''Fundulus zebrinus'' is a species of fish in the

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 ...

known by the common name plains killifish. It is native to North America, where it is distributed throughout the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it ...

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...

, and

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio ...

drainages, and other river systems; many of its occurrences represent introduced populations.''Fundulus zebrinus''.
NatureServe.

Description

This fish grows up to about 6.9 centimeters long, with a maximum length of 8Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2011

FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. to 10 centimeters.Rahel, F. J. and L. A. Thel
Plains Killifish (''Fundulus zebrinus''): A Technical Conservation Assessment.
Prepared for the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, Species Conservation Project. March 18, 2004. Its lifespan is up to 3 years, but most fish do not exceed two. It has a flat head with a protruding jaw that allows it to feed at the water's surface. It is variable in color, being brown, black, greenish, or straw-colored, with paler yellowish or silvery coloration on the belly. The fish is striped with the 12 to 28 dark vertical bars that give the species its scientific name, meaning "like a zebra". The males have wider, darker bars than the females. The breeding male develops bright orange coloration on most of his fins. This species feeds on

chironomid The Chironomidae (informally known as chironomids, nonbiting midges, or lake flies) comprise a family of nematoceran flies with a global distribution. They are closely related to the Ceratopogonidae, Simuliidae, and Thaumaleidae. Many species ...

larvae,

copepods Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthic (living on the ocean floor), a number of species have p ...

, nematodes, and other small animals.Offill, K. R. (2003)
Development and application of a bioenergetics model for the plains killifish (''Fundulus zebrinus'') and red river shiner (''Notropis bairdi''). Thesis.
Texas Tech University. It is also

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...

. It may feed by scooping up and swallowing mouthfuls of riverbed substrate to obtain buried food objects. The fish often spits out most of the sand and undigestible material, but the digestive tract usually contains an amount of sand. The fish eats

mosquito Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning "gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "lit ...

larvae when available, and studies suggest it might be useful in

mosquito abatement Mosquito control manages the population of mosquitoes to reduce their damage to human health, economies, and enjoyment. Mosquito control is a vital public-health practice throughout the world and especially in the tropics because mosquitoes spr ...

efforts.Nelson, S. M. and L. C. Keenan. (1992)
Use of an indigenous fish species, ''Fundulus zebrinus'', in a mosquito abatement program: A field comparison with the mosquitofish, ''Gambusia affinis''.
''Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association'' 8:3 301-04. The fish lives in a number of shallow river and stream habitat types. It may occur in lower, moderate and swift, turbid water flows. It may be found in lakes. It is tolerant of brackish, alkaline, and salty water, more so than most other local fish species. It may bury itself in the substrate with only its eyes and mouth showing. The fish might perform this behavior as a stress response, and it might serve to protect it from sunlight and heat, predators, or low water levels, or to help rid itself of

parasite Parasitism is a Symbiosis, close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the Host (biology), host, causing it some harm, and is Adaptation, adapted structurally to this way of lif ...

s. The killifish may face predation by other fish, notably the

green sunfish The green sunfish (''Lepomis cyanellus'') is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. A panfish popular with anglers, the green sunfish is also kept as an aquarium fish by hobbyists. They are u ...

(''Lepomis cyanellus''); where this predator occurs, killifish populations drop.Lohr, S. C. and K. D. Fausch. (1996)
Effects of green sunfish (''Lepomis cyanellus'') predation on survival and habitat use of plains killifish (''Fundulus zebrinus'').
''The Southwestern Naturalist'' 41(2) 155-60. Spawning is associated with water temperature, usually occurring when the temperature exceeds 26 °C. Spawning season has been noted to start in April and continue through August. A number of parasites have been observed on this species, including '' Myxosoma funduli'', a

myxozoa Myxozoa (etymology: Greek: μύξα ''myxa'' "slime" or "mucus" + thematic vowel o + ζῷον ''zoon'' "animal") is a subphylum of aquatic cnidarian animals – all obligate parasites. It contains the smallest animals ever known to have lived. O ...

n, a species of ''

Trichodina Trichodina is a genus of ciliate alveolates that is ectocommensal or parasitic on aquatic animals, particularly fish. They are characterised by the presence of a ring of interlocking cytoskeletal denticles, which provide support for the cell an ...

'', a

protozoa Protozoa (singular: protozoan or protozoon; alternative plural: protozoans) are a group of single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic, that feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic tissues and debris. Histor ...

n, '' Urocleidus fundulus'', a

fluke Fluke may refer to: Biology * Fluke (fish), a species of marine flatfish * Fluke (tail), the lobes of the tail of a cetacean, such as dolphins or whales, ichthyosaurs, mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, and metriorhynchids. * Fluke (flatworm), parasitic ...

, and '' Gyrodactylus bulbacanthus'', a

monogenea Monogeneans are a group of ectoparasitic flatworms commonly found on the skin, gills, or fins of fish. They have a direct lifecycle and do not require an intermediate host. Adults are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female reprod ...

n, all of which infest the

gill A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they ar ...

s. Also, the parasite '' Gyrodactylus stableri'' infests the fins and organisms of '' Neascus'', a genus of flukes, infest the eye and internal tissues of the fish.Janovy, J. J. and E. L. Hardin. (1987)
Population dynamics of the parasites in ''Fundulus zebrinus'' in the Platte River of Nebraska.
''J Parasit'' 73(4) 689-96. The monogenean gill parasite '' Salsuginus thalkeni'' was first described from the fish.Janovy, J. J., et al. (1989)
''Salsuginus thalkeni'' n. sp. (Monogenea: Ancyrocephalidae) from ''Fundulus zebrinus'' in the South Platte River of Nebraska.
''J Parasit'' 75(3) 344-47. For a long time, fish of the closely related species ''

Fundulus kansae ''Fundulus'' is a genus of ray-finned fishes in the superfamily Funduloidea, family Fundulidae (of which it is the type genus). It belongs to the order of toothcarps (Cyprinodontiformes), and therein the large suborder Cyprinodontoidei. Most of ...

'' were considered to be members of ''F. zebrinus'', the names synonyms.Poss, S. G. and R. R. Miller. (1983)
Taxonomic status of the plains killifish, ''Fundulus zebrinus''.
''Copeia'' 1 55-67. ''F. kansae'' was sometimes considered a subspecies of ''F. zebrinus''.Echelle, A. A., et al. (1971)
Diurnal periodicity of activities in the plains killifish, ''Fundulus zebrinus kansae''.
''Proc Okla Acad Sci'' 51 3-7. Molecular and genetic studies supported the separation of the species.Kreiser, B. R. (2001)
Mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences support recognition of two cryptic species of plains killifish, ''Fundulus zebrinus'' and ''Fundulus kansae''.
''The American Midland Naturalist'' 146(1) 199-209.Kreiser, B. R., et al. (2001)
Phylogeography of the plains killifish, ''Fundulus zebrinus''.
''Evolution'' 55(2) 339-50. ''F. zebrinus'' is slightly larger than ''F. kansae'', with larger scales and larger eyes. The fins of the breeding male become more red in color, whereas the male ''F. kansae'' develops a more yellow-orange fin color.Hendrickson, D. A. and A. E. Cohen

2012. Fishes of Texas Project and Online Database. Texas Natural History Collection, Texas Natural Science Center, University of Texas at Austin.

Distribution

This species has a wide range, mostly in the central United States. Its native range is mostly within the Great Plains. It includes much of the Mississippi River drainage, parts of the Colorado and

Brazos River The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 11th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...

s, and some areas in the Rio Grande region, especially the

Pecos River The Pecos River ( es, Río Pecos) originates in north-central New Mexico and flows into Texas, emptying into the Rio Grande. Its headwaters are on the eastern slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County north of Pecos, New Mexico ...

.Fuller, P. 2013
''Fundulus zebrinus''.
USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL. Its distribution was influenced by

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the '' Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed ...

changes in the geography of the local river systems, such as

glaciation A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate bet ...

. Many occurrences of the fish represent introductions, such as populations at

Lake Powell Lake Powell is an artificial reservoir on the Colorado River in Utah and Arizona, United States. It is a major vacation destination visited by approximately two million people every year. It is the second largest artificial reservoir by maximum ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

and

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

, the

Fort Peck Reservoir The Fort Peck Dam is the highest of six major dams along the Missouri River, located in northeast Montana in the United States, near Glasgow, Montana, Glasgow, and adjacent to the community of Fort Peck, Montana, Fort Peck. At in length and ov ...

Montana Montana () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West List of regions of the United States#Census Bureau-designated regions and divisions, division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North ...

, and several tributaries of the Colorado River in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

, Utah, and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

. Some occurrences may or may not be native. Fish introductions began in earnest around the 1930s. Most introductions occurred when plains killifish were used as bait by anglers and escaped into the wild to establish new populations.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1968192 zebrinus Freshwater fish of the United States Endemic fish of the United States Fish of the Eastern United States Fish of the Western United States Fauna of the Plains-Midwest (United States) Fauna of the Southwestern United States Least concern biota of the United States Fish described in 1883 Taxa named by David Starr Jordan Taxa named by Charles Henry Gilbert