DESCRIPTION:   The banded killifish is a long and slender fish averaging 2 – 3 inches

                               in length.  The olive coloured back lightens down the sides to a cream belly.  The

                              sides have 12 – 20 dark vertical bars.  Its head is triangular with a blunt snout and

                              an upturned mouth.  The scales are smaller than the mummichog numbering 43 – 49,

                              and its caudal fin is squared. Gill rakers usually 5, widely spaced and obvious;

                              branchiostegal rays 6,6, never 5,5; distance from origin of dorsal to end of vertebral

                              column, when stepped forward from dorsal fin origin, reaches a  point about middle of

                              eye.

               BIOLOGY:   Banded killifish are a schooling fish that occurs in the shallow areas of lakes

                              and slow moving rivers.  It is commonly found in sandy areas with aquatic vegetation,

                        and can tolerate slightly brackish waters. The banded killifish diet consist of aquatic

                              insects, mollusks and vegetation.  The banded killifish spawns during the mid summer

                              months, usually June – July, in shallow, weedy areas.  The eggs are released are highly

                              adhesive attaching to the substrate and vegetation.  The spawning adults provide no

                              parental care to the eggs or young.  The banded killifish is likely a significant food

                              source for larger fishes and birds in waters where it is present, and anglers sometimes

                              use it as bait as it is readily available when present.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Mummichog