Banded Topminnow: Facts & Habitat

About Banded Topminnow

The banded topminnow (Fundulus cingulatus) is a North American species of temperate freshwater killifish belonging to the genus Fundulus of the family Fundulidae.

NativeFresh5 states

Taxonomy

The genus name Fundulus comes from fundus, meaning bottom, from the fish's habit of swimming near muddy bottoms. The species name cingulatus, also derived from Latin means "girded". The banded topminow was first described by American zoologist Achille Valenciennes in 1846, when it was sighted near Charleston, South Carolina.

The common name, "banded topminnow", refers to the distinct olive-green bandings found along their sides.

Article text: Wikipedia contributors, Banded topminnow (source revision). Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Diet and feeding

The FishTraits compilation records these diet categories for this species: algae or phytoplankton; invertebrates or larval fish. These are broad categories, not a claim that every individual consumes every example in a category.

Habitat preferences

Reported habitat associations include medium to large rivers, streams and small rivers, creeks, still-water habitats.

The source records associations with muck, clay or silt, vegetation. An association indicates reported use, rather than an exclusive requirement.

Reproduction and parental care

The compilation reports a representative maturity age of 0.3 years. Its maturity field summarizes mean, median, or modal estimates, usually for females; male estimates can be used when female data are unavailable. It is not a fixed age at which every fish first breeds.

Recorded spawning months are Apr for the source’s reporting region (FL). This is a regional calendar, not a range-wide schedule.

Size and recorded longevity

FishTraits reports a maximum total length of 6.2 centimetres. Some entries use an estimated asymptotic length; this value should not be treated as a certified record catch.

Range

Where it lives

77.5%of mapped records

Share of 333 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 5 states.

Share of records by state

Habitat

Water and movement

Water: WoRMS records this species in fresh water.
Migration: Not migratory

Classification

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Superclass: Actinopterygii
Class: Teleostei
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Fundulidae
Genus: Fundulus
Species: Fundulus cingulatus
ITIS TSN: 165661
WoRMS AphiaID: 1019839
GBIF key: 5203659

Common questions about Banded Topminnow

What is the scientific name of Banded Topminnow?

The scientific name is Fundulus cingulatus, in the family Fundulidae. Classification follows ITIS.

Does Banded Topminnow live in fresh water or salt water?

WoRMS records this species in fresh water.

Where has Banded Topminnow been recorded in the United States?

GBIF has observations in 5 states, with the most records in Florida, Georgia, Alabama. The map shows observation records, which do not establish the complete natural range.

Closest relatives