Xiphophorus gordoni

Xiphophorus gordoni  Miller & Minckley, 1963

Affiliation: northern platyfish

IUCN status: endangered

Distribution: endemic to Cuatro Ciénegas desert valley in Coahuila, Mexico; specifically restricted to Laguna Santa Tecla system

Known locations (existing/former): 1/1

Habitat description: shallow waters with muddy bottom and aquatic or semi-aquatic vegetation; inflow and outflow of Laguna Santa Tecla, ditches and marshes around the lagoon including artificial channel; moderately flowing and well oxygenated water with stable temperature around 29-30 °C

Biotope reports:

• none yet

Description: Small-bodied platyfish, with males reaching up to 3,5 cm and females up to 4 cm in total length. The species exhibits a grayish base coloration, complemented by a prominent horizontal (zig-zag) black stripe along the body. Additionally, individuals display a subtle bluish iridescence, enhancing their overall appearance.

Variability: Limited variability observed; generally uniform in coloration.

XWG status: actively managed, very low number of individuals

Represented in aquaria: Rarely; populations maintained almost exclusively within specialized conservation breeding initiatives, primarily scientific institutions and carefully managed captive breeding programs.

Known issues:

• Susceptibility to diseases, particularly bacterial infections (e.g., Mycobacterium spp.).
• Reproductive challenges in captivity, including periods of unexplained reproductive cessation.

Known collections or populations: basically all fish come from the single locality, but collection details are unknown

Remarks:

• This species is managed within the project “Xiphophorus – Northern Platyfish” under the guidance of the Austrian Association for Vivaristics and Ecology (ÖVVÖ).
• It is also managed in the Ex situ programme for the family Poeciliidae of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).
• Pronatura Noreste, a Mexican NGO, is managing insurance population in privately owned restored habitat within Cuatro Ciénegas. 400 founding individuals for this insurance population were transferred from Laguna Santa Tecla in 2020.