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Glassy sprat (Hyperlophus translucidus) — Clupeidae

Glassy sprat

Hyperlophus translucidus
Family: Clupeidae

The Glassy sprat (Hyperlophus translucidus) is a brackish-water fish of the family Clupeidae that grows up to 6 cm.

Length
6 cm
Water
Brackish
Diet
Carnivore
Behaviour
Schooling
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like)
Substrate
Open water
Danger
Harmless

Description

The glassy sprat is a very small herring relative (Clupeidae) from shallow coastal and estuarine water of southeastern Australia. The species grows to about 7 cm and has a slender, strongly translucent, silvery body with a keeled belly and large eyes. As an open-water schooling fish it swims in dense groups in bays and river mouths and filters small zooplankton. The fish is harmless to humans.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Glassy sprat?

The Glassy sprat has an elongate, eel-like body and is mainly silver-grey.

Where does the Glassy sprat live?

The Glassy sprat lives in brackish water and is mostly found around open water.

How big does the Glassy sprat get?

The Glassy sprat grows to a maximum of about 6 cm.

Is the Glassy sprat dangerous to humans?

No, the Glassy sprat is harmless to humans.

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All data

Identification

Dutch name
Glas-sprot sourced
English name
Glassy sprat sourced
Scientific name
Hyperlophus translucidus
Family
Clupeidae
Other names
Grassy sprat; Translucent sprat; Transparent sandy sprat verified

Appearance

Size class
Small verified
Max length (cm)
6.0 verified
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like) sourced
Dominant colour
Silver / grey sourced
Tail shape
Forked inferred

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Brackish sourced
Substrate
Open water sourced
Origin
Native inferred

Behaviour & biology

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

For anglers

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 verified

Status & sources

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

More from the family Clupeidae

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