Icefishes or noodlefishes are a family, the Salangidae, of osmeriform

Osmeriformes

Osmeriformes is an order of ray-finned fish that includes the true or freshwater smelts and allies, such as the galaxiids and noodlefishes; they are also collectively called osmeriforms. They belong to the teleost superorder Protacanthopterygii, which also includes pike and salmon, among others...

 fish, related to the smelts. They are found in freshwater environments in Southeast Asia, although a few species are anadromous, spending most of their life in coastal waters, and only visiting fresh water to spawn.

They have translucent or transparent bodies, and lack any scales. The head is strongly depressed and has numerous teeth. The adults are believed to be neotenic

Neoteny

Neoteny , also called juvenilization , is one of the two ways by which paedomorphism can arise. Paedomorphism is the retention by adults of traits previously seen only in juveniles, and is a subject studied in the field of developmental biology. In neoteny, the physiological development of an...

, retaining some larval features. For example, the skeleton is not fully ossified, consisting largely of cartilage

Cartilage

Cartilage is a flexible connective tissue found in many areas in the bodies of humans and other animals, including the joints between bones, the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the elbow, the knee, the ankle, the bronchial tubes and the intervertebral discs...

. They are small fish, typically around 8 centimetres (3.1 in), with the largest species reaching only 16 centimetres (6.3 in).

Genera and species

The family consists of some 20 species in five genera:

Family Salangidae

• Genus Hemisalanx
  • Hemisalanx brachyrostralis
• Genus Neosalanx
  Neosalanx
  Neosalanx is a genus of fish in the Salangidae family.It contains the following species:* Neosalanx anderssoni* Neosalanx argentea* Neosalanx brevirostris* Neosalanx hubbsi* Neosalanx jordani* Neosalanx oligodontis...
  
  
  • Neosalanx anderssoni
  • Neosalanx argentea
  • Neosalanx brevirostris
  • Neosalanx hubbsi
  • Neosalanx jordani
  • Neosalanx oligodontis
  • Neosalanx pseudotaihuensis
  • Neosalanx reganius
  • Neosalanx taihuensis
  • Neosalanx tangkahkeii
• Genus Protosalanx
  • Protosalanx chinensis
  • Protosalanx hyalocranius - Clearhead icefish
• Genus Salangichthys
  • Salangichthys ishikawae
  • Salangichthys microdon - Japanese icefish
• Genus Salanx
  • Salanx ariakensis
  • Salanx chinensis - Chinese noodlefish
  • Salanx cuvieri
  • Salanx prognathus
  • Salanx reevesii