Fishing - World's tiniest fish identified

World's tiniest fish identified
The smallest, lightest animal with a backbone has been described for the
first time, by scientists in the US.
The miniscule fish, called a stout infantfish, is only about 7mm (just
under a quarter of an inch) long.

It lives around Australia's Great Barrier Reef and has snatched the
"world's smallest vertebrate" title from the 1cm-long dwarf goby fish.

The infantfish, which is no longer than the width of a pencil, is
described in the Records of the Australian Museum.

Big females

The first specimen of the tiny creature ( Schindleria brevipinguis ) was
collected way back in 1979, by the Australian Museum's Jeff Leis, during
fieldwork in the Lizard Island region of the Great Barrier Reef.

Anytime a scientist identifies an 'extreme' in the World it is important
Philip Hastings, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

But the creature was not properly studied for years, until HJ Walker of
the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, California, US, and William
Watson of the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, US, picked up
the case.
"It was a really good day when I first looked under the microscope and
recognised something that I knew was a new species," said Dr Walker. "But
at the time I didn't realise that I was looking at the world's smallest
vertebrate."

Only six specimens of the stout infantfish have ever been found.

The females - at around 8.4mm - seem to be bigger than males, who usually
measure in at a diminutive 7mm. They are what scientist term
"paedomorphic", which means they retain many infantile characteristics,
even when adult.

Baby features

The stout infantfish gets its name from its babyish features, and the fact
that it is unusually stout compared to other species of infantfish.

Its tiny frame is matched by its short lifespan, which is thought to be a
mere two months. This quick turnover might actually work in the fish's
favour, allowing it to keep up with a world that is changing fast.

"It's interesting that these animals experience several generations a
year," said Dr Watson. "This suggests they could evolve quickly as well.

"They live in a specialised habitat that could be threatened by global
warming or human development, but they may have the ability to evolve as
fast as their environment changes."
Philip Hastings, the curator of the Scripps Marine Vertebrates Collection,
says the identification of the stout infantfish is another demonstration
that scientists do not yet have a complete picture of marine animals.

"Anytime a scientist identifies an 'extreme' in the world it is
important," said Dr Hastings. "Think about the whole envelope of
life. Most of us systematists describe things that fill in the dots in the
middle of the envelope.

"This new discovery is pushing the edge, increasing the size of the
envelope.

"It's important because it demonstrates that we're still expanding our
knowledge of the limits of the diversity that's present on this planet and
there are still significant discoveries to me made."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/h...ch/3920183.stm

Published: 2004/07/24 07:25:33 GMT