Mummichog

Mummichog
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Fundulidae
Genus: Fundulus
Species:
F. heteroclitus
Binomial name
Fundulus heteroclitus
Synonyms[2][3][4]
  • Cobitis heteroclita Linnaeus, 1766
  • Cobitis macrolepidota Walbaum, 1792
  • Fundulus mudfish Lacepède, 1803
  • Esox pisciculus Mitchill, 1815
  • Esox pisculentus Mitchill, 1815
  • Fundulus antillarum Fowler, 1916
  • Fundulus badius Garman, 1895
  • Fundulus coenicolus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
  • Fundulus fasciatus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
  • Fundulus fonticola Valenciennes, 1846
  • Fundulus lozanoi (Gomez Caruana et al., 1984)
  • Fundulus nigrofaciatus (Lesueur, 1817)
  • Fundulus nisorius Cope, 1870
  • Fundulus ornatus (Lesueur, 1817)
  • Fundulus pisciculus (Mitchill, 1815)
  • Fundulus swampinus (Lacepède, 1803)
  • Fundulus vinctus Jordan & Gilbert, 1882
  • Fundulus viridescens DeKay, 1842
  • Fundulus zebra DeKay, 1842
  • Hydargira nigrofaciata Lesueur, 1817
  • Hydrargira ornata Lesueur, 1817
  • Hydrargira swampina Lacepède, 1803
  • Poecilia coenicola Bloch & Schneider, 1801
  • Poecilia fasciata Bloch & Schneider, 1801
  • Valencia lozanoi Gomez Caruana et al., 1984

The mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) is a small killifish found along the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada. Also known as Atlantic killifish, mummies, gudgeons, and mud minnows, these fish inhabit brackish and coastal waters including estuaries and salt marshes. The species is noted for its hardiness and ability to tolerate highly variable salinity, temperature fluctuations from 6 to 35 °C (43 to 95 °F), very low oxygen levels (down to 1 mg/L), and heavily polluted ecosystems. As a result, the mummichog is a popular research subject in embryological, physiological, and toxicological studies. It is also the first fish ever sent to space, aboard Skylab in 1973.

  1. ^ NatureServe (2013). "Fundulus heteroclitus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T189824A18236919. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T189824A18236919.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ Nicolas Bailly (2014). Bailly N (ed.). "Fundulus heteroclitus heteroclitus (Linnaeus, 1766)". FishBase. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  3. ^ Nicolas Bailly (2014). Bailly N (ed.). "Fundulus heteroclitus macrolepidotus (Walbaum, 1792)". FishBase. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  4. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Fundulus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 24 September 2019.