pupfish
noun
pup·fish ˈpəp-ˌfish 
: any of several killifishes (genus Cyprinodon of the family Cyprinodontidae) especially of warm streams and springs of the western U.S.
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Hole pupfish has paddled back from the brink in a hellish desert domain. 
Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2022 The Tecopa pupfish, a native of the hot springs of the Mojave Desert, has the distinction of being the first animal declared extinct under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, 21 Apr. 2022 Before the 1990s, there were about 200 pupfish; since then, their numbers have fallen as low as 90. Mary Forgione, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2022 The pupfish’s decline was precipitated when its natural habitat was encroached upon by developers. Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, 21 Apr. 2022 There are now thousands of pupfish in a network of artificial ponds, which are planted with three-square bulrush and give a convincingly timeless appearance. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2022 This shallow recess is home to 100 much-studied adult Devils Hole pupfish, or Cyprinodon diabolis. Peter Byrne, Scientific American, 27 Mar. 2012 The Quitobaquito Springs also has been the only U.S. habitat for two endangered species, the Sonoyta pupfish and Sonoran mud turtle. National Geographic, 22 July 2020 The springs are perfect habitat for numerous species of aquatic animals, including two small, endangered desert fishes -- the Pecos gambusia and the Comanche Springs pupfish, according to the release. Midland Reporter-telegram, Houston Chronicle, 16 June 2020 See More
Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2022 The Tecopa pupfish, a native of the hot springs of the Mojave Desert, has the distinction of being the first animal declared extinct under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, 21 Apr. 2022 Before the 1990s, there were about 200 pupfish; since then, their numbers have fallen as low as 90. Mary Forgione, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2022 The pupfish’s decline was precipitated when its natural habitat was encroached upon by developers. Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, 21 Apr. 2022 There are now thousands of pupfish in a network of artificial ponds, which are planted with three-square bulrush and give a convincingly timeless appearance. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2022 This shallow recess is home to 100 much-studied adult Devils Hole pupfish, or Cyprinodon diabolis. Peter Byrne, Scientific American, 27 Mar. 2012 The Quitobaquito Springs also has been the only U.S. habitat for two endangered species, the Sonoyta pupfish and Sonoran mud turtle. National Geographic, 22 July 2020 The springs are perfect habitat for numerous species of aquatic animals, including two small, endangered desert fishes -- the Pecos gambusia and the Comanche Springs pupfish, according to the release. Midland Reporter-telegram, Houston Chronicle, 16 June 2020 See More Word History
First Known Use
1949, in the meaning defined above