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Australian Whitebait

Lovettia sealii

  • Fish
  • IUCN: Least concern
  • Usual depth5–112 m
  • Water temperature14–17 °C
  • Best monthsMarch, August, and October
  • How commonOccasional
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Photo credit: (c) Tim, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Tim · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist

About this species

The Tasmanian whitebait, also known as the Australian whitebait or Derwent whitebait, is a semi-anadromous ray-finned fish of the family Galaxiidae, found only in Tasmania and southern Victoria, Australia. It is the only species in the genus Lovettia.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Tasmanian whitebait”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

  • January: 0 records
  • February: 0 records
  • March: 3 records
  • April: 1 records
  • May: 0 records
  • June: 0 records
  • July: 1 records
  • August: 3 records
  • September: 0 records
  • October: 2 records
  • November: 0 records
  • December: 1 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 5–112 m · Deepest record: 210 m

  • 0–10 m: 2 records
  • 10–20 m: 0 records
  • 20–30 m: 0 records
  • 30–40 m: 0 records
  • 40–50 m: 0 records
  • 50–60 m: 3 records
  • 60–70 m: 1 records
  • 70–80 m: 0 records
  • 80–90 m: 0 records
  • 90–100 m: 3 records
  • 100–110 m: 0 records
  • 110+ m: 2 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 14–17 °C

  • 12–14 °C: 11 records
  • 14–16 °C: 17 records
  • 16–18 °C: 2 records

Names and classification

English
Australian Whitebait, Derwent smelt, Derwent Whitebait, Tasmanian Troutlet, Tasmanian whitebait, Whitebait
Names in 1 more languages
Simplified Chinese
斯氏溯河南乳魚

Other scientific names: Haplochiton sealii

Similar species

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

  • Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
  • Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
  • Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
  • 658 open-data records from 1924 to 2015.
  • Species data updated November 4, 2026.

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