European smelt
Osmerus eperlanus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The smelt, cucumber smelt, or European smelt (Osmerus eperlanus) is a small species of fish in the family Osmeridae, native to coastal areas in Western Europe. They are a regional specialty in some countries, and are also known as sparling within Scotland.
Wikipedia contributors, European smelt; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:10:26.043553+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Osmerus eperlanus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Common name
- European smelt
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Osmeriformes
- Family
- Osmeridae
- Genus
- Osmerus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderOsmeriformes
- suborderOsmeroidei
- familyOsmeridae Regan, 1913
- genusOsmerus Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesOsmerus eperlanus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Osmerus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| rainbow smeltOsmerus mordax (Mitchill, 1814) | OsmeridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Eperlanus schonfoldii Rutty, 1772 Rutty, 1772 | synonym |
| Osmerus eparlanus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Osmerus spirinchus (Pallas, 1814) (Pallas, 1814) | synonym |
| Salmo eperlanomarinus Bloch, 1782 Bloch, 1782 | synonym |
| Osmerus eperlanus eperlanus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Salmo eperlanus Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Eperlanus schonfieldii Kljukanov & McAllister, 1973 Kljukanov & McAllister, 1973 | synonym |
| Eperlanus vulgaris Valenciennes, 1842-56 Valenciennes, 1842-56 | synonym |
| Salmo spirinchus Pallas, 1814 Pallas, 1814 | synonym |
| Salmo (Osmerus) eperlanus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Osmerus eperlanus spirinchus (Pallas, 1814) (Pallas, 1814) | synonym |
| Osmerus eperlanus schonfoldi McAllister, 1984 McAllister, 1984 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=126736 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:6SZTL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.