Common names: Surf Smelt, Silver Smelt, Day Smelt
Hypomesus Pretiosus (Girard, 1845)
These smelt have a small elongate body without a prominent head, and a gape that ends at the midpoint of eye (2). There are around 70 scales that cover the lateral line, which is incomplete, and all scales are of the cycloid type (9,10). They have numerous even, small, pointed teeth that form a convex series around the entire head of bone; the maxillia is included in the gape, and most jaw bones possess teeth, including the maxilla and pre-maxilla (7,10). Surf Smelts are voracious pelagic carnivores, consuming planktonic organisms (2,8). The axillary process on the base of the pelvic fin is absent. The axillary process is a scale that has been modified and lengthened to a point on the anterior base of the pelvic fin (17). They also have one dorsal fin with 9-11 soft rays and one anal fin with 12-17 soft rays (4). The group's sexual dimorphism in males includes nuptial tubercles on the side, head and fins, females have no tubercules, and a long silver streak running lengthwise along the body (9). Nuptial tubercles are breeding tubercle, which are usually small, raised, epidermal structures on regions of the head, body, or fin rays (4). As a group they have a strange cucumber odor caused by a specific chemical with an unknown function. Surf smelts seeks out gravely beaches, specifically those with a mixture of coarse sand and pea gravel, and swim the in the water column (7,8).
Color: Variant by sex: Males have brownish back and slightly golden underbellies, Females have bluish green backs and silver underbellies (10).
Maximum Length: 30 cm (4).
Average Length: 15 cm ( 4).
Surf Smelt live in shallow coastal regions, are benthopelagic and prefer brackish or marine environments. They live in areas with temperate water (4,10).
Their habitat ranges from Prince William Sound in the Gulf of Alaska to Long Beach, southern California, USA (4).