Schindleria
Encyclopedia
Schindleria, is a genus
of marine
fish
. It is the only genus of family
Schindleriidae, among the Gobioidei
of order
Perciformes
. The type species
is S. praematura, Schindler's fish. The Schindleria species are known generically as Schindler's fishes or infantfishes. They are native to the southern Pacific Ocean
, from the South China Sea
to the Great Barrier Reef
off eastern Australia
.
The infantfishes are so called because they retain many of their larva
l characteristics. Their elongate bodies are transparent, and many of the bones never develop. S. praematura reaches a length of 2.5 cm (1.0 in).
All of the Schindleria species are reef
fishes. They may be among the most common fish of the reefs, based on the results of plankton
tows, but because of their transparency and small size, they are infrequently seen in life.
A recently-described species, the stout infantfish, S. brevipinguis, was briefly the world's smallest known vertebrate
at 8 mm (about one-third inch), smaller even than the dwarf gobies
, until the new record was set by the 7.9 mm Paedocypris progenetica
in early 2006.
There are apparently several (at least eight) further Schindleria species, native to the Ryukyu Islands
, which have yet to be described formally.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of marine
Seawater
Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% . This means that every kilogram of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts . The average density of seawater at the ocean surface is 1.025 g/ml...
fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
. It is the only genus of family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Schindleriidae, among the Gobioidei
Gobioidei
Gobioidei is a suborder of the Perciformes, the largest order of fish. The suborder includes the gobies....
of order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Perciformes
Perciformes
The Perciformes, also called the Percomorphi or Acanthopteri, is one of the largest orders of vertebrates, containing about 40% of all bony fish. Perciformes means perch-like. They belong to the class of ray-finned fish and comprise over 7,000 species found in almost all aquatic environments...
. The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
is S. praematura, Schindler's fish. The Schindleria species are known generically as Schindler's fishes or infantfishes. They are native to the southern Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, from the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
to the Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...
off eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The infantfishes are so called because they retain many of their larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
l characteristics. Their elongate bodies are transparent, and many of the bones never develop. S. praematura reaches a length of 2.5 cm (1.0 in).
All of the Schindleria species are reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
fishes. They may be among the most common fish of the reefs, based on the results of plankton
Plankton
Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...
tows, but because of their transparency and small size, they are infrequently seen in life.
A recently-described species, the stout infantfish, S. brevipinguis, was briefly the world's smallest known vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
at 8 mm (about one-third inch), smaller even than the dwarf gobies
Goby
The gobies form the family Gobiidae, which is one of the largest families of fish, with more than 2,000 species in more than 200 genera. Most are relatively small, typically less than 10 cm in length...
, until the new record was set by the 7.9 mm Paedocypris progenetica
Paedocypris progenetica
Paedocypris progenetica is a species of cyprinid fish endemic to Indonesia where it is found in peat swamps and blackwater streams. It is one of the smallest vertebrates in the world with females reaching a maximum size of 10.3 mm, males 9.8 mm and the smallest mature specimen, a female, measured...
in early 2006.
There are apparently several (at least eight) further Schindleria species, native to the Ryukyu Islands
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
, which have yet to be described formally.
Species
- Stout infantfish, Schindleria brevipinguisSchindleria brevipinguisSchindleria brevipinguis is a species of marine fish in family Schindleriidae of Perciformes. Known as the stout infantfish, it is native to Australia's Great Barrier Reef and to Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea....
Watson & Walker, 2004. - Schindleria pietschmanni (Schindler, 1931).
- Schindler's fish, Schindleria praematura (Schindler, 1930).
See also
- "The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)The Fish"The Fish " is a mostly instrumental rock song by progressive rock band Yes from their 1971 album Fragile. It was written by Chris Squire....
" for the song by progressive rock band YesYes (band)Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...