Like their close relatives the seahorses, pipefish make an excellent aquarium 

 fish if suitable live food is provided, 



CYPRINODONTIDAE Killifishes 



Killifishes, represented almost exclusively by the Gulf killifish, Fundulus grandis 

 Baird and Girard, the striped or sharpnosed killifish, Fundulus similis (Baird and 

 Girard), and the sheepshead minnow, Cyprinodon variegatus vanegatus Lacepede, 

 were found throughout the year in the study area. Commonly referred to as 

 "mudfish" by anglers, they were used frequently as bait for flounders, redfish, 

 and trout. Another species, found occasionally at all seasons, was the diamond 

 killifish, Adinia xenica Girard, 



POECILIIDAE Top Minnows 



M ollienisia latipinna Le Sueur Sailfin Molly, Common 



Sailfin 



Sailfins were seldom observed in the vicinity of the lagoon mouth, but were 

 numerous and sometimes abundant in waters at the head of the lagoon, particularly 

 along the shores of a drainage canal emptying into the area. Their occurrence 

 was limited to the warmer months. 



Apparently, the sailfins are a comparatively slow -growing species, A pair of 

 the species, held in an aerated and filtered 30-gallon aquarium, produced a total 

 of 12 young on two different occasions. The young fed greedily on brine shrimp, 

 commercially prepared tropical fish food, and bits of shrimp, but at the end of 1 3 

 weeks were considerably less than half the size of their parents. 



MUGILIDAE Mullets 



Mugil cephalus Linnaeus Striped Mullet, Jumping 



Mullet 



The striped mullet is found throughout the year in East Lagoon and is more 

 numerous in the spring, summer, and fall. It is third in abundance of indigenous 

 fish species. The average size of mullet in our collections was about 12 cm,, 

 but larger specimens up to 30 cm. in length, were taken and observed frequently. 

 Highly valued as a food fish along other parts of the Gulf coast, the striped nnullet, 

 for some inexplicable reason, is used alnnost exclusively for bait in Texas. 



Each year during the study, dense schools of large adults (20-30 cm.) were 

 observed around the lagoon mouth in mid -autunnn, usually coinciding with a strong, 

 ebbing current. Examination of captured specimens revealed many with what 

 appeared to be ripe gonads. However, several attempts to hatch larvae by mixing 

 extruded milt and ova were unsuccessful. Further, no larvae have ever been 

 found in the plankton collections, the smallest M. cephalus first appearing as 

 25-30 mm. juveniles, possibly 3-4 weeks old, indicating that actual spawning 

 takes place elsewhere, doubtless in deeper offshore waters (Arnold and Thompson 

 1958), 



Juveniles first appeared in the different years, as follows: 



1953 - early December 



1954 - late November 



1955 - mid-November 



1956 - mid -November 



1957 - late November 



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