Unfortunately, we weren't able to capture any of them to photograph them more closely, so this is the best I have. Surprisingly pretty fish, but who they are is completely beyond me. Thanks in advance for any help!
Killifish species ID help?
Started by
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, Mar 13 2012 11:55 AM
17 replies to this topic
#1
Guest_fishsqueezer_*
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Posted 13 March 2012 - 11:55 AM
We saw these fish spawning in the shallows of an oyster bar (read: saltwater) near Horseshoe Beach, Florida. This is the northern West Coast of peninsular Florida (Gulf of Mexico), known as the "Nature Coast". I've been really abusing the internet looking for any information on these fish, (fishbase, Google image search, aquarium forums, peer-reviewed literature), to no avail. Very aggravating, there just isn't a lot of information in the "fishing capital of the world" on non-game fish.
Unfortunately, we weren't able to capture any of them to photograph them more closely, so this is the best I have. Surprisingly pretty fish, but who they are is completely beyond me. Thanks in advance for any help!
Unfortunately, we weren't able to capture any of them to photograph them more closely, so this is the best I have. Surprisingly pretty fish, but who they are is completely beyond me. Thanks in advance for any help!
#2
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Posted 13 March 2012 - 01:39 PM
Is that two colorful fish to one beige fish? Is it two males and one female? That's kinda different.
Edited by EricaWieser, 13 March 2012 - 01:39 PM.
#3
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 13 March 2012 - 02:09 PM
that's not that different... redhorse and some other suckers do that too...mate in trios with a male on either side of a larger female... there was some video of that somewhere???
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#4
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Posted 13 March 2012 - 03:18 PM
Two males mated with one female are common practice in some fishes such as carps, suckers in general, esox, lampreys, walleye, gar, sturgeons, paddlefish, some minnow species and livebearers.
#5
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Posted 14 March 2012 - 12:24 AM
I'm guessing Fundulus grandis.
The breeding males REALLY color up, and can change almost instantly into "black face (cheeks)", strong black band on tail (almost invisible normally) and allover colored intensity. They can flash strong yellow, although mine never came close to showing like yours... which appear to be quite excited.
The big female on the bottom right looks more normal, they're a robust fish; think bratwurst with fins. They're also recorded as breeding on oyster bars, and the location matches.
There's a Noel Burkhead picture (USGS-NAS) that is very strongly striped. I've never seen one anywhere near that distinct, usually they're more grey/olive with silver-yellow mottling. For a fish that's reportedly well studied ... "commonly used in toxicity tests" .... there's not much on-line info on it. Or px.
HTH
The breeding males REALLY color up, and can change almost instantly into "black face (cheeks)", strong black band on tail (almost invisible normally) and allover colored intensity. They can flash strong yellow, although mine never came close to showing like yours... which appear to be quite excited.
The big female on the bottom right looks more normal, they're a robust fish; think bratwurst with fins. They're also recorded as breeding on oyster bars, and the location matches.There's a Noel Burkhead picture (USGS-NAS) that is very strongly striped. I've never seen one anywhere near that distinct, usually they're more grey/olive with silver-yellow mottling. For a fish that's reportedly well studied ... "commonly used in toxicity tests" .... there's not much on-line info on it. Or px.
HTH
Edited by Doug_Dame, 14 March 2012 - 12:26 AM.
#6
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Posted 14 March 2012 - 08:39 AM
Yeah, it's hard not to think gulf killifish with that shape, the more typical female coloration, and the habitat that I've seen many times around Galveston... but holy smokes, that coloration is really amazing and atypical for the ones around here. I may have to make a trip this weekend.
#7
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Posted 14 March 2012 - 11:03 AM
I had no idea bullminnows got that intense. Great shots!
#8
Guest_Dustin_*
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Posted 14 March 2012 - 02:47 PM
I am going to go out on a limb here and say that those are not grandis, but similis instead. While I can't see the flanks of any of the fish to be sure, the snout on these guys is more elongate than a grandis would be and perfect for a similis. I understand that some of this could be caused by distortion from the waves in the water but it doesn't explain the look of all of them. I will say that I have never caught a similis in color but I have caught majalis in color and they display quite a bit of lemony yellow. My experience with the grandis/heteroclitus complex is that their coloration is typically in the form of spangling except for the marginal bands on the unpaired fins not solid patches of color like these fish are showing. All this said, these are the most spectacularly colored killies I have ever seen and I cannot believe your good fortune to be able to see this and capture this in a photograph.
#9
Guest_fundulus_*
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Posted 14 March 2012 - 03:24 PM
You might be right, Dustin, the one or two heads most visible in the photo have that elongated "longnose" look. I remember majalis as being more blue/purple, but I haven't encountered similis in full breeding color yet. Some publications say that similis is blue/purple but I can't vouch for that.
#10
Guest_fritz_*
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Posted 14 March 2012 - 04:56 PM
Both Wayne Starnes and I agree with Dustin (and Bruce). Based on the snout
Fritz
Fritz
#11
Guest_Doug_Dame_*
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Posted 14 March 2012 - 09:39 PM
The similis' have it.
#12
Guest_jetajockey_*
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Posted 16 March 2012 - 12:20 AM
Have gotten many that look like the one on the far right /bottom for flounder fishing from the bait and tackle shop, had no idea that some species color up so vividly.
#13
Guest_fishsqueezer_*
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Posted 16 March 2012 - 11:24 AM
Thank you everyone for your input. This narrows it down quite a bit. I am inclined to believe they are F. similis as well, despite the fact that I can find no other recordings of breeding colors like this. I would expect that, although F. majalis certainly isn't ALWAYS brightly colored or striped, if they were ever going to be, I would expect their most robust coloring to be during spawning like this, so I am less sure about that. They are colloquially known as the "striped killifish", for whatever that is worth. That being said, F. similis also seems inclined to be striped, although the stripes do appear more pale, such as the specimen reported on NANFA here.
We are still looking into it, and maybe if I find myself back on the coast I will try and get some better pictures...regardless, I appreciate all your input.
We are still looking into it, and maybe if I find myself back on the coast I will try and get some better pictures...regardless, I appreciate all your input.
#14
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Posted 16 March 2012 - 11:29 AM
fishsqueezer, I was just looking at the picture you linked to and was browsing the other pictures in Todd's folder for that species. If you look at the spawning habitat shot:
In the center of the photograph, to the left of the dark clump of seaweed, you can see a fish that is identical to the ones in your photos. I think we have a winner.
In the center of the photograph, to the left of the dark clump of seaweed, you can see a fish that is identical to the ones in your photos. I think we have a winner.
#15
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Posted 16 March 2012 - 12:23 PM
If you ask people along the coast like fishermen, similis is the tiger minnow. Grandis is the bull minnow, and I suppose that says it all.
#16
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Posted 19 March 2012 - 09:41 AM
Kanus,
I didn't see those other pictures, that's great, thanks. Assuming "Todd" knows that the fish he was observing were F. similis, I would agree that we have a winner. It is absolutely the same fish. Again, thank you everyone for your help.
Colton
I didn't see those other pictures, that's great, thanks. Assuming "Todd" knows that the fish he was observing were F. similis, I would agree that we have a winner. It is absolutely the same fish. Again, thank you everyone for your help.
Colton
#17
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Posted 20 July 2012 - 09:15 AM
I have seen similar fish in Sanibel Island Florida.
These were taken years ago on a standard film camera, so the quality is not the best.
I have been trying to get an ID for years. On the bottom picture you can see the female more clearly. It appears to have a spot on the dorsal fin and thin vertical stripes.
These were taken years ago on a standard film camera, so the quality is not the best.
I have been trying to get an ID for years. On the bottom picture you can see the female more clearly. It appears to have a spot on the dorsal fin and thin vertical stripes.
#18
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Posted 20 October 2012 - 09:37 AM
Great photos! There is an amazing U-Tube of this fish spawning. The title of the U-Tube is Ornate Fish, Possibly Rivulus Spawning on the Salt Flat, Holiday, FL. Or just do a U-Tube search for Rivulus. Does anyone have F. majalis spawning pics like these F. similis pics / films? Love to see that.
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