| Photo - click to enlarge | Scientific name |
Common name |
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Fundulus grandis | Gulf killifish | This largest of the coastal killifishes may reach 8” at maturity. It can live in very inhospitable environs, including marshes and shallow mud flats where extremes of temperature, salinity, and low oxygen occur. A favorite bait fish. |
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Fundulus majalis | Striped killifish | Found from New Hampshire to the Gulf of Mexico. A member of a large family of small schooling fish that inhabit marshes and grass flats in astounding numbers. This species has dark vertical bars. Grows to 7 inches in length. (Photo of male) |
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Fundulus similis | Longnose killifish | Long, pointed head and dark bars on body. Adult reaches four and a half inches in length. (Our Robinson, Ray field quide says this species needs a new name because "similis" is a synonym of "majalis".) |
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Gobiosoma robustum | Code goby | A small, inconspicuous bottom-dwelling fish (the adult rarely exceeds 1” in length) that can be the dominant species in a shallow grass flat but can occur almost anywhere in bays and estuaries. So-named because of the distinctive black dots and dashes along its mid-body. |
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Haemulon plumieri | White grunt | A common fish in inshore Gulf waters of southwest Florida; young occur in higher-salinity areas of estuaries as well. As with many grunts, the inside of its mouth is bright red-orange. Also known by local fishermen as Key West grunt, larger individuals often become dinner when the grouper aren't biting. |
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Harengula jaguana | Scaled sardine | A member of the herring family, it is one of the most abundant fish in west Florida bays and along Gulf beaches. 'Greenbacks' are prized as bait for many species including snook and redfish. |
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Hippocampus erectus | Lined seahorse | Common in grass flats. Highly variable in color. Can grow to six inches. |
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Found on a mixed sponge/grass bed in five feet of water. The specimen shown is a male about ready to "hatch" the young that have developed in its brood pouch. | ||
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Hippocampus zosterae | Dwarf seahorse | Rarely exceeds an inch in length (head to tail). This is the most common seahorse in SW Florida, and is found only in shallow grassbeds. Can be distinguished from a juvenile lined seahorse by the spots over its body, far fewer rays in its dorsal fin, and its much shorter snout. |
