The Desert Pupfish of the Salton Sea: A Synthesis

Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Metadata:

• Identification_Information
• Data_Quality_Information
• Spatial_Reference_Information
• Distribution_Information
• Metadata_Reference_Information

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Ron Sutton, Bureau of Reclamation

Publication_Date: August, 5, 1999

Title: The Desert Pupfish of the Salton Sea: A Synthesis

Edition:

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document

Series_Information:

Series_Name:

Issue_Identification:

Publication_Information:

Publication_Place: La Quinta, California

Publisher: Salton Sea Authority

Other_Citation_Details:

Prepared for Salton Sea Authority

Online_Linkage:

Description:

Abstract:

The desert pupfish (Cyprinodontidae, Cyprinodon macularius (Baird and Girard 1853)) is the only fish endemic to the Salton Sink. There are two subspecies in the United States: a Colorado River form (C. m. macularius Baird and Girard) and a Quitobaquito form (C. m. eremus Miller and Fuiman) (Marsh and Sada 1993). This report focuses on C. m. macularius, whose wild populations occur around the Salton Sea (Marsh and Sada 1993). Information was obtained from a literature search conducted by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), an internet search, and from the library at the Bureau of Reclamation in Denver, Colorado. Recent unpublished survey data were obtained from CDFG. Desert pupfish were once widespread and abundant in portions of southern Arizona and southeastern California, United States, and northern Baja California and Sonora, Mexico (Miller 1943). In 1859, Girard first reported desert pupfish in California in some saline springs in Imperial County (Jordan, Evermann, and Clark 1930). After the Salton Sink was flooded in 1904-1907 by diversion of the Colorado River, desert pupfish colonized what is now known as the Salton Sea (Thompson and Bryant 1920) and was reported as "abundant" by several authors (Coleman 1929; Cowles 1934; Barlow 1958, 1961; Walker 1961). However, only Barlow (1961) provided an estimate of 10,000 individuals in a single shoreline pool of the Salton Sea. Collections made by CDFG and others, including Schoenherr (1979), in the late 1950s to early 1960s indicated that desert pupfish abundance at the Salton Sea was severely declining (Black 1980). In surveys conducted by CDFG in 1978-1979, desert pupfish accounted for 3 percent of the total catch in irrigation drains, 5 percent of the catch from shoreline pools, and less than 1 percent of the catch from three natural permanent tributaries and the Salton Sea proper (Black 1980). However, desert pupfish accounted for 70 percent of the total catch from San Felipe Creek, an intermittent tributary to the Salton Sea. The desert pupfish was listed as a California endangered species in1980 (CDFG 1980). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) listed this species and its critical habitat as endangered in 1986 because of habitat alteration, introductions of exotic species and contaminants, and other habitat impacts (FWS 1986). Designated critical habitat includes San Felipe Creek, Carrizo Wash, and Fish Creek Wash in Imperial County, California (FWS 1986). Figure 1 shows the general distribution of desert pupfish around the Salton Sea. Current desert pupfish populations occur in drains directly discharging to the Salton Sea, in shoreline pools of the Salton Sea, several artificial refugia, and in desert washes at San Felipe Creek and Salt Creek. Pupfish are not known to occur in the New or Alamo Rivers because of the high sediment loads, excessive velocities, and presence of predators (Imperial Irrigation District 1994).

Purpose:

Not Available

Supplemental_Information:

Not Available

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 19910101

Ending_Date: 19981231

Currentness_Reference:Unknown

Status:

Progress: Complete

Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: As needed

Spatial_Domain:

Description_of_Geographic_Extent:

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: -116.0

East_Bounding_Coordinate: -115.5

North_Bounding_Coordinate: 33.5

South_Bounding_Coordinate: 33.0

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD SCIENCE PARAMETERS

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ANCILLARY KEYWORDS

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO TOPIC CATEGORY

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: DATA SET LANGUAGE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > FISH > PUPFISHES

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS > LAKES > SALINE LAKES

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS > POPULATION DYNAMICS

Theme_Keyword: Literature Search

Theme_Keyword: Abundance

Theme_Keyword: Desert Pupfish

Theme_Keyword: Endangered Species

Theme_Keyword: Salton Sea

Theme_Keyword: Salton Sink

Theme_Keyword: Southern Arizona

Theme_Keyword: Southeastern California

Theme_Keyword: United States

Theme_Keyword: Northern Baja California

Theme_Keyword: Sonora, Mexico

Theme_Keyword: BIOTA

Theme_Keyword: INLAND WATERS

Theme_Keyword: ENGLISH

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD

Place_Keyword: CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > CALIFORNIA > SALTON SEA

Access_Constraints: None

Use_Constraints:

None

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: RON SUTTON

Contact_Position: INVESTIGATOR

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: Bureau of Reclamation

Address: P.O. Box 25007 (D-8210)

City: Denver

State_or_Province: CO

Postal_Code: 80225

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: (303) 445-2495

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: (303) 445-6328

Data_Quality_Information:

Attribute_Accuracy:

Attribute_Accuracy_Report:

Information was obtained from a literature search conducted by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), an internet search, and from the library at the Bureau of Reclamation in Denver, Colorado. Recent unpublished survey data were obtained from CDFG.

Logical_Consistency_Report:

Not Available

Completeness_Report:

Not Available

Lineage:

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

Not Available

Process_Date: Unknown

Spatial_Reference_Information:

Distribution_Information:

Distributor:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: CA/SSA > Salton Sea Authority, California

Contact_Person: SALTON SEA AUTHORITY CONTACT

Contact_Position: DATA CENTER CONTACT

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: Salton Sea Authority

Address: 78-401 Highway 111

Address: Suite T

City: La Quinta

State_or_Province: CA

Postal_Code: 92253

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: (760) 564-4888

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: (760) 564-5288

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: info@saltonsea.ca.gov

Resource_Description: uc_ssa_desertpupfish

Distribution_Liability:

Not Available

Standard_Order_Process:

Digital_Form:

Digital_Transfer_Information:

Format_Name: Not Available

Digital_Transfer_Option:

Online_Option:

Computer_Contact_Information:

Network_Address:

Network_Resource_Name:

http://www.saltonsea.ca.gov/

Access_Instructions:

DATA CENTER URL

Digital_Transfer_Option:

Online_Option:

Computer_Contact_Information:

Network_Address:

Network_Resource_Name:

http://golab.unl.edu/publications/Sivasundar2001/S...

Access_Instructions:

Fees: Not Available

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 20030829

Metadata_Review_Date: 20121221

Metadata_Future_Review_Date: 20040829

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: TYLER B. STEVENS

Contact_Position: DIF AUTHOR

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Address: Global Change Master Directory

City: Greenbelt

State_or_Province: MD

Postal_Code: 20771

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: (301) 614-6898

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 301-614-5268

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: Tyler.B.Stevens@nasa.gov

Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998

Metadata_Time_Convention: local time