What is "mummichog"

Minnow \Min"now\, n. [OE. menow, cf. AS. myne; also OE. menuse, OF. menuise small fish; akin to E. minish, minute.] [Written also minow.]

1. (Zo["o]l.) A small European fresh-water cyprinoid fish ( Phoxinus l[ae]vis, formerly Leuciscus phoxinus); sometimes applied also to the young of larger kinds; -- called also minim and minny. The name is also applied to several allied American species, of the genera Phoxinus, Notropis, or Minnilus, and Rhinichthys.

2. (Zo["o]l.) Any of numerous small American cyprinodont fishes of the genus Fundulus, and related genera. They live both in fresh and in salt water. Called also killifish, minny, and mummichog.

n. A hardy killifish, ''Fundulus heteroclitus'', found in brackish and coastal waters of the United States and Canada.

n. silver-and-black killifish of saltwater marshes along the Atlantic coast of the United States [syn: Fundulus heteroclitus]

The mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) is a small killifish found along the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada. Also known as mummies, gudgeons, and mud minnows, these fish inhabit brackish and coastal waters including estuaries and salt marshes. The species is noted for its hardiness and ability to tolerate highly variable salinity, temperature fluctuations from , very low oxygen levels (down to 1 mg/L), and heavily polluted ecosystems. As a result, the mummichog is a popular research subject in embryological, physiological, and toxicological studies. It is also the first fish ever sent to space, aboard Skylab in 1973.