| Photo - click to enlarge |
Scientific name |
Common name |
Comments |
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Cyprinodon variegatus |
Sheepshead
minnow
(Top: male |
This small, chubby killifish (< 2") is abundant in shallow, nearshore estuarine areas throughout the eastern US. It is incredibly hardy, thriving in very hot or cold water and where salinities range from near fresh to two times that of the open sea. It is widely used to test biological stress. |
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Diplodus holbrooki | Spottail pinfish | Much like the silver porgy but a darker skin. Vertical bars usual but can be faint. Found in seagrass beds. Grows to a foot and a half in length. |
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Eucinostomus gula | Silver jenny | This is an extremely abundant estuarine fish in southwest Florida. It prefers shallow grass flats when young, and moves to deeper waters when mature. Protrusible jaws are used for slurping up small benthic invertebrates, particularly crustaceans. |
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Eucinostomus harengulus | Tidewater mojarra | Also abundant throughout local estuaries. Very similar to E. gula, but more slender and more prevalent in lower-salinity areas. |
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Fistularia spp. | Cornetfish | An unusual stray from tropic waters. We released it before fully keying it out. Blue spots along the back and beak make it likely it was F. tabacaria. Juveniles like shallow grass flats. |
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Floridichthys carpio | Goldspotted killifish | This attractive little killifish is often mistaken for the sheepshead minnow, and often inhabits the same tidal flats and brackish water creeks. Larger individuals are easily distinguished by their gold markings and more slender profile. |