Three New Pupfish Species, Cyprinodon (Teleostei, Cyprinodontidae), from Chihuahua, México, and Arizona, USA

Three new species of Cyprinodon (Teleostei, Cyprinodontidae) are described, each long recognized as distinct. Cyprinodon pisteri occupies a variety of systems and habitats in the Lago de Guzmán complex basin in northern Chihuahua, México. It is distinguished by its dusky to black dorsal fin and narrow or inconspicuous terminal bar on the caudal fin in mature males. Cyprinodon albivelis is distributed largely in relatively high elevation sites in the upper Río Papígochic (Río Yaqui basin), with a single occurrence in the Río Santa María basin. It is distinguished most notably by the striking white dorsal and anal fins displayed by breeding males. Cyprinodon arcuatus is a distinctive form most similar to Cyprinodon macularius and Cyprinodon eremus and is restricted to the upper Santa Cruz River basin in southern Arizona and Northern Sonora. It is distinguished in having a sharply convex dorsal body profile form the head to dorsal fin origin and in lacking yellow or orange pigmentation on the part of nuptial males. Extensive and careless human alterations to this system drove C. arcuatus to extinction, with the last natural population perishing in Monkey Spring (Santa Cruz County, Arizona), devoured by introduced sport fish. Where appropriate, biogeography and conservation issues are discussed with regard to these species.

Fig. 1.

Cyprindon pisteri, holotype (above), UMMZ 162629, 42 mm SL, male; paratype (below), UMMZ 162630, 37 mm female, México: Chihuahua, Palomas Spring (Ojo de Palomas Viejo; now dry)

Fig. 2.

Cyprinodon pisteri, from top to bottom (paratypes): UMMZ 209017, male (35.8 mm SL) and female (34.8.9 mm SL), México: Chihuahua, Laguna Bustillos; UMMZ 209021, male (37.3 mm SL) and female (40.9 mm SL), México: Río Santa Clara at Santa Clara (Río del Carmen basin)

Fig. 3.

Distributions of Cyprinodon pisteri (circles) and Cyprinodon albivelis (triangles), n. spp., in Chihuahua, México. Some symbols cover multiple, closely adjacent sites; type localities = open figures. B = Laguna Bustillos; C = Río del Carmen; CG = Río Casas Grandes; P = Río Papigóchic; SM = Río Santa María; Y = Río Yaqui

Fig. 4.

Cyprinodon albivelis, from top to bottom (holotype and paratypes): UMMZ 235040, male (36.8 mm SL, holotype) and UMMZ 211582, female (40.3 mm SL), México: Chihuahua, Río Papigóchic (Río Yaqui basin) at Yepomera; UMMZ 211628, male (37.9 mm SL), and female (39.3 mm SL), México: Chihuahua, Ojo del Arrey (Array), Río Santa María drainage (Lago de Guzmán basin)

Fig. 5.

Cyprinodon arcuatus (paratypes), UMMZ 125050, 38.0 mm SL, male (above); and 34.0 mm SL, female (below), USA: Arizona, Santa Cruz County, pond fed by Monkey Spring

Fig. 6.

Distributions of Cyprinodon arcuatus, n. sp. (triangles), Cyprinodon macularius (circles), and Cyprinodon eremus (squares) in Colorado River and Río Sonoyta drainages, Arizona, Sonora, and Baja California (modified from Miller and Fuiman, 1987: Fig. 2 and Echelle et al., 2000: Fig. 1). Some symbols cover multiple closely adjacent sites. Type localities are denoted by open figures. C = Colorado River; G = Gila River; M = Monkey Spring; Q = S = Río Sonoyta; SC = Santa Cruz River; SP = San Pedro River

Received: 19 Nov 2001

Accepted: 01 Mar 2002