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Cyprinodon variegatus Lacepède, 1803

Sheepshead minnow
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Cyprinodon variegatus   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Cyprinodontiformes (Rivulines, killifishes and live bearers) > Cyprinodontidae (Pupfishes) > Cyprinodontinae
Etymology: Cyprinodon: Latin, cyprinus = carp + Greek, odous = teeth (Ref. 45335);  variegatus: From the words Cyprinus=a genus of minnows and odious (stem odont)=tooth, meaning minnows with teeth; variegates Latin for variegated, variously colored (Ref. 79012).
More on author: Lacepède.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; freshwater; brackish; benthopelagic; non-migratory. Subtropical; 45°N - 0°N, 98°W - 49°W

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

North and South America: Massachusetts, USA to northeastern Mexico; and West Indies (Ref. 86798); northern coast of South America (Ref. 5217).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 9.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 27139); common length : 3.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5217)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

A short, deep-bodied, compressed fish. Scales large, dorsal profile straight from tip of snout to front of dorsal fin; dark marginal band on tail (Ref. 26938).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Occurs usually near vegetation in salt, brackish and fresh water (Ref. 86798). Inhabits hypersaline lagoons and connecting channels. Found on muddy bottoms in turbid waters (Ref. 5217). Omnivorous; consuming organic detritus and algae, as well as microcrustaceans, and dipteran larvae (Ref. 79012). Caught with fine-meshed nets. Very abundant and easily reproduced in captivity. Used as a forage fish in mariculture (Ref. 5217). Not a seasonal killifish. Is easy to maintain in the aquarium (Ref. 27139).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Costa, Wilson J.E.M. | Collaborators

Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 2011. A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 663p. (Ref. 86798)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 01 March 2019

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial; bait: usually
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growths
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversions
Recruitments
Abundances
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturities
Fecundities
Spawnings
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Egg(s)
Egg developments
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Distribution
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FAO areas
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Occurrences
Introductions
BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
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Brains
Otoliths
Physiology
Body compositions
Nutrients
Oxygen consumptions
Swimming type
Swimming speeds
Visual pigment(s)
Fish sounds
Diseases / Parasites
Toxicities (LC50s)
Genetics
Genetics
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Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
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Stamps, coins, misc.
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Taxonomy
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Synonyms
Morphology
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References
References

Tools

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Special reports

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Alien/Invasive Species database | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | GoMexSI (interaction data) | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | Public aquariums | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoobank | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 15.4 - 27.7, mean 26.7 °C (based on 572 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.02188 (0.00833 - 0.05747), b=3.06 (2.83 - 3.29), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  2.4   ±0.1 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Assuming tm<1 and Fec<1000).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Unknown.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 200 [104, 445] mg/100g; Iron = 1.36 [0.70, 2.71] mg/100g; Protein = 17 [16, 18] %; Omega3 = 0.251 [0.113, 0.552] g/100g; Selenium = 10.3 [4.6, 25.5] μg/100g; VitaminA = 21.2 [5.7, 77.3] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.99 [1.28, 3.21] mg/100g (wet weight);