White River springfish

The White River springfish (Crenichthys baileyi) is a species of fish in the family Goodeidae, the splitfins. It is a rare species of the Great Basin of western United States, where it is endemic to isolated warm springs in the White River drainage of eastern Nevada.^[1]

White River springfish
Crenichthys baileyi moapae
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cyprinodontiformes
Family:	Goodeidae
Genus:	Crenichthys
Species:	C. baileyi
Binomial name
Crenichthys baileyi (C. H. Gilbert, 1893)
Synonyms
Cyprinodon macularius baileyi Gilbert, 1893

Each side has two rows of dark blotches. The pelvic fins are entirely absent, while the anal fin is large, with 14 rays. The dorsal fin is set far back on the body, just above the anal fin, and is somewhat smaller than the anal fin, with 11 rays.

Subspecies

FishBase records five subspecies:^[2]

• Crenichthys baileyi albivallis J. E. Williams & Wilde, 1981 – Preston White River springfish
• Crenichthys baileyi baileyi (C. H. Gilbert, 1893) – White River springfish
• Crenichthys baileyi grandis J. E. Williams & Wilde, 1981 – Hiko White River springfish
• Crenichthys baileyi moapae J. E. Williams & Wilde, 1981 – Moapa White River springfish
• Crenichthys baileyi thermophilus J. E. Williams & Wilde, 1981 – Mormon White River springfish

Etymology

The genus name is a compound of creno meaning "spring", a reference to the desert springs this species occurs in, and ichthys which is Greek for "fish". The specific name honours the American ethnologist and naturalist Vernon Orlando Bailey (1864-1942), who co-collected the type along with C. Hart Merriam.^[3]