Devil's Hole pupfish
Encyclopedia
The Devil's Hole pupfish, Cyprinodon diabolis, is a species
of fish native to Devil's Hole
, a geothermal (92 °F (33.3 °C)), aquifer
-fed pool within a limestone
cave
rn, in the Amargosa Pupfish Station
of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex
east of Death Valley National Park
.
species in the Cyprinodon
Genus.
Devil's Hole pupfish are less than 25 millimetre (0.984251968503937 in) long and resemble other pupfish
in shape. They are the smallest of the desert pupfish
species, averaging 19 millimetre (0.748031496062992 in) in length. They lack pelvic fins and have large heads and long anal fins. Breeding males are solid deep blue and have a black band on the caudal fin.
ecosystem, in the Amargosa Valley
, of southwestern Nevada
, USA
, east of Death Valley
and the Funeral Mountains
and Amargosa Range
. The Amargosa River
is part of Devil Hole's and the region's aquifer
hydrology
.
as well as for much of their diet (primarily diatoms). Natural threats from flash floods to earthquakes have been known to disrupt this fragile ecosystem, but the major threat has been groundwater
depletion due to agricultural irrigation
.
). Endangered species designation occurred in 1967, followed by the formation in 1969 of the Desert Fishes Council to fight agricultural interests for the protection of the fish. Water rights litigation went all the way to the US Supreme Court who in the 1976 Cappaert v. United States decision ruled against neighboring land developers.
A number of artificial "refugia" (concrete tanks approximating conditions in Devil's Hole) have been established to ensure species survival should the natural population at Devil's Hole die out: one at Hoover Dam
established in 1972 (reported 2004 population, 79), and two near Devil's Hole itself within the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
established in 1980 and 1991 that comprise the Amargosa Pupfish Station
(with populations fluctuating between 90 and 120 depending on season).
In May 2005, nine pupfish were moved from the hole and a federal hatchery to both a Las Vegas Strip
casino aquarium
, at Mandalay Bay, and another federal hatchery in hopes of augmenting the population.
In November 2005, divers counted just 84 individuals in the Devils Hole population, the same as the spring population, despite observations of egg-laying and baby fish during the summer. As many as 80 fish – one third of the population – was estimated to have been destroyed during the summer of 2004 when a flash flood pushed a quantity of scientific equipment (fish traps) into the hole; later about 60 cubic feet (1.7 m³) of debris, washed into the cave by floods, was removed. Reasons for the continued decline are primarily related to the continued removal of the pupfish and their relocation to refugia where the population has either died, cross bred with other species, or evolved into a unique species. In 2008, the pupfish began to be fed a special food to attempt to restore the population. In May 2009, the National Park Service announced that the latest count of pupfish ranged from 56 to 83, with an average of 70. While this population is well below the genetic viability limit of 200 pupfish (estimated by fish biologists during the Cappaert litigation), it is an improvement of the 2008 average of only 45 pupfish.
Five younger pupfish were moved to the Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery
in Arizona in order to establish the pupfish in aquaria. 36 adults are believed to still reside in the hole after the moves. Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery
no longer has Pupfish.
In 2007 there were between 38 and 42 fish left in Devils Hole.
The Devils Hole pupfish count rose in the autumn of 2008 to one hundred twenty six, the first steady increase in more than ten years.
. Low algae
growth and other winter conditions cause spring populations to range only from 150 to 250; while they swell to 400 to 500 individuals in the Autumn
. All the various surviving local Cyprinodon
species and subspecies (Pupfish
), including the Devils Hole pupfish, are on the IUCN Red List
- endangered species
.
Several other populations of Devils Hole pupfish have been established in artificial refuges that mimic the environment of Devils Hole, with only limited success. These populations also fluctuate by season and are monitored regularly. The Amargosa Pupfish Station
includes Devil's Hole and others, all in the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
, within the larger Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex
, which along with the Devils Hole-Ash Meadows, also includes the Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge
, the Desert National Wildlife Refuge
, and the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge
.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of fish native to Devil's Hole
Devil's Hole
The Devils Hole spring, a unique desert Pupfish habitat is administered by Death Valley National Park, and located within the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, in Nye County, Nevada Southwestern United States.-Description:...
, a geothermal (92 °F (33.3 °C)), aquifer
Aquifer
An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
-fed pool within a limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
rn, in the Amargosa Pupfish Station
Amargosa Pupfish Station
The Amargosa Pupfish Station is a protected Pupfish wildlife refuge, part of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex, is administered by the U.S...
of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex
Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex
The Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex is a protected wildlife refuge, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, located north and west of Las Vegas, Nevada in northwestern Clark, southwestern Lincoln, and southern Nye counties in southern Nevada...
east of Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park is a national park in the U.S. states of California and Nevada located east of the Sierra Nevada in the arid Great Basin of the United States. The park protects the northwest corner of the Mojave Desert and contains a diverse desert environment of salt-flats, sand dunes,...
.
Physical description
The Devil's Hole Pupfish is the smallest desert pupfishPupfish
Pupfish are a group of small killifish belonging to ten genera of the family Cyprinodontidae of ray-finned fish. All pupfish are especially noted for being found in extreme and isolated situations, in various parts of North America, South America, and the Caribbean region...
species in the Cyprinodon
Cyprinodon
Cyprinodon is a genus of small killifish belonging to the family Cyprinodontidae of ray-finned fish.-Species:* Whitefin pupfish, Cyprinodon albivelis Minckley & Miller, 2002.* Potosi pupfish, Cyprinodon alvarezi Miller, 1976....
Genus.
Devil's Hole pupfish are less than 25 millimetre (0.984251968503937 in) long and resemble other pupfish
Pupfish
Pupfish are a group of small killifish belonging to ten genera of the family Cyprinodontidae of ray-finned fish. All pupfish are especially noted for being found in extreme and isolated situations, in various parts of North America, South America, and the Caribbean region...
in shape. They are the smallest of the desert pupfish
Pupfish
Pupfish are a group of small killifish belonging to ten genera of the family Cyprinodontidae of ray-finned fish. All pupfish are especially noted for being found in extreme and isolated situations, in various parts of North America, South America, and the Caribbean region...
species, averaging 19 millimetre (0.748031496062992 in) in length. They lack pelvic fins and have large heads and long anal fins. Breeding males are solid deep blue and have a black band on the caudal fin.
Habitat
Devil's Hole and the pupfish are located in the Amargosa DesertAmargosa Desert
The Amargosa Desert is located in Nye County in western Nevada, United States, along the California–Nevada border. It is largely coincident with the geographic Amargosa Valley....
ecosystem, in the Amargosa Valley
Amargosa Valley
The Amargosa Valley is a Nevada landform east of the Amargosa Range that is the eponym for the town of Amargosa Valley, Nevada. The Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad ran through the valley from 1906 to 1940.-Solar thermal plant:...
, of southwestern Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, east of Death Valley
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California. Situated within the Mojave Desert, it features the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Badwater, a basin located in Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below...
and the Funeral Mountains
Funeral Mountains
The Funeral Mountains are a short, arid mountain range in the United States along the California-Nevada border approximately 100 mi west of Las Vegas. The mountains are considered a subrange of the Amargosa Range that form the eastern wall of Death Valley.The Amargosa Desert lies along the...
and Amargosa Range
Amargosa Range
The Amargosa Range is a mountain range in Inyo County, California and Nye County, Nevada. The range runs along most of the eastern side of California's Death Valley, separating it from Nevada's Amargosa Desert...
. The Amargosa River
Amargosa River
The Amargosa River is an intermittent waterway, long, in southern Nevada and eastern California in the United States. It drains a high desert region, the Amargosa Valley in the Amargosa Desert northwest of Las Vegas, into the Mojave Desert, and finally into Death Valley where it disappears into...
is part of Devil Hole's and the region's aquifer
Aquifer
An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
hydrology
Hydrology
Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth and other planets, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability...
.
History
Devil's Hole pupfish have been the subject of considerable attention and litigation, due to their ancient origins, unusual habitat and precarious existence. A 22-thousand-year-old species, these pupfish depend on a shallowly submerged limestone shelf of only 2 metres (6.6 ft) by 4 metres (13.1 ft) in area for spawningSpawn (biology)
Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...
as well as for much of their diet (primarily diatoms). Natural threats from flash floods to earthquakes have been known to disrupt this fragile ecosystem, but the major threat has been groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
depletion due to agricultural irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
.
Protection history
C. diabolis was first noticed in 1890 but only identified as a unique and highly divergent species by Joseph Wales in 1930. Formal protection of the species began in 1952 when Devils Hole was made part of Death Valley National Monument (now Death Valley National ParkDeath Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park is a national park in the U.S. states of California and Nevada located east of the Sierra Nevada in the arid Great Basin of the United States. The park protects the northwest corner of the Mojave Desert and contains a diverse desert environment of salt-flats, sand dunes,...
). Endangered species designation occurred in 1967, followed by the formation in 1969 of the Desert Fishes Council to fight agricultural interests for the protection of the fish. Water rights litigation went all the way to the US Supreme Court who in the 1976 Cappaert v. United States decision ruled against neighboring land developers.
A number of artificial "refugia" (concrete tanks approximating conditions in Devil's Hole) have been established to ensure species survival should the natural population at Devil's Hole die out: one at Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President...
established in 1972 (reported 2004 population, 79), and two near Devil's Hole itself within the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
The Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is a protected wildlife refuge, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, located west-northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada, in southern Nye County...
established in 1980 and 1991 that comprise the Amargosa Pupfish Station
Amargosa Pupfish Station
The Amargosa Pupfish Station is a protected Pupfish wildlife refuge, part of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex, is administered by the U.S...
(with populations fluctuating between 90 and 120 depending on season).
In May 2005, nine pupfish were moved from the hole and a federal hatchery to both a Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
casino aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
, at Mandalay Bay, and another federal hatchery in hopes of augmenting the population.
In November 2005, divers counted just 84 individuals in the Devils Hole population, the same as the spring population, despite observations of egg-laying and baby fish during the summer. As many as 80 fish – one third of the population – was estimated to have been destroyed during the summer of 2004 when a flash flood pushed a quantity of scientific equipment (fish traps) into the hole; later about 60 cubic feet (1.7 m³) of debris, washed into the cave by floods, was removed. Reasons for the continued decline are primarily related to the continued removal of the pupfish and their relocation to refugia where the population has either died, cross bred with other species, or evolved into a unique species. In 2008, the pupfish began to be fed a special food to attempt to restore the population. In May 2009, the National Park Service announced that the latest count of pupfish ranged from 56 to 83, with an average of 70. While this population is well below the genetic viability limit of 200 pupfish (estimated by fish biologists during the Cappaert litigation), it is an improvement of the 2008 average of only 45 pupfish.
Five younger pupfish were moved to the Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery
Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery
The Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, located approximately 45 miles South East of Las Vegas, Nevada, in Mohave County, Arizona on the Colorado River ten miles south of the Hoover Dam....
in Arizona in order to establish the pupfish in aquaria. 36 adults are believed to still reside in the hole after the moves. Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery
Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery
The Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, located approximately 45 miles South East of Las Vegas, Nevada, in Mohave County, Arizona on the Colorado River ten miles south of the Hoover Dam....
no longer has Pupfish.
In 2007 there were between 38 and 42 fish left in Devils Hole.
The Devils Hole pupfish count rose in the autumn of 2008 to one hundred twenty six, the first steady increase in more than ten years.
Population
The natural population at Devils Hole fluctuates depending on the seasonSeason
A season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution...
. Low algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
growth and other winter conditions cause spring populations to range only from 150 to 250; while they swell to 400 to 500 individuals in the Autumn
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
. All the various surviving local Cyprinodon
Cyprinodon
Cyprinodon is a genus of small killifish belonging to the family Cyprinodontidae of ray-finned fish.-Species:* Whitefin pupfish, Cyprinodon albivelis Minckley & Miller, 2002.* Potosi pupfish, Cyprinodon alvarezi Miller, 1976....
species and subspecies (Pupfish
Pupfish
Pupfish are a group of small killifish belonging to ten genera of the family Cyprinodontidae of ray-finned fish. All pupfish are especially noted for being found in extreme and isolated situations, in various parts of North America, South America, and the Caribbean region...
), including the Devils Hole pupfish, are on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
- endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
.
Several other populations of Devils Hole pupfish have been established in artificial refuges that mimic the environment of Devils Hole, with only limited success. These populations also fluctuate by season and are monitored regularly. The Amargosa Pupfish Station
Amargosa Pupfish Station
The Amargosa Pupfish Station is a protected Pupfish wildlife refuge, part of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex, is administered by the U.S...
includes Devil's Hole and others, all in the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
The Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is a protected wildlife refuge, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, located west-northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada, in southern Nye County...
, within the larger Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex
Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex
The Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex is a protected wildlife refuge, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, located north and west of Las Vegas, Nevada in northwestern Clark, southwestern Lincoln, and southern Nye counties in southern Nevada...
, which along with the Devils Hole-Ash Meadows, also includes the Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge
The Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge is a protected wildlife refuge administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, located in the Warm Springs Natural Area in the Moapa Valley of Clark County, Nevada...
, the Desert National Wildlife Refuge
Desert National Wildlife Refuge
The Desert National Wildlife Range is a protected wildlife refuge, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, located north of Las Vegas, Nevada, in northwestern Clark and southwestern Lincoln counties, with much of its land area lying within the southeastern section of the Nevada Test and...
, and the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge
Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge
The Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge is a protected wildlife refuge, located at the southern end of the Pahranagat Valley and administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is situated north of Las Vegas, Nevada in Lincoln County, Nevada...
.
Refuge and water
The water level in Devils Hole is monitored daily by the National Park Service and occasionally by the U.S. Geological Survey. During the late 1960s, the water level dropped dramatically in response to pumping in the Ash Meadows area, in the immediate vicinity of the cavern. After the cessation of pumping near Devils Hole, the water levels recovered until about 1986, when the water level began to decline. Pronounced changes in the water level resulted in response to the 1992 Landers/Little Skull Mountain earthquakes and the 1999 Hector Mine earthquake. Since December 2005, the water level in Devils Hole has been rising and, by December 2008 the water level had risen to its highest level since 1993. That the water level has risen in spite of the fact that water use has increased in the region suggests that climate and other factors may have a greater impact on the water level in Devils Hole than groundwater pumping.Other local Cyprinodons
- Ash Meadows pupfish Cyprinodon nevadensis mionectes
- Amargosa pupfish Cyprinodon nevadensis amargosae
- Death Valley pupfishDeath Valley pupfishThe Death Valley pupfish, Cyprinodon salinus salinus, is found in Death Valley National Park.-Description:The Death Valley pupfish is a species of fish that is the last known survivor of what is thought to have been a large ecosystem of fish species that lived in Lake Manly, which dried up at the...
, Salt Creek pupfish Cyprinodon salinus - Shoshone PupfishShoshone pupfishThe Shoshone pupfish, Cyprinodon nevadensis shoshone, is characterized by large scales and a "slab-sided," narrow, slender body, with the arch of the ventral contour much less pronounced than the dorsal...
, Cyprinodon nevadensis shoshone - Tecopa PupfishTecopa pupfishThe Tecopa pupfish is an extinct subspecies of the Amargosa pupfish . The small, heat-tolerant pupfish was endemic to the outflows of a pair of hot springs in the Mojave Desert of California...
, Cyprinodon nevadensis calidae (extinct) - Devil's Hole pupfish Cyprinodon diabolis
- Desert pupfish Cyprinodon maculariusCyprinodon maculariusCyprinodon macularius is a rare species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae and is known by the common name desert pupfish. It is a federally listed endangered species in the United States....
- Owens pupfishOwens pupfishThe Owens pupfish is a rare species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae, the pupfish. It is endemic to California in the United States, where it is limited to the Owens Valley. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States. This pupfish is up to long, the largest males...
Cyprinodon radiosus
Index
- Category: Cyprinodon (Pupfish)
- Category: Death Valley
External links
- Devils Hole Pupfish - Cyprinodon diabolis by Tom Baugh and James E. Deacon
- Pupfish hang on near Hoover Dam by Kevin Rogers
- Desert Fishes Council
- Life in Death Valley - Little Fish, Big Splash (PBS video)
- The Phenotypic Plasticity of Death Valley's Pupfishes an American Scientist article by Sean C. Lema