The blackstripe topminnow, Fundulus notatus, is a small freshwater fish in the family Fundulidae, found in central North America. Distribution The blackstripe topminnow is found in Canada along a roughly 60 kilometre stretch of Ontario's Sydenham River. In the United States, it occupies other parts of the southern drainage of lakes Erie and Michigan and also the Mississippi drainage basin between Illinois and the Gulf of Mexico. The entire Canadian population of this small freshwater fish lives along a roughly 60 kilometre stretch of the Sydenham River in southwestern Ontario where its presence was discovered only in 1972, the blackstripe topminnow is a fairly hardy fish although its greatest threats come from changes to its habitat due to human activity. Description The blackstripe topminnow gets its name from the horizontal black stripe that runs the length of its body along its sides. The fish has a small mouth that turns slightly upward, and has a flat-topped head with a multi-coloured spot on it. The average length of this fish is between 5 and 7 cm. The males and females look distinct from one another. Males have dark vertical bars above and below their stripes, yellow-hued fins, and their dorsal and anal fins are longer and more pointed. Females have no bars, white fins and shorter, more rounded dorsal and anal fins. Life history Blackstripe topminnows have a lifespan of around two to three years. They are normally found in water with a slow current where there is vegetation along the river bank which provides a good amount of cover along the waters edge. They tend to stay near the surface in summer and feed on insects. They also eat insect larvae in the water, as well as tiny molluscs, spiders and crustaceans. In the winter, they retreat to deeper water. Spawning occurs between May and August. Females lay 20 to 30 eggs; these are fertilized and tucked away in underwater vegetation one at a time by the males. Conservation Although this population in Canada seems to have remained stable in recent years, it faces several environmental risks. This species is dependent on both aquatic and marginal vegetation which is important as a source of insects for them to prey on. Livestock threaten this vegetation either by destroying by trampling or by grazing. The drainage of wetlands can cause the flow of creeks and streams to be altered, possibly affecting the