Allodontichthys zonistius (Hubbs 1932 )
By: Richard C. Griffiths
This is the first member of the genus described, though it is alphabetically the last. It is one of the highland species and was described by Dr. Carl Hubbs in “Studies of the Fishes of the Order Cyprinodontes. 11. Zoogoneticus zonistius, a New Species form Colima, Mexico,” Copeia 1932, No. 2, p. 68-71. While discovered in 1932, it was not imported as an aquarium fish into 1984 when Dr. Radda imported this fish into Europe. Since then it has had a limited distribution.
The males reach 4.5 cm. in length, and the females slightly larger, to 5 cm. Their body is elongate and similar to the Ilyodon, and for this reason raises the question for some ichthiologyis as to whether the fish should be in this genus, or the genus Ilyodon
The color of this fish is an overall brown with more showing on the top, with darker brown stripes along the side (usually more than 12 stripes) which meld into one another from mid point to the caudal peduncle. The species name, zonistius, is from the Latin and is in reference to these bands, or zones, on the side of the fish. In good lighting the basic brown body gives way to purple and silver while the head is more golden colored (along with some green). The dorsal has five black bands, and the pectoral fin has a number of round black spots above and behind it.
It comes from water which is slow moving and warn, 23-26oC. As is typical for this family, few young are produced at one time. The current record for the number of young bred is 14 by Bob McKeand. Gestation is typically long, somewhere between 55 and 60 days. The young are typically self sufficient upon birth, but care should be taken to provide them with sufficient surface cover and food. Repetitive feedings of baby brine shrimp and vegetable matter provide rapid growth for this species.
There are two synonyms for this species:
Zoogoneticus zonistius Hubbs, 1932
Alloophorus zonistius Turner, 1937
The meristic data for the species is
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Dorsal:
13
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Anal:
14
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Pectoral
14
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Lateral Line:
40
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Ventral
6
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Recommended Reading
Griffiths, R. C., & Langhammer, J.K., 1993. Recommended Common Names for Freshwater Livebearing Fish. Special Publication No. 7. American Livebearer Association.
Grudzien, T. A. and B. J. Turner. 1984. “Generic Identity and Geographic Differentiation of Trophically Dichotomous Ilyodon (Teleostei: Goodeida)”. Copeia(1), pp. 102-107.
Meyer, M. K. et al. 1985. Lebendgebarende Zierfische: Arten Der Welt. MERGUS-Verlag, West Germany.
Turner, B. , et. Al, 1983. “Evolutionary Genetics of Trophic Differentiation in Goodeid Fishes of the Genus Ilyodon,” Environmental Bilogy of Fishes, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 159-172.
Uyeno, T., R. R. Miller, and J. M. Fitzsimons. 1983. “Karyology of the cyprinodontoid fishes of the Mexican family Goodeidae”. Copeia 1983(2): 497-510.
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