W.A. (2020). "Gila topminnow: Poeciliopsis occidentalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2020: e.T15350832A176961098. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T15350832A176961098.en. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Environmental Conservation Online System. "Gila topminnow (incl. Yaqui) (Poeciliopsis occidentalis)". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ↑ Nico, L.G.; Fuller, P.; Jacobs, G.; Cannister, M.; Larson, J.; Fusaro, A.; Makled, T.H.; Neilson, M.E. (January 25, 2016). "Gambusia affinis (Baird and Girard, 1853): U.S. Geological Survey, Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database". Gainesville, FL: United States Geological Survey. Retrieved June 28, 2020.