ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT PROFILE

PROTECTION STATUS: Threatened

YEAR PLACED ON LIST: 1999

CRITICAL HABITAT: 2,640 acres in Val Verde and Kinney counties, Texas designated 2008

RECOVERY PLAN: 2005

RANGE: The middle Devils River, Pinto Creek, and San Felipe Creek tributaries to the Rio Grande; may also inhabit the Río Salado in Chihuahua, Mexico

THREATS: Habitat loss from dam construction, spring de-watering, and other stream modifications; introduction of nonnative fishes; degradation of water quality; reduced stream flow; and drought

POPULATION TREND: The minnow population has decreased immensely and suffered a significant range reduction since the species was first collected in the early 1950s. In 1989, sampling from 24 sites within the fish's historical range turned up only seven minnows at five sites, and by 1998 the fish could be found in only three locations in Texas.

Photo © Garold W. Sneegas