9586

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9586
• Author: Desert Fishes Council.
• Title: Proceedings of the Desert Fishes Council Volume XXVI 1994 Annual Symposium.
• USFW Year: 1994.
• USFW - Doc Type: Furnace Creek, CA.
• Copyright Material: NO

DFC PROCEEDINGS - ABSTRACTS AND CONTRIBUTED PAPERS IN ORDER PRESENTED
RELICT DACE Relictus solitarius - Con la adici6n de un equipo de evaluaci6n de verano trabajando con esta
especie, se han documentado cinco sitios de distribuci6n hist6rica, to cual da un total de 24 sitios. Estas son
poblaciones de dace que no han sido monitoreadas desde 1980. Las evaluaciones de Ruby Valley, Butte Valley,
Steptoe Valley, Goshute Valley y Spring Valley no han sido completados.
RIO MUDDY (MOAPA) - Nuevamente se concentraron las evaluations en la distribuci6n y abundancia del
charal Moapa aleta redondeada, Gila robusta spp. Las poblaciones del charal y del springfish parecen estar muy
saludables. Despu6s de un serio incendio en el Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge, el Moapa dace, Moapa
coriacea, parece haber mantenido sus ndmeros en el area de Warm Springs.
EL SPINEDACE DEL RIO VIRGIN Lepidomeda mollispinis mollispinis - Despuds de las evaluaciones de 1994
se sostiene nuevamente que este pez no se encuentra en las aguas de Nevada. Las evaluaciones han sido hechas
consecutivamente por 5 afios sin 6xito. El NDOW esta cooperando en desarrollar un acuerdo de conservaci6n para
esta subespecie y el programa de peces nativos esta apoyando la planeaci6n inicial de reintroducciones
experimentales en habitats hist6ricos abajo del Reservorio Schroeder.
EL CHARAL TUI Gila bicolor - Colecciones de todas las poblaciones del charal Tui en Nevada fueron hechas
en 1994 y remitidas a la Universidad Dr. Phil Harris del Estado de Oregon. Bajo la direcci6n Dr. Douglas Markle,
t6cnicas de ADNmt seran usadas para evaluar la taxonomia del charal Tui en Nevada y describir la estructura
gen6tica de la poblaci6n.
SCHLESE".M. "ISELLE,P.V. (DMS -The Was Aquarium, Fair Park, Dallas, TX; PVL - The Aquarium for Wildlife Conservation, Surf Ave. and West 8th St..
Brooklyn, NY)
Maximizing options, minimizing regrets - The A.Z.A.
breeding program for endangered desert fishes
Maximizaci6n de options, minimizaci6n de lamentos - El programa A.Z.A.
de reproducci6n de peces en peligro del desierto
KEYWORDS: agency-public aquarium collaboration; captive breeding programs; cyprinodonts; goodeids; Mexican fishes; poeciliids;
reintroduction
ABSTRACT
Captive breeding programs have played a useful role in the conservation of endangered terrestrial organisms
and most zoos in North America have long been involved in such undertakings. The involvement of public aquaria
in comparable efforts on behalf of endangered aquatic organisms, by way of contrast, dates from a resolution passed
at the 1989 meeting of the Association of American Zoos and Aquariums, calling for the establishment of captive
breeding programs for the endangered fishes of Lake Victoria, the deserts of North America and the Appalachian
region. On the basis of input solicited at the 1989 meeting of the DFC, the desert fish program, focusing upon
species native to northern Mexico, was initiated later that year. Eight A.Z.A. member institutions initially opted
to participate in this program. That number has now increased to sixteen. In addition to maintaining breeding
populations of designated species, fourteen participants have committed display space to desert fishes and used such
exhibits to advocate conservation of their habitats.
The program initially included three endangered Xiphophorus and ten goodeid species already under culture
at the Aquarium for Wildlife Conservation in New York and the Belle Isle Aquarium in Detroit. A memorandum
of understanding signed in 1991 between the Aquarium for Wildlife Conservation and the Universidad Aut6noma
de Nuevo Le6n in Monterrey brought captive-bred founder stock of the Sandia Valley and El Potosi cyprinodonts
and of the goodeid Allotoca maculata from the Centro para la Reproduci6n de los Peces del Desierto en Peligro
de Extinci6n into the program. The Dallas Aquarium has played a key role on the large-scale propagation and
subsequent dissemination of these species. Seventeen Mexican fishes are currently being managed under breeding
protocols intended to promote long-term maintenance of genetic diversity.
The goal of this ex situ breeding program is reestablishment of viable populations of the species under culture
within their historic range. In the near term this seems unlikely for most of the Mexican species under management.
However, collaborative projects involving American species such as those undertaken by the Dallas Aquarium and
the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife to restore populations of Gambusia senilis, Cyprinodon pecosensis
and Cyprinodon eximius demonstrate that such a goal is attainable. The expertise and material resources that A.Z.A.
member institutions can contribute to the conservation of North American desert fishes are significant. As
-management-agencies come to appreciate value of their potential contributions to this endeavor, the number of such
joint projects should increase.
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