Common Name: Mummichog or Mud Minnow

Kingdom: Animal
Phylum: Cordate
Genus: Fundulus
Species: heteroclitus

What does it eat? Mummichogs eat a variety of foods including marine worms, crustaceans, small shrimps, insects, and other fish.

In what regions of the country/world is it found? Massachusetts to North Carolina or northern Florida.

What type of habitats does it live in? Tidal marshes and estuaries. Can tolerate low salinity and high temperatures.

How big does it get? 2 1/2", occasionally up to 4"

Interesting information: The mummichog is a type of killifish. This species is very common along the eastern U.S. coast, from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to northern Florida. The spawning season extends from spring to fall and varies with latitude. During this time, male mummichogs become brighter in color. Spawning takes place during the new or full moon (when the tide is at its highest) in water of various salinities. Eggs may be laid in a variety of substrates, depending on availability. Mummichog eggs may be found in the empty shells of ribbed mussels, on the leaves of marsh grass, in pits dug out and covered by the female, or spread directly on the bottom. The eggs develop out of the water, and hatching takes place upon immersion during the successive moon tide. Mummichogs are extremely hardy and can tolerate widely fluctuating environmental conditions. During winter months, they may burrow in the mud or move to deeper water at the mouths of channels. The word "mummichog" comes from an Indian word meaning "going in crowds." Various age classes will gather, often close to shore, in schools that may number several hundred fish. Feeding occurs at the marsh surface, in mid-water, or on the bottom even though this species' upward tilted mouth is specialized for surface feeding.

Aquarium Notes: Mummichogs do very well in the aquarium.  They are more predatory than the striped killifish in our tank, more crafty, quicker to steal food from crabs, more skittish of humans, and more solitary.   Our have a territory that they defend from other killifish, the inside of a sunken ship, and they strike out at any fish that comes near. At other times they will hang out with the striped killifish. We had two small drab mummichogs  in our aquarium which we misidentified as spotfin killifish.  As they got bigger, one of the fish suddenly got much brighter and more colorful, a sort of rainbow iridescence.  It was only then that we realized they were mummichogs, and not spotfin killifish.