THE EVOLUTIONARY AND ECOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE FISH FAUNA OF THERIO LERMA.BASIN, MEXICO \ by Michael Leonalfd Smith A dissertation sUbmitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Zoology) in. The University of Michigan . 1980 Doctoral Committee: Professor Robert Rush Miller -Assistant Professor Susan Soltau Kilham Associate Professor Gerald R. Smith Associate Professor Bruce H. Wilkinsdin RULES REGARDING THE USE OF MICROFILMED DISSERTATIONS MicroWlmed or bound copies of 'doctoral-dissertations submitted to The University of Michigan and made available through University Micro- films International or The University of Michigan are open -for inspection, but they are to.b u ed only with due regard for the rights of the author.. Extensive copying of th dissertation or publication of material in excess of standard copyright limiAs, whether or not the dissertation has been • copyrighted, must have been approved by the author as well as by the Dean of the Graduate School. Proper, credit must be given to the author if "any material frO"-m„, the dissertation is used in subsequent written or published • work. • . ACKNOWLEDGMENTS am grateful to . Drs. Susan Soltau Kilham, Rohlert Rush Miller, Qerald R. Smith and Bruce H. Wilkinson for service on my doctoral clOmMittee and improvement of my dissertation and to John Vandermeer for p-articipAion in my oral examination. Dr. Miller has provided me with much more than academic guidance; he Has taken considerable care to see that I was provided with financial/aupport while I Was a graduate student. My.graduate education would not have been possible without his •stippor€. I am grateful to Dr. Miller for various. research ' experiences including many field trips and to him 'arid Dr. Smith for opportunities to collaborate with them. It is also appropriate to thank Dr. Karl F. Lagler who enriched my background' in tropical and marine environment!s. Dr. Reeve M. Bailey has given advic'e on nomenclature. • The staff and students of the nuseum.of Zoology have Ilped me ing many ways. Peggy Lubahn, Mark Orser1„: and Kan a Steelqurst gave advice regarding layout, graphics, drawing and photography. Ellie Baker,.Koon and Marvel Parrington have proce'ssed much material and. helped me keep track of things .in general. When I was a • beginnin graduate student groping for ideas, Clyde Barbour provided inspiration. I have benefitted from discussions with him and Betty Lou Brett, Barry Chernoff, Julian Humphries, Dolores Kingston and Phil Yant.- Ken Nicholls provided help in many aspects of . production. Keary Campbell made the photographs in figures S, 7, 13, 18, 22 and 23. For assistance in the field I thank BarrysChernoff, Robie Howard ZUlian. an Humphries, Ellie Baker Koon, Edie Marsh Robert Miller, David Sbltt and,BrUce Turner. I especially acknowledge Ellie whose aLlity to pick tiny bones from a screen . iias greatly added to knowledge of 'Mexican fossil fishes. I thank Frances H. Miller for help.,in preparation for fied trips and , 'advice on logistiCS:' - This dissertation was enhanCed by teaching and research appointments in the Division of Biological Sciences and research appointments under NSF grants 015829 and '01109 to R.R. Miller. A Scott Tuner Award in carth Scidnce supported field .work. I acknowledge the cooperation of T. Downs and C. Swift,* Natural History Mtiseum of Los. Aneles County, in making material and notes available for studl',. W.I. Follett graciously allowed me to take over study of material in which he had a prior interest. - Special thanks are due to Drs. Jorge Carranza Fraser, iv Instituto Nacion'al de Pesca, and'Ismael Ferrusquia- Villafranca, instituto Nacional de Geologla, for arranging permission to conduct field work in.Mexico. Field work was conducted under permit numbers 3616 and 6243. , • PREFACr "Lack one lacks- both, and the-unseen is proYed by the seen, Till 'that becomes unseen, • and receives proof in its turn." -Walt Whitman, 1855 Leaves of-Grass -- -- An underlyina rationale.of this study is'that living organisms cannot 1;-e fully understood without reference to inferred past events. The basic'operational principle of- paleoecology is that an understanding of the ecology of fossil organisms can be derived from kndwledge of living plants and animals, but the converse may also be true. It'should be possible to interpret many Ciaaracteristics of present biotas from' the fossil record. teatures of \ biotas, which we regard as - characteristic and which may have been recorded for a few hundred years, may seem , 0 • • , very fixed, but "the fossil record may suggest\that they are only passing phases which would not even be 'recorded in the rocks" .(Ager, 1963). Paleontological data should be of interest to , ecologists as a source of DerspeCtisves not otherwise, available. For example, paleontological data Occasionally provide insight into situations which have no modern analogues, such as revegetation of large, newly deglaciated recions far from seed sources. The most vi general perspective of paleontological data is that of - time. Ecological topics are dynamic and irivolv". history which interplays with the present. Many ecological studies co id achie-7 a historical perspective by extension into past. Nonetheless, ecologists ' often hesitate to tilize paleontological data. Factors contributing to thi situation include the uncertainties. of fossil ta'xonomy, the difficulties of working with fragmentary remains; and the tendency toward compartmentali'zation in science.- The third of these - factors may be the most' effective today; recent work (reviewed, for example, by Miller, 1965;; Taylor, 1965: Cooe,.,.l97OY has reduced the importance of the others. This study is concerned with ,a fish fauna. It 1 delves into the fossil history of the fauna not so much to learn what fish indicate about the past as to ledrn what the past can tell about fish. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS'' DEDICATION- .............................. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS - ...... , . iii PREFACE ............................................ vi LIST OF- TABLES . xi LIST OF. FIGURES .................................... CHAPTER 'I. INTRODUCTI N - ... 1 Fossil Fish Collections and Localities Comparative Material Terminology and Abbreviations Theoretical Considerations Evolutionary Paleoetology Identification of Fossils — Paleontology of the Present Synthesis S • . II. GEOLOGY OF THE FOSSIL LOCALITIES . 28 Tectonic Setting Regional Geolog . The Western Mesa Central The Chapala Formation The -Atotonilco-Zatoalco Basin Santa Rosa. III. FOSSIL FISHES OF THE LERMA RIVER BASIN . 49 Family 'Salmonidae // Genus Rhabdofario Cope Rhabdofario rugosus n. unidentified aalmonid TaMily Catostomidae. Genus Moxostoma Rafinesque. Moxostoma cf 1. robustum species group Moxostoma ammophilum,n. sp.' viii - Family Cyprinidae Genus Yuriria Jordan.and Snyder YTIPITTg.alta 7 (Jordan). Yuriria elliana n. sp. Gents Algansea Girard , Algansea .tincella'(Valenciennes) Algansea milleri n. Algansea popoche (Jordan and Snyder) Family Ictaluridae Genus Ictalurus Rafinesque Ictalurus.spodius n. sp. Ictalurus dugesi Bean • Family Goodeidae Genus Tapatia Alvarez and Arriola Tapatia occidentalis Alvarezi and Arriofa 'Genus Ameca Miller and Fitzsimons Ameca splendens Miller and. Fitzsimons Genus Chapalichthys Meek Chapalichthys encaustus (Jordan arid Snyder) •, • 'Genus Alloophorus Hubbs and Turner Alloophorus robustus (Bean)* Genus Goodea Jordan Goodva cf. C: atripinnis Jordan Genus Xenotoca Hubbs and:Turne Xenotoca sp. Goodeidae, incertae sedis Family Atherinidae Genus Chirostoma Swainson .Chirostoma cf. C. lucids Boulenger Chirostoma cf. C prome as Jordan and Snyder Chirostoma sp. • Chirostoma, indeterminate species Family Centrarchidae. Genus Micropterus1Lacepede Micropterus -relictus Cavender and - Smith IV. DISCUSSION 150 Zbogeographic. Affinities of the Lerma4aun - Faunistic Assemblages-. Bioge6graphic Tracks . Pacific Coastal Track -WestPrn Mountp.An Track • Lerma-Rid Gralla4,Track Endemic Groups, Sequence of. Tracks Paleohydrography of the Western Mesa Central Climatic History BIBLIOGRAPHY S 179 4 • s dt, LIST OF TABLES 1. Generic groupirigs within the,family.Goodeidae based on the ovarian and trophotaenial characteristics of Hubbs and Turner (1939) ...................... 104 2. .Zoogeographic affinities of fossil fishes ot the western Mesa Central. 152 3. Matrix showing geographical occurrences of fossil fishes 'and their relatives in western Central Mexico. ......... 167 z xi 1.• LIST OF FIGURES 1. The Lerma-Santi go- river system of Central Mexico . • •• ........... 2. Fossil fish localities in the western Mesa Central... 1 .• .. 6 3. Physiographic regions of Mexico ................ 32 4. Localities in the Chapala basin ................ 37 - 5. .Bones of Rhabdofario rugo'sus n. sp. ............ 53 6. catter diagram of maxillae of Mexican Moxostoma 59 * •7. Bones, of Mexican Moxostoma .................... 62 8... Bones. t of Moxostoma from Jocotepec Quarry . 64. 9. Pharyngeal arches of Yuriiia .................. 71 10. Dentaries of Yuriria .......................... 73 ' 11. Cyprinid buries from Jocotepec Quarry .......... 20 .12. Dentaries of Algahsea .......................... 87 13. Skulls of ICtalurus from the Chapala basin . 95' 14. Bones of Ictalurus ............................ 97 15. Palatopterygoid arch of Goodea atripinnis. 106. 16. Two types of jaws and jaw suspension in the Goodeidae ...................................... 109 17. Comparison of articular-angulars of Characodon and