Cyprinodon diabolis Wales, 1930
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
The Devils Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis) is a critically endangered species of the family Cyprinodontidae (pupfishes) found only in Devils Hole, a water-filled cavern in the US state of Nevada. It was first described as a species in 1930 and is most closely related to C. nevadensis and the Death Valley pupfish (C. salinus). The age of the species is unknown, with differing analyses offering ranges between one thousand and sixty thousand years. It is a small fish, with maximum lengths of up to 30 mm (1.2 in). Individuals vary in coloration based on age and sex: males are bright metallic blue while females and juveniles are more yellow. A defining trait of this species is its lack of pelvic fins. The pupfish consumes nearly every available food resource at Devils Hole, including beetles, snails, algae, and freshwater crustaceans, with diet varying throughout the year. It is preyed on by the predaceous diving beetle species Neoclypeodytes cinctellus, which was first observed in Devils Hole in 1999 or 2000. Reproduction occurs year-round, with spikes in the spring and fall.
Wikipedia contributors, Devils Hole pupfish; 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 diabolis Wales, 1930
- Name authority
- Wales, 1930
- 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 diabolis Wales, 1930
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 diabolus Wales, 1930 Wales, 1930 | 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.
- Wales, J. H. (1930). Biometrical studies of some races of cyprinodont fishes, from the Death Valley Region, with description of Cyprinodon diabolis, n. sp. Copeia, (no. 3): 61–70. https://doi.org/10.2307/1437054 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:33HLW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.