Mediterranean sand smelt (Atherina hepsetus)

Scientific name: Atherina hepsetus Linnaeus, 1758

Mediterranean sand smelt (Atherina hepsetus)

The Mediterranean sand smelt (Atherina hepsetus) is a brackish-water fish of the family Atherinidae. Native range: Eastern Atlantic, coasts of Spain and Morocco including Madeira and the Canary Islands. Also in the western Mediterranean, Adriatic Sea and Black Sea.

Biology

Littoral, often near shore. Gregarious, sometimes occurs in marine lagoons (France) and estuaries (Portugal). Feed on pelagic copepods and benthic crustaceans.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Atherina hepsetus
Family
Atherinidae (Silversides)
Order
Atheriniformes (Silversides)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
20.0
Common length
15.0
Environment
Marine; brackish; pelagic-neritic
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Eastern Atlantic: coasts of Spain and Morocco including Madeira and the Canary Islands. Also in the western Mediterranean, Adriatic Sea and Black Sea.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: highly commercial
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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