Atherinops affinis

Taxobox
name = "Atherinops affinis"


status =
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Atheriniformes
familia = Atherinopsidae
genus = "Atherinops"
species = "A. affinis"
binomial = "Atherinops affinis"
binomial_authority = Ayres, 1860
synonyms =

"Atherinops affinis", the topsmelt silverside or simply topsmelt, is a species of neotropical silverside native to the eastern Pacific Ocean. This fish is found along the west coast of North America from southern British Columbia to Baja California. It is marine and it often schools in relatively shallow water such as estuaries, bays, rocky intertidal zones and kelp forests, where it feeds on zooplankton. This is a common fish of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in California. The topsmelt is silver, with a shiny silver lateral band running its length, and blue or green coloration dorsally. It is edible and may be fished recreationally.

External links

*FishBase species|genus=Atherinops|species=affinis|year=2007|month=November
* [http://www.delta.dfg.ca.gov/baydelta/monitoring/topsmelt.asp Bay Area and Delta Topsmelt]