golden topminnow
Fundulus chrysotus (Günther, 1866)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The golden topminnow (Fundulus chrysotus) is a fish of the genus Fundulus and is a United States native fish mostly distributed throughout the southeast, ranging from Kentucky and Ohio south into Florida. Although it has such a wide distribution throughout the south, the habitats and micro-habitats that it occupies do not differ much from one area of distribution to others. The golden topminnow is a small surface feeding fish that tends to reproduce late in the spring season and on into the early parts of the summer, and although the fry reach maturity fairly quickly the longevity of the golden topminnow is quite short. Because the golden topminnow is lower in the trophic level and is a small fish, it primarily feeds on small and/or drifting organisms at, or near the surface of, vegetated areas. This particular topminnow is not currently listed as an endangered species, nor does it have any particular type of management plan.
Wikipedia contributors, Golden topminnow; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:00:15.023412+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Fundulus chrysotus (Günther, 1866)
- Name authority
- (Günther, 1866)
- Common name
- golden topminnow
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cyprinodontiformes
- Family
- Fundulidae
- Genus
- Fundulus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCyprinodontiformes
- familyFundulidae Günther, 1866
- genusFundulus Lacepède, 1803
- speciesFundulus chrysotus (Günther, 1866)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Fundulus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Fundulus albolineatus Gilbert, 1891 | FundulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| giant killifishFundulus grandissimus Hubbs, 1936 | FundulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| marsh killifishFundulus confluentus Goode & Bean, 1879 | FundulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| California killifishFundulus parvipinnis Girard, 1854 | FundulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Fundulus kansae Garman, 1895 | FundulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Fundulus lineolatus (Agassiz, 1854) | FundulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Fundulus olivaceus (Storer, 1845) | FundulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Fundulus notatus (Rafinesque, 1820) | FundulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| saltmarsh topminnowFundulus jenkinsi (Evermann, 1892) | FundulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| plains killifishFundulus zebrinus Jordan & Gilbert, 1883 | FundulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Fundulus blairae Wiley & Hall, 1975 | FundulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Fundulus nottii (Agassiz, 1854) | FundulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Zygonectes henshalli Jordan, 1880 Jordan, 1880 | synonym |
| Gambusia arlingtonia Goode & Bean, 1879 Goode & Bean, 1879 | synonym |
| Zygonectes chrysotus (Günther, 1866) (Günther, 1866) | synonym |
| Haplochilus chrysotus Günther, 1866 Günther, 1866 | synonym |
| Fundulus henshalli (Jordan, 1880) (Jordan, 1880) | synonym |
| Fundulus arlingtonius (Goode & Bean, 1879) (Goode & Bean, 1879) | synonym |
| Fundulus kompi Hildebrand & Towers, 1928 Hildebrand & Towers, 1928 | synonym |
| Fundulus scartes Meek, 1896 Meek, 1896 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=422553 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:6K3DK. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.