Fundulus seminolis
Seminole Killifish
NS
G5
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Cyprinodontiformes
Fundulidae (Topminnows)
Fundulus
Fundulus seminolis (Seminole Killifish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Slender and moderately compressed posteriorly, with a long snout and a long, slender caudal peduncle. Dorsal profile of head is straight to slightly convex. Snout length is about 2 to 3 times eye diameter. Mouth is small and nearly horizontal. Lower jaw extends beyond upper jaw. Jaw teeth are arranged in narrow bands, with those of outer row enlarged, conical, and recurved. Gill rakers on first arch are short stubs and number six or seven. Operculum is attached to shoulder girdle considerably above pectoral fin base. Measurements (% SL) vary between males and females. Pectoral fin has 19 or 20 rays. Dorsal fin originates anterior to anal fin origin and has 13 to 20 rays. Anal fin originates slightly posterior to dorsal fin origin and has 10 to 15 rays. Lateral scale rows number 50 to 55.
Males are olivaceous to brown dorsally and pale ventrally, with hatched pattern produced by concentration of pigment at angles of scales. Dorsal fin has narrow brown bands, caudal fin is pigmented with brown or olivaceous small spots, and other fins are clear. Females are similarly colored but have few or no spots at angles of scales, bands on dorsal fin, and spots on caudal fin.
Distribution
Peninsular Florida from the St. Johns River drainage on the Atlantic side and the New River, east of Apalachicola, on the Gulf side, to just south of the Everglades.
Habitat Associations
Open areas of streams and lakes over sandy bottoms, and brackish water along the coast. Depth range not specified.
Sandy bottoms
Biology
Maximum known size is 160 mm TL
Inhabits open areas of lakes and quiet stream pools. Young are usually found in schools near vegetation. 16 cm max TL (Ref. 5723). Not a seasonal killifish. Is very difficult to maintain in aquarium (Ref. 27139).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-02-02. Resilience: High (tmax=2).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters described
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Jordan and Evermann 1896
Rosen 1973
Lee et al. 1980
Page and Burr 1991
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr (1991) A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 432 p.
Hugg, D.O. (1996) MAPFISH georeferenced mapping database. Freshwater and estuarine fishes of North America. Life Science Software. Dennis O. and Steven Hugg, 1278 Turkey Point Road, Edgewater, Maryland, USA.
Huber, J.H. (1996) Killi-Data 1996. Updated checklist of taxonomic names, collecting localities and bibliographic references of oviparous Cyprinodont fishes (Atherinomorpha, Pisces). Société Française d'Ichtyologie, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France, 399 p.
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