Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax mordax) fish species and information / pictures of Rainbow smelt - Osmerus mordax mordax

Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax mordax) fish species information

Scientific Name
Osmerus mordax mordax

Common Name
Rainbow smelt

Biology
Nerito-pelagic (Ref. 58426). A schooling species that occurs in midwater of lakes or inshore coastal waters (Ref. 1998); at temperatures ranging from 7.2-15.6?C. Migrates up to 1,000 km upstream in rivers (Ref. 6793). Occurs possibly to 425 m (Ref. 2851). Feeds on invertebrates such as amphipods, ostracods, aquatic insect larvae and aquatic worms (Ref. 1998); food also include copepods, euphausiids, mysids and small fishes (silversides, mummichogs and herring) (Ref. 5951, 10294). Headed, gutted, sold fresh, frozen and precooked. Eaten saut?ed and fried (Ref. 9988).

Classification

Classified By

Mitchill, 1814

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Smelts (Osmeriformes)

Family

Smelts (Osmeridae)

Distribution

Region

North Atlantic

Distribution

North Atlantic: Lake Melville, Labrador, Canada to Delaware River, Pennsylvania, (maybe to Virginia), and inland along Saint Lawrence River to Lake Superior. Northwest Pacific: off Russia (Ref. 26334).

Range

73°N - 41°N

Environment

Climate

Temperate

Water Temperature From

Unknown °C

Water Temperature To

Unknown °C

Depth From - meters

0 m

Depth To - meters

425 m

Zone

pelagic-oceanic

Environment

Marine; freshwater; brackish; pelagic-oceanic; anadromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 425 m (Ref. 58426)

Trophic Level

3 s.e. 0.02 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

35.6 cm

Common Length

Unknown cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.6251 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

Moderate vulnerability (38 of 100)

Resilience

Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.31; tm=2-6; tmax=6; Fec=8,500)

Threat To Humans

Harmless

IUCN Red List Status

Not Evaluated