Devil's Hole pupfish
| Devils Hole pupfish | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cyprinodontiformes |
| Family: | Cyprinodontidae |
| Genus: | Cyprinodon |
| Species: | C. diabolis |
| Binomial name | |
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Cyprinodon diabolis Wales, 1930 |
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The Devils Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis) is a species of fish native to Devils Hole, a geothermal aquifer-fed pool within a limestone cavern, in the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge east of Death Valley. It has been described as the world's rarest fish, with a population of fewer than 200 since 2005.Genetic analysis indicates that the species evolved at the same time the cavern opened up to the surface, about 60,000 years ago.
The pupfish have been protected since being declared an endangered species in 1967. Conflicts over the ownership and use of the groundwater around Devils Hole caused litigation in the 1980s. The litigation triggered further protections of the pupfish. However, since the late 1990s, the pupfish population has substantially decreased. The reasons for the decrease are unknown. Attempts to establish refuge populations of the pupfish through 2013 have failed.
The Devils Hole pupfish is the smallest desert pupfish species in the genus Cyprinodon.
Devils Hole pupfish are less than 25 mm (1 in) long and resemble other pupfish in shape. They are the smallest of the desert pupfish species, averaging 19 mm (0.75 in) in length. They lack pelvic fins and have large heads and long anal fins. Breeding males are solid deep blue and have a black band on the caudal fin.
There are a number of pupfish species scattered near Death Valley. Earlier pluvial (wet) periods allowed colonization of present sites; subsequent xeric (dry) conditions served to isolate the aquatic habitats, with the result that the inhabiting organisms have differentiated and evolved into the relict species found today.
The Devils Hole pupfish is considered an annual species, with the historic spring populations ranged between 150 and 250; while the autumn population grew to 400–500 individuals.
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Wikipedia