Jose Luis Ponce de Leon

The project aims are to asses the current conservation status of three local endemic species of the family Poeciliidae in western Cuba and to publish a pocket field guide of Cuban species of this family.

Ecological knowledge is essential for biodiversity conservation, especially for potentially endangered species. More than 90 % of Cuban Poeciliidae species are endemic, and near 40% of them are locally restricted. Their basic ecology and current populations conservation status is unknown. Freshwater fish communities are decreasing because of water pollution and introduced species. Many endemic species are being lost without any knowledge about them. Girardinus is a Cuban endemic genus belonging to the Poeciliidae family (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes). It comprises seven species; three of them are strictly limited to the mountain streams of Sierra del Rosario, a Biosphere Reserve located in western Cuba (G. creolus, G microdactylus and G. uninotatus). These habitats are very sensitive during the dry season, in which the fish’s populations are confined to small remaining pools.

This is a one year research project about freshwater fish ecology, starting in January 2009. This project pursues to gather basic ecological information about life history of these three local endemic species of the family Poeciliidae; in the light of contribute to their conservation. It will include field trips in dry and rainy season to their described distribution localities. The year round relationships of fish population and communities’ dynamics with biotic and non biotic factors in streams will be studied.

Pareja típica de G. punctata. Macho arriba; hembra debajo.

We will also identify their main threats and propose management actions, if need, to local and national conservation authorities. Field and lab work will tribute to scientific publications about life history and conservation status of three local endemics Girardinus species and a pocket field guide of Cuban members of the family Poeciliidae. This will be the first field guide for this group of fishes in Cuba. It will be distributed through the National System of Protected Areas and will be very useful to design conservation actions and monitoring activities on endemic populations of Poeciliidae species and their habitat in and out protected areas of Cuba.