Found the world's smallest fish

Thirty five million seventy five thousand two hundred twenty nine

Over the past two years two groups of ichthyologists — astrale-American and British — independently from each other announced that he had found the world's smallest fish. Both times the media, as if nothing had happened, spread this information.

The irony is, however, that a true record was opened in 1925, but in pursuit of sensation about him just forgotten. In 2004, the Australian ichthyologists announced the opening of the world's smallest fish is the stout infantfish that live in the coral lagoons of the Great Barrier reef. Length of adult individuals of this species is 7-8 mm. But it's only been a year, and the discovery forgotten.

Recently, British experts announced a new record. Open them "the world's smallest fish" lives in the peat swamps of Sumatra. Length of adult female Paedocypris progenetica is 7.9 mm, that is about the same, if not more, as the Australian champion. Males are slightly larger than their sizes reach 10.3 mm. As confidently to solve, who from applicants is less unlikely, it would be logical to admit one of them a champion in the sea, and the other among freshwater fish.

It would probably do if I suddenly announced a new record. It turns out that information about him was published in March last year. In a large review of Professor Ted Pitch (Ted Pietsch) from the University of Washington (University of Washington) analyzed sex-related differences in demersal fish. In many species males and females are strikingly different in form and size, they can differ in ten times.

The range is described in the review of the fish observed a unique phenomenon of sexual parasitism. To the body of large females attach the tiny males (sometimes several) that feed on her juices. Some of them spend in this state practically all his life.

The overview provides a lot of amazing drawings and photographs. So competitors in the fight for the title of smallest fish in the world they have not. Part-time male Photocorynus spiniceps are the smallest vertebrates on Earth.

It only remains to add that for the first time this species was described 80 years ago, the British ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan (Charles Tate Regan).

It turns out that modern researchers have declared recently about sensational discovery quite casually refers to the verification of their claims, missing information as Photocorynus spiniceps, and found Australians stout infantfish.

By the way, the Australians claimed to have found their fish in 1979 and for 25 years (!) not declared on her, trying to ensure the uniqueness of their findings. Here too language does not turn to accuse scientists of misconduct. More correctly, perhaps, to say that this whole situation says about the unenviable state of information security in Zoology, even if the experts are not easy to find the necessary information.published 

Source: ecowars.tv/