Distribution, population assessment and conservation of the endemic Bermuda killifishes Fundulus bermudae and Fundulus relictus

Fundulus bermudae and Fundulus relictus are endemic to Bermuda and are protected under the Bermuda Protected Species Act 2003. These killifishes were described as abundant and widespread in the wetland communities of Bermuda during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Surveys were undertaken during 2004-2005 to determine the current distribution, as well as to estimate the size and structure of each Fundulus population. Killifishes are now found in only 9 isolated ponds. For 6 ponds, populations appear to be large enough to be self-sustaining for the foreseeable future; for 1 pond, the population is low enough to be regarded as vulnerable. Estimates were not feasible in the case of the remaining 2 ponds.