Umbra pygmaea
Eastern Mudminnow
NS
G5
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Esociformes
Umbridae (Mudminnows)
Umbra
Umbra pygmaea (Eastern Mudminnow)
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: fusiform / normal. Body robust, thick, little compressed; head bluntly conic; snout short, equal to diameter of eye; mouth moderate, jaws short, mandible protrudes slightly beyond tip of upper jaw, premaxillaries not protractile. Gill rakers short and numerous. Dorsal inserted near pectoral than caudal base; pelvic inserted just before origin of dorsal , rays of depressed fin reaching to about 3rd anal ray. Caudal fin rounded, with 18-20 rays (Ref. 2196).
Pigmentation: yellowish green with 10-12 narrow lateral dark stripes; a dark stripe through eye; a black basicaudal bar; lower jaw pale; fins plain. Also Ref. 40476. Striking features: none.
Distribution
North America: Atlantic and Gulf slopes from southeastern New York (including Long Island) to St.Johns River drainage in Florida and west to Aucilla River drainage in Florida and Georgia, USA (Ref. 5723). Introduced (but very localized) to central and western Europe (Ref. 59043).
Habitat Associations
Freshwater. demersal. Found in: streams, mangroves, marshes/swamps.
Biology
Inhabits quiet streams, sloughs, swamps and other wetlands over sand, mud and debris, often among dense vegetation. Juveniles also found among aquatic vegetation, often forming schools of 10-12 individuals (Ref. 39069). An introduced species in Europe which usually occurs in small isolated ponds and peat bogs (Ref. 59043). Oviparous, larvae remain in algal nest for about 6 days (Ref. 39067). Spawning takes place in April and May (Ref. 30578). Feeds on insect larvae, worms, mollusks, crustaceans alevins. Experimental studies show that this species can tolerate acidic environment, particularly, at ph values ranging from 4.0 to 7.0 where no mortality or significant changes in blood plasma osmolarity and haematocrit was observed (Ref. 59260).
Max length: 13.7 cm TL.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders (nesters); parental care: maternal.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-03-01. Resilience: Medium (tm=1.5-2; Ave. Fec=342).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: commercial.
References
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Riehl, R. and H.A. Baensch (1991) Aquarien Atlas. Band. 1. Melle: Mergus, Verlag für Natur-und Heimtierkunde, Germany. 992 p.
Jones, P.W., F.D. Martin and J.D. Hardy Jr. (1978) Development of fishes of the Mid-Atlantic Bight. An atlas of eggs, larval and juvenile stages. Vol. 1. Acipenseridae through Ictaluridae. U.S. Fish Wildl. Ser. Biol. Serv. Program FWS/OBS-78/12. 336 p.
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.
Verreycken, H., G. Van Thuyne and C. Belpaire (2011) Length-weight relationships of 40 freshwater fish species from two decades of monitoring in Flanders (Belgium). J. Appl. Ichthyol. 2011:1-5.
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