Arctic sand lance

Ammodytes hexapterus

Schools by day then burrows into sand at night

Temperate
Circumpolar Arctic
Northern Hemisphere
Regional distribution
Atlantic Ocean
Pacific Ocean
East Asia
North America
Polar regions
Elongated
Medium
Temperate fish

Ammodytes hexapterus, the Pacific sand lance, is a small, planktivorous, saltwater fish found across the North Pacific. This tiny fish is a member of the Ammodytidae family, or sand lances. The name hails from Greek, with ammos meaning "sand" and dytes meaning "liking to immerse in".

Class: Teleosts
Order: Perches and Allies
Family: Ammodytidae
Genus: Ammodytes
Maximum length: 30 cm
Body shape: elongated
Distribution: Arctic, Northwest to Northeast Pacific: Arctic Alaska to the Sea of Japan and Balboa Island, southern California, USA. Western Atlantic: northern Quebec, Canada to North Carolina, USA. The Arctic and Pacific populations may be a separate species, distinct from the Atlantic populations (Ref. 7251 ).

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