COMANCHE SPRINGS PUPFISH Cyprinodon elegans (Baird and Girard, 1853) 



Order: ATHERINIFORMES Family: CYPRINODONTIDAE 



Distinguishing characteristics : Slender body, crossbars absent on sides. 



Present distribution : Outflow (irrigation ditches) of Phantom Lake Spring, near 

 Toyahvale , Texas . 



Former distribution : Large springs at Fort Stockton, Phantom Lake (now dry) and 

 adjoining springs . 



Status : Precarious condition. Numbers greatly diminished in past 20 years. 



Estimated numbers : Not available . 



Fecundity : Excellent when undisturbed . 



Reasons for decline : Use of fish toxins, introduction of aggressive competitors, and 

 lowering of water table. 



Protective measures already taken : None . 



Measures proposed : Set aside a suitable area in present range as sanctuary. 



Number in captivity : None . 



Culture potential in captivity : Unknown, but other species of this genus have been 

 reared with success. 



Remarks : This endemic Texan species was very abundant in its native springs in 1938. 

 Since about 1950 it has been increasingly threatened by man's activities until its total 

 population is only a fraction of what it was . Data submitted by Dr. Robert R. Miller, 

 University of Michigan. 



References : 



Miller, R. R. 1961. Man and the changing fish fauna of the American southwest. 



Pap. Mich. Acad. Sci., Arts, and Letters, 46 (I960): 365-404, fig. 1. 

 Moore, G. A. 1957. Fishes. In_: Vertebrates of the United States . McGrawHill, 



Inc. p. 157. 



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