About Cyprinodon variegatus Lacepède, 1803
Scientific name: Cyprinodon variegatus Lacepède, 1803
Description: The sheepshead minnow is a deep-bodied fish that grows up to 75 mm (3 in) in length. Excluding its tail, its body depth is nearly half its total length. It is laterally compressed, with flat sides, an arched back, and a small head with a flattened top. The small mouth is positioned at the end of the snout, and the teeth are large, wedge-shaped, and have three cusps. The pectoral fins are large and extend past the origins of the small pelvic fins. The origin of the anal fin barely overlaps the trailing edge of the dorsal fin. The caudal peduncle is thick, and the caudal fin is truncated with a square end. Its fin arrangement, deep body, and three-cusped teeth distinguish this species from the mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus), which lives in the same habitats. The body is covered in large, circular scales; the scales on the cheeks, the top of the head, and a single scale just above the pectoral fin are the largest. Males are generally larger and have deeper bodies than females, and also have larger dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins. Sheepshead minnows are olive green on their upper sides and yellowish on their under sides. Juveniles have irregular dark transverse bars. Females retain these bars as they mature, while males lose them. The dorsal fin is dark, while the pectoral, pelvic, and anal fins are orange. During the breeding season, males become very colorful: they have steel blue upper parts in front of the dorsal fin, lustrous green upper parts behind the dorsal fin, and deep salmon-pink under parts.
Distribution and habitat: The sheepshead minnow is native to the eastern coast of the United States. Its range extends from Cape Cod southward to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, and also includes the West Indies. It inhabits brackish water in bays, inlets, lagoons, saltmarshes, and similar sites with minimal wave action and sandy or muddy bottoms. It tolerates a wide range of salinity variations and can also be found in hypersaline conditions.
Uses: The sheepshead minnow is commonly kept as an aquarium fish. It breeds easily in captivity, and is used as a forage fish in mariculture.
