Stout infantfish
📖 Overview
Recently reported as the smallest vertebrate. Males average 7.7 millimeters long and the gravid female which is 8.4 millimeters weighed 1 milligram. This pedomorphic species has a life span of only 2 months, has dispensed its fishy appendages such as teeth and scales, and has no pigment except in the eyes . Specimens were collected in oblique plankton net tows .
🔬 Taxonomy
🐟 Physical Description
Dorsal soft rays (total): 13; Anal soft rays: 10 - 11; Vertebrae: 35 - 36. Body small, stout, unpigmented. Body depth at pectoral-fin origin 9-12% of standard length and at anal-fin origin 9-14% SL. First dorsal-fin ray at myomere 18-20 and first anal-fin ray below dorsal-fin ray 4. Vertebrae 20 + 15-16 = 35-36, myomeres 19-20 + 14-16 = 34-36. Premaxillae and dentaries lack teeth. Males have a rod-like, flexible urogenital papilla lacking lobes, projections, or accessory papillae, with distal half tapering to a blunt point and usually anteriorly directed.
🌀 Behaviour
Behavioural data for Stout infantfish is currently being reviewed.
🦐 Diet
🥚 Reproduction
Adults with mature gonads while retaining postlarval characters . Distinct pairing .
🌍 Habitat & Distribution
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 15 - 30 m . Subtropical
🌿 Ecology
📐 Morphometrics
🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance
🛡️ Conservation Assessment
📊 Population Risk & Fisheries
🌐 Names & Taxonomy
| Language | Common Names |
|---|---|
| 🇬🇧English | Stout Floater · Stout Infantfish |
| 🇵🇹Portuguese | Peixe-feto-robusto |
🔍 Similar Species
🗺️ Global Occurrence Map
Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 1 records indexed .
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