Spirinchus starksi, Night smelt : fisheries, gamefish

Spirinchus starksi (Fisk, 1913)

Night smelt
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Spirinchus starksi   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Spirinchus starksi (Night smelt)
Spirinchus starksi
Picture by Fritzsche, R.A./J.W. Cavanagh

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Osmeriformes (Freshwater smelts) > Osmeridae (Smelts)
Etymology: starksi: Named after E.C. Starks, U.S. ichthyologist (Ref. 6885).
Eponymy: Edwin Chapin Starks (1867–1932) was an American ichthyologist who was an authority on the osteology of fish. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; benthopelagic; depth range ? - 128 m (Ref. 96339). Temperate; 60°N - 34°N, 144°W - 120°W

Distribution Territories | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Northeast Pacific: southeastern Alaska to Point Arguello in central California, USA.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 23.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2850); max. reported age: 3.00 years (Ref. 56049)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8 - 10; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 15 - 19; Vertebrae: 60 - 64. In males, pectoral fins longer; tuberculate on head, scales, and lower fins (Ref. 6885). Green with silvery sides (Ref. 6885).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Feeds on small shrimp-like crustaceans (Ref. 4563). Caught during the spawning season (Ref. 2850).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Oviparous (Ref. 35792). Spawns in the surf at night (Ref. 2850).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H. Hammann, 1983. A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Boston (MA, USA): Houghton Mifflin Company. xii+336 p. (Ref. 2850)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)

Not Evaluated 

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | OceanAdapt | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search |