Leon Springs pupfish
The Leon Springs pupfish (Cyprinodon bovinus) is a species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae. It is endemic to Pecos County, Texas in the United States. It is a federally listed endangered species.[2][3]
| Leon Springs pupfish | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cyprinodontiformes |
| Family: | Cyprinodontidae |
| Genus: | Cyprinodon |
| Species: | C. bovinus |
| Binomial name | |
| Cyprinodon bovinus S. F. Baird & Girard, 1853 | |
The Leon Springs pupfish is found at the shallow edges of spring-fed wetland pools, where it is most frequently observed in areas without vegetation.. Its diet consists of diatoms, amphipods, and ostracods.[4]
This fish was first discovered in 1851 at Leon Springs, near Fort Stockton, Texas. Leon Springs was impounded, poisoned, stocked with game fish,[5] and drained, and the fish was considered extinct by 1938. In the 1960s it was rediscovered at Diamond Y Spring a few miles away.[6] It is also found in the Diamond Y Draw, a tributary of the Pecos River.[7]
References
- NatureServe (2013). "Cyprinodon bovinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T6148A15364125. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T6148A15364125.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- "Leon Springs pupfish (Cyprinodon bovinus)". Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- 45 FR 54678
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Cyprinodon bovinus" in FishBase. August 2019 version.
- Kennedy, S. E. (1977). Life history of the Leon Springs Pupfish, Cyprinodon bovinus. Copeia 1977(1) 93.
- USFWS. Listing of Leon Springs Pupfish as endangered with critical habitat. Federal Register August 15, 1980.
- Garrett, G., et al. (2002). Threatened fishes of the world: Cyprinodon bovinus Baird & Girard, 1853 (Cyprinodontidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes 64(4) 442.