Abstract
Atherina boyeri Risso 18101 (Teleostei : Mugiloidea) has previously been recorded only once in Britain by Couch2, who identified a few specimens from a large shoal observed off the coast of Cornwall in 1846. Unfortunately Couch gave only a very brief description of his specimens which were afterwards lost3, and, since there are no other confirmatory British records in the literature, the occurrence of the species in Britain has usually been doubted4,5. Recently, however, atherines agreeing closely with published descriptions of Atherina boyeri1,6 have been found abundantly in a dock at Swansea, South Wales. Specimens were observed at various times during 1956–63 and occasional collections have been made by dropping bait into a hand net which was then gently raised from the water with the fish inside.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Risso, A., Ichth. Nice, 338, Paris (1810).
Couch, J., Rep. Penzance Soc. Nat. Hist., 284 (1849).
Couch, J., Fishes of the British Islands, 3, 4, London (1864).
Day, F., Fishes of Gt. Britain and Ireland, 1, 227, London (1880).
Norman, J. R., List of British Vertebrates: Fishes, 60, London (1935).
Cuvier, G., and Valenciennes, A., Hist. Nat. Poiss., 10, 432 (1830).
Naylor, E., Proc. Fifteen Intern. Congr. Zool., 259 (1959).
Naylor, E., Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. (in the press).
Naylor, E., Nature, 180, 616 (1957).
Naylor, E., Nature, 187, 256 (1960).
Ninni, E., Faune Ichth. Atlantique Nord. Cons. Perm. Int. Explor. Mer, 344 (1931).
Gunther, A., Cat. Acanthopterygian Fish Brit. Mus., 3, 395 (1861).
Miller, P., Rep. Mar. Biol. Sta. Port. Erin, 74, 27 (1962).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
BOWERS, A., NAYLOR, E. Occurrence of Atherina boyeri Risso in Britain. Nature 202, 318 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1038/202318a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/202318a0
This article is cited by
-
Sand smelt (Atherina boyeri) migration within the water system of the Camargue, southern France
Hydrobiologia (1995)
-
A further occurrence of Atherina boyeri Risso 1810 in North-Eastern Atlantic waters
Environmental Biology of Fishes (1979)
-
Atherina boyeri Risso, a genuine immigrant in the Delta Area
Hydrobiological Bulletin (1976)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.