Atherina breviceps Valenciennes, 1835
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Cape silverside (Atherina breviceps) is a species of marine fish of the family Atherinidae. It is a brackish, freshwater, pelagic-neritic subtropical fish up to 11.0 cm maximal length. It is widespread in the southeastern Atlantic from Lüderitz in Namibia to northern Natal in South Africa.
Wikipedia contributors, Cape silverside; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:06:05.445566+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Atherina breviceps Valenciennes, 1835
- Name authority
- Valenciennes, 1835
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Atheriniformes
- Family
- Atherinidae
- Genus
- Atherina
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: yes · 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.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderAtheriniformes
- suborderAtherinoidei
- familyAtherinidae Risso, 1827
- genusAtherina Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesAtherina breviceps Valenciennes, 1835
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Atherina. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Atherina caspia Eichwald, 1831 | AtherinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Atherina lopeziana Rossignol & Blache, 1961 | AtherinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Atherina harringtonensis Goode, 1877 | AtherinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| sand smeltAtherina presbyter Cuvier, 1829 | AtherinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| big-scale sand smeltAtherina boyeri Risso, 1810 | AtherinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mediterranean sand smeltAtherina hepsetus Linnaeus, 1758 | AtherinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Hepsetia breviceps (Valenciennes, 1835) (Valenciennes, 1835) | synonym |
| Atherina parvipinnis Valenciennes, 1835 Valenciennes, 1835 | synonym |
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.
- Cuvier, G., & Valenciennes, A. (1835). Histoire naturelle des poissons. Tome Dixième. Suite Du Livre Neuvième. Scombéroïdes. Livre Dixième. De La Famille Des Teuthyes. Livre Onzième. De La Famille Des Taenioïdes. Livre Douzième. Des Athérines., v. 10: i–xxiv + 1–482 + 2 pp., Pls. 280–306. 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:5VX8M. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.