Atherion africanum Smith, 1965
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 pricklenose silverside (Atherion africanum) is a species of silverside from the family Atherionidae. It is found in the western Indian Ocean from India to KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. It is a prey species for many commercially caught larger fish and may be used as bait by fishermen, usually caught at depths of less than 2 metres (6.6 ft). This species was described in 1965 by James Leonard Brierley Smith from a type locality of Inhaca Island, Mozambique. It is distinguished from similar species of silverside within its range by the rough, shagreen-like skin around its snout.
Wikipedia contributors, Pricklenose silverside; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:06:13.545198+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Atherion africanum Smith, 1965
- Name authority
- Smith, 1965
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Atheriniformes
- Family
- Atherionidae
- Genus
- Atherion
- 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.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderAtheriniformes
- suborderAtherinoidei
- familyAtherionidae Schultz, 1948
- genusAtherion Jordan & Starks, 1901
- speciesAtherion africanum Smith, 1965
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Atherion. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Atherion elymus Jordan & Starks, 1901 | AtherionidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Atherion maccullochi Jordan & Hubbs, 1919 | AtherionidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Atherion africanus Smith, 1965 Smith, 1965 | 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.
- Smith, J. L. B. (1965). Fishes of the family Atherinidae of the Red Sea and the western Indian Ocean with a new freshwater genus and species from Madagascar. Ichthyological Bulletin, Department of Ichthyology, Rhodes University, 31: 601–632, Pls. 98–102. 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:5W8YT. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.