Atlantic Silverside-Menidia menidia

Family: Atherinidae (Silversides), subfamily: Menidiinae
Order: Atheriniformes
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)

     The Atlantic Silverside inhabits sandy seashores and mouths of inlets along the Atlantic coast. They occur freshwater, brackish and marine waters. The Atlantic and Tidewater Silversides occur in the same areas hybridize with one another. Their diet consists of copepods, mysids, shrimps, small squids, and marine annelids. They can grow to a size of 15.0cm.


     They serve a minor importance to commercial fisheries, and are sold for private aquariums.

Return