Family: FUNDULIDAE, Killifishes, Topminnow Killifish, Topminnows

FAMILY FUNDULIDAE

TOPMINNOWS, KILLIFISHES

Topminnows are small fish (5-30 cm); body elongate to moderately deep; head flattened above; front nostril not tubular; cover of eye not continuous with head skin; mouth wide, opens at front, oblique, protrusible; edges of jaws with fine conical teeth; lower jaws robust, expanded in center; gill rakers poorly developed; no spines in fins; 1 dorsal fin, short based, at about mid-body over anal fin, origin usually before anal fin origin; 7-16 rays, 3rd anal fin ray branched; males with larger anal fins; pectoral with narrow base, rounded, inserted low on side; pelvics inserted under pectoral fin but behind pectoral base; tail fin rounded; large smooth scales; lateral line reduced to a series of pits along side of body.

A family of freshwater to brackish-water fishes from North American and Mexico; 4 genera with about 41 species; 11 species in 3 genera occur in brackishwater in the Greater Caribbean.

PREPARED BY D ROSS ROBERTSON, AFTER WILEY (2002)