Range
Published accounts include the Rio Grande region from the Devils River toward the Rio Conchos mouth, the Rio Conchos system itself and Mexico’s internally draining Rio Sauz basin. These records require drainage context; the shared pupfish name does not make isolated populations interchangeable.
Quiet-Water Habitat
Adults occupy sloughs, backwaters and the margins of small to medium rivers. The species is reported to avoid hot springs. That is an important distinction from the popular image of every desert pupfish living in extremely hot spring water.
Size and Life Cycle
The maximum of five centimeters includes the tail. This is not an annual killifish whose normal life cycle depends on eggs enduring a completely dry seasonal pool. Maintaining the distinction helps interpret its association with river margins instead of imposing the biology of unrelated seasonal killifishes.
Desert Does Not Mean Hot Spring
The regional climate and the fish’s actual water habitat are different things. Conchos Pupfish is associated with river edges and backwaters, not a generalized hot-spring setting.
All Lakes With Conchos Pupfish
Browse lakes and reservoirs with documented Conchos Pupfish records, listed alphabetically. Records do not establish current abundance or public access. Check the evidence and managing authority for the water you choose.
No published lakes are currently linked to this species in our confirmed records.