Shoshone pupfish

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Shoshone pupfish
Shoshone Pupfish.jpg
Status TNC T1.svg
Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Cyprinodontidae
Genus: Cyprinodon
Species:
C. nevadensis
Subspecies:
C. n. shoshone
Trinomial name
Cyprinodon nevadensis shoshone

The Shoshone pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis shoshone) is a subspecies of Amargosa pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis) from California in the United States. [2] [3] They are spring-dwelling fish, endemic to Shoshone Springs on the outskirts of Shoshone, Inyo County, California. [4] [5] In 1969, the Shoshone pupfish was declared extinct until their eventual rediscovery by a team of biologists during a survey of Shoshone Springs in 1986. [5] [6] Currently, they are listed as endangered by the American Fisheries Society and are a species of special concern according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. [4] [3] [7] [8] Several stocks of the fish are being cultivated in captivity at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and University of California, Davis for reintroduction into the Shoshone Spring. [4] [6] Today, people pass through the town of Shoshone to visit the spring site and view the rare pupfish, where some infographics and signs educate visitors about them. [9] [10]

Contents

Description

The Shoshone pupfish is characterized by large scales and a "slab-sided," narrow, slender body, with the arch of the ventral contour much less pronounced than the dorsal. Out of each of the subspecies of Amargosa pupfish, the Shoshone pupfish is the smallest. It also has fewer pelvic fin rays and scales than the other subspecies of C. nevadensis, which include the Amargosa River pupfish (C. n. amargosae), Tecopa pupfish (C. n. calidae), Warm Springs pupfish (C. n. pectoralis),  Saratoga Springs pupfish, and the Ash Meadows pupfish (C. n. mionecte). [4] [2] All Amargosa pupfish subspecies are deep-bodied, dorsoventrally flattened fish with body lengths of less than 50 mm with blunt, steeply sloped heads and terminal mouths. [4]

Two male & one female Shoshone pupfish collected in Shoshone Spring. Shoshone Males & female.jpg
Two male & one female Shoshone pupfish collected in Shoshone Spring.

In Shoshone pupfish, sexually mature males and females differ in coloration. Breeding males are distinguished by their bright blue coloration from their heads to their caudal peduncles. The edges of their tail, dorsal, pectoral, and anal fins are lined with individual black bands. Breeding females are olive brown with 6-10 faint lateral vertical bars. [4] Additionally, females commonly possess an ocellus (eyespot) on the posterior base of their dorsal fin. [4] Both sexes exhibit a silvery coloration on the underside of their bodies.

Life History

Pupfish, such as the Shoshone pupfish, exhibit many adaptions for life in extreme thermal and osmotic environments. In optimal conditions, pupfish growth is rapid and sexual maturity is reached within four to six weeks. This short generation time enables pupfish to maintain small but viable populations. Among the Amargosa pupfish subspecies, however, there are minor differences in generation times, with pupfish in habitats with widely fluctuating environmental conditions exhibiting the shortest.  

Shoshone pupfish, like other C. nevadensis subspecies, have wide temperature tolerances (2 to 44 °C [36 to 111 °F]); however, the preferred range is 24 to 30 °C (75 to 86 °F). Temperatures below 17 °C (°F) and those above 32 °C terminate pupfish growth. Additionally, extreme temperatures affect egg production and viability; thus, any alterations to their habitat resulting in temperature changes outside optimal temperature range are reproductively and physiologically deleterious. Eggs, however, become resistant to environmental stresses within hours of being laid and fertilized. [4]

Male and female pupfish partake in promiscuous breeding. Over time, females lay eggs with different males and can lay a few eggs at a time throughout the entirety of the year. In thermally optimal conditions and stable habitat, Shoshone pupfish can breed year-round.  Their eggs are sticky demersal eggs that remain on the bottom of the water column and attach to substrate. [4] Males maintain display territories, and territorial defense might coincide with protecting eggs from predation, although Shoshone pupfish do not exhibit parental care. [4] Reproductive tolerances are much narrower than the general temperature tolerance of this fish, ranging from 24 to 30 °C. At pH levels below 7, reproductive performance is also degraded. [4]

Despite being isolated as the only fish species within their biological community for an extended period, Shoshone pupfish exhibit antipredator behaviors by reducing movement and activity, as well as lowering their positions in the water column when they detect chemical alarm cues from injured conspecifics. [11] Conservationists can use this aspect of their behavior to manage them in multi-species habitats, considering that invasive western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) predate on Shoshone pupfish where their territories overlap. [4] [11]

Diet

Shoshone pupfish, like other pupfishes, feed primarily on blue-green cyanobacteria but also consume small invertebrates like chironomid larvae, ostracods, and copepods. They forage continuously from sunrise to sunset and become inactive at night. Characteristic to many aquatic herbivores, their guts are extremely long and convoluted, an adaptation that enables them to digest cyanobacteria. Their teeth are also specialized for nipping. [4]

Distribution

Map outlying the Tecopa Basin, which contains the Shoshone Spring. Tecopa Basin Map.png
Map outlying the Tecopa Basin, which contains the Shoshone Spring.

The entire range of the Shoshone pupfish is encompassed by the Shoshone Spring. This is a small spring that feeds into the upper Amargosa River in the town of Shoshone, Inyo County, California. The town and the spring are both found within the Amargosa Valley and in the region referred to as the Amargosa Desert. The springs are 21 km north of Tecopa, California. Shoshone Spring is at an elevation of 518 meters on the base of a volcanic hill north to the town of Shoshone. [4] [5] This spring system is highly altered, with all its channels now considered artificial. [4] [12]

Historically, Shoshone pupfish were found in the entire length of the spring, from the head pool (known as “Squaw Hole”) to the other end west of Highway 127. [7] Squaw Hole is approximately 1 meter in diameter and 0.75 meters in depth. [4] Shoshone Spring is privately owned, and most of the spring’s water is being sourced for local use in the town of Shoshone. [4] [6] Linings of concrete line the spring source to direct the water flow towards the town. [5] Overall, the habitat quality for pupfish is low, and managers are finding ways to mitigate this impact.  

Conservation Status

The Shoshone pupfish was considered extinct in 1969 but was rediscovered in 1986 at the spring's outflow. It was rediscovered by F. R. Taylor, R. R. Miller (the original describer), J. W. Pedretti, and J. E. Deacon. This was documented in "Rediscovery of the Shoshone Pupfish Cyprinodon nevadensis shoshone (Cyprinodontidae), at Shoshone Springs, Inyo County, California". published in Bull. Southern California Acad. Sci. 87(2), 1988, pp 67–73. The rediscovery date was 31 July 1986, in which caudal ray count differed from the original description. - suggesting that a genetic bottleneck had occurred in the population. [5] Despite this, every other morphological trait matched the original description of the subspecies.

The underlying reasons behind the rediscovery of the Shoshone pupfish remain unclear to this day. [4] [5] [8] Currently, there are three hypotheses that potentially explain the rediscovery of the Shoshone pupfish despite their prior extinct status. The first hypothesis suggests that Cyprinodon nevadensis from another area reached Shoshone Spring through a temporary water connection during or after a flood. The second hypothesizes that pupfish from another area were artificially introduced into the springs. The third hypothesis proposes that the Shoshone pupfish simply remained undetected between 1969 and 1986 due to a small population size. [5] Because the observed pupfish in 1986 closely match the original description of the Shoshone pupfish subspecies, researchers believe the third hypothesis may be the most accurate. [5] 16]

Although rediscovered, this pupfish does not enjoy federal Endangered Species Status. It lives in one artificial pond with water supplied from the last available spring source at Shoshone Spring. It is designated as a species of Special Concern by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. [4]

Management

Most of the Cyprinodon species in the western United States are low in numbers and are in need of conservationist aid via habitat restoration and preservation. [13] The Shoshone pupfish is threatened by a multitude of factors, with a few including their extremely limited distribution, habitat alteration, and invasion of introduced species (namely western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis). Shoshone pupfish are solely found in the Shoshone Spring habitat, cannot disperse to other regions, and likely will not be able to adapt if relocated. Extreme habitat alteration has shifted the Shoshone pupfish to primarily rely on artificial refuge areas established in the spring, including a series of artificial ponds that line the stream where the pupfish were originally observed. [9] [13] Conserving the Shoshone pupfish involves the careful management and maintenance of these artificial habitats. Managers regularly conduct surveys of the pupfish via minnow traps, visual counts, and statistical models to keep track of their population and ensure that their habitats are adequate for survival. [13] The primary invasive species that threatens this pupfish is the western mosquitofish, which predates on young pupfish and eggs, and competes with mature pupfish for resources. [6] [8] Mosquitofish are removed whenever they are encountered during surveys of the spring. [4] [6]

Another method of conserving this pupfish involves captive breeding in artificial tanks. In 1988, biologists noted that only 20 individuals remained in the wild, prompting the creation of two captive populations. During a survey in 1988, a large number of the Shoshone pupfish population was removed and relocated to either UC Davis or the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for propagation in hopes to boost the wild population. [4] [7] A total of 72 captive-raised individuals from UC Davis were released in Shoshone Spring in 1989 to supplement the population. [7]

See also

Other local Cyprinodons

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death Valley pupfish</span> Small endangered fish native to Death Valley, California

The Death Valley pupfish, also known as Salt Creek pupfish, is a small species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae found only in Death Valley National Park, California, United States. There are two recognized subspecies: C. s. salinus and C. s. milleri. The Death Valley pupfish is endemic to two small, isolated locations and currently classified as endangered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amargosa River</span> River in Nevada and California, United States

The Amargosa River is an intermittent waterway, 185 miles (298 km) long, in southern Nevada and eastern California in the United States. The Amargosa River is one out of two rivers located in the California portion of the Mojave Desert with perennial flow. It drains a high desert region, the Amargosa Valley in the Amargosa Desert northwest of Las Vegas, into the Mojave Desert, and finally into Death Valley where it disappears into the ground aquifer. Except for a small portion of its route in the Amargosa Canyon in California and a small portion at Beatty, Nevada, the river flows above ground only after a rare rainstorm washes the region. A 26-mile (42 km) stretch of the river between Shoshone and Dumont Dunes is protected as a National Wild and Scenic River. At the south end of Tecopa Valley the Amargosa River Natural Area protects the habitat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tecopa pupfish</span> Extinct subspecies of fish

The Tecopa pupfish is an extinct subspecies of the Amargosa pupfish. The small, heat-tolerant pupfish was endemic to the outflows of a pair of hot springs in the Mojave Desert of Inyo County, California. Habitat modifications, the introduction of non-native species and hybridization with the related Amargosa River pupfish led to its extinction around 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devils Hole pupfish</span> Rare species of fish native to Nevada, U.S.

The Devils Hole pupfish is a critically endangered species of the family Cyprinodontidae (pupfishes) found only in Devils Hole, a water-filled cavern in the US state of Nevada. It was first described as a species in 1930 and is most closely related to C. nevadensis and the Death Valley pupfish. The age of the species is unknown, with differing analyses offering ranges between one thousand and sixty thousand years. It is a small fish, with maximum lengths of up to 30 mm (1.2 in). Individuals vary in coloration based on age and sex: males are bright metallic blue while females and juveniles are more yellow. A defining trait of this species is its lack of pelvic fins. The pupfish consumes nearly every available food resource at Devils Hole, including beetles, snails, algae, and freshwater crustaceans, with diet varying throughout the year. It is preyed on by the predaceous diving beetle species Neoclypeodytes cinctellus, which was first observed in Devils Hole in 1999 or 2000. Reproduction occurs year-round, with spikes in the spring and fall. Females produce few eggs and the survivorship from egg to adult is low. Individuals live 10–14 months.

<i>Cyprinodon</i> Genus of fishes

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, but C. variegatus occurs as far north as Massachusetts and along the entire Gulf of Mexico coastline, and C. dearborni and C. variegatus are found in northern South America. Many species have tiny ranges and are highly threatened, in some cases already extinct. Cyprinodon are small; the largest reaches 10 cm (3.9 in) in length and most other species only reach about half that size.

Robert Rush Miller was an important figure in American ichthyology and conservation from 1940 to the 1990s.

Potosi pupfish is a species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae. It is endemic to Mexico, but is now extinct in the wild, only surviving in captivity.

Blackfin pupfish is a species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae. This pupfish is endemic to Lake Chichancanab in Quintana Roo, Mexico. In almost all places, different Cyprinodon species do not overlap in their range, but there are two notable exceptions and one of these is Lake Chichancanab, which is inhabited by C. beltrani, C. esconditus, C. labiosus, C. maya, C. simus, C. suavium and C. verecundus. Among the endemic Cyprinodon species in Lake Chichancanab, only C. beltrani and C. labiosus still occur in some numbers in their habitat, while the remaining are virtually—if not fully—extinct in the wild. This species feeds on detritus. Compared to the other species of pupfish mentioned previously, the C. beltrani prefer a different feeding substrate. In regards to mating, the female blackfin pupfish seems to mate with other species of pupfish and not just the C. beltrani. The male blackfin pupfish have similar markings and courting behaviors to other pupfish in their habitat. The person honored in the specific name of this pupfish is the Mexican biologist Enrique Beltrán Castillo (1903–1994) to mark his quarter century of being a biologist.

Cyprinodon ceciliae is an extinct species of pupfish. It was endemic to the Ojo de Agua la Presa in southwestern Nuevo Leon state in Mexico, but disappeared in 1990 due to habitat loss. The same freshwater spring system was the home of three other pupfish: Cyprinodon inmemoriam (extinct), Cyprinodon longidorsalis and Cyprinodon veronicae. Although these were from the same spring system, each was restricted to its own individual spring and associated waters. The exact spring and associated waters inhabited by the Villa Lopez pupfish were also the home of a now-extinct, undescribed species of Cambarellus crayfish. The specific name honours the daughter of María de Lourdes Lozano-Vilano and niece of Salvador Contreras-Balderas, Cecilia Contreras Lozano, who assisted on the trip on which the type was collected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comanche Springs pupfish</span> Species of fish

The Comanche Springs pupfish is a species of pupfish in the family Cyprinodontidae. It is endemic to Texas, and is now found only in spring-fed pools near Balmorhea, a small town in West Texas.

The Cachorrito de la Trinidad, also known in English as the Charco Azul pupfish, was a small species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae. It was endemic to Ojo de Agua la Presa in southwestern Nuevo Leon state in Mexico, but became extinct in 1985 due to habitat loss. The same freshwater spring system was the home of three other pupfish: Cyprinodon ceciliae (extinct), Cyprinodon longidorsalis and Cyprinodon veronicae. Although these were from the same spring system, each was restricted to its own individual spring pool. The spring pond inhabited by the Charco Azul pupfish was also the home of a now-extinct, undescribed species of Cambarellus crayfish. The specific name inmemoriam means "in memory" and signifies the extinction of the species due to its native spring being dried out by groundwater extraction soon after the discovery of this fish in 1983.

Cyprinodon longidorsalis, the cachorrito de charco palmal or La Palma pupfish, is a species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae. It was endemic to the Ojo de Agua la Presa in southwestern Nuevo Leon state in Mexico, but became extinct in the wild in 1994 due to habitat loss. The same freshwater spring system was the home of three other pupfish: Cyprinodon ceciliae (extinct), Cyprinodon inmemoriam (extinct) and Cyprinodon veronicae. Although these were from the same spring system, each was restricted to its own individual spring pool. The Charco La Palma pool and its spring had a combined area of about 10 m2 (110 sq ft) and was no more than 1.4 m at the deepest point, making the range of the La Palma pupfish perhaps the smallest known for any vertebrate species. This tiny spring pond also was the home of a now-extinct, undescribed species of Cambarellus crayfish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owens pupfish</span> Species of fish

The Owens pupfish is a rare species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae, the pupfish. It is endemic to California in the United States, where it is limited to the Owens Valley. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States. This pupfish is up to 5 centimetres long, the largest males sometimes longer. The male is blue-gray, turning bright blue during spawning. The female is greenish brown with a silvery or whitish belly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catarina pupfish</span> Species of fish

The Catarina pupfish was a diminutive species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae, first described in 1972. It was endemic to a spring in Nuevo León, Mexico. In an attempt of saving the rapidly declining species, some were brought into captivity in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but it proved very difficult to maintain. In 1994 it became extinct in the wild. Gradually the captive populations also perished. The last male died in 2014 and the species became extinct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert pupfish</span> Species of fish

The desert pupfish is a rare species of bony fish in the family Cyprinodontidae. It is a small fish, typically less than 7.62 cm (3 in) in length. Males are generally larger than females, and have bright-blue coloration, while females and juveniles are silvery or tan. A notable attribute of the desert pupfish is their ability to survive in environments of extreme salinity, pH, and temperature, and low oxygen content. The desert pupfish mates in a characteristic fashion, wherein compatible males and females will come in contact and collectively jerk in an s-shape. Each jerk typically produces a single egg that is fertilized by the male and deposited in his territory. Breeding behavior includes aggressive arena-breeding and more docile consort-pair breeding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonoyta pupfish</span> Species of fish

The Sonoyta pupfish or Quitobaquito pupfish is an endangered species of pupfish from Sonora in Mexico and Arizona in the United States.

The Death Valley freshwater ecoregion is a freshwater ecoregion in the western United States. It consists of endorheic rivers, lakes, and springs in the drainages of the Owens, Amargosa, and Mojave Rivers, in central-eastern California and southwestern Nevada.

The Saratoga Springs pupfish is a subspecies of the Amargosa pupfish of the family Cyprinodontidae. The native population is endemic to Saratoga Springs, a small wetland in Death Valley National Park in the United States.

<i>Cyprinodon nevadensis</i> Species of fish

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. All six subspecies are or were endemic to very isolated locations in the Mojave Desert of California and Nevada.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ "Cyprinodon nevadensis shoshone". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. 7 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Ecological Values of the Amargosa River in California" (PDF). Science for Conservation. The Nature Conservancy. April 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  3. 1 2 Harper, K.T.; Sigler, J.; Sigler, W; St. Clair, L. L.; Thorne, K. H.; Hess, Wilford M. (1998). Natural History of the Colorado Plateau and Great Basin (PDF). University Press Of Colorado. pp. 298–425. ISBN   0870815113 . Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Miller, Robert Rush (8 November 2024). "Shoshone Pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis shoshone)". California Department of Fish and Wildlife Data Portal. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Taylor, Frances R.; Miller, Robert Rush; Pedretti, John W.; Deacon, James E. (1988). "Rediscovery of the Shoshone Pupfish, Cyprinodon nevagensis shoshone (Cyprinodontidae), at Shoshone Springs, Inyo County, California" (PDF). Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences. 87 (2): 67–73.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Castleberry, Daniel T.; Williams, Jack E.; Hopkins, Todd E.; Sato, Georgina M.; Brasher, Anne M.; Parker, Michael S. (1990). "Status and Management of Shoshone Pupfish, Cyprinodon nevadensis shoshone (Cyprinodontidae), at Shoshone Spring, Inyo County, California". Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences. 89 (1): 19–25 – via Southern California Academy of Sciences.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Hopkins, T.; Moyle, P.; Hammerson, G. (1 November 2024). "Cyprinodon nevadensis shoshone Shoshone Pupfish". NatureServe Explorer. Nature Serve. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 Taylor, Frances R.; Pedretti, John W. (1994). "Morphometric Comparison of Pupfish Populations, Cyprinodon nevadensis, at Shoshone and Tecopa, California". The Southwestern Naturalist. 39 (3): 300–303. doi:10.2307/3671602. ISSN   0038-4909.
  9. 1 2 "Shoshone Springs, California". Fish Habitat. National Fish Habitat Partnership. 8 November 2024.
  10. ↑ Hayes, Floyd E. (2024). "Finding and Photographing the Fabled Five Pupfishes of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts in California and Nevada". American Currents. 49 (2): 24–29 – via ResearchGate.
  11. 1 2 Anderson, Cody Marie (May 2022). "Pupfishes As a System to Test the Predator Naiveté Hypothesis". ProQuest. North Dakota State University. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  12. ↑ JSTOR: The Southwestern Naturalist, Vol. 39, No. 3 (Sep., 1994), pp. 300-303 . accessed 6/22/2010
  13. 1 2 3 Acre, Matthew R.; Perkin, Joshuah S.; Bean, Megan G. (January 2021). "Multiple survey methods reveal greater abundance of endangered pupfish in restored habitats". Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 31 (1): 198–209. doi:10.1002/aqc.3491. ISSN   1052-7613.
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