Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cyprinodontiformes (Rivulines, killifishes and live bearers) >
Cyprinodontidae (Pupfishes) > Cyprinodontinae
Etymology: Cyprinodon: Latin, cyprinus = carp + Greek, odous = teeth (Ref. 45335); variegatus: From the words Cyprinus=a genus of minnows and odious (stem odont)=tooth, meaning minnows with teeth; variegates Latin for variegated, variously colored (Ref. 79012).
More on author: Lacepède.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; freshwater; brackish; benthopelagic; non-migratory. Subtropical; 45°N - 0°N, 98°W - 49°W
North and South America: Massachusetts, USA to northeastern Mexico; and West Indies (Ref. 86798); northern coast of South America (Ref. 5217).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 9.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 27139); common length : 3.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5217)
A short, deep-bodied, compressed fish. Scales large, dorsal profile straight from tip of snout to front of dorsal fin; dark marginal band on tail (Ref. 26938).
Body shape (shape guide): short and / or deep.
Occurs usually near vegetation in salt, brackish and fresh water (Ref. 86798). Inhabits hypersaline lagoons and connecting channels. Found on muddy bottoms in turbid waters (Ref. 5217). Omnivorous; consuming organic detritus and algae, as well as microcrustaceans, and dipteran larvae (Ref. 79012). Caught with fine-meshed nets. Very abundant and easily reproduced in captivity. Used as a forage fish in mariculture (Ref. 5217). Not a seasonal killifish. Is easy to maintain in the aquarium (Ref. 27139).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 2011. A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 663p. (Ref. 86798)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial; bait: usually
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 15.4 - 27.7, mean 26.7 °C (based on 572 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.02630 (0.01194 - 0.05794), b=3.12 (2.92 - 3.32), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 2.4 ±0.1 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Assuming tm<1 and Fec<1000).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
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Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 200 [104, 445] mg/100g; Iron = 1.36 [0.70, 2.71] mg/100g; Protein = 17 [16, 18] %; Omega3 = 0.251 [0.113, 0.552] g/100g; Selenium = 10.3 [4.6, 25.5] μg/100g; VitaminA = 21.2 [5.7, 77.3] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.99 [1.28, 3.21] mg/100g (wet weight);
