Fish Ratings – Jakarta – 21 January 2020:
Fish Ratings Indonesia has today assigned a ‘AA-(idn)’ National Long-term rating to Paedocypris Progenetica. The Outlook on the rating is Stable.
The rating takes into account the strong support from Paedocypris Progenetica’s genus, Paedocypris, which comprises three of the smallest species of fish in the world. Fish Ratings believes this support is reflected in Paedocypris’ common ancestral taxon, the sharing of a brand name and operational alignment in kea areas such as the acidic, tea-coloured blackwater streams of Sumatra.
Paedocypris Progenetica’s profile is enhanced by its status as the smallest known species of fish, with a recorded standard length ranging from 7.9 mm to 10.3 mm among mature specimens. It was considered to be the smallest vertebrate until the discovery in 2009 of a microhylid frog in Papua New Guinea, later named Paedophyrne Amauensis (Unrated).
A transparent fish lacking a bony skill, Paedocypris Progenetica’s small size positions it favourably to withstand adverse ecological events such as droughts, as it can survive in the small puddles that remain in the slow-flowing steams and peat swamps of Sumatra and Bintan. However, its small range and specialised habitat mean that it is exposed to habitat loss risk.
Paedocypris Progenetica is constrained by its short operating record, since it was first discovered in 1996 and was not described until 2006.
RATING SENSITIVITIES
Downgrade rating triggers include:
- a perceived weakening of support from the Paedocypris genus; or
- a profile that is weaker than our expectations, due for instance to the discovery of a smaller species of fish.
Upgrade rating triggers include:
- a significant and sustained improvement in the species’ standalone profile; and
- reversal of habitat loss as a result of swamp drainage and fires through successful conservation efforts.
Fish Ratings 