List of smallest fish

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The world's smallest fish depends on the measurement used. [1]

Contents

Based on minimum standard length at maturity the main contenders are Paedocypris progenetica where females can reach it at 7.9 mm (0.31 in), [2] [3] [4] the stout infantfish (Schindleria brevipinguis) where females reach it at 7 mm (0.28 in) and males at 6.5 mm (0.26 in), [1] and Photocorynus spiniceps where males can reach it at 6.2 mm (0.24 in), but are attached to the far larger females. [5] [6] If judging smallest based on the species' maximum size (a measurement often used for fish), Paedocypris progenetica, dwarf pygmy goby (Pandaka pygmaea), midget dwarfgoby (Trimmatom nanus) and the stout infantfish (Schindleria brevipinguis) are not known to exceed 11 mm (0.43 in) in standard length, [4] [7] [8] [9] and the two Leptophilypnion sleeper gobies are less than 10 mm (0.39 in). [10] A level of uncertainty about the full size range exists for some of these, as only a few specimens have been measured. [10]

Little or no data is available on weight of most of these, but at less than 1 milligram (0.001 g) it is likely that the stout infantfish (Schindleria brevipinguis) is the smallest if using this feature. [1]

List of smallest fish in the world

ImageCommon NameSpeciesFamily Standard length of smallest known mature individualMaximum known standard length
Paedocypris progenetica 001.jpg Paedocypris progenetica Cyprinidae 7.9 mm (0.31 in), female [4] 10.3 mm (0.41 in) [4]
Danionella translucida bolton aquarium.JPG Danionella translucida Cyprinidae 10 mm [11] 15 mm [11]
Danionella cerebrum.jpg Danionella cerebrum Cyprinidae 10 mm [11] 12.6 mm [11]
Leptophilypnion fittkaui Eleotridae ?9.5 mm (0.37 in) [10]
Leptophilypnion pusillus Eleotridae ?9.1 mm (0.36 in) [10]
Papyg u0.gif Dwarf pygmy goby Pandaka pygmaea Gobiidae 9 mm (0.35 in), male [7] 11 mm (0.43 in) [7]
Midget dwarfgoby Trimmatom nanus Gobiidae 10 mm (0.39 in) [8] 10 mm (0.39 in) [8]
Photocorynus spiniceps Linophrynidae 6.2 mm (0.24 in), male [5] 50.2 mm (1.98 in), female far larger than male and species not among smallest by maximum standard length [5]
Stout infantfish [12] Schindleria brevipinguis Gobiidae 6.5 mm (0.26 in), male [1] 10 mm (0.39 in) [9]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amazon basin</span> Major drainage basin in South America drained via the Amazon River into the Atlantic Ocean

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Schindleria brevipinguis is a species of marine fish in family Gobiidae of Perciformes. Known as the stout infantfish, it is native to Australia's Great Barrier Reef and to Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea.

<i>Schindleria</i> Genus of fishes

Schindleria is a genus of marine fish. It was the only genus of family Schindleriidae, among the Gobioidei of order Perciformes but is now classified under the Gobiidae in the Gobiiformes. The type species is S. praematura, Schindler's fish. The Schindleria species are known generically as Schindler's fishes after German zoologist Otto Schindler (1906–1959), or infantfishes. They are native to the southern Pacific Ocean, from the South China Sea to the Great Barrier Reef off eastern Australia.

Trimmatom nanus, the midget dwarfgoby, is a species of marine goby native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. It can mainly be found on oceanic drop-offs at depths of from 20 to 30 metres though it can occasionally be found in outer reef areas and lagoons at depths of from 5 to 35 metres. This species can reach a length of 1 centimetre (0.39 in) SL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleotridae</span> Family of fishes

Eleotridae is a family of fish commonly known as sleeper gobies, with about 34 genera and 180 species. Most species are found in the tropical Indo-Pacific region, but there are also species in subtropical and temperate regions, warmer parts of the Americas and near the Atlantic coast in Africa. While many eleotrids pass through a planktonic stage in the sea and some spend their entire lives in the sea; as adults, the majority live in freshwater streams and brackish water. One of its genera, Caecieleotris, is troglobitic. They are especially important as predators in the freshwater stream ecosystems on oceanic islands such as New Zealand and Hawaii that otherwise lack the predatory fish families typical of nearby continents, such as catfish. Anatomically, they are similar to the gobies (Gobiidae), though unlike the majority of gobies, they do not have a pelvic sucker.

<i>Paedocypris</i> Genus of fishes

Paedocypris is a genus of tiny cyprinid fish found in swamps and streams on the Southeast Asian islands of Borneo, Sumatra and Bintan.

<i>Paedocypris progenetica</i> Species of fish

Paedocypris progenetica is a species of tiny cyprinid fish endemic to the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Bintan where it is found in peat swamps and blackwater streams. It was discovered by Singaporean ichthyologist Heok Hui Tan. He has written a description of the fish along with another species of the same genus called Paedocypris micromegethes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwarf pygmy goby</span> Species of fish

The dwarf pygmy goby or Philippine goby is a tropical species of fish in the subfamily Gobionellinae from brackish water and mangrove areas in Southeast Asia. It is one of the smallest fish species in the world. Males reach maturity at a standard length of 0.9 cm (0.35 in) and can reach up to 1.1 cm (0.43 in) in standard length, while the females can grow up to 1.5 centimetres (0.59 in) in total length. Adults weigh around 4 milligrams (0.00015 oz). It is known as bia and tabios in the Philippines.

<i>Pomatoschistus</i> Genus of fishes

Pomatoschistus is a genus of gobies native to fresh, brackish and marine waters of Europe, the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

<i>Redigobius</i> Genus of fishes

Redigobius is a genus of fish in the goby family, Gobiidae, known commonly as dualspot gobies. They are native to the western Indo-Pacific region, where they occur in estuaries and freshwater habitats just above the tidal influence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diversity of fish</span> Fish species categorized by various characteristics

Fish are very diverse animals and can be categorised in many ways. Although most fish species have probably been discovered and described, about 250 new ones are still discovered every year. According to FishBase about 34,800 species of fish had been described as of February 2022, which is more than the combined total of all other vertebrate species: mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gobiinae</span> Subfamily of fishes

True gobies were a subfamily, the Gobiinae, of the goby family Gobiidae, although the 5th edition of the Fishes of the World does not subdivide the Gobiidae into subfamilies. They are found in all oceans and a few rivers and lakes, but most live in warm waters. Altogether, the Gobiinae unite about 1149 described species in 160 genera, and new ones are still being discovered in numbers.

Xenisthmus chi is a species of fish in the wriggler family, Xenisthmidae, which is regarded as a synonymous with the Eleotridae,. Japan wrigglers are tiny and clear. Before Paedocypris progenetica and the dwarf goby were discovered, the Japan wriggler was the smallest known fish.

<i>Paedophryne amauensis</i> Species of amphibian

Paedophryne amauensis is a species of microhylid frog endemic to eastern Papua New Guinea. At 7.7 mm (0.30 in) in snout-to-vent length, it is considered the world's smallest known vertebrate.

Paedocypris carbunculus is a tiny species of cyprinid fish endemic to peat swamps and blackwater streams in Central Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia. It is the most recently described species of the three in the genus Paedocypris and it reaches up to 11.5 mm (0.45 in) in standard length. This shoaling species has been kept and bred for several generations in aquariums.

Microphilypnus is a genus of small fishes in the family Eleotridae native to the Amazon and Orinoco basins in South America. At up to 2.4 cm (0.94 in) in standard length, they are among the smallest sleeper gobies, but however larger than the Leptophilypnion sleeper gobies from the same region. The bottom-dwelling Microphilypnus are typically found in shallow water among leaf-litter or partially buried in sand, and they can be very abundant in their habitat. Their small size combined with a speckled and semi-transparent appearance makes them highly cryptic. They somewhat resemble certain freshwater shrimp, as well as Priocharax characins, and they sometimes group together. Microphilypnus feed on tiny invertebrates.

<i>Pandaka</i> (fish) Genus of fishes

Pandaka is a genus of fish in the goby subfamily, Gobionellinae, native to fresh, brackish and marine waters of Asia and the western Pacific Ocean. Some species in the genus are among the smallest fish in the world; the male P. pygmaea can be just 9 mm (0.35 in) in standard length at maturity.

Trimmatom is a genus of gobies native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.

Pandaka lidwilli, or the Lidwill's dwarf goby, is a species of goby found in brackish and salt water in the mouths of rivers and maritime zones in Japan, Australia, and Papua New Guinea. The specific name honours the Australian anesthesiologist and cardiologist Mark C. Lidwill (1878–1969), who was co-inventor of the pacemaker, as well as being a saltwater angler who, while fishing for game fish, observed this tiny goby and brought it to the attention of Allan Riverstone McCulloch who subsequently described it.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 McGrouther, M. (15 August 2011). "What is the smallest fish?". Australian Museum. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  2. Scholastic news online:The World's Smallest Fish? by: Ezra Billinkoff- Retrieved February 3, 2006
  3. Eyepod.org-Worlds Smallest Fish Discovered in Acidic Swamp.New spineless species...These pages are dedicated to explorer Julie "Brook" Thornton Retrieved January 25
  4. 1 2 3 4 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2017). "Paedocypris progenetica" in FishBase . September 2017 version.
  5. 1 2 3 Theodore W. Pietsch (2005). "Dimorphism, parasitism, and sex revisited: modes of reproduction among deep-sea ceratioid anglerfishes (Teleostei: Lophiiformes)". Ichthyological Research. 52 (3): 207–236. doi:10.1007/s10228-005-0286-2. S2CID   24768783.
  6. Doughton, Sandi (January 31, 2001). "Catch of the day: Researcher stakes claim to tiny-fish title". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 18 May 2008. Retrieved 2 February 2006.
  7. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2017). "Pandaka pygmaea" in FishBase . September 2017 version.
  8. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2017). "Trimmatom nanus" in FishBase . September 2017 version.
  9. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2017). "Schindleria brevipinguis" in FishBase . September 2017 version.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Roberts, T.R. (2013). Leptophilypnion, a new genus with two new species of tiny central Amazonian gobioid fishes (Teleostei, Eleotridae). aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology, 19 (2): 85-98.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Britz, Ralf (2021). "The emerging vertebrate model species for neurophysiological studies is Danionella cerebrum, new species (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)". Scientific Reports. 11 (1): 18942. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-97600-0. PMC   8460714 . PMID   34556691.
  12. Scientists Describe the World's Smallest, Lightest Fish Retrieved September 17, 2011