Girardinus

Girardinus
G. metallicus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Poeciliidae
Tribe: Girardini
Genus: Girardinus
Poey, 1854
Type species
Girardinus metallicus
Poey, 1854[1]

Girardinus is a genus of poeciliids native to Cuba. The name of this genus honours the French zoologist Charles Frédéric Girard for his work on the freshwater fish of North America.[2]

Girardinus is endemic (restricted) to Cuba, where it occurs both on the main island and the Isla de la Juventud. Western Cuba contains the highest number of species and is considered the origin of the genus. Girardinus does not occur in central Cuba south of the Sancti Spíritus district nor in several eastern areas, including the short river systems south of the Sierra Maestra and west of Sagua-Baracoa. The speciation in Girardinus may be driven by Cuba's karst topography, in which rivers are interrupted by waterfalls or vanish underground for several kilometers. All Girardinus species except G. creolus extend beyond the upper stream reaches.[3]

The evolutionary history of Cuba's freshwater systems can be effectively traced through Girardinus, whose ecological restriction to fresh water, occurrence on two geologically dated islands, island-wide distribution, and relatively high diversity make it a far more informative model than other Antillean freshwater fish. The sister genus to Girardinus is Quintana, likewise a Cuban endemic.[3] Carlhubbsia from Central America has also been proposed as a sister genus, but this relationship has been disproven by genetic analyses.[4][3]

It has been posited that the ancestor of modern Girardinus crossed a land bridge from the eastern Yucatan Peninsula to Cuba during the Upper Miocene–Pliocene, and that the ancestral species resembled G. creolus[5][6] Alternatively, poeciliids may have colonized the Antilles from South America via GAARlandia.[3]

Species

FishBase lists seven species in this genus:[7]

An eighth species, Girardinus rivasi,[3] is alternatively considered synonymous with G. microdactylus.[8]

References

  1. ^ Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Girardinus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  2. ^ Christopher Scharpf; Kenneth J. Lazara (26 October 2019). "Order CYPRINODONTIFORMES: Families POECILIIDAE, ANABLEPIDAE, VALENCIIDAE, APHANIIDAE and PROCATOPODIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e Doadrio, Ignacio; Perea, Silvia; Alcaraz, Lourdes; Hernandez, Natividad (2009). "Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of the Cuban genus Girardinus Poey, 1854 and relationships within the tribe Girardinini (Actinopterygii, Poeciliidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 50 (1). Elsevier BV: 16–30. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2008.09.014. ISSN 1055-7903.
  4. ^ Hrbek, Tomas; Seckinger, Jens; Meyer, Axel (2007). "A phylogenetic and biogeographic perspective on the evolution of poeciliid fishes". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 43 (3). Elsevier BV: 986–998. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.06.009. ISSN 1055-7903.
  5. ^ Rivas, Luis Rene (1958). "The Origin, Evolution, Dispersal, and Geographical Distribution of the Cuban Poeciliid Fishes of the Tribe Girardinini". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 102 (3). American Philosophical Society: 281–320. ISSN 0003-049X. JSTOR 985577. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
  6. ^ Rodriguez, Lucrecia H.; Du-Bouchet, Alejandro; Smith, Michael Leonard (1992). "Phylogenetic Position of the Cuban Poeciliid Fish, Girardinus creolus (Cyprinodontiformes)". Copeia. 1992 (2). [American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH), Allen Press]: 474–477. ISSN 0045-8511. JSTOR 1446207. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
  7. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Girardinus". FishBase. August 2012 version.
  8. ^ "Girardinus rivasi Barus & Wohlgemuth, 1994". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2025-12-28.
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