Texas Gulf Coast Fishing

Saltmarsh Topminnow

SALTMARSH TOPMINNOW - Fundulus jenkinsi family Fundulidae

Description: Saltmarsh topminnows have a guppy-like body shape and fin positions. They have little color, but there is cross-hatching on the back and sides that may be gray-green or fainter. Additionally, most individuals have 12-13 dark round spots arranged in rows along their sides from above the pectoral fin to the base of the caudal fin. The male’s dorsal fin develops a deep orange over the entire fin, a slight orange tint to the caudal fin, and a bright yellow on the pelvic fins Saltmarsh topminnows are part of the killifish, or topminnow family.
Size: The Saltmarsh topminnow is one of the smallest members of the topminnow/killifish. It seldom exceeds 1.75 inches in length, with most individuals in scientific collections ranging from 1 to 1.4 inches. Females become larger than males by a quarter to one-half of an inch or so.
Where Found: The Saltmarsh topminnow is endemic from Galveston Bay, Texas to Escambia Bay in the western panhandle of Florida. Distribution is sporadic across the range.
Habitat: Saltmarsh topminnows live in estuaries, coastal salt marshes and back water sloughs, including shallow tidal meanders of Spartina cordgrass marshes.
Remarks: Throughout its range, it is considered rare or threatened. The Topminnow’s imperilment is directly linked to the destruction of its habitat, the saltmarsh. Recent scientific research confirms that there is a direct link between the saltmarsh topminnow abundance and coastal saltmarsh habitat embedded within a reduced range of estuarine salinity. Coastal development, levee and canal construction, pollution, and other threats cumulatively imperil saltmarsh habitat and, consequently, this fish.