Cyprinodon Variegatus, Sheepshead Minnow

Brief #10. Cyprinodon variegatus, sheepshead minnow (150 words of text)

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Image credit: FishBase (2010).

Cyprinodon variegatus or the sheepshead minnow belongs in kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, class Actinopterygii, order Cyprinodontoidei, family Cyprinodontidae, genus Cyprinodon (Integrated Taxonomic Information system, 2009). Cyprinodon variegatus can grow up to 9.3 cm and has a silver body (Texas Parks and Wildlife, 2009). with large scales (FishBase, 2010). Cyprinodon variegatus dorsal side is shades of green to olive, depending on male or female, with either a white or yellow ventral surface (Bigelow and Schroeder, 2002). Sheepshead minnow has wedge shaped teeth (Bigelow and Schroeder, 2002) and a dark band on the tail (FishBase, 2010).

Cyprinodon variegatus lives a benthopelagic life style in shallow (Bigelow and Schroeder, 2002) subtropical water from fresh to marine (FishBase, 2010). Cyprinodon variegatus can be spotted along the Atlantic coast, South American’s coastline (Bigelow and Schroeder, 2002), and Gulf of Mexico. Sheepshead minnow can also be found around Bahamas, Yucatan, Antilles, and West Indies (FishBase, 2010).

References

FishBase. 2010 [Accessed March 13, 2010.] Cyprinodon variegatus. http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?ID=3181

Bigelow, B.B., and W.C. Schroeder. 2002. Fishes of the Gulf of Maine. Online Edition. [Accessed March 13, 2010.] sheepshead minnow, Cyprinodon variegatus. http://www.gma.org/fogm/Cyprinodon_variegatus.htm

Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 2009. [Accessed March 13, 2010.] Cyprinodon variegatus (Lacepede, 1803). http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt

Texas Parks and Wildlife. 2009. [Accessed March 13, 2010.] sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus). http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/sheepsheadminnow/