Fundulus luciae
| Spotfin killifish | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cyprinodontiformes |
| Family: | Fundulidae |
| Genus: | Fundulus |
| Species: | F. luciae |
| Binomial name | |
| Fundulus luciae (S. F. Baird, 1855) | |
The spotfin killifish (Fundulus luciae) is a member of the genus Fundulus. It closely resembles the mummichog in shape and coloration, but the two species can be distinguished by dorsal ray count; 8 in the spotfin, 11 or 12 in the mummichog. The dorsal fin of the spotfin originates farther back, over or slightly behind the anal and about equidistant between the top of the tail and the anterior half of the eye. In the mummichog, it is about equidistant between the top of the tail and the top of the snout in males, somewhat nearer to the top of the tail than to the tip of the snout in adult females. The base of the dorsal fin is shorter than the base of the anal fin. There is a pronounced ocellus on the back of the dorsal fin of males. It is a small fish, seldom attaining 50mm in total length. Its overall range is Long Island to Georgia.
References
"The Inland Fishes of New York State." C. Lavett Smith.