Status of Cyprinodon macularius eremus, a new subspecies of pupfish from Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona
Miller RR and Fuiman LA. 1987. Status of Cyprinodon macularius eremus, a new subspecies of pupfish from Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona. Technical Report No. 24. University of Arizona. Tucson, AZ
A new subspecies of pupfish, genus Cyprinodon, is described from Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona. It is distinguishable from 10 other populations of the desert pupfish, Cyprinodon macularius, occurring throughout the natural range of that species. Especially interesting is its distinction from pupfish populations inhabiting other parts of the Rio Sonoyta basin that lie mostly in Sonora, Mexico. The new subspecies is diagnosed by males having a longer, wider and deeper head and a broader and deeper body. Females have a deeper head, a slightly deeper body, a longer dorsal-fin base, and a shorter anal fin. None of these differences is affected by allometric growth. Principal components analysis is applied using 26 measurements on 12 populations throughout the range of Cyprinodon macularius, including one undescribed relative. The Quitobaquito pupfish is illustrated in black and white and in color. Data are given on its past and present habitat, food habits, temperature and low-oxygen tolerance, population size, sex ratio, parasites and reproductive biology. Its origin is attributed to selection for a localized niche after disjunction of a small, initial population. Remarks on conservation and management are presented both for the new pupfish and for Cyprinodon macularius as a whole. The latter is an endangered species now surviving in Arizona only in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and extinct in most of its California range. It still occurs in Rio Sonoyta, Sonora, but its status in many other parts of northwestern Mexico is uncertain. The distribution and depletion of the desert pupfish are discussed and the species range is plotted. Cyprinodon m. californiensis is not accepted as a valid subspecies.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Miller, Robert; Fuiman, Lee
- Date of Issue
- 1987-08
- Publisher
- University of Arizona
- Units
- ORPI
- Keywords
- Animals, desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius), Fish, Habitats, Natural Resource Management, Preservation, Quitobaquito Springs (ORPI), Reproduction, Research & Studies, Sonoran Desert, Threatened & Endangered Species, Water Temperature