Atherina pontica, Eichwald, 1831

Freyhof, JÖrg, Yoğurtçuoğlu, Baran, Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash & Kaya, Cüneyt, 2025, Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia, De Gruyter : 696

Atherina pontica

Common name. Eastern sand smelt.

Diagnosis. Only species in family in freshwaters in West Asia. Size up to about 85 mm SL.

Distribution. Western Greece east to Caspian basin. Introduced in several lakes and reservoirs in Anatolia and probably elsewhere.

Habitat. Lower parts of rivers, estuaries, coastal lakes, and the sea. Freshwater populations prefer still or slow-flowing waters. Pelagic in lakes and sea.

Biology. Gregarious. Usually lives 1–3 years, rarely up to 4. Spawns at 1–2 years in spring and early summer. Fractional spawners. Eggs with long hairy appendages attached to filamentous algae, deposited at 2–6 m depth, perhaps shallower in rivers. Larvae pelagic but often form shoals near shore. In lakes and estuaries, feeding mainly on small planktonic invertebrates, often on benthos in rivers.

Conservation status. LC.

Further reading. Whitehead et al. 1986 (diagnosis; in part); Economou et al. 1994 (larvae); Kottelat 1997 (nomenclature); Daoulas et al. 1997 (larvae); Leonardos & Sinis 2000 (biology); Leonardos 2001 (ecology); Miller 2003 (biology); Gençoğlu et al. 2017 (feeding).