''Atherion'' is a small

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of silversides, known as the pricklenose silversides. It is the only genus in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Atherionidae. Other authorities classify this as a

monogeneric In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

, Atherioninae, of the

Atherinidae The Old World silversides are a family, Atherinidae, of fish in the order Atheriniformes. Atherinidae are abundant and considered bony fish (teleost) that are widespread globally, living in rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters. They occur worldw ...

, while others include it within the subfamily

Atherinomorinae ''Atherinomorinae'' is a subfamily of silversides from the family, Atherinidae, the Old World silversides. Genera The subfamily contains the following genera: * '' Alepidomus'' C. L. Hubbs, 1944 (monotypic) * '' Atherinomorus'' Fowler, 1903 ( ...

. They have an

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

distribution.

Characteristics

The species within ''Atherion'' are characterised by having rough, sharkskin-like denticles around the mouth and in other places on the head. The origin of the first

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates. Dorsal fins have evolved independently several times through convergent evolution adapting to marine environments, so the fins are not all homologous. They are found ...

is to the rear of the

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral (belly) surface of fish, and are the lower of the only two sets of paired fins (the other being the laterally positioned pectoral fins). The pelvic fins are homologous to the hi ...

tip. The first dorsal fin has 3–6 spines while the second dorsal fin has a single spine and 8–13 soft rays. The

anal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported o ...

also has a single spine and has 13–17 soft rays. Along the midlateral line they have a count of between 40 and 44 scales and they are small fish which grow to a maximum length of .

Species

The currently recognized species in this genus are: * ''

Atherion africanum The pricklenose silverside (''Atherion africanum'') is a species of silverside from the family Atherionidae. It is found in the western Indian Ocean from India to KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. It is a prey species for many commercially caught l ...

J. L. B. Smith James Leonard Brierley Smith (26 September 1897 – 8 January 1968) was a South African ichthyology, ichthyologist, organic chemist, and university professor. He was the first to identify a taxidermied fish as a coelacanth, at the time thought t ...

, 1965 (pricklenose silverside) * ''

Atherion elymus ''Atherion elymus'', the bearded silverside or pickleface hardyhead, is a species of Silverside (fish), silverside from the Family (biology), family Atherionidae. It is found in the western Pacific Ocean. Description ''Atherion elymus'' has an ...

D. S. Jordan David Starr Jordan (January 19, 1851 – September 19, 1931) was the founding president of Stanford University, serving from 1891 to 1913. He was an ichthyologist during his research career. Prior to serving as president of Stanford Universi ...

& Starks, 1901 (bearded silverside) * ''

Atherion maccullochi McCulloch's hardyhead (''Atherion maccullochi'') is a species of silverside from the family Atherionidae. This species occurs off the coasts of Australia. It was described by David Starr Jordan and Carl Leavitt Hubbs in 1919 from a type local ...

& C. L. Hubbs, 1919 (McCulloch's hardyhead)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q138168 Atheriniformes Taxa named by David Starr Jordan