Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal; non-migratory; depth range 0 - 12 m. Tropical; 14°N - 13°N
Asia: found only in the Philippines in Lakes Buhi, Bato, Katugday and Manapao in Camarines Sur Province and along the Bicol River system. Threatened due to overfishing and predation by introduced fish species.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 1.0, range 1 - 1.1 cm
Max length : 2.5 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4865); max. reported age: 2.45 years (Ref. 48352)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 4; Dorsal soft rays (total): 6 - 8; Anal spines: 1; Anal soft rays: 8 - 10. Fresh specimens transparent, with large eyes showing the only color, black. Males smaller than females, shorter and more slender. Head naked; body covered with deciduous scales. Scales in longitudinal series 23-24; in transverse series 6. Sides and back of head with few dark or black spots.
Adults occur from the shoreline to depths of at least 12 m. Caught with collapsible Y-shaped push-nets (sakag); also aggregated using a device (abung) wherein the fish comes to rest upon palm leaves and are then harvested using triangular nets (sarap). Sinarapan is a delicacy and of great economic importance to the communities around the lakes. Listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as 'smallest food fish' (Ref. 6472).
Males sometimes mature below 1 cm; females a little over 1.1 cm. The eggs are pelagic. Upon hatching, the young swims at the surface for a short while, then settles at the bottom.
Herre, A.W.C.T., 1953. Check list of Philippine fishes. Res. Rep. U.S. Fish Wild. Serv. (20):1-977. (Ref. 280)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 1.0000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00575 (0.00311 - 0.01063), b=3.11 (2.95 - 3.27), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.1 ±0.30 se; based on food items.
Generation time: 0.9 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 2
growth studies.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=2.25; tmax=2.4).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
