Genus · Livebearers

Xenotoca

Xenotoca is a genus with 5 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Livebearers section, recorded from Mexico. Adult sizes run from 2 in to 3 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
5
Adult sizes
2–3 in
IUCN assessed
5 of 5 · 4 threatened
Recorded from
Mexico

About the genus

Xenotoca is a genus of livebearing splitfins in family Goodeidae, endemic to central Mexico. Like other goodeids, they are viviparous, giving birth to free-swimming young nourished in the womb through a placenta-like structure rather than a yolk sac, and most species are confined to small, isolated springs, streams, and lakes on the Mexican highland plateau.

The redtail splitfin (Xenotoca eiseni) is the genus's best-known aquarium species, long kept for its peaceful schooling behavior and the males' vivid orange-red tail band, and it remains a mainstay of the livebearer and goodeid-keeping hobby. The rest of the genus - the San Marcos redtail splitfin (X. doadrioi), Tamazula redtail splitfin (X. lyonsi), black splitfin (X. melanosoma), and jeweled splitfin (X. variata) - is far more range-restricted and far more threatened: the atlas tallies two Critically Endangered and two Endangered species against a single Least Concern one, with four species flagged for CARES conservation priority. That pattern reflects a broader goodeid decline across the Mexican highlands, driven by spring depletion, introduced predatory fish, and habitat loss.

IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered · 2 Endangered · 2 Least Concern · 1CARES 4 on the priority list

The 5 species

Every Xenotoca recorded in this atlas. Each card links to a full researched profile — distribution, water parameters, and aquarium care, cited to primary sources. 2 have hobbyist breeding reports (◉).

Domínguez-Domínguez, Bernal-Zuñiga & Piller, 2016

San Marcos Redtail Splitfin, Mexclapique de San Marcos

2 in SL · CR CARES

(Rutter, 1896)

Redtail splitfin, Mexclapique cola roja

3 in SL · EN CARES

Domínguez-Domínguez, Bernal-Zuñiga & Piller, 2016

Tamazula Redtail Splitfin, Mexclapique de Tamazula

2 in SL · CR CARES

Fitzsimons, 1972

Black splitfin, Mexcalpique negro

3 in TL · EN CARES

(Bean, 1887)

Jeweled splitfin, Pintada

3 in TL · LC

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Xenotoca. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/xenotoca/

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