Allosmerus elongatus

Allosmerus elongatus, whitebait smelt
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Osmeriformes
Family: Osmeridae
Genus: Allosmerus
Species: A. elongatus
Binomial name
Allosmerus elongatus
(Ayres, 1854)

The only member of its genus, Allosmerus elongatus, the Whitebait smelt, is an uncommon marine species of smelt, about which little is known.[1] Originally described as both Osmerus attenuatus and O. elongatus, these two species were determined to be conspecific in 1946.[2] The fish has large eyes, a greenish-gray color on its back, and a silver band along its sides. There is single large tooth in the center of its vomer, which is sometimes flanked by a smaller tooth on either side. Adult males have a longer anal fin.[3]

Whitebait smelt can grow from 7-9 inches in length, and are important food sources for larger fish. Their range extends from Vancouver Island to San Francisco, California, although one fish has been found as far south as San Pedro, California[3], a specimen that may have been released as live bait. Often abundant in bay areas, whitebait are known to spawn on subtidal sandbanks and swim in schools.[3] The fish has fairly minor economic importance, it is netted by some fishermen during the spring and summer to be used as bait.[4]

References

  1. ^ Moyle PB. Inland fishes of California. 2nd ed. California: University of California Press; 2002. ISBN 978-0-520-22754-5. p. 226.
  2. ^ McAllister DE. A revision of the smelt family, Osmeridae. National Museum of Canada Bulletin. 1963;191:29-31.
  3. ^ a b c Eschmeyer WN, Peterson RT, Herald ES. A field guide to Pacific coast fishes: North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1999. ISBN 978-0-618-00212-2. p. 81.
  4. ^ McClane AJ. McClane's field guide to saltwater fishes of North America. New York: Macmillan; 1978. ISBN 978-0-8050-0733-6. p. 79-80.