Article text: Wikipedia contributors, Leptolucania ommata (source revision). Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
Pygmy Killifish
Leptolucania ommata
Fundulidae · freshwater water fish
2 minute read · Species guide

About Pygmy Killifish
Leptolucania ommata, the Pygmy killifish, is a species of North American killifish found only in the southeastern United States. This fish is also found in the aquarium trade. This species grows to a length of 3 centimetres (1.2 in) TL. They are yellow with gold and blue-green towards the tail. While males have a small dark spot at the base of their tail, females tend to have one at the base of their tail, and one at the midpoint of their body. It is the only known member of its genus. The pygmy killifish was formally described by David Starr Jordan as Heterandria ommata in 1884, the type locality being given as Indian River, Florida.
Diet and feeding
The FishTraits compilation records these diet categories for this species: 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 streams and small rivers, creeks.
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 0.8 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 Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep for the source’s reporting region (AL). This is a regional calendar, not a range-wide schedule.
Size and recorded longevity
FishTraits reports a maximum total length of 2.7 centimetres. Some entries use an estimated asymptotic length; this value should not be treated as a certified record catch.
Recorded longevity in the compilation is 2 years. Wild observations were preferred, but captive records were accepted where wild records were unavailable, and unspecified records were assumed wild. The value is not a guaranteed wild lifespan or an aquarium life expectancy.
Range
Where it lives
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
- Leptolucania
- Species
- Leptolucania ommata
- ITIS TSN
- 165696
- WoRMS AphiaID
- 1019841
- GBIF key
- 2349560
Common questions about Pygmy Killifish
What is the scientific name of Pygmy Killifish?
Does Pygmy Killifish live in fresh water or salt water?
Where has Pygmy Killifish been recorded in the United States?
Same family