(DRAFT) - Taxonomy
Species killifish, striped
Species Id M010078
Date 27 AUG 96
TAXONOMY
NAME - killifish, striped
OTHER COMMON NAMES - striped killifish, bull minnow, gudgeon, striped mummichog, banded killifish, killie and mummie
ELEMENT CODE -
CATEGORY - Fish
PHYLUM AND SUBPHYLUM - Chordata,
CLASS AND SUBCLASS - Osteichthyes,
ORDER AND SUBORDER - Atheriniformes,
FAMILY AND SUBFAMILY - Cyprinodontidae,
GENUS AND SUBGENUS - Fundulus,
SPECIES AND SSP - majalis,
SCIENTIFIC NAME - Fundulus majalis
AUTHORITY - Walbaum
TAXONOMY REFERENCES - 56
Taxonomy - 1 (DRAFT) - Status
Species killifish, striped
Species Id M010078
Date 27 AUG 96
STATUS
Coded Status
See Comments
REFERENCES FOR STATUS - 56
COMMENTS ON STATUS -
Although not valued as commercial or sport fishes, striped killifishes are
important in food chains because of their distribution and abundance *56*.
Status - 1 (DRAFT) - Distribution
Species killifish, striped
Species Id M010078
Date 27 AUG 96
DISTRIBUTION
Distribution - 1 HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS
HABITAT - AQUATIC
REFERENCES FOR HABITAT - 56
LAND USE -
Water
Streams and Canals
Bays and Estuaries
Chesapeake Bay
Atlantic Ocean Coastal Waters
Wetland
REFERENCES FOR LAND USE - 56
NATIONAL WETLAND INVENTORY CODES
NWI NWICLS NWIMOD NWISPEC
Estuarine
Estuarine, intertidal
Riverine
REFERENCES FOR NWI - 56
COMMENTS ON HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS -
The striped killifish is found the entire length of the Mid-Atlantic region
close to shore and in bays, estuaries and tidal creeks. Striped killifish
penetrate tidal rivers only as far as the mean boundary between fresh and
brackish water *56*.
May occur in permanent ponds of the high marsh, tidal creeks, the low marsh
surface, and unvegetated tidal flats *56*.
Striped killifish tend to occur over sandy sediments more often than do
mummichogs, and are by far the most important killifish on the unvegetated
intertidal flats of North Carolina *56*.
ANIMAL/PLANT SPECIES ASSOCIATIONS -
PARASITES:
dinoflagellates (Oodinium cyprinodontiform & Amylodinium)
sporozoans
monogenetic flukes
digenetic flukes
tapeworns
roundworns
spiny-headed worms
copepods
Swingelus sp. (a monogenetic trematode)
Cryptobia bullocki (a biflagellate kinetoplastid found in the blood)
REFERENCES FOR SPECIES ASSOCIATIONS - 56
COMMENTS ON SPECIES ASSOCIATIONS -
Parasites of striped killifish include dinoflagellates, sporozoans,
monogenetic flukes, digenetic flukes, tapeworms, roundworms, spiny-headed
worms and copepods *56*.
Additional parasites include Swingelus sp., a monogenetic trematode, and
Cryptobia bullocki, a biflagellate kinetoplastid found in the blood *56*.
Pathogenicity of parasites varies. Oodinium cyprinodontiform is believed to
Habitat Associations - 1 be a "symphoriont ectocommensal", deriving most of its energy from
photosyntheses, but the other dinoflagellated recorded from Fundulus spp.,
Amylodinium, seriously disrupts gill epithelium *56*.
Habitat Associations - 2 (DRAFT) - Food Habits
Species killifish, striped
Species Id M010078
Date 27 AUG 96
FOOD HABITS
TROPHIC LEVEL -
CARNIVORE
REFERENCES FOR TROPHIC LEVEL - 56
LIFESTAGE FOOD FOOD PART
General Polychaetes Not Specified
General Crustaceans Not Specified
General See Comments; Food Not Applicable
Important Polychaetes Not Specified
Important Crustaceans Not Specified
Important See Comments; Food Not Applicable
REFERENCES FOR GENERAL FOOD - 56
REFERENCES FOR IMPORTANT FOOD - 56
COMMENTS ON FOOD -
The proturding lower jaw and tilted mouth of cyprinodontids are well-adapted
to surface feeding. Fundulus, however, does not hesitate to feed in
mid-water or on the bottom. Grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio) swimming near
the surface are often consumed, perhaps because they are silhouetted against
the light *56*.
According to one study, Fundulus uses all available food items except
detritus. Crustaceans and polychaetes were found to be the most frequent
food of striped killifish *56*.
Food Habits - 1 (DRAFT) - Environment Associations
Species killifish, striped
Species Id M010078
Date 27 AUG 96
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS
G = General A = Adult
LIM = Limiting RA = Resting Adult
J = Juvenile FA = Feeding Adult
RJ = Resting Juvenile BA = Breeding Adult
FJ = Feeding Juvenile P = Pupae
L = Larvae E = Egg
RL = Resting Larvae
FL = Feeding Larvae
LIFESTAGE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS
G Water Temperature: Specified in Comments
G
G Bottom Type [Aquatic]: Sand
G Bottom Type [Aquatic]: Unknown
G Density of Aquatic Vegetation: Low
G Density of Aquatic Vegetation: Specified in comments
G Aquatic Habitat Zonation: Specified in Comments
G Water Level: Specified in Comments
G Water Depth Preference: Less than 1 ft.
G Water Depth Preference: Specified in Comments
G Coastal Features: Specified in Comments
G Coastal Wetlands: Coastal salt flats
G Coastal Wetlands: Regularly flooded salt marshes
G Coastal Wetlands: Sounds and bays
G Coastal Wetlands: Specified in Comments
G Aquatic/Terrestrial Ecotones: Specified in Comments
G Tidal marsh features: specified in comments
G Estuarine habitat zone: bay
G Estuarine habitat zone: specified in comments
G Currents: specified in comments
E Water Temperature: Specified in Comments
LIM Water Temperature: Specified in Comments
LIM
REFERENCES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ - 56
REFERENCES FOR LIMITING ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ - 56
REFERENCES FOR EGG ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ - 56
COMMENTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS -
Response to pollutants may depend upon temperature, salinity, and presence
or absence of certain chemicals in the water. The same concentration of a
pollutant that is only mildly toxic to fish under optimal environmental
conditions may be lethal to fish under thermal or osmotic stress.
Teratogenicity (ability to cause birth defects) of a pollutant may also be
higher under suboptimal salinities. Sensitivity to radiation also depends
on temperature and salinity. In striped killifish, salinity plays an
important role in copper uptake which differs for each life cycle stage
Environment Associations - 1 (DRAFT) - Environment Associations
Species killifish, striped
Species Id M010078
Date 27 AUG 96
*56*.
TEMPERATURE
Temperate marine fishes do not normally survive water temperatures greater
than 34 degrees C. However, several species of Fundulus can recover from
exposures to 40-42 degrees C water. In laboratory experiments, striped
killifish died of heat shock in 63 min at 34 degrees C, 28 min at 36
degrees C, 9 min at 37 degrees C, and 2 min at 42 degrees C *56*.
In the laboratory, mortality was low (7%) to moderate (29%) in striped
killifish embryos transferred from an intermediate, fluctuating temperature
regime (22-26 degrees C) to higher (28-32 degrees C) or lower (16-20
degrees C) fluctuating temperatures. The number of vertebrae and dorsalfin
rays developed by embryos was inversely correlated with temperature, and
was influenced more by cold water than by warm. Thermal effluents from
electric power plants caused an elevated frequency of vertebral
abnormalities in mummichog embryos (a member of the same genus as striped
killifish) *56*.
The median time to hatching is inversely related to water temperature.
Although hatching is not affected by the normally encountered range of
temperatures, the hatching enzyme is unstable at 30 degrees C or above
*56*.
SALINITY
Striped killifish rarely if ever enter freshwater *56*.
SUBSTRATE
Striped killifish tend to occur over sandy sediments more often than do
mummichogs, and are by far the most important killifish on the unvegetated
intertidal flats of North Carolina. In the laboratory, they respond more
strongly to substrate and cover than to current *56*.
WATER DEPTH
Striped killifish may be found in water only a few centimeters in depth.
This species is concentrated along the shoreline during flood tides, and,
if washed ashore, can reenter the water by a series of jumps *56*.
RESPONSE TO CURRENT
Striped killifish are positively rheotactic (face into a water current)
*56*.
COMMENTS ON LIMITING ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ -
Striped killifish rarely if ever enter freshwater *56*.
In laboratory experiments, striped killifish died of heat shock in 63 min
at 34 degrees C, 28 min at 36 degrees C, 9 min at 37 degrees C, and 2 min
at 42 degrees C *56*. In the laboratory, mortality was low (7%) to moderate
(29%) in striped killifish embryos transferred from an intermediate,
fluctuating temperature regime (22-26 degrees C) to higher (28-32 degrees
C) or lower (16-20 degrees C) fluctuating temperatures. The number of
vertebrae and dorsalfin rays developed by embryos was inversely correlated
with temperature, and was influenced more by cold water than by warm.
Thermal effluents from electric power plants caused an elevated frequency
of vertebral abnormalities in mummichog embryos (a member of the same genus
as striped killifish) *56*. The median time to hatching is inversely
related to water temperature. Although hatching is not affected by the
normally encountered range of temperatures, the hatching enzyme is unstable
at 30 degrees C or above *56*.
Environment Associations - 2 (DRAFT) - Environment Associations
Species killifish, striped
Species Id M010078
Date 27 AUG 96
COMMENTS ON EGG ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ -
In the laboratory, mortality was low (7%) to moderate (29%) in striped
killifish embryos transferred from an intermediate, fluctuating temperature
regime (22-26 degrees C) to higher (28-32 degrees C) or lower (16-20
degrees C) fluctuating temperatures. The number of vertebrae and dorsalfin
rays developed by embryos was inversely correlated with temperature, and
was influenced more by cold water than by warm. Thermal effluents from
electric power plants caused an elevated frequency of vertebral
abnormalities in mummichog embryos (a member of the same genus as striped
killifish) *56*.
The median time to hatching is inversely related to water temperature.
Although hatching is not affected by the normally encountered range of
temperatures, the hatching enzyme is unstable at 30 degrees C or above
*56*.
Environment Associations - 3 (DRAFT) - Life History
Species killifish, striped
Species Id M010078
Date 27 AUG 96
LIFE HISTORY
MORPHOLOGY/IDENTIFICATION AIDS
The name "killifish" may be applied to members of three families:
Cyprinodontidae, Anablepidae, and Poecilidae. Killifishes are soft-rayed,
with no dorsal spine or spine preceding the anal fin. Most species are
sexually dimorphic. Sexes are polymorphic with respect to pigment patterns
and body and fin shape and size *56*.
In the cyprinodontidae there is no lateral line and the upper surface of the
head is conspicuously flattened. The anal fin in the male is not modified
as an intromittent organ, and the third anal ray is branched.
The striped killifish male is smaller than the female after the first year.
The origin of the dorsal fin in the male is directly above or in advance of
the origin of the anal fin. The caudal fin is rounded. The snout is long,
pointed, and a little less than two eye diameters in profile. Overall body
shape is slimmer than the of F. heteroclitus. There are 13-15 dorsal fin
rays, and 32-37 scales in lateral series. A conspicuous silvery sheen
appears on the sides of young and adults of both sexes. Adults of both
sexes have a black spot on the last rays of the dorsal fin. Adult females
have one to several dark longitudinal lines and one or more disrupted
vertical bars near the base of the tail. Adult females are olive above,
white below. Adult males are dark olive on back, and their sides and belly
are salmon yellow, with 15-20 vertical black stripes. Sex-specific color
patterns appear when fish reach 38-51 mm. The young have bars similar to
those of males. This species is the largest member of the genus in the
study area (Mid-Atlantic). It frequently reaches 152-178 mm. The record is
203 mm long *56*.
REPRODUCTIVE PHYSIOLOGY
During the breeding season, male striped killfish assume a brighter
coloration and grow contact organs. Fundulus spp. are oviparous. The ovary
is single, and the number of ova produced depends upon the size of the fish.
Ova range from 460-800 for striped killifish in the Mid-Atlantic region *56*.
SPAWNING SEASON AND PERIODICITY
The spawning seasons of striped killifish vary with latitude. In Chesapeake
Bay striped killifish spawn from April through September; from New Jersey
northward, the season lasts from June through August. Although timing and
duration of spawning seasons differ, the water temperature range over which
spawning occurs is similar *56*.
SPAWNING SITE
Striped killifish spawn in still, shallow water close to shore and,
presumably, in small ponds. Active burying of eggs by females has been
observed *56*.
EGGS
Fertilized eggs of striped killifish are spherical, 2.0-3.0 mm in diameter,
translucent yellow to amber, and slightly adhesive *56*. 50% of the eggs
hatch by 41 days at 16-20 degrees C, by 17 days at 22-26 degrees C, and by
12 days at 28-32 degrees C *56*.
YOLK-SAC LARVAE
Life History - 1 (DRAFT) - Life History
Species killifish, striped
Species Id M010078
Date 27 AUG 96
The yolk-sac larval stage lasts from hatching until all yolk is absorbed,
and may also be called the prolarva, free embryo, or alevin. At hatching
striped killifish are 7.0-11.0 mm long *56*.
LARVAE
The larval stage lasts from yolk-sac absorption until the fish attains the
characteristic shape of the species. During this stage the fin rays and
scales develop. Striped killifish larvae are 11.8-23.8 mm long *56*.
JUVENILES
Juveniles are also called fry or young-of-the-year, and have fully developed
fins and a more or less distinct scale covering. The minimum described
length of this stage in striped killifish is 26.0 mm *56*.
ADULTS
Striped killifish females are mature at 76 mm and males at 64 mm. Most
members of the species attain maturity during their second year.
FEEDING BEHAVIOR/FOOD HABITS
The proturding lower jaw and tilted mouth of cyprinodontids are well-adapted
to surface feeding. Fundulus, however, does not hesitate to feed in
mid-water or on the bottom. Grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio) swimming near
the surface are often consumed, perhaps because they are silhouetted against
the light *56*.
According to one study, Fundulus uses all available food items except
detritus. Crustaceans and polychaetes were found to be the most frequent
food of striped killifish *56*.
PREDATION
Small tidal marsh fishes, such as killifishes, are the major prey for wading
birds, aerial searching birds, piscivorous ducks, and many predatory fishes.
These predators include herons, egrets, terns, gulls, striped bass, and
bluefish. The diet of nestling herons and egrets may contain up to 95%
killifishes, and up to 30 % Fundulus spp. Least common terns eat Fundulus
spp. in pools when the tide goes out. Some fish that prey on Fundulus spp.
are white perch, summer flounder, and red drum. Fundulus spp are also eaten
by crabs *56*.
COMPETITION
Three species of killifishes--mummichog, striped killifish, and sheepshead
minnow--may occur together in permanent ponds of the high marsh, tidal
creeks, the low marsh surface, and unvegetated tidal flats. All three
species use the marsh surface at high tide, but only mummichogs and
sheepshead minnows do most of their feeding at this time. These two species
consume more epiphytic algae than do striped killifish, which eat more
benthic invertebrates. Sheepshead minnows are herbivores, but mummichogs
and striped killifish seek invertebrates in algal mats *56*. Mummichogs,
striped killifish, and Fundulus diaphanus have been found in heterotypic
schools in the intertidal region of a Maryland estuary. Mummichogs were by
far the most abundant in May and June, but striped killifish slightly
dominated in August and September. Diets of these two species differed in
only one aspect: during July and August striped killifish continued to eat
many polychaetes, while mummichogs ate more plant material. Greatest
Life History - 2 (DRAFT) - Life History
Species killifish, striped
Species Id M010078
Date 27 AUG 96
dietary overlap coincided with both the highest density of all three fish
species and the highest food density *56*.
PARASITES
Parasites of striped killifish include dinoflagellates, sporozoans,
monogenetic flukes, digenetic flukes, tapeworms, roundworms, spiny-headed
worms and copepods *56*.
Additional parasites include Swingelus sp., a monogenetic trematode, and
Cryptobia bullocki, a biflagellate kinetoplastid found in the blood *56*.
Pathogenicity of parasites varies. Oodinium cyprinodontiform is believed to
be a "symphoriont ectocommensal", deriving most of its energy from
photosyntheses, but the other dinoflagellated recorded from Fundulus spp.,
Amylodinium, seriously disrupts gill epithelium *56*.
LIFE HISTORY CODES -
Breeding Spawning Season: April
Breeding/Spawning Season: May
Breeding/Spawning Season: June
Breeding/Spawning Season: July
Breeding/Spawning Season: August
Breeding/Spawning Season: September
Gestation/Incubation Period: 3-4 weeks
Gestation/Incubation Period: 1-2 months
Average Number of Offspring/Reproductive Effort: 101-
Dispersion: Clumped
REFERENCES FOR LIFE HISTORY- 56
Life History - 3 (DRAFT) - Management Practices
Species killifish, striped
Species Id M010078
Date 27 AUG 96
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
RESULT MANAGEMENT PRACTICE
Beneficial Developing/maintaining suitable salinity
Beneficial Controlling pollution [thermal, chemical, physical]
Beneficial Other management practices [specified in comments]
Adverse Salinity alteration
Adverse Other management practices [specified in comments]
REFERENCES FOR BENEFICIAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES - 56
REFERENCES FOR ADVERSE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES - 56
COMMENTS ON MANAGEMENT PRACTICES -
Thermal effluents from electric power plants caused an elevated frequency of
vertebral abnormalities in mummichog embryos (a member of the same genus as
striped killifish) *56*.
CONTAMINANTS
Response to pollutants may depend upon temperature, salinity, and presence
or absence of certain chemicals in the water. The same concentration of a
pollutant that is only mildly toxic to fish under optimal environmental
conditions may be lethal to fish under thermal or osmotic stress.
Teratogenicity (ability to cause birth defects) of a pollutant may also be
higher under suboptimal salinities. Sensitivity to radiation also depends
on temperature and salinity. In striped killifish, salinity plays an
important role in copper uptake which differs for each life cycle stage
*56*.
Management Practices - 1 (DRAFT) - References
Species killifish, striped
Species Id M010078
Date 27 AUG 96
References
56* Abraham, B. 1985. Species Profiles: Life Histories and
Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates
(Mid-Atlantic)--Mummichog and Striped Killifish. U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service Biol. Rep. 82(11.40) pp 23.
References - 1