Family Atherinidae

Old world silversides

A family of euryhaline fishes, comprising mostly small to medium-sized species, with approximately 14 genera and 70 species found throughout the world’s tropical and temperate seas. Many species are confined to freshwater, often entering brackish waters or coastal rivers. Atherinid schools are often very abundant in estuarine ecosystems. They are characterised by a silvery, elongate, compressed body, two widely separated dorsals, a large eye, and a long snout with a terminal mouth. Atherinids can be distinguished from superficially similar Mugilidae (mullets) by a laterally compressed head (vs. dorso-ventrally flattened), no of scales on the top of the head (vs. presence), and 7–10½ rays in the first dorsal (vs. 4). The diversity of Atherina in the Mediterranean basin has been significantly underestimated, with A. boyeri being restricted to the western Mediterranean. Atherina caspia and A. pontica are simultaneous subjective synonyms, and the first reviser [apparently Kessler, 1874: 108] gave precedence to A. pontica over A. caspia. Consequently, the populations in the Mediterranean from Greece to the east, including the Black Sea and Caspian basins, are now identified as A. pontica. However, several species might be included in this region. Further unidentified Atherina have been discovered in the Orontes, Lake Köyceğiz (Aegean Sea), and potentially in other freshwater habitats. Here, we present only one species that has been reported to enter freshwater habitats in West Asia. Nevertheless, the taxonomy of Atherina remains poorly resolved, with the possibility that several synonyms represent valid species. As the freshwater species of the genus await revision, we maintain all records under the name A. pontica.

Further reading. Kessler 1874 (description); Whitehead et al. 1986 (diagnosis; in part); Kottelat 1997 (nomenclature).