20-513: The Death Valley pupfish ( Cyprinodon salinus ), 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 . The Death Valley Pupfish
40-482: A diet very high in algae to the point where one, the American Flag Fish, is a renowned algae eater in the aquarium, in spite of belonging to an order of fishes that do not generally consume any plant material. In addition, killifish derive some of the carotenoids and other chemicals required to make their body pigments from pollen grains on the surface of and in the gut of insects they eat from the surface of
60-693: A flat head with protractile mouth beset with cardiform, villiform, or compressed, bi- or tricuspid teeth, generally large scales, and the absence of a well-developed lateral line . However, they are now generally assigned to the order Cyprinodontiformes . Several forms occur in the fossil records of the Oligocene and Miocene beds of Europe. Pupfish from San Salvador Island were able to diversify into multiple species with different eating habits due to interbreeding with pupfish from other islands, mainly Caribbean. Most pupfish are inhabitants of fresh and brackish waters . Many species are ovoviviparous ; often
80-642: A modified jaw to be able to eat snails and ostracods. Before the 1990s, Lake Chichancanab, in Mexico, was full of brackish water and another five species of pupfish were found there. Cyprinodon maya was the largest pupfish, and it ate other fish. Cyprinodon simus was the second smallest, and it ate zooplankton. These species are now considered extinct in the wild because of an invasive species of African tilapia. The Death Valley pupfish evolve 5–10 faster than average and are known for their abilities to survive in extremely hot waters. Cyprinodon diabolis eat algae off
100-438: A prominent ichthyologist and one of the first people to take an interest in them, coined the name after he observed their "playful" circling and tussling, which is actually the aggressive behavior of territorial males. In spite of their name, the cyprinodontids are not closely related to Cyprinidae , or carp family. They were formerly considered near allies of the pikes and their relatives, as they share some features:
120-767: A rock shelf near the surface of the deep pool they live in. The pupfish found in Death Valley were once thought to be one main species. They were once all found in Lake Manly , a glacial lake over 620 square miles (1,600 km ), roughly 185,000-128,000 years ago. Over time this lake dried up and started to separate into smaller lakes or ponds. As this drying happened the pupfish became separated into different ponds and started to divergently evolve. There are thought to be two main subspecies of Death Valley pupfish ( C. salinus and C. milleri ) present. These are both considered endangered since they are only found in one area of
140-592: A squashed head and an upturned mouth. The pupfish can withstand harsh conditions that would kill other fish: water that is 4 times more saline than the ocean, hot water up to 116 °F (47 °C), and cold water down to 32 °F (0 °C). This species is known from only two locations in Death Valley: Salt Creek (subspecies salinus ) at about 49 m (161 ft) below sea level, and Cottonball Marsh (subspecies milleri ), at about 80 m (260 ft) below sea level. They are thought to be
160-473: Is a small, silvery colored fish with 6–9 vertical dark bands on its sides. It has an average length of 3.7 cm (1.5 in), with a recorded maximum of 7.8 cm (3.1 in). The males, often appearing in larger sizes compared to females, turn bright blue during mating season, April through October. The females, along with premature pupfish, tend to have tanned backs with iridescent, silvery sides. Both males and females have plump bodies with rounded fins,
180-423: Is also the fastest morphological diversification seen in any fish that has been documented. It is believed that this diversification is because of their ecological niches. Three species of pupfish on the island of San Salvador, Bahamas, all live in salty lakes. These pupfish are able to take advantage of different food sources so they can all coexist. One species feeds on only the scales of other pupfish. Another has
200-470: Is an order of ray-finned fish , comprising mostly small, freshwater fish. Many popular aquarium fish, such as killifish and live-bearers , are included. They are closely related to the Atheriniformes and are occasionally included with them. A colloquial term for the order as a whole is toothcarps , though they are not actually close relatives of the true carps – the latter belong to
220-635: The aquifer that feeds the habitat. Cyprinodontidae See the text Pupfish are a group of small killifish belonging to ten genera of the family Cyprinodontidae of ray-finned fish . Pupfish are especially noted for being found in extreme and isolated situations. They are primarily found in North America, South America, and the Caribbean region. As of August 2006, 120 nominal species and 9 subspecies were known. Several pupfish species are extinct and most extant species are listed. In
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#1732775323531240-476: The superorder Ostariophysi , while the toothcarps are Acanthopterygii . The families of Cyprinodontiformes can be informally divided into three groups based on reproductive strategy: viviparous and ovoviviparous (all species give live birth), and oviparous (all species are egg-laying). The live-bearing groups differ in whether the young are carried to term within (ovoviviparous) or without (viviparous) an enclosing eggshell. Phylogenetically however, one of
260-596: The U.S., the most well-known pupfish species may be the Devils Hole pupfish , native to Devils Hole on the Nevada side of Death Valley National Park. Since 1995 the Devils Hole pupfish has been in a nearly steady decline, where it was close to extinction at 35–68 fish in 2013. The common name is said to derive from the mating habits of the males, whose activities vaguely resemble puppies at play; Carl L. Hubbs ,
280-454: The remainders of a large ecosystem of fish species that lived in Lake Manly , which dried up at the end of the last ice age leaving the present-day Death Valley. The Salt Creek subspecies is also found at River Springs and Soda Lake, in Death Valley National Park . The Death Valley pupfish has been classified as endangered by the IUCN because of its extremely restricted distribution (if
300-510: The sexes are dissimilar, the female being larger and less brilliantly coloured, with smaller fins; the anal fin of the male may be modified into an intromittent organ by means of which internal fertilization takes place. Most pupfishes' diet consists, mainly, of algae, decaying vegetation, and any insects they can get. Pupfish on the island of San Salvador, Bahamas, have a large adaptive diversification in only two small lakes. They evolve 50–130 times faster than any other species of pupfish. This
320-478: The surface, where the oxygen-rich water compensates for environmental disadvantages. Scheel (1968) observed the gut contents were invariably ants, others have reported insects, worms and aquatic crustaceans. Aquarium specimens are invariably seen eating protozoans from the water column and the surfaces of leaves, however these are not apparent as stomach contents. Many members of the family Cyprinodontidae (the pupfishes) eat plant material as well and some have adapted to
340-860: The two suborders – the Aplocheiloidei – contains oviparous species exclusively, as do two of the four superfamilies of the other suborder (the Cyprinodontoidea and Valencioidea of the Cyprinodontoidei ). Vivipary and ovovivipary have evolved independently from oviparous ancestors, the latter possibly twice. Some members of this order are notable for inhabiting extreme environments, such as saline or very warm waters, heavily polluted waters, rain water pools devoid of minerals and made acidic by decaying vegetation, or isolated situations where no other types of fish occur. They are typically carnivores , and often live near
360-421: The two extant locations were treated as a single unit, it would be considered critically endangered ). Numbers of individuals at the locations are highly seasonally variable, and fluctuate with water level and flow volume. While the entire range of the species is located in a protected area, it may be under threat from accidental introduction of non-native species, local catastrophic events, and excessive pumping of
380-505: The water; this can be simulated in culture by the use of special color enhancing foods that contain these compounds. Although the Cyprinodontiformes are a diverse group, most species contained within are small to medium-sized fish, with small mouths, large eyes, a single dorsal fin , and a rounded caudal fin . The largest species is the cuatro ojos ( Anableps dowei ), which measures 34 cm (13 in) in length, while
400-599: The world. Cyprinodon pachycephalus live in extremely hot waters, 114 °F (45.5 °C). The Devils Hole pupfish ( Cyprinodon diabolis ) is a specific species native to Nevada. There are fewer than 200 individuals since 2005. Their population size usually fluctuates between 37 and 400 fish. They are considered one of the world's rarest fish. These fish live in 94 °F (34.4 °C) waters. Cyprinodontiformes Aplocheiloidei Cyprinodontoidei Microcyprini Regan, 1909 Cyprinodontiformes / ˌ s ɪ p r ɪ n oʊ ˈ d ɒ n t ɪ f ɔːr m iː z /
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