The Leon Springs pupfish (Cyprinodon bovinus) is a species of fish in the family Cyprinodontidae. It is endemic to Pecos County, Texas in the United States. It is a federally listed endangered species.[2][3]
| Leon Springs pupfish | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cyprinodontiformes |
| Family: | Cyprinodontidae |
| Genus: | Cyprinodon |
| Species: | C. bovinus |
| Binomial name | |
| Cyprinodon bovinus S. F. Baird & Girard, 1853 | |
The Leon Springs pupfish is found at the shallow edges of spring-fed wetland pools, where it is most frequently observed in areas without vegetation.. Its diet consists of diatoms, amphipods, and ostracods.[4]
This fish was first discovered in 1851 at Leon Springs, near Fort Stockton, Texas. Leon Springs was impounded, poisoned, stocked with game fish,[5] and drained, and the fish was considered extinct by 1938. In the 1960s it was rediscovered at Diamond Y Spring a few miles away.[6] It is also found in the Diamond Y Draw, a tributary of the Pecos River.[7]