Gulf killifish, continued 



Table 5.23. Relative abundance of gulf killifish in 31 



Gulf of Mexico estuaries (Nelson et al. 1992, Van 



Hoose pers. comm.). 



Life stage 



Relative abundance: 



® 

 O 



blank 



Highly abundant 



Abundant 



Common 



Rare 



Not present 



Life stage: 



A - Adults 

 S - Spawning 

 J - Juveniles 

 L - Larvae 

 E - Eggs 



Woodburn 1 960, Powell et al. 1 972, Price and Schlueter 

 1985, Comp 1985). 



Life Mode 



Eggs are demersal and adhesive (Relyea 1983). Lar- 

 vae, juveniles, and adults are nektonic in shallow 

 coastal waters 0.6 to 2.0 m in depth (Gunter 1 945, Reid 



1955, Springer and Woodburn 1960, Franks 1970, 

 Swingle 1971). This species forms schools, with 15 to 

 20 individuals typical while feeding (Relyea 1983). It 

 has also been observed to congregate in large num- 

 bers after dark in shallows near mangroves (Harrington 

 and Harrington 1961). 



Habitat 



Type : All life stages are estuarine residents. They 

 inhabit shallow waters near the shores of oyster bars, 

 tidal ponds, sloughs, salt water creeks, bayous, marsh 

 pools, and coastal inland ponds (Gunter 1 945, Gunter 

 1950, Reid 1955, Simpson and Gunter 1956, Renfro 

 1960, Gunter 1967, Wagner 1973, Hoese and Moore 

 1977, Swift etal. 1977). They have been reported from 

 fresh to hypersaline habitats (Simpson and Gunter 



1956, Renfro 1960, Swingle 1971). 



Substrate : All life stages occur over bottoms where 

 vegetation is generally, but not strictly, absent. Bot- 

 toms can consist of hard muddy sand, mud, silt, clay, 

 detritus, or shell, and occasionally with seagrass or 

 algae present. They are also common among man- 

 grove prop roots and emergent marsh vegetation 

 (Gunter 1945, Reid 1955, Simpson and Gunter 1956, 

 Renfro 1 960, Springerand Woodburn 1 960, Harrington 

 and Harrington 1 961 , Tabb and Manning 1 961 , Strawn 

 and Dunn 1967, Franks 1970, Swingle 1971, Swift et 

 al. 1977, Greeley and MacGregor 1983, Thayer et al. 

 1987). 



Physical/Chemical Characteristics 



Temperature - Eggs: Spawning and egg development 



have been recorded from 4° to 33°C (Hubbs and 



Drewry 1959, Tatum et al. 1978, Waas and Strawn 



1983). 



Temperature - Larvae: Larvae have been reared in 

 culture ponds at temperatures ranging from 22° to 

 35.5°C (Tatum et al. 1978, Waas and Strawn 1983). 



Temperature - Juveniles and Adults: Adult and juvenile 

 stage fish are eurythermal, and have been reported 

 from waters ranging from 2° to 34.9°C (Gunter 1945, 

 Franks 1970, Perret et al. 1971, Wang and Raney 

 1 971 , Christmas and Waller 1 973, Pineda 1 975, Tatum 

 et al. 1978, Courtney and Couch 1984). They have 

 been able to withstand prolonged exposure to 38°C;'n 

 vitro (Waas 1 982). A lethal low temperature of -1 .5°C 

 has been reported by Umminger (1971). 



177 



