Cyprinodon desquamator Martin & Wainwright, 2013
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 desquamator is a scale-eating species of pupfish in the genus Cyprinodon. It is endemic to hypersaline interior lakes on San Salvador Island, Bahamas. It coexists alongside two other closely related Cyprinodon species C. brontotheroides and C. variegatus. Together, these three species represent a recent adaptive radiation, each having moved into a difference niche within their specialized environment. Each of these species are defined by distinct trophic adaptations that have affected various aspects of their functional morphology, behavior, strike kinematics, and reproductive coloration.
Cyprinodon desquamator has enlarged adductor muscles, a small in-lever to out-lever ratio for rapidly closing its large lower jaw, and an elongated body for quickly performing scale-removing strikes on Cyprinodon and Gambusia species. This species spawns during the spring and summer, although it appears to be commoner in the summer. The males guard breeding territories.
Specific epithet: 'desquamator' comes from the Latin "one who removes scales from fishes", describing the scale-eating trophic specialization of this species, unique among Cyprinodontiform fishes.
Wikipedia contributors, Cyprinodon desquamator; 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 desquamator Martin & Wainwright, 2013
- Name authority
- Martin & Wainwright, 2013
- 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 desquamator Martin & Wainwright, 2013
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 |
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.
- Martin, C. H., & Wainwright, P. C. (2013). A Remarkable Species Flock of Cyprinodon Pupfishes Endemic to San Salvador Island, Bahamas. Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History, 54. https://doi.org/10.3374/014.054.0201 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:33HLV. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.