jacksmelt

Open encyclopedia reference

Atherinopsis californiensis, the jack silverside or jacksmelt, is a species of neotropical silverside native to the Pacific coast of North America from Oregon, United States to southern Baja California, Mexico. This species often grows to 49 cm (19 in), but specimens of 55 cm (22 in) in total length have been reported. It is silver throughout the body, with a grey dorsal pattern, and a light silver ventral-lateral, as well as a yellow spot present behind the eye, on the operculum. and is important commercially as a source of human food. It is the only known member of its genus. They are commonly confused with the Atherinops affinis, the topsmelt silverside. Atherinopsis californiensis is a key element of Pacific coast marine ecosystems. This circumscription reveals its ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions across its distribution in different habitats. The diet and reproductive strategies of Jacksmelt are important to understanding its ecological role in these ecosystems. Additionally, it is recognized that this species has economic value and the need is for sustainable practices to maintain abundance.

Wikipedia contributors, Jack silverside; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:35:34.046916+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Atherinopsis californiensis Girard, 1854

Name authority

Girard, 1854

Common name

jacksmelt

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Teleostei

Order

Atheriniformes

Family

Atherinopsidae

Genus

Atherinopsis

Extinction status

Not supplied by this source

Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. gigaclassActinopterygii
8. superclassActinopteri
9. classTeleostei
10. orderAtheriniformes
11. suborderAtherinopsoidei
12. familyAtherinopsidae Fitzinger, 1873
13. subfamilyAtherinopsinae Fitzinger, 1873
14. genusAtherinopsis Girard, 1854
15. speciesAtherinopsis californiensis Girard, 1854

Close classified relatives

No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.

Browse 104 records assigned to Atherinopsidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. Girard, C. F. (1854). Descriptions of new fishes, collected by Dr. A. L. Heermann, naturalist attached to the survey of the Pacific railroad route, under Lieut. R. S. Williamson, U. S. A. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, v. 7: 129–140. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:5VWYV. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.