New Jersey Scuba Diving

Striped Killifish

Fundulus majalis

Size: to 6"

Habitat: Generally inshore in harbors, inlets, and other quiet waters. Tolerates a wide range of salinities.

Notes: The largest and most attractive of the many species of killifish in the New Jersey area. The male is above, the female below.

Unlike their delicate cousins the Silversides, local killies are tough as nails, and can often survive several days in nothing more than cool damp seaweed.

Overview of Invertebrates

An invertebrate is any multicellular animal lacking a backbone. This includes all animal phyla other than Chordata. The major invertebrate phyla include:

Sponges - Porifera
Coelenterates - Cnidaria
Ctenophores - Ctenophora
Echinoderms - Echinodermata
Flatworms - Platyhelminthes
Roundworms - Nematoda
Segmented worms - Annelida
Mollusks - Mollusca
Arthropods - Arthropoda

Invertebrates are tremendously diverse, ranging from microscopic wormlike mezozoans to huge animals such as the giant squid. Approximately 95% of all the earth's animal species are invertebrates; of these, the vast majority are insects and other arthropods. Invertebrates are important as parasites and are essential elements of all ecological communities.

More: Overview of Invertebrates ...

Striped Killifish

Baitfishes

Overview of Invertebrates