The Zacapu shiner (''Notropis grandis'') is a small North American freshwater fish, where it is known only from the

Zacapu Lagoon The Zacapu Lagoon is a small Perennial water, perennial wetland located within the urban area of Zacapu, Michoacán, Mexico. It has an approximate area of 33 hectares, connects with the Lerma River through the Angulo River and is fed by 20 sprin ...

and its outlet in

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The stat ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. The Zacapu shiner is a member of the '' Notropis calientis'' species complex along with the Ameca shiner, the

Durango shiner The Durango shiner (''Notropis aulidion'') is an extinct species of freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae. It was found only in Mexico. The Durango shiner was native to the Rio Tunal, which forms the headwaters of the San Pedro Mezquital River ...

and the Maravatio shiner, the latter being described concurrently with ''N. grandis''.

Description

The Zacapu shiner is differentiated from the other members of the ''N. calientis'' species complex by having 6, rarely 7, branched rays in the

anal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported o ...

and 8

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral (belly) surface of fish, and are the lower of the only two sets of paired fins (the other being the laterally positioned pectoral fins). The pelvic fins are homologous to the hi ...

rays and by normally having 42

lateral line The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelia ...

scales. It has a yellowish to light brown body with a dark lateral stripe which widens to form a slightly convex part from near the

pectoral fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish aquatic locomotion, swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the vertebral column ...

origin to the dorsal fin origin, becoming narrower and darker towards the rear. There is a dark marking on the caudal peduncle and at the origin of the

caudal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported only ...

. There are fine markings around the base of the dorsal fin and the head is pigmented, the fins are unpigmented. It is the largest of the complex with an average length of .

Distribution, habitat and conservation

The Zacapu shiner is endemic to

and its outlet in Michoacán in west central Mexico. Zacapu Lagoon lies in the

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

of the

Lerma River The Lerma River () is Mexico's second longest river. It is a river in west-central Mexico that begins in Mexican Plateau at an altitude over above sea level, and ends where it empties into Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake, near Guadalajara, ...

and is fed by 12 springs and tin the area near the springs there is clear, well vegetated water but in the rest of lake the water is turbid. The introduction exotic carp species the

common carp The common carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), also known as European carp, Eurasian carp, or simply carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Ark ...

(''Cyprinus carpio'') and

grass carp The grass carp (''Ctenopharyngodon idella'') is a species of large herbivorous freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae, native to the Pacific Far East, with a native range stretching from northern Vietnam to the Amur River on the Sino-Russian ...

(''Ctenopharyngodon idella'') has led to the parasite ''

Bothriocephalus acheilognathi ''Bothriocephalus acheilognathi'', also known as the Asian tapeworm, is a freshwater fish parasite that originated from China and Eastern Russia. It is a generalized parasite that affects a wide variety of fish host (biology), hosts, particularl ...

'' being able to invade the lake and its indigenous fish assemblage, potentially including the Zapacu shiner. The lake has also been affected by pollution and by water abstraction which has reduced its surface area to . Although this species has not be evaluated by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

it has been recommended that it be classified as endangered.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6416833 Notropis Freshwater fish of Mexico Fish described in 2009