Pygmy smelt

The pygmy smelt (Osmerus spectrum) is a North-American freshwater fish in the family Osmeridae. It is found in a number of deep, thermally stratified lakes in eastern Canada and New England (United States).

Pygmy smelt
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Osmeriformes
Family:
Osmeridae
Genus:
Osmerus
Species:
O. spectrum
Binomial name
Osmerus spectrum
Cope, 1870

The pygmy smelt coexists with the rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax, and is distinguished from it by slower growth, earlier maturation, shorter life span, later spawning time, and use of smaller food items.[1]

Genetic data suggest that the pygmy smelt occurrences in each lake have evolved independently from the rainbow smelt lineage, which calls the identity of the pygmy smelt as a species into question.[2] Another, intermediate form of smelt has been identified in Lake Utopia, New Brunswick, which is genetically distinct from local rainbow smelt but is able to hybridize with it.[3]

Sources
  1. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). "Osmerus spectrum" in FishBase. April 2012 version.
  2. Taylor, E.B., Bentzen, P. (1993). Evidence for multiple origins and sympatric divergence of trophic ecotypes of smelt (Osmerus) in northeastern North America. Evolution 47: 813-838.
  3. Bradbury, I.R., Bradford, R., Bentzen, P. (2011). Genetic and Phenotypic Diversity and Divergence in Sympatric Lake Utopia Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax). DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2011/008: vi + 28p.
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