Umbridae are a family of Actinopterygii

Actinopterygii

The Actinopterygii or ray-finned fishes constitute a class or sub-class of the bony fishes.The ray-finned fishes are so called because they possess lepidotrichia or "fin rays", their fins being webs of skin supported by bony or horny spines , as opposed to the fleshy, lobed fins that characterize...

, ray-finned fish, that inhabit freshwater environments in temperate regions across the northern hemisphere. They are generally small fish, with the largest species reaching 33 centimetres (13 in) in length, and most less than half that.

Species

There are seven species of mudminnow, grouped into three genera:

Family Umbridae

• Genus Dallia
  • Dallia admirabilis
  • Dallia delicatissima
  • Dallia pectoralis - Alaska blackfish
• Genus Novumbra
  • Novumbra hubbsi - Olympic mudminnow
• Genus Umbra
  • Umbra krameri - European mudminnow
  • Umbra limi - Central mudminnow
  • Umbra pygmaea - Eastern mudminnow

Distribution

The genus Umbra contains three species: the eastern mudminnow

Eastern mudminnow

The eastern mudminnow, Umbra pygmaea, is a freshwater fish of eastern North America, reaching a length of up to 15 cm. It ranges from New York state south to Florida, and west to Georgia. It is an elongate, stout-bodied fish, brown or yellow-green in color, with dark, narrow, lateral stripes. It...

 (Umbra pygmaea), the central mudminnow

Central mudminnow

The central mudminnow is a small fish in the family Umbridae of the order Esociformes. It is found in central and eastern North America in productive waters...

 (U. limi, Kirtland 1840), and the European mudminnow (U. krameri). The eastern mudminnow (U. pygmaea) can be found across the eastern United States

Eastern United States

The Eastern United States, the American East, or simply the East is traditionally defined as the states east of the Mississippi River. The first two tiers of states west of the Mississippi have traditionally been considered part of the West, but can be included in the East today; usually in...

 and south eastern Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The central mudminnow (U. limi) ranges throughout the Great Lakes

Great Lakes

The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...

 region and Mississippi river

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

 basin of North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

. The European mudminnow (U. krameri) can be found in the Danube and Dniester river basins of Europe. Umbra spp. are most commonly found in the Atlantic coast regions of North America, along the marshy, low-oxygen areas of the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

, and in similar environments in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

. The genus Novumbra

Novumbra

Novumbra is a genus of fish in the Umbridae family.It contains the following species:* Olympic mudminnow...

contains the species Novumbra hubbsi, the Olympic mudminnow

Olympic mudminnow

The Olympic mudminnow is a fish native to the western lowlands of Washington state: the Chehalis River basin, Deschutes R. basin, and some Olympic Peninsula basins. It grows to 8 cm in length, and is Washington's only known endemic freshwater fish species...

. It can be found on the west coast of North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

. The Alaska blackfish

Alaska Blackfish

The Alaska blackfish, Dallia pectoralis, is a fish that grows to 7 in in length. It is elongate and cylindrical, with a dark olive-brown coloration. Four to six dark blotches run vertically along the sides, and the belly is white. The fins have reddish-brown speckles. Once thought to be...

, (Dallia pectoralis) is found throughout the state of Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

 and a small region of northeastern Siberia

Siberia

Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...

. The Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

Fishery Regulations define the Umbridae family as a bait fish.