Moapa dace

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 .

Picture of the Moapa dace has been licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution.
Original source: Flickr: Moapa dace Author
Author: Pacific Southwest Region U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Permission (

The Moapa dace lives in the demersal, freshwater environment.

The Moapa dace is classified as Critically Endangered (CR), facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

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. More

Moapa, the Moapa dace lives only in the warm springs of the upper Muddy River and has a distinctive leathery appearance — hence the scientific name coriacea , which means “leathery. More

The Moapa dace (Moapa coriacea) is endemic to the upper Muddy River in southern Nevada where it occurs in warm springs, spring outflows, and the river mainstem . More

Drop in endangered moapa dace populations subject of potential lawsuit = By John Platt e-mail print comment Moapa dace (Moapa coriacea) live in just a few warm springs in Nevada. More

* States/US Territories in which the Moapa dace is known to occur: Nevada * USFWS Refuges in which the Moapa dace is known to occur: MOAPA VALLEY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE * More

The moapa dace population plummeted from nearly 1,200 in 2007 to just 460 a year later, marking the first time its numbers dipped below 900 since they've been monitored. No clear reason for the decline has been identified. More

The moapa dace, Moapa coriacea, is a rare cyprinidCyprinid The Family Cyprinidae, from the Ancient Greek ??p????? , consists of the carps, the true minnows, and their relatives . They are commonly called cyprinids or carp and minnow family.... More

The Moapa dace is unique because it is the only representative of its genus and it is found nowhere else in the world. More

Moapa dace was federally listed as endangered. Prior to listing, both the Pedersen and Plummer springhead areas were developed and operated as a resort in what is now the refuge, with snack bars and recreational vehicle hook-ups. More

Also, the Moapa dace has small embedded scales which give it a leathery appearance. More

AND LAWS: The Moapa dace (Moapa coriacea) has been designated an Endangered species pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (50 CFR 17.11; P.L. 93-205, 87 Stat. 884; 16 U.S.C. 1531-1540), as amended. The species has this status wherever found including the State of Nevada. More

The groundwater developments will destroy Moapa dace habitat at a time when the endangered fish, found only in the upper Muddy River and its thermal tributary springs, is struggling to survive. More

endangered Moapa dace (Moapa coriacea), a fish dependent on warm-spring habitat for reproduction. More

A Moapa dace is seen in this July 10, 2001, photo. The fish is an endangered species. Photo by Clint Karlsen. More

Stevens Media The Moapa dace has spent more than 40 years on the endangered species list. Its entire habitat has been in the protective custody of the federal government and the Southern Nevada Water Authority since 2007. More

Common names

Moapa dace in English
Trněnka nevadská in Czech (česky)
革鱥 in Chinese (中文)
革鱥 in Mandarin Chinese

Order : Cypriniformes
Family : Cyprinidae
Genus : Moapa
Species : Moapa coriacea
Authority : Hubbs and Miller, 1948