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Atherina hepsetus Linnaeus, 1758

Mediterranean sand smelt
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Atherina hepsetus   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Atherina hepsetus (Mediterranean sand smelt)
Atherina hepsetus
Picture by Luquet, D.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Atheriniformes (Silversides) > Atherinidae (Silversides) > Atherininae
Etymology: Atherina: Greek, atherina, the Greek name for the eperlane; 1770 (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Linnaeus.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; freshwater; brackish; pelagic-neritic. Subtropical; 45°N - 25°N, 20°W - 45°E

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Eastern Atlantic: coasts of Spain and Morocco including Madeira and the Canary Islands. Also in the western Mediterranean, Adriatic Sea and Black Sea.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 20.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5980); common length : 15.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5980)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Total scales in midlateral series 59-65. Anal fin with 10-12 1/2 rays (Ref. 59043).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Littoral, often near shore. Gregarious, sometimes occurs in marine lagoons (France) and estuaries (Portugal). Feed on pelagic copepods and benthic crustaceans (Ref. 5980).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Dyer, Brian S. | Collaborators

Maugé, L.A., 1990. Atherinidae. p. 604-605. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2. (Ref. 4499)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)

Not Evaluated 

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: highly commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items (preys)
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
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Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
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Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycle
Reproduction
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Maturity/Gills rel.
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References

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | National databases | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | Public aquariums | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoobank | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 16.1 - 21.1, mean 19 °C (based on 523 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5312   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00550 (0.00431 - 0.00701), b=3.08 (3.01 - 3.15), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.2   ±0.33 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Low vulnerability (10 of 100). 🛈
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Medium.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 130 [79, 276] mg/100g; Iron = 1.31 [0.75, 2.20] mg/100g; Protein = 20.8 [19.3, 22.2] %; Omega3 = 0.379 [0.190, 0.732] g/100g; Selenium = 11.5 [5.3, 25.4] μg/100g; VitaminA = 24.7 [8.7, 69.4] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.45 [1.02, 2.08] mg/100g (wet weight);