Tecopa pupfish
| Tecopa pupfish | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cyprinodontiformes |
| Family: | Cyprinodontidae |
| Genus: | Cyprinodon |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | †C. n. calidae
|
| Trinomial name | |
| †Cyprinodon nevadensis calidae R. R. Miller, 1948
| |
The Tecopa pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis calidae) is an
Taxonomy
The Tecopa pupfish is member of the genus
C. n. calidae was first described as a subspecies in 1948 by
Other local Cyprinodons include the
Description and behavior
The fish were about 1–1.5 inches (2.5–4 cm) in length. The
C. n. calidae primarily ate cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Invertebrates such as mosquito larvae provided occasional nutrition.[7] The fish were capable of surviving water temperatures of 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 °C)[8] or more.[9]
Decline and extinction
Tecopa Hot Springs lies at an elevation of 1,411 feet (430 m), about 2 miles north of the town of Tecopa in Inyo County, California.[10] The outflows of the two hot springs are tributaries of the Amargosa River, and were the only place where C. n. calidae existed.[8]
The popularity of the springs in the 1950s and 1960s led to the extensive alteration of the pupfishes' habitat. During the construction of bathhouses, the hot spring pools were enlarged and the outflows diverted.[9] In 1965, the outflows of the northern and southern hot springs were re-channeled and merged. The resulting swifter currents caused downstream water temperatures to rise above a level to which the pupfish were adapted.[8] Modifications also allowed the related Amargosa River pupfish (C. n. amargosae) to migrate upstream from the Amargosa River and hybridize with the Tecopa pupfish.[9]
In 1966, Miller found that the population at Tecopa Hot Springs was nearly extinct. A population was found at a reservoir at a nearby motel two years later, but its smaller scales suggested that it may have already hybridized with the
The last confirmed specimens of C. n. calidae were collected on February 2, 1970, and the subspecies was probably extinct by the next year.
References
- ^ NatureServe. 2013. Cyprinodon nevadensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T62210A15362971. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T62210A15362971.en. Accessed on 20 August 2023.
- ^ "Cyprinodon nevadensis calidae. NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- California Department of Fish and Game. Archived from the original(PDF) on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
- ^ a b Noecker, Robert J. (5 January 1998). "98-32: Endangered Species List Revisions: A Summary of Delisting and Downlisting" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
- ^ Saar, John; Adelson, Suzanne (21 December 1981). "The Tecopa Pupfish Is An Endangered Species No More—Now It's Extinct". People. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
- ^ "Cyprinodon nevadensis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
- ^ a b Endangered wildlife of California. California Department of Fish and Game. pp. 42–43.
- ^ a b c d Levitt, Alan (18 November 1981). "TECOPA PUPFISH DECLARED EXTINCT--REMOVED FROM ENDANGERED LIST" (PDF) (Press release). United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2012.
- ^ hdl:2027.42/141989. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
- ^ "Tecopa Hot Springs". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ Miller, Robert R. (1969). "Conservation of Fishes of the Death Valley System in California and Nevada" (PDF). The Western Section of The Wildlife Society. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
- ^ Levitt, Alan (3 July 1978). "EXTINCTION TO REMOVE FISH FROM ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST" (PDF) (Press release). United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2012.