Retropinnidae

Retropinnidae
New Zealand smelt, Retropinna retropinna
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Osmeriformes Family: Retropinnidae
Genera
Prototroctes Retropinna Stokellia

Retropinnidae is a family of bony fish that contains the southern hemisphere smelts and graylings. They are quite closely related to the northern smelts (Osmeridae), which they greatly resemble, but not to the northern graylings (Thymallus). Species from this family are only found in southeastern Australia and New Zealand. Although a few species are partly marine, most inhabit fresh or brackish water.

Genera and species

There are just six species, grouped into three genera:^[1]

Family Retropinnidae

• Genus Prototroctes
  • Australian grayling, Prototroctes maraena Günther, 1864.
  • New Zealand grayling, Prototroctes oxyrhynchus Günther, 1870.
• Genus Retropinna
  • New Zealand smelt, Retropinna retropinna (Richardson, 1848).
  • Australian smelt, Retropinna semoni (Weber, 1895).
  • Tasmanian smelt, Retropinna tasmanica McCulloch, 1920.
• Genus Stokellia
  • Stokell's smelt, Stokellia anisodon (Stokell, 1941).

References

• "Retropinnidae". FishBase. Ed. Rainer Froese and Daniel Pauly. February 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.