Javascript Disabled Detected

You currently have javascript disabled. Several functions may not work. Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality.

What's the smallest fish?

Started by Guest_EricaWieser_* , Jan 28 2011 11:43 AM

Next

Reply to this topic

22 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_EricaWieser_*

Guests

Posted 28 January 2011 - 11:43 AM

I recently saw someone claim that heterandria formosa was the seventh smallest fish in the world. Is that true? If so, then where do the fish of the elassoma genus rank? Are elassoma gilberti smaller? Is Dario dario smaller? Help?

#2 Guest_mneilson_*

Guests

Posted 28 January 2011 - 03:55 PM

I recently saw someone claim that heterandria formosa was the seventh smallest fish in the world. Is that true? If so, then where do the fish of the elassoma genus rank? Are elassoma gilberti smaller? Is Dario dario smaller? Help?

It is most definitely not true. H. formosa maxes out at ~3.5 cm TL, but there are several genera of gobies/infantfish that are much smaller (e.g., Trimma, Trimmatom, Schindleria all have max TL of <= 2 cm). Elassoma seem to range around H. formosa: E. gilberti has a max TL of ~2.5 cm, whereas E. zonatum is ~4.5 cm.

Edited by mneilson, 28 January 2011 - 03:56 PM.

#3 Guest_Newt_*

Guests

Posted 28 January 2011 - 09:26 PM

I would be astonished to see a 4.5 cm Elassoma!

There are also a number of tiny southeast Asian danionine cyprinids, such as Danionella, Microrasbora, Microdevario, Boraras, Celestichthys, and the famous acid-swamp midget Paedocypris, claimed to be the world's smallest vertebrate at a max TL of barely over 1 cm (10.3 mm). Some of the gobies mneilson mentioned may be even smaller. The smallest killies, including Oryzias minutillus and North America's own Leptolucania ommata, are similar in size to H. formosa, as are some very small tetras, such as Hyphessobrycon amandae.

#4 Guest_mneilson_*

Guests

Posted 28 January 2011 - 10:03 PM

I would be astonished to see a 4.5 cm Elassoma!

I've not seen this myself...just basing this off info from FishBase.

There are also a number of tiny southeast Asian danionine cyprinids, such as Danionella, Microrasbora, Microdevario, Boraras, Celestichthys, and the famous acid-swamp midget Paedocypris, claimed to be the world's smallest vertebrate at a max TL of barely over 1 cm (10.3 mm). Some of the gobies mneilson mentioned may be even smaller.

This debate about the smallest seems to center around the smallest sexually mature individuals found. Schindleria brevipinguis is sexually mature at ~8 mm, and maxes out at ~ 8.5 mm TL, but sexually mature Paedocypris have been found at 7.9 mm.

#5 Guest_Newt_*

Guests

Posted 28 January 2011 - 10:36 PM

Hmm. I assume this is based on females? I suspect that some of the male ceratiid anglerfishes are even smaller when mature, though the females are moderate-sized fish.

#6 Guest_mneilson_*

Guests

Posted 29 January 2011 - 09:45 AM

Hmm. I assume this is based on females? I suspect that some of the male ceratiid anglerfishes are even smaller when mature, though the females are moderate-sized fish.

Yes...it's based on female size.

#7 Guest_FirstChAoS_*

Guests

Posted 29 January 2011 - 02:29 PM

Ok, dealing with fish sizes, what is the smallest fish in North America?

#8 Guest_Newt_*

Guests

Posted 29 January 2011 - 02:53 PM

One of those mentioned in this thread: Heterandria formosa, Leptolucania ommata, or one of the Elassoma species. All have max. lengths between 3 and 4 cm. At the next step up (4-5 cm max. length) you have some of the inland pupfishes (Cyprinodon), the smallest of the madtoms (Noturus), some mosquitofish (Gambusia), and the smallest darters, such as Etheostoma (Nothonotus) tippecanoe and the members of Etheostoma subgenera Microperca and Hololepis.

#9 Guest_rjmtx_*

Guests

Posted 29 January 2011 - 03:34 PM

Ok, dealing with fish sizes, what is the smallest fish in North America?

Male Heterandria formosa. It's the smallest adult vertebrate in North America.

#10 Guest_EricaWieser_*

Guests

Posted 29 January 2011 - 06:50 PM

I've been trying to find a ranking of the smallest freshwater fish in the world online to help end the debate, but I can't seem to find one. I wish I had a list of the top five or top ten smallest freshwater fish.

#11 Guest_mywan_*

Guests

Posted 29 January 2011 - 08:36 PM

I just found this, but I don't have access to the full article:

http://www.killienut....php?extend.2.1

Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 63-72, 3 figs., 1 tab., March 2010

An overview of North America’s diminutive freshwater fish fauna

Micah G. Bennett* and Kevin W. Conway*

Based on a review of the literature, we compile a table of North American freshwater fishes with maximum standard length (SL) less than or equal to 50 mm and information on size at sexual maturity. Using previously published criteria for miniature fishes (< 26 mm maximum SL, or those that mature at SL < 20 mm), we found evidence for seven miniature fishes on the North American continent: Elassoma alabamae, E. zonatum, Leptolucania ommata, Heterandria formosa, Megupsilon aporus, Cyprinodon macularius and Notropis saladonis, the smallest being E. alabamae (Spring Pygmy Sunfish, maximum size 25.5 mm SL). We compare the number of miniature species in North America to those from Africa, South Asia and South America and discuss patterns of distribution, habitat preference and imperilment amongst North America’s smallest freshwater fishes.

Here you can read the first page of the introduction and ordering information if you want the article (PDF):
http://www.pfeil-ver.../ief21_1_05.pdf

#12 Guest_fundulus_*

Guests

Posted 29 January 2011 - 09:33 PM

You could also try emailing one of the authors who are at St. Louis University, I imagine they'd send you a copy.

#13 Guest_EricaWieser_*

Guests

Posted 30 January 2011 - 12:45 PM

That article is exactly what I'm looking for. Thank you for the link. Now I just have to figure out how to get the whole thing. ...

#14 Guest_EricaWieser_*

Guests

Posted 30 January 2011 - 03:22 PM

That article is exactly what I'm looking for. Thank you for the link. Now I just have to figure out how to get the whole thing. ...

Woo hoo, I have inter-library-loaned the article. It'll probably arrive soon-ish. Thank you, everyone

#15 Guest_EricaWieser_*

Guests

Posted 02 February 2011 - 07:25 PM

I have received the article, Ichthyological exploration of freshwaters.: An overview of North America diminutive freshwater fish fauna by Micah G. Bennett and Kevin W. Conway. It's got a three page list of every single one of the North American fishes who have a standard length less than 50 mm. I'm probably not allowed to copy and paste that list because it cost me money (technically?) to view the article (Inter-library-loan) so I think the most I can share is the top five. Probably? I don't know. I'm probably allowed to do that. It solves the debate of whether or not Heterandria formosa is North America's smallest fish (it's not).

Top five smallest North American fish by maximum standard length:
1. Elassoma alabamae, 25.5 mm
2. Notropis calbazas, 26.8 mm
3. Elassoma boehlkei, 27 mm
4. Leptolucania ommata, 27 mm
5. Characodon garmani, 27 mm

Keeping in mind that heterandria formosa is listed at 30 mm, with like ten species smaller than it. Neat. Thank you for the paper suggestion.

I'm glad I now have this huge list of tiny fish.

Edited by EricaWieser, 02 February 2011 - 07:35 PM.

#16 Guest_rjmtx_*

Guests

Posted 02 February 2011 - 09:23 PM

Still, I'd say the male H. formosa is the smallest NA fish at maturity. That's the technicality that you have to hang on.

#17 Guest_smbass_*

Guests

Posted 02 February 2011 - 11:52 PM

Where do the following three fall on the list? I think these are Ohio's three smallest species and I'm just curious where they fit in the grand scheme of things in North America. Notropis buchanani, Etheostoma microperca, Etheostoma tippecannoe.

#18 Guest_EricaWieser_*

Guests

Posted 03 February 2011 - 10:46 AM

Notropis buchanani: 41 mm . . . . . . . . . Source paper: Miller et al, 2005
Etheostoma microperca: 37 mm . . . . . . . Source paper: Etnier and Starnes, 1993
Etheostoma tippecannoe: 36 mm . . . . . . . Source paper: Stauffer and Van Sink, 1997., Warren et al. 1986

Edited by EricaWieser, 03 February 2011 - 10:50 AM.

#19 Guest_mywan_*

Guests

Posted 23 April 2011 - 07:43 AM

Erica, I resurrected this thread hoping you might be interested in posting a list of native fish ordered by size smallest first? That would be an interesting reference for me and hoped that maybe when you were researching this topic you had a more complete list. Even just those natives under 50 mm would be nice. That should give me a head start on a list ordered by size up to at least 6 or 8 inches.

I did find this:
http://nanofish.info/fish/index.php
But is is not just natives but all nanofish less than 35 mm worldwide suitable for aquarium. They are not listed in size order either.