''Cyprinodon nevadensis'' is a species of pupfish in the genus '' Cyprinodon''. The species is also known as the Amargosa pupfish, but that name may also refer to one subspecies, ''

Cyprinodon nevadensis amargosae The Amargosa River pupfish (''Cyprinodon nevadensis amargosae'') is a member of a pupfish species complex which inhabits the watershed of ancient Lake Manly (present day Death Valley in California, USA). Currently, the species inhabits two disju ...

''. All six subspecies are or were

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to very isolated locations in the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

Subspecies

* ''

'', the Amargosa River pupfish or Amargosa Pupfish, was originally endemic to two sections of the lower

Amargosa River The Amargosa River is an intermittent waterway, 185 miles (298 km) long, in southern Nevada and eastern California in the United States. It drains a high desert region, the Amargosa Valley in the Amargosa Desert northwest of Las Vegas, int ...

. In 1940, a population was introduced at River Springs in Mono County, California. Cyprinodon nevadensis (likely subspp

* '' Cyprinodon nevadensis calidae'', the

Tecopa pupfish The Tecopa pupfish (''Cyprinodon nevadensis calidae'') is an extinction, extinct subspecies of the Amargosa pupfish (''Cyprinodon nevadensis''). The small, heat-tolerant pupfish was endemism, endemic to the outflows of a pair of hot springs in th ...

, was declared

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

in 1981, and was the first taxon to be removed from the endangered species list by virtue of extinction. * ''

Cyprinodon nevadensis mionectes ''Cyprinodon'' is a genus of pupfishes found in waters that range from fresh to hypersaline. The genus is primarily found in Mexico, the Caribbean Islands and southern United States (Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma an ...

'', the Ash Meadows pupfish or Ash Meadows Amargosa pupfish, is listed as

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

under the

Endangered Species Act The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA or "The Act"; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of ec ...

. It is limited to Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada. * '' Cyprinodon nevadensis nevadensis'', the

Saratoga Springs pupfish The Saratoga Springs pupfish (''Cyprinodon nevadensis nevadensis'') is a subspecies of the Amargosa pupfish (''Cyprinodon nevadensis'') of the family Cyprinodontidae. The native population is endemic to Saratoga Springs, a small wetland in Deat ...

, was originally limited to Saratoga Springs in

Death Valley National Park Death Valley National Park is an American national park that straddles the California–Nevada border, east of the Sierra Nevada. The park boundaries include Death Valley, the northern section of Panamint Valley, the southern section of Eureka ...

. A population was introduced at

Lake Tuendae Lake Tuendae is an artificial pond at the Desert Studies Center in Zzyzx, California. It is inhabited by American Coot, mudhens as well as the endangered Mohave tui chub. See also *List of lakes in California References * * CA F ...<br></span></div> in <div class= Zzyzx, California Zzyzx ( ), formerly Soda Springs, is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California, within the boundaries of the Mojave National Preserve, managed by the National Park Service (NPS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Inter ...

, but it may not have survived there. * '' Cyprinodon nevadensis pectoralis'', th
Warm Springs pupfish
is also listed as endangered under the ESA. It is restricted to six springs near Devils Hole in Nevada. * ''

Cyprinodon nevadensis shoshone The Shoshone pupfish (''Cyprinodon nevadensis shoshone'') is a subspecies of ''Cyprinodon nevadensis'' from California in the United States. It is characterized by large scales and a "slab-sided," narrow, slender body, with the arch of the ventr ...

'', the

Shoshone pupfish The Shoshone pupfish (''Cyprinodon nevadensis shoshone'') is a subspecies of ''Cyprinodon nevadensis'' from California in the United States. It is characterized by large scales and a "slab-sided," narrow, slender body, with the arch of the ventr ...

, is listed as a Species of Concern by the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

. The fish is limited to Shoshone Spring, near the town of

Shoshone, California Shoshone is a census designated place (CDP) in Inyo County, California, United States. The population was 22 at the 2020 census, down from 31 at the 2010 census. The town was founded in 1910. Although small, it is notable as a southern gateway ...

, and possibly parts of the Amargosa River. The book Relicts of a Beautiful Sea by Christopher Norment is an exploration of the history of, and present challenges, faced by this group of fish taxa. Pupfish Castaways

References

nevadensis Fauna of the Mojave Desert Fish of the Western United States Freshwater fish of the United States Taxa named by Rosa Smith Eigenmann Taxa named by Carl H. Eigenmann Amargosa Desert Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex Fish described in 1889 {{Cyprinodontiformes-stub