''Fundulus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...

es in the superfamily Funduloidea,

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Fundulidae Fundulidae is the family of topminnows and North American killifishes. Distribution The 46 species are native to North America as far south as Yucatan, and to the islands of Bermuda and Cuba, occurring in both freshwater and marine environments ...

(of which it is the

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nominal ...

). It belongs to the order of toothcarps (Cyprinodontiformes), and therein the large suborder

Cyprinodontoidei Cyprinodontoidei is a suborder of fishes, one of the two suborders in the order Cyprinodontiformes. The Cyprinodontoidei consists of four superfamilies which are found in the Americas, the Mediterranean and in Africa, including Madagascar. Cla ...

. Most of its closest living relatives are egg-laying, with the notable exception of the splitfin livebearers (

Goodeidae Goodeidae is a family of teleost fish endemic to Mexico and some areas of the United States. Many species are known as splitfins. This family contains about 50 species within 18 genera. The family is named after ichthyologist George Brown Goode ...

). They are usually smallish; most species reaching a length of at most 4 in (10 cm) when fully grown. However, a few larger species exist, with the giant killifish ('' F. grandissimus'') and the northern studfish ('' F. catenatus'') growing to twice the genus' average size. Many of the 40-odd species are commonly known by the highly ambiguous name "

killifish A killifish is any of various oviparous (egg-laying) cyprinodontiform fish (including families Aplocheilidae, Cyprinodontidae, Fundulidae, Profundulidae and Valenciidae). All together, there are 1,270 species of killifish, the biggest family ...

" (the general term for egg-laying toothcarps), or the somewhat less ambiguous " topminnow" (a catch-all term for Fundulidae). "Studfish" is a quite unequivocal vernacular name applied to some other ''Fundulus'' species; it is not usually used to refer to the genus as a whole. ''Fundulus'' have evolved to occupy a wide range of

aquatic ecosystem An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem formed by surrounding a body of water, in contrast to land-based terrestrial ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems contain communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and on their environment. The t ...

s, including marine, estuarine, and freshwater, making it a good comparative model system for studying evolutionary divergence between marine and freshwater environments. To assist with this research, Oxford Nanopore long-read reference genomes have been sequenced for ''F. xenicus, F. catenatus, F. nottii'', and '' F. olivaceus'.''

Species

There are currently 39 recognized species in this genus: * '' Fundulus albolineatus'' C. H. Gilbert, 1891 ( Whiteline topminnow ( extinct)) * '' Fundulus bermudae'' Günther, 1874 (Bermuda killifish) * ''

Fundulus bifax The Stippled studfish (''Fundulus bifax'') is a small freshwater fish which is endemic to the Tallapoosa River system in Georgia and Alabama, USA; and Sofkahatchee Creek (lower Coosa River system) in Alabama. It belongs to the genus ''Fundulus' ...

'' Cashner &

Rogers Rogers may refer to: Places Canada *Rogers Pass (British Columbia) * Rogers Island (Nunavut) United States * Rogers, Arkansas, a city * Rogers, alternate name of Muroc, California, a former settlement * Rogers, Indiana, an unincorporated communit ...

, 1988 (Stippled studfish) * '' Fundulus blairae''

Wiley Wiley may refer to: Locations * Wiley, Colorado, a U.S. town * Wiley, Pleasants County, West Virginia, U.S. * Wiley-Kaserne, a district of the city of Neu-Ulm, Germany People * Wiley (musician), British grime MC, rapper, and producer * Wiley Mil ...

& D. D. Hall, 1975 (Western starhead topminnow) * '' Fundulus catenatus'' ( D. H. Storer, 1846) (Northern studfish) * '' Fundulus chrysotus'' ( Günther, 1866) ( Golden topminnow) * '' Fundulus cingulatus''

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a ...

, 1846 (Banded topminnow) * '' Fundulus confluentus'' Goode & T. H. Bean, 1879 (Marsh killifish) * '' Fundulus diaphanus'' (Lesueur, 1817) ** '' Fundulus diaphanus diaphanus'' ( Lesueur, 1817) (Banded killifish) ** '' Fundulus diaphanus menona'' D. S. Jordan & Copeland, 1877 * '' Fundulus dispar'' ( Agassiz, 1854) (Starhead topminnow) * '' Fundulus escambiae'' ( Bollman, 1887) (Russetfin topminnow) * '' Fundulus euryzonus'' Suttkus & Cashner, 1981 (Broadstripe topminnow) * '' Fundulus grandis'' S. F. Baird & Girard, 1853 (Gulf killifish) * '' Fundulus grandissimus'' C. L. Hubbs, 1936 (Giant killifish) * ''

Fundulus heteroclitus 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 in ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1766) ** '' Fundulus heteroclitus heteroclitus'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

, 1766) (Mummichog) ** '' Fundulus heteroclitus macrolepidotus'' (

Walbaum Walbaum is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Johann Julius Walbaum (1724–1799), German physician, naturalist and taxonomist * Johannes Walbaum (born 1987), German footballer * Justus Erich Walbaum (1768-1837), German typ ...

, 1792) * '' Fundulus jenkinsi'' ( Evermann, 1892) (Saltmarsh topminnow) * '' Fundulus julisia'' J. D. Williams & Etnier, 1982 (Barrens topminnow) * '' Fundulus kansae''

Garman Garman is a surname or first name. Notable people with the name include: Sports * Ann Garman, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player * Judi Garman (born 1954), American softball coach * Mike Garman (born 1949), American baseball pla ...

, 1895 (Northern plains killifish) * '' Fundulus lima'' Vaillant, 1894 * '' Fundulus lineolatus'' ( Agassiz, 1854) (Lined topminnow) * '' Fundulus luciae'' ( S. F. Baird, 1855) (Spotfin killifish) * '' Fundulus majalis'' (

, 1792) (Striped killifish, Striped mummichog) * '' Fundulus notatus'' (

Rafinesque Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (; October 22, 1783September 18, 1840) was a French 19th-century polymath born near Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire and self-educated in France. He traveled as a young man in the United States, ultimat ...

, 1820) ( Blackstripe topminnow) * '' Fundulus nottii'' ( Agassiz, 1854) (Bayou topminnow) * '' Fundulus olivaceus'' ( D. H. Storer, 1845) (Blackspotted topminnow) * ''

Fundulus parvipinnis The California killifish (''Fundulus parvipinnis'') is a type of killifish (Fundulidae) found along the coast of southern California and Baja California. Like the other members of the family, California killifish are small, no more than about 11 ...

'' Girard, 1854 (California killifish) * '' Fundulus persimilis'' R. R. Miller, 1955 (Yucatan killifish) * '' Fundulus philpisteri'' García-Ramírez, Contreras-Balderas & Lozano-Vilano, 2007 * '' Fundulus pulvereus'' ( Evermann, 1892) (Bayou killifish) * '' Fundulus rathbuni'' D. S. Jordan &

Meek Meekness is an attribute of human nature and behavior that has been defined as an amalgam of righteousness, inner humility, and patience. Meekness has been contrasted with humility alone insomuch as humility simply refers to an attitude towards o ...

, 1889 (Speckled killifish) * '' Fundulus relictus'' Able &

Felley Felley is a civil parish in the Ashfield district, in Nottinghamshire, England, located between Hucknall and Sutton-in-Ashfield. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of four. At the 2011 Census the population remained minim ...

, 1988 (Lover's Lake killifish) * '' Fundulus rubrifrons'' ( D. S. Jordan, 1880) (Redface topminnow) * '' Fundulus saguanus'' Rivas, 1948 * '' Fundulus sciadicus''

Cope The cope (known in Latin as ''pluviale'' 'rain coat' or ''cappa'' 'cape') is a liturgical vestment, more precisely a long mantle or cloak, open in front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colour. A c ...

, 1865 (Plains topminnow) * '' Fundulus seminolis'' Girard, 1859 (Seminole killifish) * '' Fundulus similis'' ( S. F. Baird & Girard, 1853) (Longnose killifish) * '' Fundulus stellifer'' ( D. S. Jordan, 1877) (Southern studfish) * '' Fundulus waccamensis'' C. L. Hubbs & Raney, 1946 (Waccamaw killifish) * '' Fundulus xenicus'' Jordan & Gilbert, 1882 (Diamond killifish) * '' Fundulus zebrinus'' D. S. Jordan & C. H. Gilbert, 1883 (Plains killifish) Formerly placed in ''Fundulus'' were the closely related diamond killifish ('' Adinia xenica'') and the somewhat more distantly related Cuban killifish (''

Cubanichthys cubensis ''Cubanichthys cubensis'', the Cuban killifish, is a species of killifish from the family Cyprinodontidae, the pupfishes which is endemic to Cuba. Description ''Cubanichthys cubensis'' has a cylindrical body which is slightly broader and taller ...

'', a

pupfish Pupfish are a group of small killifish belonging to ten genera of the family Cyprinodontidae of ray-finned fish. Pupfish are especially noted for being found in extreme and isolated situations. They are primarily found in North America, South Am ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2359231 Freshwater fish genera Fundulidae Taxa named by Bernard Germain de Lacépède