Extinctions are occurring at an unprecedented rate as a consequence of human activities. Vertebrates constitute the best-known group of animals, and thus the group for which there are more accurate estimates of extinctions. Among them, freshwater fishes are particularly threatened and many species are declining. Here we report the extinction of an endemic freshwater fish of Mexico, the Catarina pupfish Megupsilon aporus, the sole species of the genus Megupsilon. We present a synopsis of the discovery and description of the species, the threats to, and degradation of, its habitat, and the efforts to maintain the species in captivity before it became extinct in 2014. The loss of the Catarina pupfish has evolutionary and ecological implications, and highlights the crisis of freshwater fish extinctions. It is a warning of the likely fate of more than 200 freshwater fish species threatened with extinction in Mexico. To save these species, the country urgently needs a national strategy to articulate a bold conservation effort, with better policies on ecosystem management and water use.

中文翻译：

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Catarina pupfish Megupsilon aporus 的灭绝及其对墨西哥淡水鱼保护的影响

由于人类活动，灭绝正在以前所未有的速度发生。脊椎动物构成了最著名的动物群，因此对灭绝的估计更为准确。其中，淡水鱼类尤其受到威胁，许多物种正在减少。在这里，我们报告了墨西哥特有的淡水鱼 Catarina pupfish 的灭绝孔雀麦, 该属的唯一种麦格普西隆。我们简要介绍了该物种的发现和描述、对其栖息地的威胁和退化，以及在 2014 年灭绝之前保持该物种被圈养的努力。卡塔琳娜幼鱼的丧失具有进化和生态影响，并强调了淡水鱼类灭绝的危机。这是对墨西哥 200 多种淡水鱼类可能面临灭绝威胁的警告。为了拯救这些物种，该国迫切需要一项国家战略，以大胆的保护努力，在生态系统管理和水资源利用方面制定更好的政策。