Key silverside

Key silverside
Key silverside
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Atheriniformes
Family: Atherinidae
Genus: Menidia
Species: M. conchorum
Binomial name
Menidia conchorum
Hildebrand & Ginsburg, 1927

The key silverside (Menidia conchorum) is a species of fish in the Atherinidae family. It is endemic to the United States.

The key silverside is a U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service Species of Concern. Species of Concern are those species about which the U.S. Government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, has some concerns regarding status and threats, but for which insufficient information is available to indicate a need to list the species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Contents

Species Description

Key silverside has a restricted distribution and is only found in the Florida Keys, from Key West north to Long Key. The key silverside is the smallest known species of Menidia; its maximum size is about 2 inches (53 mm).

Conservation

Habitat destruction for development has reduced available habitats through loss of a number of ponds and formerly occupied sites (Loftus et al. 2002) and black mangrove habitats.

Conservation Designations

IUCN[1]: Near Threatened

American Fisheries Society: Vulnerable

Species of Greatest Conservation Need: FL

Status Reviews

Some recent work on the species has been undertaken by Dr. David Conover (SUNY Stony Brook) and associates.

References


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