''Salangichthys microdon'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of icefish found in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

and the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...

. With the recent removal of '' S. ishikawae'' to the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Neosalangichthys'' this species is the only remaining member of the genus ''Salangichthys''. This species grows to a

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish measured f ...

of . Despite its small size, it is considered a

food fish Many species of fish are caught by humans and consumed as food in virtually all regions around the world. Their meat has been an important dietary source of protein and other nutrients in the human diet. The English language does not have a s ...

and caught in

commercial fisheries Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often p ...

.Senta, T., I. Kinoshita, and T. Kitamura (1986). Larval Ishikawa Icefish, Salangichthys ishikawae from Surf Zones of Central Honshu, Japan. Bull. Fac. Fish. Nagasaki Univ. 59: 29–35.Saruwatari, T., and M. Okiyama (1992). Life History of Shirauo Salangichthys microdon; Salangidae in a Brackish Lake, Lake Hinuma, Japan. Nippon Suisan Gakkaishi 58(2): 235-248. ''Salangichthys microdon'' may show both migratory (

anadromous Fish migration is mass relocation by fish from one area or body of water to another. Many types of fish migrate on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to annually or longer, and over distances ranging from a few metres to thousa ...

; adults in salt water but moving to fresh water to breed) and non-migratory (always in

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

or fresh water) life histories, with both types periodically occurring together.

As food

In Japan, the fish is known as ''shirauo'' (白魚 or シラウオ, "white fish"). It is often eaten raw as

sashimi is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese delicacy consisting of fresh raw fish or Raw meat, meat sliced into thin pieces and often eaten with soy sauce. Origin The word ''sashimi'' means 'pierced body', i.e., "wikt:刺身, 刺身" = ''sashimi'', whe ...

and

sushi is a traditional Japanese dish made with , typically seasoned with sugar and salt, and combined with a variety of , such as seafood, vegetables, or meat: raw seafood is the most common, although some may be cooked. While sushi comes in n ...

. Sashimi of small fish (5703593608).jpg, Icefish

Icefish sushi (47428224141).jpg, Icefish

References

Salangidae Fish of Japan Fish of Korea Fish of Russia Fish of East Asia Fish described in 1860 Monotypic ray-finned fish genera {{Osmeriformes-stub