Arizona Parrot
| Arizona Parrot | ||||||||||||
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Arizona Parrot ( Poeciliopsis occidentalis ) |
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| Poeciliopsis occidentalis | ||||||||||||
| ( Baird & Girard , 1853) |
The Arizona carp ( Poeciliopsis occidentalis ) is a species of viviparous tooth carp (Poeciliinae) native to the waters of Arizona and Sonora . The range of the species has shrunk in the last decades due to habitat loss and competition from introduced fish species, especially from goblin fish ( Gambusia affinis ). In the United States , the carafe is endangered and has been protected by the Endangered Species Act since 1967 .
features
Males of this carrion can reach a length of up to 3 cm, females grow up to 5 cm. The physique is elongated in both sexes, the head is small and pointed. The basic color of the Kärpfling is brown-olive, the belly is white-gray. The edges of the scales are black. Females are pigmented with black spots in the area of the genital opening and occasionally in the upper abdomen and in the lower tail stalk. The dorsal, caudal and anal fins are yellow and slightly blackish in color. Adult males are colored black-blue, their unpaired fins are orange.
Occurrence and way of life
The Kärpfling was the most common fish in the Gila River catchment area until the 1940s . Due to the destruction of its habitat and competition from introduced animal species, its population has declined sharply, so that it is only found in a small part of its original range in the USA today. However, efforts are being made to reintroduce it to its former habitat. The stocks in the Mexican state of Sonora are not considered endangered.
The fish mainly colonize stagnant and slowly flowing waters such as ponds, springs, brooks and the peripheral areas of smaller rivers. They prefer to stay near algae mats and search the mud for food. They feed on parts of plants, crustaceans , insect larvae and detritus .
Females of the Kärpfling give birth to up to 20 young fish about every 28 days between January and August, under optimal conditions all year round. The juvenile fish need hiding places, also to protect themselves from being stalked by adults. Life expectancy is around a year.
Systematics
Some authors differentiate between the two subspecies Poeciliopsis occidentalis occidentalis and Poeciliopsis occidentalis sonoriensis . According to the current nomenclature, however , Poeciliopsis sonoriensis has species status.
Individual evidence
- ^ Office of the Secretary Native Fish and Wildlife: Endangered Species . In: Federal Register . tape 32 , no. 48 , 1967, p. 4001 ( PDF ).
- ↑ a b c d Species Profile for Gila Topminnow (Poeciliopsis occidentalis) in the Environmental Conservation Online System of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service , accessed November 28, 2012.
- ↑ Manfred K. Meyer, Lothar Wischnath, Wolfgang Foerster: Livebearers Zierfische: Species of the world . 1st edition. Mergus, Verlag für Natur- und Heimtierkunde, Melle 1985, ISBN 3-88244-006-6 , p. 358-360 .
Web links
- Arizona Parrot on Fishbase.org (English)
- Poeciliopsis sonoriensis inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.2. Posted by: Contreras-Balderas, S. & Almada-Villela, P., 1996. Retrieved January 11, 2014.