Rough silverside facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rough silverside |
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Atherina martinica Valenciennes, 1835 |
The rough silverside (Membras martinica) is a small, slender fish. It belongs to the family called Atherinopsidae, which includes many types of silversides. This fish is special because it is the main example, or type species, for its group of fish called Membras.
What It Looks Like
The rough silverside has a long, thin body. Its nose is a bit pointy, and its mouth is angled upwards. Its body color is usually light yellow or off-white. A shiny silver stripe runs along its sides. You can sometimes see its white swimbladder through its skin.
This fish has two dorsal fins on its back. Only the first one has stiff spines. Its pectoral fins, which are like arms, are placed high up on its sides. The back of the fish has colored lines that run parallel to each other. Its scales feel rough if you touch them. The edge of its tail fin, called the caudal fin, looks a bit dark. The longest rough silverside ever found was about 12.5 centimetres (4.9 in) long.
Where It Lives
The rough silverside lives in the western central Atlantic Ocean. You can find it as far north as New York and south to Veracruz in Mexico.
It also lives in rivers. For example, it has been seen far up the Hudson River near Peekskill, New York. It also lives far up the St. John's River in Florida. You can find it in several river systems in Mexico too.
Its Home and Reproduction
The rough silverside is a fish that swims in open water, not usually near the bottom. It can live in many different places. Its usual home is along exposed coastlines and beaches where the ground is firm. It also lives in rivers near the coast.
Around the Gulf of Mexico, female rough silversides are ready to lay eggs during the warmer months. This happens from early spring until early fall. There might be a short break in egg-laying between May and July. Because of this, two groups of young fish are born each year.
The fish lay their eggs just beyond where the waves break. The eggs sink to the bottom and stick together. They form large clumps. Waves then carry these egg clumps into the area between high and low tide.
About Its Name
The rough silverside, Membras martinica, is the main example for the group of fish called Membras. A scientist named Achille Valenciennes first described this fish in 1835. He named it Atherina martinica. The name martinica comes from Martinique, the island where this fish was first found and described.
