[2] First described in 1987,[3] it was once endemic only to the Ameca River basin in the Mexican state of Jalisco.

[5] Its specific name honors American ichthyologist William A. Gosline for his research on cyprinodontoid fish.

[3] A. goslinei inhabited small pools that feed into the Ameca River, preferring to reside in still, shallow waters beneath algae and floating plants.

[3] With only one known population located in a single tributary of the Ameca River, A. goslinei is an evolutionarily significant unit.

Small captive populations exist in Mexico, the United States, and Europe.