Aquatic fauna

The Yucatecan guayacon and the dragonfly are two species that are usually found in the continental waters of Yucatan Peninsula. These species are closely linked to the frail and complex habitat where they belong.

They are very important due to their ability to control the populations of mosquitoes and other invertebrates; they are also environmental health indicators ¹. Such characteristics make them an ideal inhabitant of an ornamental freshwater pond.

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Dragonfly

Libélula Aeschna sp.

Familia/Family: Aeschnidae

Also known as turixes, its Mayan name, they belong to the order Odonata It has been estimated that in Mexico around 350 species of Odonata exist and in Yucatan there are around 60 species of this order ².

These insects have a worldwide distribution, even though there are several Mexican endemic species, none of them is properly from Yucatan. Their color can vary as well as their size which can be from 3.5 cm up to 7 cm ¹.

Most of them inhabit lentic aquatic systems ³ (waterbodies that remain static) and are considered general depredators because they can feed on both terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates ¹, and sometimes even fish in juvenile stages. This makes them key organism for the population dynamics of their preys ⁴.  

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Mosquito fish

Gambusia yucatana Familia/Family: Poeciliidae

Also known as mosquito fish, this small species (not bigger than (5.5 cm) is widely distributed in the Yucatan Peninsula ⁶, also in Veracruz, Chiapas, Guatemala and Belize. It feeds on several plant species ⁷ and invertebrates, the mosquito larvae are one of its favorite ⁶.

Because of this habit it has been used by governments all around the world for fighting diseases like Malaria, Chikunguya and Zika ⁵.  G. yucatana can be distinguished by its pigmented body, defined scales and their mottled fins ⁷, it lives in shoals just below the water surface, no deeper than 20 cm ⁷.