Cyprinodon nevadensis mionectes
Ash Meadows Amargosa pupfish-Endangered (Designated Critical Habitat in County)
Description:
This pupfish is a small fish with a chubby body. It has a greatly arched and rather compressed predorsal profile. It has a very long head and opercula, which are the gill coverings. Scale and fin-ray counts are low. The male is approximately 34mm (1.3 in.) long with the female smaller. The dorsal fin is posterior with its origin over or behind the pelvic area.
Habitat:
The Ash Meadows Amargosa pupfish can be found in pools and outflows of warm springs.
Range:
Confined to the warm springs of Ash Meadows, Amargosa Desert, Nye County, Nevada.
Breeding:
This pupfish breeds throughout the year, peaks in the spring and early summer (Matthews and Moseley 1990). Pupfish spawn on the bottom, laying only one egg at a time. In the spring pools, elaborate courtship displays occur. The male sidles up to the female, wraps his anal fin around her gynophore and fertilizes the egg as it is released. No parental care is involved after the egg is fertilized. Females spawn several to many times a day, not necessarily with the same male.
Diet:
These pupfish feed primarily on blue-green algae and some small invertebrates.
Conservation Status:
The population in some springs has been diminished by the introduction of crawfish and bullfrogs.
References:
LaRivers, I. 1952. A key to Nevada fishes. Southern California Academy Science Bulletin 52 (3).
LaRivers & Trelease. 1952. An annotated checklist of the fishes of Nevada. California Fish an Game 38 (1).
Matthews, J. R., and C. J. Moseley (editors). 1990. The Official World Wildlife Fund Guide to Endangered Species of North America. Volume 1. Plants, Mammals. xxiii + pp 1-560 + 33 pp. appendix + 6 pp. glossary + 16 pp. index. Volume 2. Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, Fishes, Mussels, Crustaceans, Snails, Insects, and Srachnids. xiii + pp. 561-1180. Beacham Publications, Inc., Washington, D.C.