Shortest recorded vertebrate lifespan found in a coral reef fish

Abstract

Extreme short lifespans are of interest because they mark current evolutionary boundaries and biological limits within which life’s essential tasks must be successfully accomplished. Here we document the remarkable eight week lifespan of the coral reef pygmy goby Eviota sigillata [1] (Figure 1A): the shortest recorded lifespan for any vertebrate. Coral reef pygmy gobies spend their first three weeks as larvae in the open ocean before undergoing metamorphosis and returning to settle on the reef, where they mature within 1–2 weeks and have a maximum adult lifespan of just three and a half weeks.