''Empetrichthys latos'' is a rare species of

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

in the family

Goodeidae Goodeidae is a family of teleost fish endemic to Mexico and some areas of the United States. Many species are known as splitfins. This family contains about 50 species within 18 Genus, genera. The family is named after ichthyologist George Brow ...

, the splitfins. It is known by the common names Pahrump poolfish and Pahrump killifish, the former being more correct today.USFWS
Withdrawal of proposed rule to reclassify the Pahrump Poolfish (''Empetrichthys latos'') from endangered to threatened status.
(April 2, 2004). ''Federal Register''. Retrieved September 28, 2011. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

in the United States, where it was limited to the

Pahrump Valley Pahrump Valley is a Mojave Desert valley west of Las Vegas and the Spring Mountains massif in southern Nye County, Nevada, and eastern San Bernardino County, California. Pahrump, Nevada, is in the valley's center and the Tecopa and Chicago Valley ...

near the California border. It nearly became

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

due to

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

and no longer occurs there. It is a federally listed

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

of the United States.USFWS
''Empetrichthys latos'' Recovery Plan.
(March 1980). Retrieved September 28, 2011. The Pahrump Poolfish is long-lived for a small-bodied fish, with ages up to 10 years for females and 7 years for males documented. The Pahrump Poolfish is sexually dimorphic; females being significantly larger. This is an important consideration for management as establishing populations with a balanced sex ratio is likely desired. This fish reaches a maximum length of about . It has its dorsal and anal fins far back on its body and it lacks pelvic fins. The head is depressed in front and the mouth is wide. The jaws are unequal, the lower projecting farther than the upper. The fish is greenish on its back and silvery green on the belly. The male takes on a blue tinge during

spawning Spawn is the Egg cell, eggs and Spermatozoa, sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of freely releasing eggs and sperm into a body of water (fresh or marine); the physical act is ...

. It is

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that regularly consumes significant quantities of both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize ...

, feeding on varied plant and animal material. Spawning is most common in spring but can occur at any time of the year when conditions are right. Adults are more active at night, but juveniles appear to be more active during the day. The native habitat of the fish was made up of pools and

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

es. The water at one pool was a constant . This may be the optimal temperature for the species but it can tolerate a relatively wide range of temperatures. It has been noted to survive under a layer of ice during winter. The water is

alkaline In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The ...

. This species is the only surviving member of genus ''

Empetrichthys ''Empetrichthys'' is a genus of splitfins endemism, endemic to the state of Nevada in the United States. In 1989 they only had an estimated population of 24800, while its two other subspecies had gone extinct. This species mating season typically ...

'', the other, the Ash Meadows killifish (''Empetrichthys merriami''), having become extinct in the 1940s. There were three

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

of ''E. latos'', two of which are extinct today. Each occurred in a different

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...

in the Pahrump Valley. The Raycraft Ranch springfish (''E. latos concavus'') became extinct when its spring was destroyed in the 1950s. The Pahrump Ranch killifish (''E. latos pahrump'') disappeared when its spring was pumped dry in 1958. The remaining fish is the nominal subspecies ''E. latos latos''. It is known simply as the Pahrump poolfish. In 1975 the Pahrump poolfish was

extirpated Local extinction, also extirpation, is the termination of a species (or other taxon) in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinctions. Local extinctions mark a chan ...

from its habitat, Manse Spring, when it experienced

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indi ...

from the introduced

goldfish The goldfish (''Carassius auratus'') is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of the order Cypriniformes. It is commonly kept as a pet in indoor aquariums, and is one of the most popular aquarium fish. Goldfish released into the w ...

, some vegetation was removed, and the spring dried up due to

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available fresh water in the world is groundwater. A unit ...

pumping nearby. On noting its impending extinction, scientists and officials removed specimens of the fish and transplanted them into three pools in different locations in Nevada. When the official recovery plan for the species was published by the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is a List of federal agencies in the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior which oversees the management of fish, wildlife, ...

in 1980, it aimed to manage and protect the three transplanted populations. The fish has not been returned to its native habitat at Manse Spring because the area is under development and the water supply is not reliable. Though the fish reproduced successfully and appeared to thrive in its new pools, it faced a number of challenges there. Flooding destroyed one of the pools,

vandalism Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property. The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The t ...

killed specimens at another, and the unauthorized introduction of

mosquitofish The western mosquitofish (''Gambusia affinis'') is a North American freshwater poeciliid fish, also known commonly, if ambiguously, as simply mosquitofish or by its generic name, ''Gambusia'', or by the common name gambezi. Its sister species ...

and

crawfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the infraorder Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. Taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea. They breathe through feather-like gills. Some spe ...

further threatened the fish. Some fish were transplanted into a

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

to replace the flooded population, but the USFWS had to intervene when Nevada State Parks officials planned to

dredge Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing ...

the pond. Today the populations remain, but the habitat must be artificially maintained at times. As of 2004 only one population is stable. Threats still exist from groundwater pumping, vandalism, and introduced species. In 2018, the

Southern Nevada Water Authority The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) is a government agency that was founded in 1991 to manage Southern Nevada's water needs on a regional basis in Clark County. SNWA provides wholesale water treatment and delivery for the greater Las Vegas ...

is planning on establishing a refuge population into ponds at the

Las Vegas Springs Preserve Las Vegas Springs Preserve consists of dedicated to nature walks and displays and is owned and operated by the Las Vegas Valley Water District. The Preserve is located approximately three miles west of downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. The Preserve ...

. The USFWS still considers the species to be "in imminent danger of extinction" and is maintaining its endangered status.

References

External links

*Sweet, P
Endangered fish swim in water Las Vegas wants.
''

Las Vegas Sun The ''Las Vegas Sun'' is one of the Las Vegas Valley's two daily subscription newspapers. It is owned by the Greenspun family and is affiliated with Greenspun Media Group. The paper published afternoons on weekdays from 1990 to 2005 and is now ...

'' November 18, 2008. {{Taxonbar, from=Q5298209 latos Natural history of Nevada Fish described in 1948 ESA endangered species