Species: Lucania parva, Rainwater Killifish

Lucania parva (Baird & Girard, 1855)

Rainwater Killifish

Body robust, elongate, compressed at rear; head blunt, flattened above with straight upper profile; front nostril not tubular; cover of eye not continuous with head skin; mouth small, oblique, protrusible, lower jaw slightly projecting; jaws with a single row of hooked teeth; gill rakers short, 7 lower rakers; no spines in fins; dorsal fin short based, at about midbody, a little behind pelvic base, 9-14 rays; anal fin origin under middle of dorsal fin base, 3rd fin ray branched, 8-13 rays; tail fin bluntly rounded; pectoral with narrow base, rounded, inserted low on side, 10-15 rays; pelvics inserted well behind pectoral; large smooth scales, 28-31 on lateral line, 8 or fewer between origin of dorsal fin and origin of anal fin; lateral line reduced to a series of pits along side of body.

Pale green, olive or brown above; with pigment outlining scales; a vertical oval black spot at front of the dorsal fin; males with inner ½ of tail fin orangish, outer margin blackish; anal and pelvic fins with reddish, black edged margins.

Reaches 7 cm.

Freshwater, brackish water and marine; in quiet vegetated areas.

Depth range: 0-1 m.

Massachusetts to the Gulf of Mexico.