Chris-
Who has reproduce C. diabolis fry, other than one fry once? I worked with
these fish two falls ago and I was under the impression that it was
extremely rare and reports of it happening were doubted. When were they
reproduced and raised to the point of developing pelvic fins?
The behavioral and genetic differences of the wild and 3 refugia populations
(Hoover dam, school springs and point of rocks) are being worked out. The
largest refugia male (point of rocks) I measured was 38 mm total length,
nearly twice the length of the hole's fish which rarely top 22mm tl. The
refugia fish have yet to develop pelvic fins but they do behave more like
their C. navadensis mionectes cousins because the large males hold
territories in the refugia where as in the hole there are never large males
and all spawners are random pairs scattering eggs here and there.
These populations are kept separate, they are just a back up and will never
be reintroduced into the hole unless there was a catastrophic even i.e.
extinction. As to displaying them, their numbers are so low and there is so
little public interest it is not worth risking the fish. A tank of 10 fish
is right around 2% of the TOTAL population, and the biologists that work
with them a just that biologist, not aquarists. You could display a C.n.
mionectes and most aquarists wouldn't know the difference let alone a member
of the general public.
Tanks
David Lains <}}}><
Research Assistant
Zebrafish International Resource Center
5274 University of Oregon
Eugene, Or 97403
Email: david_at_zfin.org
pH: (541) 346-6028 ext 18
fax: (541) 346-6151
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