Species: Menidia menidia, Atlantic Silverside
Menidia menidia (Linnaeus, 1766)
Atlantic Silverside
Slender, elongate, compressed; top of snout without pits, pores or tubes; top jaw extendible, premaxilla with rear end greatly expanded, without expanded bony process above its center; teeth well developed, in bands; first dorsal V-VI, origin behind anus, but before anal fin origin; pelvics inserted nearer pectoral base than anal origin; segmented anal fin rays 23-26 (20-27, rarely 19), outer edge of fin straight; scales without scalloped edges; 39-47 (rarely 38) lateral scales.
Translucent green above, sometimes with cross-hatched pattern along top of back; pale to translucent below; a prominent silver stripe along side.
Reaches 17.8 cm.
Lives nearshore along beaches, inlets and estuaries, into brackish water, but migrates offshore (170 km) to deeper water during winter.
Depth range: 0-126 m.
Gulf of St Lawrence to central eastern Florida.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Brackish
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Mid Water
- Near Bottom
- Near Surface
- Surface
- Water column only
- Habitat
-
- Water column
- Beach
- Estuary
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Pelagic
- Feeding Group
-
- Carnivore
- Data
- Planktivore
- Diet
-
- Data
- Zooplankton
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Egg Type
-
- Benthic
- Data
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
-
- All species
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- Continent
- Continent only
- Extends North of GC
- GC non-endemic
- All species
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Temperate (>35N)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 17.8
- Depth Range Min
-
- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 126
