The Devils Hole Pupfish Of The Devils Hole

The Devils Hole Pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis) This month's series will be about… The Devils Hole! The Devils Hole is a freshwater-filled cavern/underwater cave system that is beneath the Death Valley & Nevada/California border. We took an expedition out to Death Valley in order to properly gather data & provide the most information that we can. The Devil's Hole spans approximately 430 feet deep, However there are uncharted areas of the cave. Many marine creatures reside in this cave with some even being endemic. One of those is The Devil's Hole Pupfish. The Devil's Hole Pupfish has a long, complex, & Interesting backstory. This Pupfish sparked massive movements known as Kill The Pupfish & Save The Pupfish. These pupfish have also managed to lead to prison sentences for certain people. With that being said, let us delve into the rare & resilient, Devil's Hole Pupfish. The Life & Discovery Of The Devils Hole Pupfish The Devils Hole Pupfish was discovered in March 1930. It was discovered by a certain George S. Myers who was an American ichthyologist. They grow to be approximately 1.1811 inches or 29.99994 millimeters long. However the average Devils Hole Pupfish grows to only be approximately 0.905512 inches or 23.0000048 millimeters long. On average their life expectancy is from 10 to 12 months however some sources claim it to be 10 to 14 months. They were not territorial towards each other or aggressive to humans in past years. They do not display signs of aggression towards humans as they are extremely timid. It is estimated that the species has existed for 10,000 to 60,000 years however its not clear. They are incredibly resilient creatures in that through evolution they adapted to extremely low oxygen. Using a process called paradoxical anaerobism they have adapted to going hours without oxygen. It's one of the main reasons that they have survived in the odd conditions of the Devil's Hole. “It’s a cool adaptation,” said Frank van Breukelen, professor & director of UNLV’s School of Life Sciences, who assisted & participated in the research & the discovery of this pupfish's unique technique. He said, “They don’t live very long if they’re in Devil's Hole, but they live long enough. Evolution was never about anything that was best, it was really about what was simply good enough.” Their diet is quite broad as they will consume almost anything available however they are not cannibalistic. A few things that they consume most often are; beetles, snails, algae, freshwater crustaceans, & different kinds of freshwater grasses. However their diet changes throughout the seasons due to the migration of food & different mating seasons of other species. They are largely prayed upon by the species Neoclypeodytes Cinctellus commonly known as the predaceous diving beetle. The males are somewhat brown with iridescent blue scales along their sides. The margins upon their fins are black & their back also displays a golden iridescent colour. Their eyes are blue & sometimes violet. The females and juveniles display yellowish in colour. A defining trait of knowing that it is a Devils Hole Pupfish is that, this species has a lack of pelvic fins. Both males and females of C. diabolis have a rounded caudal fins and have no pelvic fins. The caudal peduncle, which is short and rectangular, is level with the wide-set mouth. The jaw contains one series of teeth, with 16 teeth on the upper jaw and 16 on the lower. Its scales are ctenoid, and it has no preorbital scales. Other distinguishing characteristics include a large head and eyes and an elongated anal fin. Cyprinodon diabolis has 17 pectoral rays, 12 dorsal rays and 28 caudal rays. The male is larger than the female, and has vertical bars on its tail. The Mating Cycles, Tactics, & Practices Of The Devils Hole Pupfish The Devils Hole Pupfish have some incredibly interesting breeding tactics. The mating system is polygynous, meaning male pupfish may breed with many female pupfish, & a male may prevent the female pupfish from breeding with other male pupfish. When larvae hatch, they are less than a centimeter long. It takes approximately 7 days for the larvae to hatch once laid. They have no specific mating season so reproduction occurs year-round, with spikes of mating in the spring and autumn. To initiate reproduction a group of males will follow a lone female until the female becomes receptive. The group of males & the female will move to the bottom of the area of the cave in order to spawn / mate. They release only 4-5 mature eggs at a time which contributes to the low numbers of the species. The offspring reach full sexual maturity at 8 to 10 weeks old. That is for both genders of the pupfish. Recently a breakthrough for the conservation of these pupfish occurred. 2 Devils Hole Pupfish were brought into captivity & they reproduced. This could mean that scientists could breed & introduce more in order to help the species survive. This gives scientists hope for the species. Thanks to the interference of the scientists, there are at the time of publishing, officially 175 recorded pupfish, this is a contrast to the mere 35 recorded in the wild in 2013. The Distribution Of The Devils Hole Pupfish The Devils Hole Pupfish are a unique species. They are endemic to the Devils Hole, however they are only found at the top 24 meters (78.7402 feet) of The Devils Hole. This contributes to the fact that they are so scarce & one of the rarest fish on earth. A reason as to why scientists don’t try & plant them elsewhere, is that it is incredibly hard to find a replica of their current environment. Scientists have not built any other wild colonies of the Devils Hole Pupfish in any other place then The Devils Hole. The Scientific Detailings Of The Devils Hole Pupfish The Devil's, Hole Pupfish is a sort of mystery as to how it has not been wiped off the face of the planet. It is one of the most evolutionarily resilient animals that can be observed in modern times. They have been trapped in the devils hole for around 60,000 years. They have developed an adaptation known as paradoxical anaerobism. This was discovered via analyzing oxygen consumption over a period of time. It was then discovered that periodically exhibited periods of no measurable oxygen consumption despite available ambient oxygen tensions that were above the critical PO2. The longest period in which there was minimized to no oxygen consumption was 149 minutes. During this experiment it was also discovered that Muscle lactate concentration was not elevated during periods of paradoxical anaerobism. However, the amount of ethanol released was 7.2 times higher in 33° celsius waters then in 28° celsius waters. It is not known exactly how many bones it has. However,so-called they are classified under the class of Actinopterygii which is a clade of so called “Bony Fish” which suggests that they are bony & dense. All species under the class of Actinopterygii are ray-finned fish. They are so-called ray-finned because their fins are webbed skin which are supported by bony spines as opposed to being fleshy. This gives us a good idea of what the skeleton of the Cyprinodon Diabolis may look like. Their phylum is Chordata meaning that they developed these 5 characteristics all species under the phylum of Chordata develop 5 similar characteristics either In adulthood or as juveniles. The characteristics that they develop include, a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal Slits, & a post-anal tail. Their class is Actinopterygii, which means that they are ray-finned fish. This also means that their actinopterygian fin rays attach directly to the proximal or basal skeletal elements. Their order is Cyprinodontiformes, this order is an order of freshwater ray-finned fish. Their family is Cyprinodontidae which is more commonly known as Pupfish. Their genus is Cyprinodon, all species under Cyprinodon are small with the largest of them being only 10.0000054 centimeters (3.93701 inches) in length, however most other species only reach about half that size. Kill The Pupfish - Save The Pupfish In 1952 a legal battle took place which is now known as Cappaert V. the United States. This was over ground water. A Nevada state engineer was granted the ability to use a water supply which took water from Devil's Hole geological formation. This lowered water levels severely in the cave-system and endangered the lives of the fish. The federal government sought to place limits on the Cappaerts' use of the water, so as to protect the fish from extinction or severe population decrease. This caused a large disruption & an outrage amongst marine biologists. It was argued whether the pupfish should be kept alive or not. Thus, bumper stickers were distributed that read "Kill the Pupfish" or "Save the Pupfish". Some argued that the Nevada state engineer should be able to use that water source & that the pupfish should not be protected. However, others argued that it would be similar to bombing the Louvre to make way for a parking lot. In the end, the pupfish were protected. In 1967 they were placed under the Endangered Species Act. The pupfish have a bright future & hopefully some day, we’ll be able to build wild colonies in other places besides the devils hole. Directories & Credits https://www.hcn.org/issues/51.6/endangered-species-how-a-tiny-endangered-species-put-a-man-in-prison https://www.unlv.edu/news/article/two-fish-less-fish-save-pupfish https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Fish/Pupfish https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cyprinodon_diabolis/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26632453/ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285627798_Paradoxical_anaerobism_in_desert_pupfish Strategic Partnerships Reel Guppy Outdoors Our Loyal Patrons Ms. Ochoa