During this study, the schooling behavior of silversides was
investigated. At the beginning of the study, I was pretty convinced that
the species found in the school were Reef Silversides (
Hypoatherina
harringtonensis), but after doing some research on the subject, I learned
that schools of silversides are often composed of multiple species.
Therefore, another species that is very closely related to the reef
silverside is the Atlantic Silverside (
Menidia menidia). One video that I found particularly
interesting about silverside identification can be found here. The Atlantic Silverside is commonly
found throughout the temperate and subtropical water of the western Atlantic (2). The
reef silverside can be found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the
western Atlantic and Southeastern Pacific in shallow water less than 4 meters
in depth (4). They are commonly
associated with the coral reef environment and primarily feed on zooplankton
suspended in the water column. The
doubling time of the species is roughly 15 months and they are a very resilient
species. The two major predators of
silversides in Bermuda are: the barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) and the tarpon (Tarpon atlanticus). Silversides reproduce through the laying and
fertilization of eggs (2). Juvenile
silversides reach sexual maturity at approximately 1 year of age. The taxonomic information of the reef
silverside is shown below. The taxonomy
of the Atlantic silverside is the same with the exception that it differs in
genus and species name, which is given above.
Taxonomy (3):Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Atheriniformes
Family: Atherinidae
Genus: Hypoatherina
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A silverside that was measured during the study in
Bermuda
