''Atherion elymus'', the bearded silverside or pickleface hardyhead, is a species of

silverside Silverside may refer to: * Silverside (beef), a cut of beef * Silverside (fish), the Atheriniformes, an order of fish * Agnes Silverside (died 1557), one of the Colchester Martyrs * USS ''Silversides'', the name of 2 U.S. Navy submarines * Silver ...

from the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Atherionidae ''Atherion'' is a small genus of silversides, known as the pricklenose silversides. It is the only genus in the family Atherionidae. Other authorities classify this as a monogeneric subfamily, Atherioninae, of the Atherinidae, while others inclu ...

. It is found in the western Pacific Ocean.

Description

''Atherion elymus'' has an elongated, compressed body with a small mouth in which the upper jaw does not extend as far as the front edge of the eye. The head has a number of rows of denticles or small spines. Its anus sits immediately in front of the origin of the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

. The colouration is greenish gray on the back and whitish on the underside with a wide silvery band along the flanks which extends to the

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

. Small dark or black spots are normally scattered along the lower part of the flanks. They grow to a maximum

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...

of around .

Distribution

''Atherion elymus'' occurs in the western Pacific Ocean from Japan in the north south to northern

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and east as far as Fiji.

Habitat and biology

''Atherion elymus'' is a species if shallow water and is associated with reefs, large aggregations can be found in tidal pools, along rocky coastlines and along the edges of reefs. It lays large eggs which adhere to the substrate by a sticky filament.

Taxonomy

This species was described by David Starr Jordan and Edwin Chapin Starks in 1901 from a type locality of

Misaki Misaki ( ja, 御先, "misaki") are a collective term for spirit-like existences in Japan like gods, demons and spirits, among other supernatural entities. Their name comes from a kannushi's vanguard. Summary Misaki are subordinate to the high ...

in the

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kana ...

in the coast of the

Sagami Sea lies south of Kanagawa Prefecture in Honshu, central Japan, contained within the scope of the Miura Peninsula, in Kanagawa, to the east, the Izu Peninsula, in Shizuoka Prefecture, to the west, and the Shōnan coastline to the north, while the ...

in Japan. Jordan and Starks gave it the specific name ''elymus'' as the rough denticles around its mouth bear a resemblance to the seed heads of the

rye grass ''Lolium'' is a genus of tufted grasses in the bluegrass subfamily (Pooideae). It is often called ryegrass, but this term is sometimes used to refer to grasses in other genera. They are characterized by bunch-like growth habits. ''Lolium'' is ...

es of the genus '' Elymus''. It is the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

of the genus ''

Atherion ''Atherion'' is a small genus of silversides, known as the pricklenose silversides. It is the only genus in the family Atherionidae. Other authorities classify this as a monogeneric subfamily, Atherioninae, of the Atherinidae, while others inclu ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from = Q1976771 elymus Fish described in 1901