''Skiffia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

goodeid 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 ...

fish that contains four

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

, endemic to the

Mesa Central The Central Mexican Plateau, also known as the Mexican Altiplano ( es, Altiplanicie Mexicana), is a large arid-to-semiarid plateau that occupies much of northern and central Mexico. Averaging above sea level, it extends from the United States b ...

area of west-central

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 ...

. They are restricted to the Lerma– 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 Grande de Morelia river basins, including lakes Chapala,

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 and

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 i ...

. They inhabit stagnant or slow-moving waters such as lakes, ponds, channels and ditches, and prefer shallow depths. They typically have a limited tolerance to

environmental degradation Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment (biophysical), environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; an ...

, and so are susceptible to anthropogenic disturbance. The exception to this is ''S. bilineata'', which is comparatively more tolerant to

eutrophication Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. It has also been defined as "nutrient-induced increase in phytopla ...

turbidity Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of water quality. Fluids can ...

and seasonal changes in environmental conditions. All four ''Skiffia'' species face some conservation threat and have suffered local extinctions in more than 50% of areas studied where they were previously known to have existed. ''S. lermae'' and ''S. bilineata'' are the most widely distributed of the genus, found over the states of

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 ...

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 ...

and

Guanajuato Guanajuato (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato), is one of the 32 states that make up the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 46 municipalities and its capital city i ...

. ''S. multipunctata'' has a restricted distribution in Michoacán and ''S. francesae'' has been declared

extinct in the wild A species that is extinct in the wild (EW) is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as known only by living members kept in captivity or as a naturalized population outside its historic range due ...

by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

. There is only one locality from which captive ''S. francesae'' stocks have been derived (

Teuchitlán Teuchitlán is a town and municipality, in Jalisco in central-western 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 ...

). Captive populations of ''S. francesae'' are maintained in a variety of locations by aquarium hobbyists, research institutes and zoos. The history of this particular species is unclear, but they are believed to have descended from one stock collected by Dr. R. Miller in 1976;Langhammer, J.K. (1995) ''Skiffia francesae'': A fish on the edge of tomorrow. Can we save it? ''Aquatic Survival: Bulletin of the Aquatic Conservation Network'' 4: Dec 1995. it appears that no other stocks descended from independent samples from this region. They are small fish that generally reach a

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...

between about . Males are more colorful than females and have markings in yellowish or blackish.

Species

There are currently four recognized species in this genus according to

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.

, but ''S. bilineata'' is distinctive and some authorities prefer to place it in its own genus ''Neotoca''. * '' Skiffia bilineata'' ( T. H. Bean, 1887) (Twoline skiffia) * '' Skiffia francesae''

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, 1978 (Golden skiffia) * '' Skiffia lermae''

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 (Olive skiffia) * '' Skiffia multipunctata'' ( Pellegrin, 1901) (Spotted skiffia)Pellegin, J. (1901) Poissons reguellis par M.L. Diguet, dans l’État de Jalisco (Mexique). ''Bull. Mus. Nat. Hist. Paris'' 7: 204 – 207

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3544819 Goodeinae Freshwater fish of Mexico Endemic fish of Mexico Freshwater fish genera Taxa named by Seth Eugene Meek Ray-finned fish genera