The desert dace (''Eremichthys acros'') is a rare

cyprinid Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family. It includes the carps, the true minnows, and relatives like the barbs and barbels. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family and the largest ver ...

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...

known only from the warm springs and creeks of Soldier Meadow in western

Humboldt County, Nevada Humboldt County is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 17,285. It is a largely rural county that is sparsely populated with the only major city being Winnemucca which has a population of 8,431. Humb ...

, USA. It is the only member of the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

genus ''Eremichthys''. The species is also notable for its ability to live in waters as warm as 38 °C (100 °F). It is the sole member of its genus ''Eremichthys''. A small species, not known over 7.7 cm in length, it is olive green above and silvery below, with vaguely mottled sides that flash with yellow reflections. There is some blackish spotting and a deep green streak along and above the lateral line. Dorsal and anal fins are usually eight-rayed. It feeds on small invertebrates, mainly insects, and eats some algae. The desert dace has been classified as vulnerable since 1996, due to the combination of limited distribution and adaptation to its unusual habitat. Threats include the introduction of

goldfish The goldfish (''Carassius auratus'') is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It is commonly kept as a pet in indoor aquariums, and is one of the most popular aquarium fish. Goldfish released into the wild have bec ...

and

largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, bu ...

''Micropterus salmoides'' into a reservoir connected to the springs, as well as the popularity of the warm springs for bathing.William F. Sigler and John W. Sigler, ''Fishes of the Great Basin'' (Reno: University of Nevada Press, 1987), pp. 159–160

References

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USGS page on status of desert dace, with picturesFish & Wildlife Service species profile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q585850 Desert dace Desert dace Fish of the Eastern United States Freshwater fish of the United States Fauna of the Great Basin Desert dace Desert dace Desert dace Fish described in 1948 ESA threatened species