Sapphire toothcarp

📖 Overview

Collected from a small brook, about 0.5 to 1 m wide, that flows into a tributary to the río Tacotalpa, close to a bridge, a few hundred meters on an unpaved road that branches off into northeasterly direction from the main road from Tapijulapa to Jamapa between the small settlements of Zunu y Patastal and Madrigal (Cuarta sección). At the time of collection, at late afternoon the water had a temperature of 26 °C, a conductivity of 360 mS, pH 8.0, and total hardness of 10-15. The water was crystal clear and fast flowing with no aquatic vegetation. The substratum consisted mainly of gravel and sand. The brook flows in a deep indentation and is fully shadowed by the vegetation. Associated poeciliid fishes were Pseudoxiphophorus bimaculatus, Gambusia sp., Heterophallus milleri, Poecilia mexicana and a characid, Astyanax mexicanus .

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal soft rays (total): 9 - 10; Anal soft rays: 10; Vertebrae: 30 - 31. This species is a large sized species of Priapella (maximum length 4.8 cm SL). It is distinguished from its congeners by having the following characters: a membranous hook of the gonopodium ray 3 well developed and semicircularly bent (vs. slightly bent in P. bonita, P. compressa, P. intermedia and P. olmecae); subdistal plate-like membranous process on gonopodium ray 3 well developed (vs. not prominent in P. compressa and P. intermedia); spines of gonopodium ray 3 long and not numerous (vs. numerous and densely crowded in P. compressa and P. intermedia) and short and not densely crowed in P. olmecae); distal part of gonopodium ray 4p slightly bent (vs. strongly bent in P. bonita, P. compressa, P. intermedia and P. olmecae). This species is also distinguished by having a short gonopodium; frequency distribution of SL/GL radius 3.30-3.50 (vs. 2.60-2.75 in P. olmecae, 3.00-3.20 in P. compressa, 2.60 in P. bonita and 3.50-3.60 in P. intermedia; gill rakers 10-12 (vs. 15-16 in P. bonita, 120-13 in P. compressa, 12-14 in P. compressa; dorsal-fin rays 9 (vs. 8 in P. bonita, 10 in P. compressa .

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Sapphire toothcarp is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

Diet information for Sapphire toothcarp is currently being compiled.

🥚 Reproduction

Reproduction data for Sapphire toothcarp is currently being compiled.

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Freshwater; demersal. Tropical North America: Mexico.

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

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