Corresponding author: Topiltzin Contreras-MacBeath ( topis@uaem.mx ) © Topiltzin Contreras-MacBeath, Masiel Moreno Romero, Humberto Mejia Mojica, Juan Manuel Rivas González, Juan Carlos Sandoval Manríquez, Juan Alberto Hernández Arias, Enrique González Gavito. This is an open access preprint distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Citation:
Contreras-MacBeath T, Moreno Romero M, Mejia Mojica H, Rivas González JM, Sandoval Manríquez JC, Hernández Arias JA, González Gavito E (2025) The fish assemblage of a Mexican protected spring system dominated by invasive fishes. ARPHA Preprints. https://doi.org/10.3897/arphapreprints.e160806 |
Springs, as sensitive freshwater ecosystems, are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic factors such as water extraction, pollution, and climate change. Las Estacas spring in Central Mexico, managed as a water park within a state reserve, serves as an ideal space for environmental education and conservation efforts. Snorkel surveys identified 14 fish species, with 70% being invasive and most of these come from ornamental fish. The fish assemblage was dominated by Xiphophorus helleri and Amatitlania nigrofasciata with 23% and 21% of the sample respectively, followed by two native species Poecilia sphenops and Astyanax mexicanus with 15% each aquaculture. To address this, a rewilding project is now in place, with the goal to establish a fish assemblage dominated by native species through habitat management, invasive species control, native species introduction, and education.