Fish companions are found in several fish families, the larger being the catfish in the genera Ictalurus, represented by Ictalurus balsanus in the Balsas river and Ictalurus dugesi in the Rio Armeria. Livebearers are better represented, species of Allodontichthys, Ilyodon, Poecilia, Poeciliopsis and Xenotoca are common in the fish range (mostly in Rivers Coahuayana and Armeria) and Xenotaenia resolanae is located in Rio Ayuquila;Armeria, in Sierra de Manantlán. A minnow, Algansea aphanea, is also found in rivers Coahuayana and Armeria and the redhorse sucker Moxostoma austrinum in Rio Armeria. Goby genus Awaous, Sicydium, Dormitator, Eleotris and Gobiomorus are also present. The mullet so called "Fire land trout", Agonostomus monticola, and the tetra Axtyanax fasciatus, are also found in the whole range.
There are also many introduced species, African c*****d representatives like Tilapia rendalli and Oreochromis aureus are found in the whole range, introduced by the Mexican government as a dietary supplement for people in the region. North America is represented by Lepomis macrochirus, the bluegill, found in the Tequesquitengo lake and Herichthys cyanoguttatus in the same place and now in upper Amacuzac (Mistakenly described as a new species "Parapetenia cyanostigma" by Antonio Hernández Rolón in 1989). Also central America is represented in upper Rio Amacuzac by the recent introduction by hobbyists of Archocentrus nigrofasciatus that has bloomed, becoming a possible threat to 'Cichlasoma' istlanum populations.
I brought home 2 tetras, A. fasciatus (all I caught), 3 unidentified minnows, one "C." istlanum, one convict (I did not notice he got bagged), and 3 female Poecilia sphenops. I also caught lots of Poecilia turneri, but left them as I already have a pair that is producing 20 fry every 2 weeks like clockwork. I plan to set up a 45 gallon Mexico tank and collected lots of local plants to use. No goodeids yet.
Did some further research on C. istlanum and found it on a World's Top 10 list of most aggressive c*****ds. That would explain my problems. Torn between getting rid of it and growing it up as a big pet. Kind of like Jool's pike c*****d he kept from Venezuela. Might be nice to keep around with all these fecund livebearers as a population control mechanism.
-Shane
