Fundulus majalis has a long, pointed snout that is usually less than two eye diameters in profile. They can grow to be about 13cm. Both sexes have a silvery appearance with a black spot on the last ray of the dorsal fin. These fish have a rounded casual fin and lack a dorsal spine and lateral line. The upper surfaces of their heads are flattened with a body that is neither angular nor trapezoidal. They have several series of jaw teeth and either a terminal mouth of a protruding lower jaw.
During breeding season, striped killifish males grow contact organs and acquire a brighter color. Females have
one ovary. Spring tides allow a greater number of eggs to be lain. The spawning season near the Chesapeake Bay
is from April through September. After the first year, striped killifish males are smaller than their female counterparts.
Fundulus majalis feed on substratum material such as clams and annelid worms. This gives them a larger niche breadth
than other killifish with similar eco-morphology.
For other references and photos, please consult the web sites below.
www.atlantic.evsc.virginia.edu/biod/query/text/FNDMJL-nathist.html
www.atlantic.evsc.virginia.edu/biod/query/text/FNDMJL-descrip.html
(Abraham, Barbara. Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates:
Mummichog and Striped Killifish. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1985)
(Steele, CW. Competition, Niche Breadth and Niche Overlap in Two Sympatric Estuarine Killifish: A test of ecological
theory. Second Annual Marine and Estuarine Shallow Water Science and Management Conference, US EPA 1995)
(Wheeler, Alwyne. The World Encyclopedia of Fishes 1985)
For more information see