pupfish

American  

[puhp-fish] / ˈpʌpˌfɪʃ /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of pupfish

First recorded in 1945–50; pup + fish

Example Sentences

We walked to the end of town, where spring-fed pools hold the fate of the only population of Shoshone pupfish in the world.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2024

The species they support range from tiger salamanders to desert pupfish, and from songbirds to mammals such as ground squirrels and bighorn sheep.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2024

“This is a tremendous success story,” said Christopher Martin, an evolutionary biologist and pupfish expert at the University of California, Berkeley.

From New York Times • May 9, 2024

When it comes to sheer resilience, few, if any, species can match the tiny Devils Hole pupfish.

From New York Times • May 9, 2024