Arctic rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax dentex) fish species and information / pictures of Arctic rainbow smelt - Osmerus mordax dentex

Arctic rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax dentex) fish species information

Scientific Name
Osmerus mordax dentex

Common Name
Arctic rainbow smelt

Biology
Inhabits brackish water of estuaries, lagoons, coastal shallows and bays, and fresh water in lowland and piedmont rivers (Ref. 59043). A schooling species that inhabits lakes or inshore coastal waters (Ref. 1998). Pelagic at the sea where it occurs at 4-8 m depth (Ref. 59043). In the spring, it leaves the sea or the lake and ascends freshwater streams to spawn. Some remain in fresh water throughout their lives (Ref. 1998); those that enter the sea stay within 8 to 10 km of the shore and probably do not stray far along the coast from the estuary (Ref. 28996). Spawns in rapids, in clear water, over stone-gravel bottom and at depth of 0.2-0.5 m (Ref. 59043). Possibly found up to 425 m depth (Ref. 6793). Young-of-the-year feed mostly on copepods and cladocerans, also rotifers, eggs and algae; adults feed on small crustaceans, fishes and shellfish, also squid, w

Classification

Classified By
Steindachner & Kner, 1870
Class
Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)
Order
Smelts (Osmeriformes)
Family
Smelts (Osmeridae)

Distribution

Region
North Pacific and Arctic
Distribution
North Pacific and Arctic: Wonsan, North Korea and the Sea of Okhotsk to Barkley Sound, British Columbia, north to the Bering Sea and the Arctic (Ref. 6793). Estuaries and coastal waters of European and Siberian shores of Arctic ocean from White Sea to Chukota in eastern Siberia (Ref. 59043).
Range
Unknown

Environment

Climate
Polar
Water Temperature From
Unknown °C
Water Temperature To
Unknown °C
Depth From - meters
0 m
Depth To - meters
290 m
Zone
pelagic-neritic
Environment
Marine; freshwater; brackish; pelagic-neritic; anadromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 290 m (Ref. 50550)
Trophic Level
4.2 s.e. 0.73 Based on diet studies.
Occurs in Marine / Salt water
True
Occurs in Brackish water
True
Occurs in Fresh Water
True
Occurs on Reefs
False
Is kept in Aquariums
False

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length
34.0 cm
Common Length
14.9 cm
Phylogenetic Diversity Index
PD50 = No PD50 data many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
Vulnerability
High vulnerability (60 of 100)
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=2-3; tmax=7; Fec=1,700)
Threat To Humans
  Harmless
IUCN Red List Status