The Desert Pupfish are found in the Colorado River Delta in Sonora and the Laguna Salada Basin in Baja California at elevations below 1,524 m (5,000 feet). They have life spans of up to three years. They have the ability to bury themselves in the substrate to avoid predation.
CIRCULI DESRT PUPFISH FULL
They can reach full maturity within three months. Their eggs are subject to cannibalism by Desert Pupfish that are not the parents and to prey by other fishes. Reproduction is oviparous with the males selecting and protecting the breeding location and each female producing 50 to 800 individual eggs that are immediately fertilized by the males and buried in the substrate. They are prolific breeders capable of generating three generations per year. They are opportunistic omnivores that forage early mornings or late evenings that consume algae, crustaceans, detritus, insect larvae, invertebrates, mosquitos, and midges. They reach a maximum of 7.6 cm (3.0 inches) in length with males being larger than females. They can tolerate high salinities, elevated water temperature up to 45 oC (113 oF), large daily water temperature changes, and low oxygen content at levels that are higher than virtually all other freshwater fish giving them a competitive advantage over non-native fish. The Desert Pupfish is non-migratory and found in shallow clear waters of desert springs, small streams, and marshes with aquatic plants and restricted flow over mud or sand substrate. Their head is short and compressed with an upturned mouth equipped with tricuspid teeth. The dorsal portions of the heads of the males become bright blue with yellow or orange tinges on the caudal peduncle and caudal fin. They are sexually dimorphic with males being blight-blue in color the females and juveniles are silvery or tan with dark vertical bars. The Desert Pupfish has a rounded back with a thick body that is laterally compressed with rounded fins. Globally, there are forty-nine species in the genus Cyprinodon of which twenty-nine are found in Mexico’s freshwater systems. The Desert Pupfish, Cyprinodon macularius, is a member of the Pupfish or Cyprinodontidae Family, and is known in Mexico as carhorrito del desierto. It is also included due the availability of quality photographs taken by one of my readership who encountered the fish in the wild and asked for my help with the identification. The fish is included in this immediately returning to its native environment unharmed. Note: In 1986 the Desert Pupfish was placed on the Federal Endangered List by the United States Department of the Interiors Fish and Wildlife Service covering the known populations in Arizona and California. Fish collected from the feeder streams of the Salton Sea, Southern California, March 2018, photographed quickly returned to its native environment unharmed. Terrestrial Life – Alphabetical Index by Familyĭesert Pupfish, Cyprinodon macularius Note: This Species is currently considered to be ENDANGERED and if encountered should be handled accordingly.ĭesert Pupfish, Cyprinodon macularius.Fish collected from the feeder streams of the Salton Sea, Southern California, March 2018, photographed quickly returned to its native environment unharmed.ĭesert Pupfish, Cyprinodon macularius, Male.Terrestrial Life – Alphabetical Index by Common Name.
Terrestrial Life – Alphabetical Index by Genus and Species.Shells – Alphabetical Index by Genus and Species.Shells – Alphabetical Index by Common Name.Other Marine Life – Alphabetical Index by Family with Photographs.Other Marine Life – Alphabetical Index by Family.Other Marine Life – Alphabetical Index by Genus and Species.