Atherinosoma microstoma (Günther, 1861)
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
Atherinosoma microstoma, commonly known as the small mouth hardyhead, is a species of silverside native to southeastern Australia.
It occurs in streams, inland lakes, estuaries and the nearby coastal waters of south-eastern Australia, from Tuggerah Lakes in New South Wales to Lake George in South Australia, as well as in the Bass Strait in Tasmania and Victoria. This species frequently forms schools and they prefer to be among sea grass beds or other aquatic vegetation. This species was described as Atherina microstoma by Albert Günther of the British Museum (Natural History) in 1872 with the type locality given as Tasmania. Francis de LaPorte de Castelnau used the species he had named as Atherinosoma vorax as the type species of the genus he called Atherinosoma but this was a synonym for Günther's Atherina microstoma, which became Atherinosoma microstoma.
Wikipedia contributors, Atherinosoma microstoma; 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
- Atherinosoma microstoma (Günther, 1861)
- Name authority
- (Günther, 1861)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Atheriniformes
- Family
- Atherinidae
- Genus
- Atherinosoma
- 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
- genusAtherinosoma Castelnau, 1872
- speciesAtherinosoma microstoma (Günther, 1861)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Atherinosoma. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Atherinosoma elongatum (Klunzinger, 1879) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Pranesella endorae Whitley, 1934 Whitley, 1934 | synonym |
| Atherina microstoma Günther, 1861 Günther, 1861 | synonym |
| Atherinichthys modesta Castelnau, 1872 Castelnau, 1872 | synonym |
| Atherinosoma vorax Castelnau, 1872 Castelnau, 1872 | 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.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=279815 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:688YV. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.