Morphological and genetic comparative analyses of populations of Zoogoneticus quitzeoensis (Cyprinodontiformes:Goodeidae) from Central Mexico, with description of a new species

Abstract

A GENETIC AND MORPHOMETRIC STUDY OF POPULATIONS OF ZOOGONETICUS QUITZEOENSIS (BEAN, 1898) FROM THE LERMA AND AMECA BASINS AND CUITZEO, ZACAPU AND CHAPALA LAKES IN CENTRAL MEXICO WAS CONDUCTED. FOR THE GENETIC ANALYSIS, 7 POPULATIONS WERE SAMPLED AND 2 MONOPHYLETIC GROUPS WERE IDENTIFIED WITH A GENETIC DIFFERENCE OF DHKY= 3.4% (3-3.8%), ONE BEING THE POPULATIONS FROM THE LOWER LERMA BASIN, AMECA AND CHAPALA LAKE, AND THE OTHER POPULATIONS FROM ZACAPU AND CUITZEO LAKES. FOR THE MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSIS, 4 POPULATIONS WERE SAMPLED AND 2 MORPHOTYPES IDENTIFIED, 1 FROM LA LUZ SPRING IN THE LOWER LERMA BASIN AND THE OTHER FROM ZACAPU AND CUITZEO LAKES DRAINAGES. USING THESE 2 SOURCES OF EVIDENCE, THE POPULATION FROM LA LUZ IS REGARDED AS A NEW SPECIES ZOOGONETICUS PURHEPECHUS SP. NOV. THE NEW SPECIES DIFFERS FROM ITS SISTER SPECIES ZOOGONETICUS QUITZEOENSIS IN HAVING A SHORTER PREORBITAL DISTANCE (PROL/SL X = 0.056, SD = 0.01), LONGER DORSAL FIN BASE LENGTH (DFL/SL X = 0.18, SD = 0.03) AND 13-14 RAYS IN THE DORSAL FIN. THE NEW SPECIES DIFFERS FROM BOTH MEMBERS OF ITS SISTER TAXON (ZOOGONETICUS TEQUILA AND Z. QUITZEOENSIS) AT 10 FIXED NUCLEOTIDE POSITIONS IN THE CYTOCHROME B GENE. WE HAVE DETERMINED THAT ZOOGONETICUS PURHEPECHUS IS DISTRIBUTED IN THE LOWER LERMA, UPPER AMECA, ARMERIA AND SANTIAGO RIVER BASINS, AND CHAPALA LAKE. THIS NEW SPECIES SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ENDANGERED OF EXTINCTION ACCORDING TO THE CRITERIA OF THE MER (AII,BI,CI,DI) AND FOR THE IUCN (A-1,B,C,E).