Fundulus diaphanus (Lesueur, 1817)
Banded killifish
Fundulus diaphanus
photo by The Native Fish Conservancy

Family:  Fundulidae (Topminnows and killifishes)
Max. size:  13 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  benthopelagic; freshwater; brackish, non-migratory
Distribution:  North America: Atlantic Slope drainages from Newfoundland in Canada to Peedee River in South Carolina, USA; St. Lawrence-Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins from Quebec to Manitoba in Canada, and south to southern Pennsylvania, northern Illinois and northeastern Nebraska in the USA. Two subspecies were recognized: Fundulus diaphanus diaphanus on Atlantic Slope; and Fundulus diaphanus menona found elsewhere.
Diagnosis:   
Biology:  Inhabits shallow, quiet margins of lakes, ponds and sluggish streams, usually over sand or mud and often near vegetation. Enters brackish water. Forms schools a few inches below surface of water (Ref. 5723, 86798). Euryhaline and salinity-tolerant (Ref. 5951). Feeds on small crustaceans, mollusks and worms (Ref. 93252). Not a seasonal killifish. Is easy to maintain in the aquarium (Ref. 27139).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 30 January 2012 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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