Retropinna semoni (Australian Smelt)

Retropinna semoni (Australian Smelt)

Family: Retropinnidae (Southern Hemisphere smelts and graylings)

Status: Native

Size: A small fish. Maximum size 10cm.

Description: Silvery to almost transparent, or slightly olive-brown above, silvery on the sides with a silvery-white belly. A small, slender freshwater fish with a small dorsal fin set far back on the body, a small adipose fin, a forked tail and large eyes. Genetic work (Hammer et al. 2007) indicates that Retropinna semoni belongs to a species complex and can have distinct pelagic lacusturine, migratory and lotic forms in the same area, and the Australian Smelt may not be as widespread and abundant as previously thought. As a result, the information presented here may refer to more than one closely-related species.

Location: Murrumbidgee River and coastal rivers in the CNM Region .