[Killietalk] Question on Cyp. nevadensis

[Scott Davis <unclescott at prodigy_net>]

I was again browsing the killie-related sections of Robert Goldstein?s American Aquarium Fishes. I was a bit startled to detect the remote possibility of collecting two sub-species of Cyprinodon nevadensis.

The quick question is can an ordinary citizen get permission from the US Bureau of Land Management to collect a couple of pairs of either Cyprinodon nevadensis amargosae or Cyp. nev. nevadensis?

The longer ramble:

RJG summarized the state of each subspecies (C. 2000) as the following:

Extinct: nev. calidae from Tecopa Hot Springs

Barely surviving: nev. shoshone from Shoshone Springs

Protected: nev. mionectes ? Ash Meadows 

Protected: nev pectoralis ? near Devil?s Hole

What then of nev. amargoesae (the Amargosa Pupfish) from the mucky artesian well Tecopa bore, Tecopa and nearby waters?

And what of nev. nevadensis from Saratoga springs  (Saratoga Springs Pupfish) ?

The State of California considers both Cyp. nev amargosae and Cyp. nev, nevadensis each to be a Species of Special Concern. That is the same status they accord Cyp. nev. shoshone.

Does the state?s stand mean ?just forget about it.? If so, end of discussion.

Goldstein pointed out that (in 2000), ?A permit from the state (CA) or from the Federal Bureau of Land Management is required to collect this fish.? I?m assuming that is in reference to nev. armagosae, which he suggested is collected with the least trouble at Tecopa.

Google was kind enough to provide a local Bureau of Land Management Office.
United States Government: Bureau of Land Management ‎
2601 Barstow Rd
Barstow, CA 92311

(760) 252-6000
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en.html

Some of the locations could be ?found? on the Google maps
Tecopa   http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

Tecopa Hot Springs (where calidae used to be) doesn?t show much, even in a satellite image  http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

Tecopa Bore  ?

However even in the on-line literature there is some disconcerting vagueness in terms of popular names. http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/WWW/esis/lists/e251006.htm
When discussing Cyp. n. pectoralis they also refer to popular names such as the Warm Springs Pupfish and Lovell Spring Amargosa pupfish, Warm Springs Amargosa pupfish, Amargosa pupfish, and Nevada pupfish.  The scientific name Cyprinodon nevadensis is used in an article referring to that protected subspecies.

So once again. can an ordinary citizen in 2008 secure a permit to collect two pairs of Cyp. nev. amargoesae? Because of how many ways Amargosa is used, will they get into trouble anyway?

I imagine even if the first of my questions is answered yes, there might be a flood of three people to apply for a collecting permit.  I probably wouldn't be one of them.

Thanks for your time and thoughts,
Scott
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