Geographic Variation in Morphology of a Spring-Dwelling Desert Fish, Gambusia nobilis (Poeciliidae)

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Abstract
The Pecos gambusia, Gambusia nobilis (Baird and Girard), is endemic to the Pecos River drainage of west Texas and southeast New Mexico. Principal components analyses of meristic and mensural data indicate three subsets among the 11 populations of G. nobilus examined: 1) the Blue Spring, New Mexico, population, 2) the Texas populations from Comanche Springs (now extinct) and three springs (Phantom Lake, Giffin, and East Sandia) in the Toyah Creek drainage near Balmorhea, and 3) the populations in the Roswell area of New Mexico and the Leon Creek drainage of Texas which are morphologically intermediate between subsets 1 and 2. These morphologically defined subsets cannot be associated with any obvious environmental feature, and they show little geographic cohesiveness. For these reasons, subspecific designations seem unwarranted. The populations most critical to maintaining present morphological variation are those in three springs of the Toyah Creek drainage, Texas, and the one in Blue Spring, New Mexico.

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