Ambassis marianus Günther, 1880
Estuary glassfish
Ambassis marianus
photo by Yau, B.

Family:  Ambassidae (Asiatic glassfishes)
Max. size:  10 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; freshwater; brackish
Distribution:  Oceania: Endemic to eastern Australia.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 7-8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-10; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft rays: 10-11; Vertebrae: 24-24. Adults have 2-4 supraorbital spines, a short-based and deeply notched dorsal fin, and are transparent and silvery with dusky scale edges (Ref. 33616).
Biology:  Inhabits brackish mangrove estuaries, tidal creeks and lower reaches of freshwater streams. Aggregations are common among mangrove roots, log snags and aquatic vegetation (Ref. 44894). Occurs in lotic and lentic freshwater as well as in mangrove areas (Ref. 7300), forming schools (Ref. 33616).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 09 March 2007 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.