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Sumatran Fish Nabs Record for Smallest Vertebrate
January 2006
A plankton-eating fish found in acidic peat swamps on the island of Sumatra now claims the title for the smallest vertebrate. Researchers discovered a new genus of miniature fish comprising two species. A mature female of the smaller species, Paedocypris progenetica, measured just 7.9mm.
The previous record holder was the dwarf goby (Trimmatom nanus), a marine fish a tenth of a millimeter longer.
The world's largest fish is the whale shark, which can grow up to 39 feet long. Measuring up 89 feet long and weighing well over 100 tons, the blue whale is the largest animal ever to have lived.
Paedocypris has some features associated with fish in a larval stage, such as a lack of complete bony protection around the brain. But both species in the genus have a unique feature, as well. Males have a modified pelvic fin and other anatomical parts that the researchers suspect are used to clasp the female during mating.
Southeast Asia's swamp forests are disappearing quickly. Logging, urbanization, and agriculture—particularly oil palm plantations and shrimp farms—are the major threats. The population of miniature fishes and other local species is on the decline.
Photo courtesy of Ralf Britz, PhD, Fish Researcher, The Natural History Museum, London
Sources: Proc. R. Soc. B, doi:10.1098/rspb.2005.3419, BBC News
