Key Characteristics:
- More post-anal myomeres than pre-anal. Post-anal count greater than 25.
- Sleek slender bodies, like a minnow
- Lateral stripe that solidifies as they age.
- Triangle shaped fins
- Scattered pigment forming a circle on the head
- White bodies with nice defined markings
- Myomeres tend to be well defined and easy to count.
![Caption](https://blog.uwgb.edu/ais/files/2018/05/Cal0009.jpg)
Larval Brook Silverside. United States Fish Wildlife Service. Calumet Harbor (Chicago, IL). Brianna McDowell. 2017.
![Caption](https://blog.uwgb.edu/ais/files/2018/05/Cal00101.jpg)
Larval Brook Silverside. United States Fish Wildlife Service. Calumet Harbor (Chicago, IL). Brianna McDowell. 2017.
![Caption](https://blog.uwgb.edu/ais/files/2018/05/Calu0056.jpg)
REPLACE Larval Brook Silverside. United States Fish Wildlife Service. Calumet Harbor (Chicago, IL). Brianna McDowell. 2017.
![Caption](https://blog.uwgb.edu/ais/files/2018/05/Calu0066.jpg)
Two Larval Brook Silversides. 18.84 mm. United States Fish Wildlife Service. Calumet Harbor (Chicago, IL). Ashley Smith. 2017.
- Body not elongated, eel-shaped, round in transverse section, uniformly pigmented (1B)
- Chin barbels absent (3B)
- Snout short, its length usually less than 10% TL; median fins otherwise (5B)
- Median fins or finfolds showing distinct separation (7B)
- No adipose fin, or demarcation of one, in finfold (10B)
- Preanal myomeres significantly less than postanal myomeres (difference greater than five myomeres) (14B)
- Postanal myomeres less than 35, total myomeres less than 50, chin barbel absent (16B)
- Postanal myomeres greater than or equal to 25, preanal length less than or equal to 40% TL (17A)
- Atherinidae – Silversides
Adult History
- Physical Description
- Beak-like mouth, silver-colored appearance, small teeth, two dorsal fines (first dorsal fin: 4 spines/second: 1 spine with 9-11 rays), elongated anal fin with 20-26 rays and 1 spine
- Spawning Habitat
- Along the shores of lakes, rivers, and streams
- Around 1 meter deep
- Spawning Substrate
- Eggs deposited over gravel, aquatic vegetation, and sand
- Attach to vegetation using a long filament
- Spawning Behavior
- No nest built or parental care
- Pair of fish swim towards the bottom to release eggs and sperm
- Regulated by light intensity (egg/larvae growth)
- Most adults die after spawning
- Time of Year
- May – July in Lake Michigan
- Spawning typically takes place at water temperatures of 65-75°F
- Diet
- Small crustaceans, aquatic and terrestrial insects, flying insects, and invertebrates