Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810

Saad, Adib, Çiçek, Erdoğan, Esmaeili, Hamid Reza, Fricke, Ronald, Sungur, Sevil & Eagderi, Soheil, 2023, Freshwater fishes of Syria: a revised and updated annotated checklist- 2023, Zootaxa 5350 (1), pp. 1-62 : 41

Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810 [N]—Big-scale sand smelt; None

Taxonomy. Original description: Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810: 338 , pl. 10, fig. 38 [Dept. du Var, France, northwestern Mediterranean Sea; lectotype: MNHN A-4342 (70.6 mm SL); lectotype selected by Kottelat & Freyhof (2009: 83)].—Syrian synonyms: None.—Revisions: None.—Illustration: Risso (1810: 338, pl. 10, fig. 38).

Status in Syria. First record from Syria by Saad (2005).—Syrian material: MSL.

Distribution and habitat. Distribution in Syria: Mediterranean Sea watersheds and Orontes River basin.— Distribution in River Basin: 4-Orontes, 6-Coastal.—General distribution: Southern North Sea; Mediterranean Sea; Sea of Marmara; Black Sea; Sea of Azov; eastern Atlantic:English Channel south to Mauritania, including Madeira and Canary Islands.—Distribution in Ecoregion: 436-Coastal Levant, 437-Orontes.—Habitat: This species lives in the lower parts of rivers, estuaries, coastal lakes, and the sea. Freshwater populations prefer still or slow-flowing waters. Freshwater, brackish.

Economic importance. Locally consumed, but of no commercial importance.

Conservation. Conservation status in Syria: Unknown.—IUCN: LC ( IUCN 2023).—Threats: No major threats known.—Low sensitivity to human activities.—Not considered as a keystone species.—Decline status: Unknown.—Low priority for conservation action.