The sand smelt, sometimes know as silversides, Atherina presbyter.
Slim-bodied fish, with small head but having large eyes. Colouration of the back and upper sides are a translucent green with black specks on the scale edges, with an intense broad silvery band across the sides (hence to common name Silversides), that passes into the white of the belly.
This common inshore fish is associated with estuaries, unpolluted harbours and saline lagoons, tending to be found over sandy or muddy bottoms, down to 20m or so. Juveniles are often found in rock intertidal pools, swimming in closely packed shoals. Adults may often be observed at night, at the surface, almost hanging motionless facing in the direction of the tidal current.
Common in the southern North Sea and English Channel, rarer further north.
Spawns from May into July, with some spawning taking place in large intertidal pools, whilst most occurs in coastal lagoons.
| Class: | Osteichthyes |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | Atherina |
|
| | | Links to Other Pages on This Site
|
| |
| | |
|
| | | Links to Other Sites
|
| |
| | |
Recommend a Book for this Page
Hits on this page since December 6th| Jan | | |  | | Feb | | | | | Mar | | | | | Apr | | | | | May | | | | | Jun | | | | | Jul | | | | | Aug | | | | | Sep | | | | | Oct | | | | | Nov | | | | | Dec | | |  |
| current year: | | previous year: |
No messages posted on this page Only Members of the Site can post messages in this section. Signing in is easy from our Home Page. DISCLAIMER: Whilst we endeavour to ensure the content of this site is correct, we cannot undertake that information you find here, is, or will remain accurate and complete. We do not warrant that any information contained on this site is fit for any purpose. If you wish to place reliance on any such information you must check its accuracy by some other means before doing so. MEMBERS get aditional features on our pages and will soon be able to interact with the site and add their views and informastion. Sign up, from the Home-Page, is simple and involves typing in your email address and a password of your choice. If you are in any way connected with any location or interested in the subject mentioned on this page and have an hour or two a month to spare, we would welcome you as a local moderator - please email the webmaster by CLICKING HERE. Privacy Policy
|
|
