Moapa dace

Moapa dace
File:Moapa coriacea.jpg
Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cypriniformes
Family:	Cyprinidae
Genus:	Moapa C. L. Hubbs and R. R. Miller, 1948
Species:	M. coriacea
Binomial name
Moapa coriacea C. L. Hubbs and R. R. Miller, 1948

The moapa dace (Moapa coriacea) is a rare cyprinid fish of southern Nevada, United States, found only in the warm springs that give rise to the Muddy River, and in the upper parts of the river. It is the only species of the monotypic genus Moapa.

A small fish, with a maximum recorded length of 9 cm, its scales are small and embedded in the skin, resulting in a noticeably leathery texture (thus the species epithet, derived from Latin coriaceus "leathery"). General body shape is standard for cyprinids, with a vaguely conical head.

Moapa daces require warm water, in temperature range of 87 to 93°F.

See also

• Category: Fauna of the Mojave Desert
• Category: Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex

References

• Gimenez Dixon (1996). Moapa coriacea. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 09 May 2006. Listed as Critically Endangered (CR B1+2c v2.3)
• Ira La Rivers, Fishes and Fisheries of Nevada (University of Nevada Press, 1994)
• Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2011). "Moapa coriacea" in FishBase. August 2011 version.