Desert Pupfish

Desert Pupfish Cyprinodon macularius

Range:

Historical: Gila River basin, Salt Rivers, and the lower Colorado River in Arizona, California and Mexico.

Remaining natural populations: Salton Sea drainage in CA, Colorado River delta in Baja California and Sonora, Mexico.

Reintroduced/introduced populations: Natural springs and springs/artificial ponds in parks and educational institutions and elsewhere in southern Arizona and California.

Habitat:

Shallow waters of warm desert pools, marshes, streams and springs

Size:

Full average length of adults just 6.4 cm (2.5 in)

Diet:

Omnivorous: brown and green algae, plants, small aquatic insects, and crustaceans

Life spans:

Most individuals survive six to nine months, some survive more than one year.

Conservation status:

Listed as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act. The species was listed in the early 1980’s.

Threats:

Populations have experienced severe habitat loss and fragmentation. Endangered by desert development, marsh drainage and groundwater depletion, dam building, and the introduction of exotic fish species into their habitat

Appearance:

The desert pupfish is a small fish with a smooth and rounded body and thin, vertical, dark bars on its sides. Breeding males are blue on top with yellow to orange or red-orange fins. Females and juveniles have olive to tan colored backs with silvery sides.

Did you know?

As temperatures become extreme toward summer, evaporation dries up most pools and streams, resulting in the death of most pupfish. A few survive in the small number of pools, streams and springs that do not dry up completely. Males will fiercely guard their territories during breeding season. Pupfish can tolerate salt levels three times greater than seawater and temperatures that exceed 35ºC (95ºF).

At the Phoenix Zoo:

In 2008, the Zoo became involved in desert pupfish conservation efforts by dedicating ponds on Zoo grounds to raising the fish for release to the wild. Two ponds currently house desert pupfish, one on the Arizona Trail and one on the Africa Trail next to the Giraffe Encounter. Through partner organizations including the Arizona Game and Fish Department and US Fish and Wildlife Service, desert pupfish raised at the Zoo are sent to field sites across southern Arizona to boost or restore wild populations.