Projected US distributions of transgenic and wildtype zebra danios, Danio rerio, based on temperature tolerance data

A genetically modified version of the south Asian, zebra danio, Danio rerio, a common aquarium fish, has become the first transgenic pet sold in the USA. Mean chronic lethal maxima of wildtype (39.8 °C, n=16n=16) and transgenic (39.3 °C, n=10n=10) zebra danios initially acclimated to 30 °C were statistically (but not dramatically) different as were mean chronic lethal minima of wildtype (5.3 °C, n=16n=16) and transgenic (5.6 °C, n=20n=20) zebra danios initially acclimated to 20 °C. These temperature tolerance values were used to estimate potential geographic distributions of the two varieties in the USA. Distributions of these D. rerio varieties in the USA should not be limited by their upper temperature tolerances, and low-temperature tolerance data suggest that both varieties are capable of overwintering in some southern and western US waters.