About Atherina hepsetus Linnaeus, 1758
Atherina hepsetus Linnaeus, 1758 has a rather long, slender body that is moderately flattened. It has a protrusible mouth that faces upward, lined with small teeth. Both the head and body are covered in scales. Inside its mouth, the lower jaw has an upper expansion formed by a high dentary bone. This species has two separate dorsal fins: all rays of the first dorsal fin, and 1 to 2 anterior rays of the second dorsal fin, are unsegmented, while the rest of the rays are segmented. The anal fin shares a similar structure to the second dorsal fin, and the caudal fin is forked. The body is silvery white, with a darker dorsal side, and a light blue horizontal stripe that runs all the way to the tail. This fish reaches a maximum total length of up to 20 cm (7.9 in). Despite its small size, it is a carnivorous species that feeds on pelagic copepods and benthic crustaceans. Populations in the Mediterranean spawn from December to May. This is a pelagic-neritic fish that lives in brackish or marine water. It is widespread across eastern Atlantic coasts ranging from Spain to Morocco, and also occurs around the islands of Madeira and the Canary Islands. It can also be found in the Mediterranean, Adriatic, and Black Seas.
