Nevada Fish & Wildlife Office
Pacific Southwest Region

Ash Meadows Amargosa pupfish
(Cyprinodon nevadensis mionectes )
 
Photo: Ash Meadows Amargosa pupfish
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Cyprinodontidae
Genus: Cyprinodo
Species: nevadensis
Subspecies: mionectes
Max Length: 6 cm
  •      		 Small chunky fish, usually with several indistinct vertical stripes.
  •      		 Females and young fish are olive green to tan in coloration.
  		• Males have a bluish tint, which is more vibrant during spawning.
     

    Official Status:
    The Ash Meadoww Amargosa pupfish was designated as Endangered in the Entire Range on May 10, 1982.
     

    Life History:
    This Ash Meadows Amargosa pupfish occurs in warm spring-fed streams and spring pools. This species feeds on algae, diatoms and smaller invertebrates that grow on the substrate. They spawn year-round, but primarily during the spring and early summer by laying individual eggs on the substrate.
     

    Distribution and Habitat:

      The Ash Meadows Amargosa pupfish historically occurred within 10 spring systems throughout the Ash Meadows area of the Amargosa Valley , Nye County , Nevada . It currently occurs on the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and most of the major spring systems within this Refuge are designated Critical Habitat.
     

    Threats:
      Historic threats to this species include destruction of habitat, reduction of groundwater, and introduction of non-native species. The threat of non-native predatory and competitory species, such as crayfish, remains, as does the threat of habitat destruction due to wildfire and groundwater reduction.
     

    Fun Fact:

      Ash Meadows Amargosa pupfish can occur in as little as ½-inch deep water.
    Last updated: September 28, 2012