Cyprinodon dearborni Meek, 1909
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Cyprinodon dearborni, the Willemstad pupfish or petotica pupfish, is a species of pupfish native to the ABC islands of the Lesser Antilles. Pupfish populations found along the northern coast of South America are also identified as C. dearborni though genetic evidence suggests that they represent another, so far undescribed species. The species is euryhaline, though it rarely inhabits freshwater and brackish habitats for long; it prefers hypersaline lagoons and bays. Its habitats frequently contain plenty of blue-green algae, which is a staple in its diet; the fish may also take pieces of vegetation and small invertebrates. The species is rarely parasitized, but frequently preyed upon by other fish and birds. The pupfish lay eggs in nests guarded by males. They grow to about 4.8 cm (1.9 in).
Wikipedia contributors, Cyprinodon dearborni; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:28:43.667048+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cyprinodon dearborni Meek, 1909
- Name authority
- Meek, 1909
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cyprinodontiformes
- Family
- Cyprinodontidae
- Genus
- Cyprinodon
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCyprinodontiformes
- familyCyprinodontidae Wagner, 1828
- subfamilyCyprinodontinae Wagner, 1828
- genusCyprinodon Lacepède, 1803
- speciesCyprinodon dearborni Meek, 1909
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Cyprinodon. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Cyprinodon alvarezi Miller, 1976 | CyprinodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cyprinodon arcuatus Minckley & Miller, 2002 | CyprinodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Yucatan pupfishCyprinodon artifrons Hubbs, 1936 | CyprinodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| San Ignacio pupfishCyprinodon bobmilleri Lozano-Vilano & Contreras-Balderas, 1999 | CyprinodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cyprinodon bondi Myers, 1935 | CyprinodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cyprinodon bovinus Baird & Girard, 1853 | CyprinodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cyprinodon brontotheroides Martin & Wainwright, 2013 | CyprinodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cyprinodon elegans Baird & Girard, 1853 | CyprinodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hidden PupfishCyprinodon esconditus Strecker, 2002 | CyprinodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Conchos PupfishCyprinodon eximius Girard, 1859 | CyprinodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Carbonera PupfishCyprinodon fontinalis Smith & Miller, 1980 | CyprinodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cyprinodon higuey Rodriguez & Smith, 1990 | CyprinodontidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Cyprinodon cyaneostriga Ahl, 1938 Ahl, 1938 | synonym |
| Cyprinodon variegatus dearborni Meek, 1909 Meek, 1909 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Meek, S. E. (1909). New species of fishes from tropical America. Field Columbian Museum, Zoölogical Series, v. 7 (no. 7): 207–211. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:33HLS. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.