About this Collection

Five species of freshwater fishes in west Texas are currently listed as endangered and one species is listed as threatened. An additional species has been proposed to receive threatened species status in the state and one more is under review. The following documents and links are provided to help you understand the life history, federal listing status, recovery efforts, and sampling recommendations of these species.

This library collection includes information pertaining to the west Texas fishes that are listed, proposed for listing, or under review.  The information is organized into four sections: Species, Maps and Data, Recovery, and Permitting.

  1. Species -  includes links to each individual species page.
  2. Maps and Data 鈥� includes links to information on designated critical habitat and publicly available presence/absence data
  3. Recovery 鈥� includes links to current west Texas fishes recovery plans
  4. Permitting 鈥� includes links to Section 10(a)(1)(a) or scientific permit information

Species

There are currently seven species of freshwater fishes in west Texas that are either currently listed under the Endangered Species Act (Act) or have been proposed to receive listing under the Act. These fishes generally occur in spring outflows or spring-fed streams and rivers (with the exception of Rio Grande shiner, which is found in the Rio Grande) and require adequate amounts of flowing water, free of contaminants and water quality degradations and having adequate food supply, with refugia from both high- and low-flow events, appropriate substrate that is generally characterized as stable and free of excessive fine sediment, and habitat connectivity (i.e., lack of excessive impoundments and barriers to fish passage fish passage
Fish passage is the ability of fish or other aquatic species to move freely throughout their life to find food, reproduce, and complete their natural migration cycles. Millions of barriers to fish passage across the country are fragmenting habitat and leading to species declines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Passage Program is working to reconnect watersheds to benefit both wildlife and people.

Learn more about fish passage ). 

Links to more information about each species are provided below.  

Maps and Data

  • Critical Habitat: Only two of the listed fishes have critical habitat: the Devils River minnow and the Leon Springs pupfish. Critical habitat has been proposed, but not finalized, for the Pecos pupfish. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides final critical habitat designation information for threatened and endangered species across the United States using an  and by providing data that can be downloaded for use in a Geographic Information System (GIS). You can find both the mapper and the data on the . For individual species data, scroll down the Critical Habitat Report page and enter the species into the search box.
  • The University of Texas at Austin maintains an online database of freshwater fishes records throughout Texas that is accessible using an online mapper. The Fishes of Texas Database is a tool for research and informal project scoping purposes. Note that the database is not a formal project planning tool to satisfy regulatory consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Formal project planning should still be completed using .

Recovery

Recovery Plans - To help identify and guide species recovery needs, section 4(f) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, directs the Service to develop and implement recovery plans for listed species or populations. Recovery plans are advisory documents developed to provide recovery recommendations aimed at resolving the threats to the species and ensuring self-sustaining populations in the wild. All six of the currently listed west Texas fishes have recovery plans. Some date to the 1980s, but the most recent five-year status reviews have recommendations specific to current conditions facing each species. These documents should be available from each species' web page.

  • Big Bend gambusia
  • Clear Creek gambusia
  • Comanche Springs pupfish
  • Devils River minnow
  • Leon Springs pupfish
  • Pecos gambusia

Permitting

Section10(a)(1)(A) permits, also referred to as recovery, enhancement of survival, or scientific permits, allow for 'take' of listed species that may or will occur while conducting research to further the recovery of a listed species. 

To apply for a scientific research and recovery permit to conduct presence/absence surveys or do research on endangered or threatened species, you will need to fill out Form 3-200-59. This form and instructions for filling it out can be found on our . The species lead (Maritza Mallek) is available to discuss options and provide guidance on answering the questionnaire.

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