CreatureData

Surf smelt

Hypomesus pretiosus (Girard, 1854)

Status not recordedbony fish

The surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus) is a species in the family Osmeridae, order Osmeriformes.

No freely licensed photo yet

Quick facts about the surf smelt

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the surf smelt live?

Not recorded

Is the surf smelt endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the surf smelt classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classTeleostei
  4. orderOsmeriformes
  5. familyOsmeridae
  6. genusHypomesus
  7. SpeciesHypomesus pretiosus (Girard, 1854)

Synonyms Argentina pretiosa, Hypomesus pretiosus pretiosus

Other names and names in other languages (8)
  • koruška skvostnáCzech
  • kleinmauliger kalifornischer StintGerman
  • Eperlano de surfSpanish
  • éperlan argentéFrench
  • Amerikaanse spieringDutch
  • stynka przybojowaPolish
  • Калифорнийская малоротая корюшкаRussian
  • éperlan du PacifiqueFrench

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the surf smelt

Other species in the same genus Hypomesus.

Wakasagi

Hypomesus nipponensis

OsmeridaeNo free photo yet

Pond smelt

Hypomesus olidus

OsmeridaeNo free photo yet

Delta smelt

Hypomesus transpacificus

OsmeridaeNo free photo yet

CompareSurf smelt vs WakasagiSurf smelt vs Japanese smeltSurf smelt vs Pond smeltSurf smelt vs Delta smelt

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

What kind of animal is the surf smelt?

The surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus) belongs to the family Osmeridae in the order Osmeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/surf-smelt

MLA

“Surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/surf-smelt.

BibTeX
@misc{surf_smelt_2026,
  title = {Surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/surf-smelt},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}