Topsmelt silverside (Atherinops affinis)

Scientific name: Atherinops affinis Ayres, 1860

Topsmelt silverside (Atherinops affinis)

The Topsmelt silverside (Atherinops affinis) is a brackish-water fish of the family Atherinopsidae. Native range: Eastern Pacific, Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico and the Gulf of California.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 6 - 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8-14; Anal spines: 1; Anal soft rays: 19 - 25; Vertebrae: 44 - 52. Blue gray to green above, silvery below; a striking silver band bordered above with blue extends the full length of the body. Branchiostegal rays: 5-6.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Atherinops affinis
Family
Atherinopsidae (Neotropical silversides)
Order
Atheriniformes (Silversides)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
37.0
Common length
28.0
Environment
Marine; brackish; pelagic-neritic
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Eastern Pacific: Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico and the Gulf of California.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=2; tmax=7; Fec = 1,000)

Sources

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

Last updated