Home · Ambassidae · Flagtail glassfish
Flagtail glassfish (Ambassis miops) — Ambassidae

Flagtail glassfish

Ambassis miops
Family: Ambassidae
LC · Least Concern

The Flagtail glassfish (Ambassis miops) is a fish that lives in both fresh and salt water of the family Ambassidae that grows up to 10 cm.

Length
10.3 cm
Water
Euryhaline
Depth
0.0–2.0 m
Diet
Carnivore
Behaviour
Schooling
Activity
Diurnal
Body shape
Torpedo-shaped
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom
Danger
Harmless
Edibility
Rarely eaten

Description

The flagtail glassfish is a small glassfish of the Indo-Pacific, ranging from the Arabian Sea and India to Indonesia, northern Australia and Pacific islands. It grows to about 10 cm, but usually around 8 cm, and has a translucent, laterally compressed body with large eyes. It lives in clear creeks, river mouths and mangroves and tolerates salt, brackish and fresh water; the larvae develop at sea. The fish feeds on small invertebrates. It is harmless to humans and is assessed as Least Concern (LC) by the IUCN.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Flagtail glassfish?

The Flagtail glassfish has a torpedo-shaped body, is mainly silver-grey and shows a plain pattern.

Where does the Flagtail glassfish live?

The Flagtail glassfish lives in both fresh and salt water and is mostly found around sand or mud bottom.

How big does the Flagtail glassfish get?

The Flagtail glassfish grows to a maximum of about 10 cm.

Is the Flagtail glassfish dangerous to humans?

No, the Flagtail glassfish is harmless to humans.

Is the Flagtail glassfish edible?

The Flagtail glassfish is rarely eaten.

Download Fin's Fish Guide

Identify fish in seconds, log your catches and dives. Join the TestFlight beta.

Get the beta →

All data

Identification

Dutch name
Vlagstaartglasbaars verified
English name
Flagtail glassfish verified
Scientific name
Ambassis miops
Family
Ambassidae
Other names
Flag-tailed glass perchlet; Flag-tailed glassfish; Flag-tailed perchlet; Myops glassy perchlet verified

Appearance

Size class
Small verified
Max length (cm)
10.3 verified
Body shape
Torpedo-shaped sourced
Dominant colour
Silver / grey sourced
Pattern
Plain inferred
Tail shape
Forked inferred
Mouth position
Terminal sourced
Lips
Thin sourced
Barbels
No sourced
Dorsal fins
Two separate sourced
Dorsal spines
Yes sourced

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Euryhaline sourced
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom sourced
Min depth (m)
0.0 verified
Max depth (m)
2.0 verified
Origin
Native verified

Behaviour & biology

Diet
Carnivore sourced
Social behaviour
Schooling sourced
Territorial
No sourced
Activity
Diurnal inferred
Reproduction
Separate sexes sourced
Sexual dimorphism
No sourced

For anglers

Edibility
Rarely eaten sourced
Fishing method
Klein van stuk en nauwelijks een hengelsportdoel; wordt vooral incidenteel of als aasvis gevangen. inferred
Regulations source
FishBase ↗ inferred

Safety

Danger to humans
Harmless sourced

Status & sources

Sources
FishBase via GBIF (DwC-A), CC-BY-NC 4.0

Same genus Ambassis

More from the family Ambassidae

Download Fin's Fish Guide

Identify fish in seconds, log your catches and dives. Join the TestFlight beta.

Get the beta →