pupfish

[puhp-fish]

noun

plural

pupfish ,

plural

pupfishes .

1. any of several tiny, stout killifishes of the genus Cyprinodon, inhabiting marshy waters in arid areas of western North America: several species are endangered.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pupfish¹

First recorded in 1945–50; pup + fish

Example Sentences

Officials deemed the feeding and monitoring of the area’s pupfish, which can thrive in some of the saltiest and warmest waters, essential during the shutdown, the ranger said, because they’re “this star animal of the park.”

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But for the Devils Hole pupfish, a critically endangered species found only in a deep limestone cave in Death Valley, an earthquake signals that it’s time to do something a bit more intimate.

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For the typically still-water environment, the waves disrupted the shallow shelf that the pupfish use as a spawning area, likely knocking eggs deep into the cavern.

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Before the mid-1990s, scientists counted between 200 and 250 Devils Hole pupfish each spring.

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In the short term, Wilson said, earthquakes aren’t great for the pupfish.

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