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The world's smallest vertebrate - a toothless, scaleless fish weighing one milligram, found in the warm coral waters off the Great Barrier Reef. The new species, dubbed the Stout Infantfish, was identified by Australian scientists in research published .
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'It's significant because it's the smallest. I'll be surprised if anything smaller comes along,' the museum's Tom Trnski said. 'This fish matures to a size of 7 to 8 millimetres,' he said of the transparent tadpole-like creature. Scientifically known as Schindleria brevipinguis, the fish is considered an evolutionary wonder. It reproduces rapidly, reaching sexual maturity in about one month. Females often live for less, perhaps only two to four weeks, before hatching their eggs and dying. 'What it has done is reduce the species to the bare minimum it needs to live and reproduce,' Dr Trnski said. Only six of these strange creatures have been found so far, the first discovered in a coral lagoon at the Lizard Island Research Station in far north Queensland. While little is known about the species, it is pedomorphic, which means the adults retain larval characteristics. This explains the missing teeth, scales and some internal organs.
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