WEBB & MILLER, 1998

English name:
Crescent Goodeid

Type habitat:
Area of the Rio Teuchitlan in Central Mexico.

This species is a new representative of Goodeids. It was found in 1990 by DEREK LAMBERT - together with M. SMITH, C. RODRIQUEZ and l. BUTLER - and was at first called Zoogoneticus spec. crescent. A description was made by Shane A. WEBB and Robert Rush MILLER in 1998.

The species name tequila was not derived from the Mexican drink known everywhere, but refers to the volcano Tequila located near the town of Teuchitlán.

The four people who collected this species in 1990 were not the first to collect it. In 1955 R. R. MILLER and J. T. GREENBANK caught this fish in the Rio Teuchitlán in the eastern local edge of Teuchitlán in the Mexican federal state Jalisco. At that time the fish were classified incorrectly as Zoogoneticus quitzeoensis.

The essential differences between Zoogoneticus tequila and Zoogoneticus quitzeoenses remain almost exclusively in their colouration.

The anal fin as well as the dorsal fin on the male shows an orange rim; while in the tail fin of the male a broad orange stripe is to be seen (in contrast to the transparent tail fin of Zoogoneticus quitzeoensis).

The temporary name "crescent” referred to the orange semicircle on the tail fin.

In the living state the females are an olive to yellowish color. In the preserved state this color disappears to some extent, as does the tail fin colouring of the male. For this reason the preserved specimen can hadly be distinguished from Zoogoneticus quitzeoensis.

These fish should be kept in spacious aquariums having contents of at least 150 liters. The water parameters are of minor importance as long as the pH value is not below pH 6.5. The hardness of the water apparently has no influence on the well being of the fish. The temperature should fluctuate between day and night - just as between the seasons. However, the temperatures should not stay above 24 °C for a long time. According to several aquarists from 19 - 22 °C seems to be best of all.

There should be enough hiding places in the form of plants, stone constructions and roots, since the fish act quite aggressively towards each other. Often adolescents that have reached maturity will be strongly pressed by dominant older fish and frequently get considerable injures.

Full grown Zoogoneticus tequila also have violent confrontations over and over again, which can entail serious injuries.

The body of Zoogoneticus tequila is compact. Both sexes have slightly broad backs when they are just a few weeks old, which becomes more pronounced the older the fish get.

Full grown males can reach up to six and full grown females up to eight centimeters body length.

Zoogoneticus is easy to feed accepting flakes, frozen and live food of all kinds. A vegetable portion should be included in the diet.

Breeding succeeds well after a period of acclimatization to different water and food. Although the males do not steadily court the females as for example in Ameca splendens, they always remain a certain distance to the female.

The highly pregnant females will respond to any male approach aggressively. Their large bellies characterize these females. After about 60 days up to 15 young are delivered. The newborn fish can have a size of 10-12 millimetres. The young are pursued by the older fish making dense plants are a necessity in the breeding tank.

Some breeders report that during the summer and winter months less fry are born than in the spring or autumn.

After about 7 weeks the fry can be distinguished. The males have the orange semicircle in the tail fin; the females draw attention to themselves by their larger size. At this stage the conflicts between members of the same sex begin. Also the males start their first copulation attempts.

After about 3 months the offspring are sexually mature.

In its natural habitat this species seems to exist in very small numbers only and is therefore classified as endangered or threatened.

Literature of:

Zoogeneticus tequila (Webb & Miller 1989)

K. Arnold (1997) : Frustrations with the orange-crescent Goodeid. Livebearers  (147): 32-33

I. Dibble (0) : Goodeid conservation project Diary 25th May to 6th June 1998. Viviparous  (44): 0-

H. Hieronimus (1998) : Zoogeneticus tequila, ein neubeschriebener Hochlandkärpfling. DGLZ-Rundschau  (3): 56-57

H. Hieronimus (2004) : Zoogeneticus tequila wiederentdeckt. DGLZ-Rundschau  (1): 10-11

K. de Jong (1994) : Nieuwe soorten in Nederland. Poecilia Nieuws  (4): 75-78

B. Kabbes (1999) : Zoogeneticus tequila, in de natuur uitgestorven?. Poecilia Nieuws  (2): 42-45

B. Kabbes (2000) : Hij is niet dood, hij leeft! (maar hoe lang nog?). Poecilia Nieuws  (1): 14-16

B. Kabbes & M. Kempkes (1999) : Geplantes Zuchtbuchprogramm zum Erhalt von Zoogeneticus tequila im Aquarium. DGLZ-Rundschau  (1): 5-6

B. Kabbes & M. Kempkes (1999) : Plannen betreffende een kweekprogramma met Zoogeneticus tequila. Poecilia Nieuws (2): 45-46

H. Kaper (1998) : Zoogeneticus tequila (Webb en Miller, 1988). Poecilia Nieuws  (5): 87-91

M. Kempkes (1998) : Interessante Beobachtungen zum agonistischen Verhalten und zum Erreichen der Geschlechtsreife beim Tequila-Kärpfling. DGLZ-Rundschau  (4): 81-82

M. Kempkes (2000) : Ein Jahr Zuchtbuchprojekt "Zoogeneticus tequila".. DGLZ-Rundschau  (2): 37-39

M. Kempkes (2000) : Zoogeneticus tequila - ein "neuer" Hochlandkärpfling. DATZ  (10): 8-10

M. Kempkes (2001) : Zwei Jahre Zuchtbuchprogramm Zoogeneticus tequilla - kein Grund zum Optimismus. DGLZ-Rundschau (2): 32-34

M. Kempkes (2003) : Interessante waarnemingen van agonistisch gedrag tot het bereiken van de geslachtsrijpe leeftijd van de Tequila karpers, Zoogeneticus tequila (Webb & Miller, 1998). Poecilia Nieuws  (2): 24-27

D. Lambert (0) : Look out! Look out! There's a scientist about. Viviparous  (43): 0-

D. Lambert (1994) : Zoogoneticus n. sp.. Viviparous  (26): 1-3

P. Loiselle (1993) : Spawning the crescent Zoe, a new Goodeid from western Mexico. Livebearers  (132): 12-14

J. de Moree (2004) : Zoögeneticus tequila. Poecilia Nieuws  (3): 12-12

R.B.  Socolof (1988) : Collecting Goodeids at Lake Chapala, Mexico. Livebearers  (98): 3-8

A. Valdés (1995) : Follow-up from Arcadio Valdés. Aquatic Survival  (3): 12-14

M.Y. De La Vega-Salazar, E.G. Avila-Luna & C. Macías-Garcia (2003) : Threatened fishes of the world: Zoogeneticus tequila Webb & Miller 1998 (Goodeidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes  (68): 14-14

S.A.  Webb & R.R. Miler (1998) : Zoogeneticus tequila, a new goodeid fish from the Ameca drainiage of Mexico, and a rediagnosis of the genus. Occasional papers of the museum of zoology University of Michigan  (725): 1-23

S.A.  Webb & R.R. Miler (1998) : A phylogenetic analysis of the Goodeidae.   (): 1-280

R. Winter (0) : Crescent zoe's and a new beginning. Viviparous  (43): 0-

tequila, Zoogoneticus Webb & Miller 1998: 5, Fig. 1 [Occas. Pap. Mus. Zool. Univ. Mich. No. 725; ref. 23734]. Río Teuchitlán, Río Ameca drainage, at e. edge of Teuchitlán, Jalisco, Mexico. Holotype: UMMZ 233655. Paratypes: BMNH 1997.12.2.1 (1), UMMZ 233656-58 (2, 4, 5). Valid as Zoogoneticus tequila Webb & Miller 1998. Zoogoneticus tequila Webb & Miller 1998, Goodeidae: Goodeinae. Habitat: freshwater.