hardhead silverside
Atherinomorus stipes
Broad-headed silverside of reefs and soft bottoms of the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America. It forms large schools and is often used as bait.
Also called: peixe-rei-de-cabeça-larga, tinícalo, cabezote, hardhead silverside
- maximum
- 10 cm
who is the hardhead silverside
Fish of the family Atherinidae, up to 10 cm and common size near 7.5 cm. It occurs on soft bottoms and coral reefs, in shallow and coastal areas. It often forms large schools and feeds on zooplankton. It occurs from southern Florida, the Bahamas and Yucatán to Brazil, with records in Cuba, Venezuela and the Guianas. It has small commercial fishing, and its most common use is as bait.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the hardhead silverside.
identification
Small, elongated fish with a broad head, wider than the body, which draws attention. The body is silvery, with the pale band on the flanks typical of silversides. It forms large schools over soft bottoms and shallow reefs, and is used as bait.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
It occurs from southern Florida, the Bahamas and Yucatán to Brazil, with records in Cuba, Venezuela and the Guianas, on soft bottoms and coral reefs.
Habitat: Soft bottoms and coral reefs, in shallow waters and close to the coast.
coast
rules for the hardhead silverside
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Conservation: Not on the Brazilian national list (Ministerial Ordinance GM/MMA No. 1.667/2026).
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
Harmless to anglers, with no dangerous spines or teeth.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00724, b = 3.22; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Atherinomorus stipes (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Atherinomorus stipesNames by country and language.
- official Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667, de 27 de abril de 2026: Lista Nacional Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Ameaçadas de Extinção (peixes e invertebrados aquáticos)The species is not on the list. Checked in the DOU of April 28, 2026.