''Allotoca'' is a genus of

splitfin Goodeidae is a family of teleost fish endemic to Mexico and some areas of the United States. Many species are known as splitfins. This family contains about 50 species within 18 genera. The family is named after ichthyologist George Brown Good ...

s that are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to west-central and southwest

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, where restricted to the

Lerna In classical Greece, Lerna ( el, Λέρνη) was a region of springs and a former lake near the east coast of the Peloponnesus, south of Argos. Even though much of the area is marshy, Lerna is located on a geographically narrow point between moun ...

– Chapala– Grande de Santiago,

Ameca Ameca may refer to: Biology * Ameca (fish), ''Ameca'' (fish), a monotypic ray-finned fish genus in the family Goodeidae, with the only species ''Ameca splendens'' Places in Mexico *Ameca, Jalisco, a city and municipality in central Jalisco *Chiefd ...

and Balsas river basins, as well as various

endorheic An endorheic basin (; also spelled endoreic basin or endorreic basin) is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, but drainage converges instead into lakes ...

lake basins in

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...

and

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...

(

Pátzcuaro Pátzcuaro () is a city and municipality located in the state of Michoacán. The town was founded sometime in the 1320s, at first becoming the capital of the Purépecha Empire and later its ceremonial center. After the Spanish took over, Vasco de ...

, Zirahuén,

Cuitzeo Cuitzeo () is a municipality located in the north of the Mexican state of Michoacán. The municipal seat is the town of Cuitzeo del Porvenir It is located in a relatively flat depression around Lake Cuitzeo, a large, very shallow lake, which is ...

, Magdalena and others). All ''Allotoca'' species are seriously

threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensat ...

. The largest ''Allotoca'' is up to long, but most species only reach between half and three-quarter that size. Unusually, ''A. catarinae'' is probably the result of an ancient translocation by humans in the

pre-Columbian era In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the Migration to the New World, original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization of the Americas, European colonization, w ...

(similar ancient human-assisted translocations are known from certain birds in Mexico). The translocation happened at least 700 years ago and most likely about 1900 years ago. The ancestral species then

evolved Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation t ...

into ''A. catarinae'' at its new isolated location in the

Cupatitzio River The Cupatitzio River is a river of Michoacán state in Southwestern Mexico. Course Its main headwaters are in Barranca del Cupatitzio National Park, in Uruapan, Michoacán. Near its source are two waterfalls, the larger ''Tzararacua'' and the ...

, a tributary of the Balsas River.

Species

FishBase FishBase is a global species database of fish species (specifically finfish). It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web.

recognizes eight species in this genus, but their

taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

is complex and in need of a review. One of the species recognized by FishBase, ''A. regalis'', is distinctive and sometimes placed in its own genus ''Neoophorus''. * ''

Allotoca catarinae ''Allotoca'' is a genus of splitfins that are endemic to west-central and southwest Mexico, where restricted to the Lerna– Chapala– Grande de Santiago, Ameca and Balsas river basins, as well as various endorheic lake basins in Michoacán an ...

'' ( F. de Buen, 1942) (Catarina allotoca) * ''

Allotoca diazi ''Allotoca'' is a genus of splitfins that are endemic to west-central and southwest Mexico, where restricted to the Lerna– Chapala– Grande de Santiago, Ameca and Balsas river basins, as well as various endorheic lake basins in Michoacán an ...

'' (

Meek Meekness is an attribute of human nature and behavior that has been defined as an amalgam of righteousness, inner humility, and patience. Meekness has been contrasted with humility alone insomuch as humility simply refers to an attitude towards o ...

, 1902) (Patzcuaro allotoca) * ''

Allotoca dugesii ''Allotoca'' is a genus of splitfins that are endemic to west-central and southwest Mexico, where restricted to the Lerna– Chapala– Grande de Santiago, Ameca and Balsas river basins, as well as various endorheic lake basins in Michoacán an ...

'' ( T. H. Bean, 1887) (Opal allotoca) * ''

Allotoca goslinei ''Allotoca goslinei'', commonly known as the banded allotoca or ''tiro rayado'' in Spanish, is a species of fish endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation ...

'' M. L. Smith &

R. R. Miller Robert Rush Miller (April 23, 1916 – February 10, 2003) "was an important figure in American ichthyology and conservation from 1940 to the 1990s." He was born in Colorado Springs, earned his bachelor's degree at University of California, Berke ...

, 1987 (Banded allotoca) * ''

Allotoca maculata The blackspot allotoca (''Allotoca maculata''), also known as the blackspot goodeid, tailspot goodeid, or ''tiro manchado'', is a critically endangered species of fish in the family Goodeidae, endemic to the Lago de Magdalena basin near Guadalaj ...

'' M. L. Smith &

, 1980 (Blackspot alotoca) * ''

Allotoca meeki ''Allotoca meeki'', commonly known as the Zirahuen allotoca or the ''tiro de Zirahuén'', is a species of fish endemic to Lake Zirahuén, a small endorheic mountain lake in Michoacán state of central Mexico. The specific name honours the Amer ...

'' (

Álvarez Álvarez or Álvares may refer to: People *Álvarez (surname), Spanish surname Places *Alvares (river), a river in northern Spain * Alvares (ski resort), in Iran *Alvares, Iran * Alvares, Portugal *Álvarez, Santa Fe, a town in the province of Sa ...

, 1959) (Zirahuen allotoca) * '' Allotoca regalis'' (

, 1959) (Balsas allotoca) * ''

Allotoca zacapuensis ''Allotoca'' is a genus of splitfins that are endemism, endemic to west-central and southwest Mexico, where restricted to the Lerma River, Lerna–Lake Chapala, Chapala–Grande de Santiago River, Grande de Santiago, Ameca River, Ameca and Balsas ...

'' M. K. Meyer, Radda & Domínguez-Domínguez, 2001 (Zacapu allotoca)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3505534 Freshwater fish of Mexico Endemic fish of Mexico Goodeinae Freshwater fish genera Taxa named by Carl Leavitt Hubbs Ray-finned fish genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot