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Atherina boyeri — Details

Big-scale Sand-smelt learn more about names for this taxon

Overview

Comprehensive Description

Biology

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A very euryhaline species, which is frequently found in brackish waters and more sporadically in freshwater (Ref. 3788), preferring still or slow flowing waters (Ref. 59043). Adults occur in great schools. Carnivorous, feeds on small crustaceans, worms, mollusks (Ref. 5980) and fish larvae (Ref. 35388).

Maugé, L.A. 1990 Atherinidae. p. 604-605. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2. (Ref. 4499) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=4499&speccode=1696

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Distribution

Range Description

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Along coast of Mediterranean, Black, Azov and Caspian Sea basins. Atlantic coast northward to Loire estuary (France). Isolated populations along costs of southern England and the Netherlands (some might actually be the marine A. mochon). Permanent freshwater resident populations in Guadalquivir and Tagus (now extirpated) drainages, Santo André lagoon (Portugal) and Lake Trichonis (Greece). Introduced in Aral Sea, Lake Trasimeno (Italy) and perhaps other lakes in Italy.

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Distribution

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British Isles, European waters (ERMS scope), Greek Exclusive Economic Zone

Hayward, P.J.; Ryland, J.S. (Ed.) (1990). The marine fauna of the British Isles and North-West Europe: 1. Introduction and protozoans to arthropods. Clarendon Press: Oxford, UK. ISBN 0-19-857356-1. 627 pp. http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=sourcedetails&id=1
van der Land, J.; Costello, M.J.; Zavodnik, D.; Santos, R.S.; Porteiro, F.M.; Bailly, N.; Eschmeyer, W.N.; Froese, R. (2001). Pisces, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 357-374 http://www.marbef.org/data/aphia.php?p=sourcedetails&id=1411
Koukouras, Athanasios. (2010). Check-list of marine species from Greece. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Assembled in the framework of the EU FP7 PESI project. http://www.marinespecies.org/asteroidea/aphia.php?p=sourcedetails&id=142068

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Eastern Atlantic: Portugal and Spain to Nouadhibou in Mauritania and Madeira, and throughout the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Isolated populations on coasts of England and the Netherlands (Ref. 5980). Two subspecies recognized in Russian waters: Atherina boyeri pontica (Eichwald, 1838) from the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov and Atherina boyeri caspia (Eichwald, 1838) from the Caspian Sea (Ref. 26334).

Maugé, L.A. 1990 Atherinidae. p. 604-605. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2. (Ref. 4499) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=4499&speccode=1696

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Physical Description

Morphology

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Dorsal spines (total): 7 - 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8 - 16; Analspines: 2; Analsoft rays: 10 - 18

Keith, P. and J. Allardi (coords.) 2001 Atlas des poissons d'eau douce de France. Muséum national dHistoire naturelle, Paris. Patrimoines naturels, 47:1-387. (Ref. 40476) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=40476&speccode=4683

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Size

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Maximum size: 200 mm TL

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Max. size

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20.0 cm TL (male/unsexed; (Ref. 30578))

Billard, R. 1997 Les poissons d'eau douce des rivières de France. Identification, inventaire et répartition des 83 espèces. Lausanne, Delachaux & Niestlé, 192p. (Ref. 30578) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=30578&speccode=1696

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Diagnostic Description

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Eye diameter wider than snout length (Ref. 35388).

Keith, P. and J. Allardi (coords.) 2001 Atlas des poissons d'eau douce de France. Muséum national dHistoire naturelle, Paris. Patrimoines naturels, 47:1-387. (Ref. 40476) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=40476&speccode=4683

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Ecology

Habitat

Habitat and Ecology

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Habitat and Ecology

Habitat:
Lower parts of rivers, estuaries, coastal lakes and sea. Freshwater populations prefer still or slow-flowing waters. Pelagic in lakes.

Biology:
Gregarious. Usually lives 1-2 years, rarely up to four. Spawns for the first time at 1-2 years. Freshwater populations spawn in April-June in Guadalquivir, in March-October in Lake Trichonis. Short spawning migrations into estuaries in some populations. Fractional spawner, larger individuals spawn for a longer period. Eggs with long hairy appendages attaching them to filamentous algae, deposited at 2-6 m depth. Larvae are pelagic but often form schools close to the shores. In lakes and estuaries, feeds mainly on small planktonic invertebrates, often on benthos in rivers.

Systems

Freshwater
Marine

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Depth range based on 1 specimen in 1 taxon.

Environmental ranges
Depth range (m): 1 - 1

Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

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Source: Ocean Biogeographic Information System

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Environment

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demersal; amphidromous (Ref. 51243); freshwater; brackish; marine; depth range 1 - ? m

Riede, K. 2004 Global register of migratory species - from global to regional scales. Final Report of the R&D-Projekt 808 05 081. Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Bonn, Germany. 329 p. (Ref. 51243) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=51243&speccode=4683

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Migration

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Amphidromous. Refers to fishes that regularly migrate between freshwater and the sea (in both directions), but not for the purpose of breeding, as in anadromous and catadromous species. Sub-division of diadromous. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.Characteristic elements in amphidromy are: reproduction in fresh water, passage to sea by newly hatched larvae, a period of feeding and growing at sea usually a few months long, return to fresh water of well-grown juveniles, a further period of feeding and growing in fresh water, followed by reproduction there (Ref. 82692).

Riede, K. 2004 Global register of migratory species - from global to regional scales. Final Report of the R&D-Projekt 808 05 081. Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Bonn, Germany. 329 p. (Ref. 51243) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=51243&speccode=4683

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Trophic Strategy

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Juveniles feed mainly on zooplankton (Ref. 13398).

Danilova, M.M. 1991 Diet of juvenile silversides, Atherina boyeri, from the Black Sea. J. Ichthyol. 31(3):137-147. (Ref. 13398) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=13398&speccode=1696

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Molecular Biology and Genetics

Molecular Biology

Statistics of barcoding coverage: Atherina boyeri

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Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 0
Species: 2
Species With Barcodes: 1

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Conservation

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List Assessment

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Red List Category

LC

Least Concern

Red List Criteria

Version

3.1

Year Assessed

2008

Assessor/s

Freyhof, J. & Kottelat, M.

Reviewer/s

Bogutskaya, N., & Smith, K. (IUCN Freshwater Biodiversity Unit)

Contributor/s

Justification

A widespread species with no known major widespread threats.

History

1996

Data Deficient

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Trends

Population

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Population

Common.

Population Trend

Unknown

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Threats

Threats

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Major Threats

No major threats known.

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Least Concern (LC)

IUCN 2006 2006 IUCN red list of threatened species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded July 2006. http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=57073

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Management

Conservation Actions

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Conservation Actions

No information.

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Relevance to Humans and Ecosystems

Benefits

Importance

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fisheries: commercial

FAO 1986 Fishery statistics - catches and landings. FAO Yearb. 62:480 p. http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=181

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Wikipedia

Big-scale sand smelt

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Big-scale sand smelt, Atherina boyeri, is a species of fish in the Atherinidae family. Euryhaline amphidromous fish, up to 20 cm length.

Contents

1 Range
2 Gastronomy
3 References
4 Source

Range

It is found in the Eastern Atlantic from Portugal and Spain to Nouadhibou (Mauritania) and Madeira^[1]. Also in Mediterranean, includes the inshore lagoon, such as Trasimeno in Italy, Hyères in the southern France, Lake Qarun in Egypt^[2]; the isolated population is near the coasts of England and Netherlands. In the Black Sea it is widespread along all coasts, in lagoons and estuaries, in the downstreams of rivers Danube, Dniester, Southern Bug, Inhulets, Dnieper, the permanent population is in the Kakhovka Reservoir^[3].

The isolated population in the Caspian Sea is characterised as subspecies Atherina boyeri caspia (Eichwald, 1838).

Atherina boyeri from the brackish lagoon in Grosseto province, Tuscany, Italy

Gastronomy

This small fish is appreciated in the Catalan, Occitan, Turkish and Greek cuisine in fried form. The fish are lightly powdered with wheat flour before being dropped in hot olive oil.

References

^ Atherina boyeri at FishBase
^ Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Vol. 3., (Eds.:) Whitehead P.J.P., Bauchot M.-L., Hureau J.-C., Nielsen J., Tortonese E., Paris, UNESCO, 1986.
^ Movchan Yu.V. (1988) True loaches, catfishes, canal catfishes, freshwater eels, congers, needlefishes, cods, sticklebacks, syngnathids, mosquitofishes, zeids, barracudas, grey mullets, old world silversides, cusk eels [in:] Fauna of Ukraine, Vol. 8, No 3, Kiev: Naukova Dumka, 399 pp. (in Russian)

Source

World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. Atherina boyeri. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 4 August 2007.

This Atheriniformes article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

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