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In shallow waters along the east coast
of North America from Newfoundland to Florida.
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A year-round
resident of tidal creeks and wetlands, this brownish-green saltwater
minnow may reach a maximum length of 5 inches. Its Indian name means
"they go in great numbers." It is also known as the common
killifish.
A hardy fish, the mummichog is an important food
source for larger fish and is often used as bait. The mummichog also
has been used as a natural method of mosquito control in marsh ponds
and ditches. It has been reported that one mummichog can eat as many
as 2,000 mosquito larvae ("wrigglers") a day. The mummichog also
feeds on other insects, small fish, crustaceans, and plant material.
Mummichogs emerge from their mud burrows in the spring as
the water begins to warm. In spawning season, from April to
September, the male's coloration becomes more striking. He turns a
darker greenish brown with bright blue spots. His belly may range
from white to orange. The females are more pale in color, from olive
to green, with a pale underside. The female deposits her eggs in the
marsh on the high spring tide. About two weeks later, on the next
spring tide, the eggs hatch and the young return to tidal ditches
and pools.
 Interactive Habitat Laughing
GullGreat Blue
Heron
Diamondback
TerrapinSmooth
Cordgrass (Spartina)Mummichog
Blue CrabHorseshoe Crab
Osprey
Eelgrass
Moon
Jellyfish
Loggerhead
Turtle Summer
Flounder Sea Fan
Sand Tiger
Shark
Tubeworms
(Riftia) Black Smoker
(Hydrothermal Vent) Humpback
Whale
R/V Capt.
Thomas White
R/V Cape
Henlopen
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