Indonesian super dwarf

Small Fish: What’s the smallest fish?

Ever wondered what the smallest fish in the world is?. Well, you’re in for a treat as not only am I going to share the details of the smallest fish. I’m also going to give you a summary of all the fish that are considered Super dwarfs or miniature fish!.

As an added bonus keep reading for the smallest frog. Thrown in for good measure. So without further ado here we go with what’s the smallest fish!.

Paedocypris progenetica or Indonesian super dwarf is the smallest fish and is a tropical fish found in highly acidic peat swamp waters a tiny species of cyprinid fish this tiny fish is around 7mm and has narrow frontals that leave its brain unprotected!

dwarf fish smallest tropical fish

Now you know the smallest fish known to man and that it’s tropical!. If you would like to know all about this marvellous little fish keep reading. But first, let’s explore the smallest saltwater fish. The smallest vertebrae of which the Indonesian super dwarf was thought to be until just recently a little-known frog was discovered.

SMALLEST SALTWATER FISH:

So most people think reef gobies to be one of if not the smallest saltwater fish. Although they would be giants compared to these little fish!.

The stout infant fish is indeed the smallest saltwater fish scientific name: Schindleria brevipinguis!.

stout infant fish

This little nano fish calls the great barrier reef it’s home. I know ironic! Surprisingly unlike most barrier reef fish which as we know are exotic beyond belief and super colourful.

This little fella is rather drab and super dull and appears to look more like plankton!.

Although it may be dull and a bit drab it holds the record for the smallest saltwater fish. It in fact until recently held the record for smallest fish and smallest vertebrae.

Alas, it sits in third place now at a whopping 8mm or 0.3 inches!.

The first specimen was collected by Jeff Leis in 1979. The species was not formally described until a 2004 paper (Watson and Walker).

This amazing micro fish weighs in at one milligram. Has no teeth or scales but has nostrils. The fish are slightly transparent and only live for two months!.

So I hear you all saying WHAT’S the smallest vertebrae. As we read earlier that used to be our super dwarf and before that the title belonged to the little stout. So who or what are now the smallest vertebrae?.

SMALLEST VERTEBRATE

At just 7mm and roughly half the size of a housefly, we have the smallest vertebrae. An animal with a backbone for those wondering.

This vertebra happens to be a frog discovered in 2010 by Dr. Austin and a graduate Eric Rittmeyer!.

These tiny tiny frogs are so small. Their colour blended so well with the natural habitat. where they are found in the new guinea rainforest that you cant see with the naked eye!.

They live solely on the leaf litter within the rainforest. Scientists locate the teensy animals by listening for their calls and trying to zero in on the sources of the sounds.

No mean feat since the high pitch of the calls makes their sources especially hard for human hearing to locate.

The story goes that Austin and graduate student Eric Rittmeyer tried four times to find the frogs. Before exasperatedly grabbing a big handful of leaf litter and putting it in a plastic bag.

So all that to say what about our little nano! let’s get back to our super dwarf!.

INDONESIAN SUPER DWARF: SMALLEST FISH ON EARTH 

Indonesian super dwarf

Our little fish is found in the peaty swamps of Sumatra Indonesia. Is as we said a tropical freshwater fish along with three other microspecies of fish.

Paedocypris progenetica

Priocharax nanus and two other species.  Priocharax ariel and Priocharax pygmaeus. Are unique in that the skeleton of one set of their fins – paired pectoral fins – is made entirely out of cartilage.

The new species, measuring only .7 cm or 7mm long, is also semi-transparent, a trait shared by many miniature fish. This can make it hard to spot predators and collectors alike.

“It’s approaching the lower limit of how small a vertebrate can be. You have to fit into that tiny body. Eyes, muscles, internal organs, and the females have to produce eggs,” said Dr Britz.

The fish lives in dark tea-coloured waters. With a very low ph of around 3ph which alone makes this fish difficult to keep. Even if it was possible to find them to put that into perspective we have a ph of around 7ph where we live!.

acidic levels of 3ph are believed to be 100 times that of rainwater just for more clarification, As stated earlier they are translucent and appear larvae-like and are famed for the males having a bizarre hook attached for grasping on the pelvic fin likely used for mating purposes.

SUPER DWARF CONTINUED

These fish amazingly considering the size appear to have teeth unlike the other micro fish, They have a black line marked across the belly rising up to the throat and the pelvic fins seem to be brown which allows the fish to blend in well with its surroundings that along with the rest of the body being transparent apart from its eyes.

Because it is so small the fish has fewer bones than nearly all fish has cartilage. Instead, it has hardly any bones between its fins and the head is mainly cartilage. Which leaves some of the brain exposed to dangerous stuff if you ask me!.

The females somehow. Don’t ask me how but they have room for some 30 eggs. Appears they lay them one at a time so time-consuming, to say the least. They would appear to chow down on plankton (whatever else it eats it would have to be pretty small hay!.)

IN CONCLUSION:

The Fish spoken of in this blog post are extremely rare as are the frogs. The likelihood of owning some would be slim to none. They are already endangered species. Hopefully, something can be done to help them and their environment!.

We only discovered them around 2012 but as we know more and more rainforests are lost each year. Let’s hope something can be done. On a side note studies are unclear how long this fish’s life cycle is.

Would imagine it to be no more than a few months putting it in line with the saltwater counterparts.

Hope you enjoyed reading a little about these minute little creatures I sure enjoyed writing this post as always happy TANKING!

Some More Reading

Shrimp With Super Powers

What About This Little Shrimp

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