Hypoatherina valenciennei (Bleeker, 1854)
Sumatran silverside
photo by Shao, K.T.

Family:  Atherinidae (Silversides), subfamily: Atherinomorinae
Max. size:  12 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  pelagic-neritic; brackish; marine
Distribution:  Indo-West Pacific: widely distributed throughout the southwest Pacific including Java, Borneo, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Viet Nam, Singapore, New Britain, Hermit Island Group, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Hong Kong and as far as Japan.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 5-8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8-10; Anal spines: 1-1; Anal soft rays: 10-13. Free edge of premaxilla densely covered with minute shagreen denticles. Coronoid process of dentary not rounded as in other Hypoatherina species (Ref. 9760). Body covered by large round scales, head is nude except opercle is covered by scales. Silver white colored body (Ref. 41252). Description: Characterized by 17-23 predorsal scales; body depth about 5.5 in SL; large eye, about 2.7 in head length; upper jaw extending slightly beyond vertical at front of eye; moderately long and wide ascending process and two short and wide lateral processes in premaxilla; ramus of dentary highly elevated posteriorly; jaws, palatines, vomer, meopterygoids and ectopterygoids with small teeth (Ref. 90102).
Biology:  Found near the coast and the surface (Ref. 11230). Occurs in estuaries (Ref. 7050). Probably important as forage fish. Nothing is known of the biology of this fish (Ref. 9760).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.