#2135 · 🐟 fish

Eastern Mudminnow

🇳🇱 Amerikaanse hondsvis ·Umbra pygmaea

LCleast concern 🐟 Fish 📍 in the Netherlands (introduced)

10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences

1. © Emilio Concari · CC BY-NC 4.0
2. © sercfisheries · CC BY-NC 4.0
3. © kary · CC BY-NC 4.0
4. © baltimorefishing1 · CC BY-NC 4.0
5. Maryland, US:© Emilio Concari · CC BY-NC 4.0
6. Georgia, US:© Max Ramey · CC BY-NC 4.0
7. Sussex County, US-NJ, US:© Drew · CC BY-NC 4.0
8. Bee Oak Rd, Brandywine, MD, US:© kary · CC BY-NC 4.0
9. South Carolina, US:© Yinan Li · CC BY-NC 4.0
10. New Jersey, US:© Brian G. · CC BY-NC 4.0

what is it?

The eastern mudminnow ( Umbra pygmaea ) is a species of freshwater fish belonging to the family Umbridae. It is native to eastern North America, but has been introduced to Europe. It feeds primarily on insect larvae and other small aquatic invertebrates.

base stats

NL sightings 8iNaturalist, research grade
worldwide 918iNaturalist observations
threat LCleast concern

Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).

fun facts

Spotted 8 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist.
918 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
Scientifically named by James Ellsworth De Kay in 1842 (184 years ago).
Not originally Dutch: it was introduced to the Netherlands.

fact sheet

English: Eastern Mudminnow
Nederlands: Amerikaanse hondsvis
scientific name: Umbra pygmaea
class: Actinopterygii
order: Salmoniformes
family: Umbridae
IUCN Red List: LC · least concern
in NL: introduced
sightings in NL: 8
sightings in Europe: 12
sightings worldwide: 918
GBIF records in NL: 2,809
weight: —
length: —
lifespan: —
named: 1842 by James Ellsworth De Kay

IUCN in Dutch: niet bedreigd. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: iNaturalist taxon 114748, Wikidata Q693602, GBIF 5203111, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.