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 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 springs. The Zacapu La ...

and its outlet 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 ...

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 ...

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

Ameca shiner The Ameca shiner (''Notropis amecae'') is a species of cyprinid fish in the family Cyprinidae. The Ameca shiner was described in 1986 from upper parts of the Ameca River drainage in Jalisco, Mexico. Although already feared extinct by 1969, and li ...

, the Durango shiner 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 distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

and 8

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral surface of fish. The paired pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods. Structure and function Structure In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two en ...

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 epithelial ...

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 distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

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 distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

. 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 of the

Lerma River The Lerma River ( es, Río Lerma) 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 ...

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

(''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'' 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; 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 ...

it has been recommended that it be classified as endangered.

References

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