Retropinnidae

The Retropinnidae are a family of bony fishes that contains the Southern Hemisphere smelts and graylings. They are the only members of the suborder Retropinnoidei. They are closely related to the northern smelts (Osmeroidei), which they greatly resemble, but not to the northern graylings (Thymallus). Species from this family are only found in southeastern Australia and New Zealand, although a fossil otolith suggests that they may have also inhabited southern South America during the Neogene. Although a few species are partly marine, most inhabit fresh or brackish water.

In the past, this family was allied with the galaxiids, with the latter also being treated as osmeriforms. However, more recent studies suggest that the galaxiids form their own order distinct from the osmeriforms.