inland silverside
Menidia beryllina
Freshwater and brackish silverside of the eastern United States and northeastern Mexico. In reservoirs, it serves as food for sport fish.
Also called: peixe-rei-do-interior, plateadito salado, inland silverside
- maximum
- 15 cm
- depth
- 0–30 m
who is the inland silverside
Fish of the family Atherinopsidae, up to 15 cm and common size near 7.8 cm. It occurs from the eastern United States to the Gulf of Mexico and northeastern Mexico. It lives in salt, brackish and fresh water, and goes up rivers, near the surface of clear, calm waters, over sand or gravel. There are populations with no contact with the sea, which live in reservoirs and breed in fresh water. It feeds on zooplankton, invertebrates, fish eggs and larvae, and diatoms. It has commercial fishing.
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 inland silverside; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Elongated, silvery fish, up to 15 cm, with the silver band on the flanks typical of silversides. It usually stays near the surface of clear, calm waters, over sand or gravel. It enters fresh water and can be found in reservoirs, which sets it apart from Membras martinica, a silverside of coastal waters and bays.
Loading the next 7 days…
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
In Mexico, it occurs in the Gulf up to the northeast of the country, in fresh, brackish and marine water.
Habitat: Near the surface of clear, calm waters, in rivers, reservoirs and coastal areas, over sand or gravel.
rules for the inland 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.
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 = 0.00537, b = 3.09; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). 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: Menidia beryllina (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Menidia beryllinaNames by country and language.
