Background/Question/Methods Invasive species are commonly cited as one of the top threats to global biodiversity. The IUCN Red List database indicated that invasives are contributing threats 292 extinct, extinct in the wild, critically endangered or endangered fishes. The aquarium trade is one of five main pathways by which aquatic species are introduced to a new location. Hemichromis guttatus, a popular ornamental cichlid native to West Africa, is one of these species having been introduced into an endemic hotspot in northern Mexico, the desert spring system Cuatro Cienegas, where it has established, is spreading and is in the process of becoming invasive. This site provides the opportunity to study an invasion in progress and to make predictions about to where H. guttatus may spread, and then to test these predictions. In this work, we asked what is the invasion risk of currently uninhabited sites within Cuatro Cienegas? To do this, we conducted a valley-wide survey of H. guttatus and collected data on the environmental characteristics at each trap site. We then used logistic regression to model which environmental characteristics were related to presence of the exotic and used these results to assign invasion risk to as-of-yet uninhabited sites throughout the valley. Results/Conclusions We found that the model that best predicted Hemichromis guttatus presence included pH, temperature2 (indicating a non-linear relationship between temperature and presence), depth and vegetation presence. However, only pH, temperature2 and vegetation presence were significant predictors, indicating a threshold level of depth below which presence is much more probable, yet under which, there is no clear pattern between depth and the probability of presence. Using these results, we were able to identify sites with a very high, high, moderate and low invasion risk in the valley. Generally, invasion risk declined as sites were further away from thermal spring inputs i.e., downstream in the large river system, and higher closer to these sites. Some sites with a high risk of invasion have surface connections to known presences of H. guttatus while others with a high invasion risk are more isolated, thus dispersal limitation could interact with the environmental characteristics of a site to slow unaided invasion into these more isolated sites. These results will be beneficial to reserve managers in terms of deciding how to prioritize where to use the limited resources available to them to combat the spread of H. guttatus in the valley.

Abstract The variable platyfish (Xiphophorus variatus), native to Gulf Coast drainages of northern Mexico, is a popular aquarium fish with a long history of introduction globally. We document the first Texas occurrence of this species, and its persistence in highly urban Waller Creek in the city of Austin since at least 2004. The population appears to be limited to Waller Creek, having not yet been found in neighboring creeks where similar habitat exists. We observed individuals in situ and in the lab surviving in 7°C water, well below published thermal minima, and report its persistence through one of the coldest winters in Austin's recorded history. Its persistence may be due to a combination of its cold tolerance and the presence of thermal refuges. In the lab we found that individuals purchased in a local pet store and individuals from Waller Creek had the same cold tolerance. , Resumen El pez espada de Valles (Xiphophorus variatus), nativo de las cuencas afluentes del golfo de México del norte de México, es una especie popular de acuario con una historia larga de introducciones globales. Aquí documentamos la primera ocurrencia de la especie en Texas y su persistencia en un arroyo urbano, Waller Creek en la ciudad de Austin, a partir de por lo menos 2004. La población parece limitada a Waller Creek porque aún no se ha encontrado en arroyos cercanos con hábitat similar. Observamos individuos in situ y en el laboratorio sobreviviendo en agua de 7°C, mucho más frio que la mínima tolerancia termal publicada, y reportamos su persistencia a través de uno de los inviernos más fríos en la historia de Austin. Su persistencia puede ser atribuida a una combinación de su tolerancia al frío y existencia de refugios termales. En el laboratorio, individuos comprados en una tienda local de acuario e individuos de Waller Creek mostraron la misma tolerancia al frío.

Since Barbour proposed sympatric speciation to explain evolution of silversides in the Lerma-Santiago basin, relatively little subsequent study has been done. We assessed foraging patterns of four sympatric silversides species (Chirostoma estor, Chirostoma grandocule, Chirostoma attenuatum and Chirostoma patzcuaro) in Lago de Pátzcuaro to understand resource partitioning and their sympatric coexistence. We assessed the abundance of invertebrate prey in three feeding habitats and measured physical and chemical habitat parameters at two study sites. Fish were collected during the wet (September 1987) and dry (March 1988) seasons; a total of 242 gut contents were analyzed. We evaluated the trophic guild of each species using the index of relative importance (IRI), prey selectivity with the Ivlev Electivity Index (E), dietary diversity using Shannon and Wiener diversity index (H’), and diet overlap using Morisita index. All silverside species were determined to be predaceous carnivores that feed mainly on nekton and periphyton. Dietary diversity and prey selectivity patterns were similar among species and diet overlap was \textgreater70%. Our data do not support the proposition that coexistence of these four fish species is maintained by dietary specialization. We hypothesize that sympatric coexistence of atherinopsids in Lago de Pátzcuaro is explained by food resource availability and ontogenetic variation in their diets. This study highlights the importance of analyzing ecological patterns and mechanisms as basic elements for designing conservation strategies of species flocks, especially under habitat loss and introduction of exotic species. Conservation efforts are urgent to preserve the rare evolutionary process of sympatric speciation (habitat segregation) that is occurring in other lakes in central Mexico, and probably already lost in the Lago de Pátzcuaro, as a result of poor management and inadequate conservation strategies.

Numerous published reports indicate that records of occurrence of Sharpnose Shiner, Notropis oxyrhynchus, in the Colorado River basin of Texas are the result of an introduction, though the species is clearly native in the adjacent Brazos River basin. We discovered previously mis-identified specimens of N. oxyrhynchus that extend the record of presence of the species in the Colorado basin much further back in time than previous authors realized, and conclude that the species was almost certainly native there. However, lack of the species in any of the many collections made in the basin over the last half century indicates a low probability that it still persists there.

Strategic conservation planning for broad, multi-species landscapes benefits from a data-driven approach that emphasizes persistence of all priority species populations and utilized landscapes, while simultaneously accounting for human uses. This study presents such an assessment for priority fishes of the Great Plains of the United States. Species distribution models for 28 priority fishes were created and incorporated into a prioritization framework using the open source software Zonation, accounting for species-specific connectivity needs and current fish habitat condition. Multiple additional assessments were then produced that i.) identify distinct species management units based on distance and compositional similarity of stream segments containing priority species, ii.) compare results of ranking species' conservation values at the local (state) and global scale, and iii.) provide 'bang-for-buck' perspectives, emphasizing richness of priority species, at state and major basin scales. Together, these analyses are intended to aid managers in effective allocation of conservation action with regards to imperiled fishes of the Great Plains. Implementation of a broad-scale multi-species approach such as this complements traditional reactive management and restoration by encouraging cooperation and coordination among stakeholders and partners, increasing efficiency of future monitoring and management efforts.