Spotted Skiffia, Tangancicuaro

Spotted Skiffia (Tangancícuaro / Cupátziro Spring population)

Skiffia multipunctata (Pellegrin, 1901)

Also known as: Splotched Skiffia, Tiro pintado Population ID: Skimu1-DUE-Tan (Cupátziro spring, Tangancícuaro de Arista, Río Duero subbasin, Michoacán)

Max Size: Males to ~5 cm TL; females to ~6–7.2 cm SL

A compact, deep-bodied goodeid with a compressed shape and the classic male “splitfin” (notched anal fin). Ground color is olive-brown to brownish-grey. Both sexes carry numerous small brown spots or dots on the flanks and caudal peduncle (often arranged in five or six irregular rows), which give the species its name. Males are typically the more striking sex: they may develop yellow, yellowish, or orange flanks and unpaired fins, sometimes with a bluish sheen on the forehead during courtship, plus highly variable dark blotches that can range from a few asymmetric spots to nearly solid black on one or both sides. Females are usually plainer, retaining the spotted olive-brown pattern with clearer fins, though they can occasionally show larger blotches.

This Tangancícuaro population belongs to the single recognized Evolutionary Significant Unit (Skimu1) for the species.

Origin & Habitat Endemic to the lower Lerma–Grande de Santiago system in Jalisco and Michoacán. Historically more widespread (including Lake Chapala, Laguna Cajititlán, and parts of the Santiago and Guascuaro drainages), but now restricted almost entirely to the Río Duero drainage.

The Tangancícuaro collection point is the Cupátziro spring (and associated spring-fed waters) at Tangancícuaro de Arista. This is one of the few remaining healthy wild stocks, alongside nearby spring-fed sites such as La Luz / Presa Verduzco and Orandino near Jacona. Habitat consists of clear to slightly turbid, quiet or gently flowing spring-fed ponds, channels, and small lakes over silt, mud, sand, or rock, usually less than 1 m deep, with green algae, duckweed, water hyacinth, Typha, and sometimes cypress (Taxodium) roots.

Diet Primarily a grazer of aufwuchs and algae (long gut, bifid teeth). It also takes small invertebrates and may nibble on roots or surface insects. In aquariums it accepts high-quality flakes, granules, tablets, blanched vegetables, and small live/frozen foods.

Behavior & Temperament Peaceful and relatively active, often swimming in small groups while grazing from rocks, plants, and roots. Males display to females with circling or “butterfly-like” swimming. Best kept in well-planted tanks with open swimming space and vertical structure that mimics spring-fed habitats.

Reproduction Viviparous livebearer. Females produce relatively large young; gravid females have been observed in spring. Males possess the typical goodeid andropodium (notched anal fin) and a larger, somewhat serrated dorsal fin. In captivity, a cool winter rest helps regulate breeding cycles.

Conservation Status IUCN: Endangered (EN). Mexican NOM-059: Amenazada (Threatened).

The species has been lost from ~85% of its historical range due to pollution, channelization, water extraction, and invasive species (especially largemouth bass, which eliminated it from Lago de Camécuaro, and various poeciliids that compete for food and space). The Cupátziro / Tangancícuaro population remains one of the stronger remaining wild stocks in the upper Duero system, making it particularly valuable for conservation breeding and potential future recovery efforts. All current aquarium and captive holdings of this lineage trace back to this and a handful of other Duero spring sites.

A beautifully variable, heavily spotted skiffia from one of the last strongholds of the species — the clear springs of Tangancícuaro — that combines subtle olive tones with the dramatic blotching and golden flushes of dominant males.