Original description as Cyprinodon macrolepis:
- Miller, Robert Rush. 1976. "Four new pupfishes of the genus Cyprinodon from Mexico, with a key to the C. eximius complex". Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences. 75(2):68-75 (ffm00172)
Conservation: Cyprinodon macrolepis is evaluated by the international union for the conservation of nature in the iucn red list of threatened species as (EN) endangered (1996).