Animalia Life

Menidia beryllina
FAMILY
Atherinidae
TAXONOMY
Chirostoma beryllinum Cope, 1867, Potomac River, opposite Washington, D.C., at Jackson City, Virginia, United States.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
None known.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Maximum length of 5.9 in (15.0 cm). Elongate, slender silverside with a fairly compressed body. Silvery lateral band, with a dark line above. Greenish dorsally and whitish ventrally. Scales are smooth to the touch.
DISTRIBUTION
Along the coast of North America from Massachusetts to northern Mexico.
HABITAT
Coastal waters as well as freshwater rivers and streams. Ascends streams and can live entirely in freshwater. Prefers sandy substrate.
BEHAVIOR
Schooling fish that can make the transition between freshwater and saltwater.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feeds on zooplankton.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Spawns in the spring and summer months.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Some populations have been established in freshwater impoundments to provide food for sport fishers.

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