Cyprinodontidae
by E. Tortonese
Head flattened above; mouth opening near the upper surface of head; premaxillary protractile; teeth conical or tricuspid. Fins with soft rays only; dorsal fin single, opposed to anal; pelvic fins abdominal or absent; caudal fin usually truncate or rounded. Scales cycloid (rarely ctenoid); lateral line absent. Small size.
Shallow waters of different salinity (seashores, lagoons, lakes, streams); very euryhaline and eurythermal; gregarious, usually in large shoals. Feeding mainly on small invertebrates taken on surface or bottom, also vegetal materials. Often dimorphic, females larger with less-developed fins and different colours; oviparous; eggs demersal; hybridization frequent. Valuable as members of food chains, as live bait for anglers, as destroyers of mosquitoes, and as aquarium fishes.
Genera about 40; in Clofnam area 1.