Golden Skiffia

This small splitfin, also known as the tiro dorado, is a member of the Goodeidae family found only in Mexico. Measuring up to 4.3 cm in length, the fish has a head shaped like a wedge and lips that curve upwards. Visitors looking for the Golden Skiffia will notice a distinct black crescent marking just in front of the tail on both sexes. Males appear bright gold with a gray tint, though this color is strongest during courtship. In contrast, females and younger fish are a gray-green shade with dark spots along their backs. Unlike many other fish, this species gives birth to live young after a gestation period of roughly 55 to 60 days, typically producing a brood of 10 to 15 offspring.

While the fish vanished from its natural range decades ago, conservationists recently released 1,200 individuals back into the Teuchitlán River in Jalisco. In these waters, the species prefers depths of no more than 0.5 m, living over substrates of silt, sand, and mud. It likely feeds along the river bottom, as its diet is primarily made up of pennate diatoms. The survival of the Golden Skiffia remains under pressure from heavy human activity along the riverbanks and water pollution. Additionally, the species faces intense competition from introduced platyfish, which have previously been found to outnumber the native skiffia by a factor of 50. Current recovery efforts involve restoring the damaged ecosystem and removing these non-native threats to help the new population grow.