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| NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species |
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Common Name: Railroad Valley springfish
Taxonomy: available through 
Identification: La Rivers (1962); Sigler and Sigler (1987); Page and Burr (1991).
Size: 6 cm.
Native Range: Springs in Railroad Valley, Nye County, Nevada (Page and Burr 1991).
Nonindigenous Occurrences: In 1947, six individuals were stocked into artificial ponds created near a natural seep of warm water, at Sodaville, in the southeastern part of Mineral County, Nevada (La Rivers 1962; Hubbs et al. 1974). The species was introduced into several pools along the outflow of Chimney Hot Springs (also called Chimney Springs), Nye County, in 1978 and again in 1982 (Deacon and Williams 1984; Williams and Williams 1989).
Means of Introduction: The Sodaville introduction was performed by Thomas Trelease of the Nevada Fish and Game Commission in response to the possible stocking of bass into the species' native habitat (La Rivers 1962). The U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Nevada Department of Wildlife introduced the species into Chimney Hot Springs in response to deterioration of its native habitats (Williams and Williams 1989). According to Williams and Williams (1989), the purpose of these introductions was to establish a refuge population for conservation of the species.
Status: Transplants have helped secure the long-term viability of this species. The population at Chimney Hot Springs, Nevada, was estimated at 1,881 adults in 1985; however, various habitat perturbations, including low water levels, unstable water temperatures, and trespass by cattle contributed to a population decline. The Sodaville population appeared stable during the late 1980s, although no firm population data was available (Williams and Williams 1989).
Impact of Introduction: Unknown.
Remarks: Williams and Williams (1989) made reference to an introduced population at Old Dugan Ranch, but they did not report details. The Railroad Valley springfish is protected as a threatened species (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1993a). Introductions outside its native range occurred well before the species' 1986 formal listing as threatened (Williams and Williams 1989). In part of the native habitat of C. nevadae, introduced channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus and guppies Poecilia reticulata have large populations (Williams and Williams 1989). According to Clemmer (personal communication), commercial catfish farming in Duckwater Valley has depressed springfish populations and limited them to the fringes of the warm springs and outflows. A photograph of the Chimney Hot Springs Refuge appeared in Williams (1991).
La Rivers, I. 1962. Fishes and fisheries of Nevada. Nevada State Print Office, Carson City, NV.
Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. The Peterson Field Guide Series, volume 42. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1993a. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. 50 CFR 17.11 & 17.12. Federal Register, August 23, 1993. U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC. 40 pp.
Other Resources:
FishBase Fact Sheet
Author: Pam Fuller
Revision Date: 12/5/2003 Citation for this information:
Pam Fuller. 2009. Crenichthys nevadae. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL.
<http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=720> Revision Date: 12/5/2003
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