# Atherion

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{{Short description|Genus of fishes}}
{{Automatic taxobox 
| image = Atherion elymus 1.jpg
| image_caption = Atherion elymus
| parent_authority = [Schultz](/source/Leonard_Peter_Schultz), 1948
| taxon = Atherion
| authority = [D. S. Jordan](/source/David_Starr_Jordan) & [Starks](/source/Edwin_Chapin_Starks), 1901
| type_species = ''Atherion elymus''
| type_species_authority = D.S. Jordan & Starks, 1901
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = 3 ''See text''
}}

'''''Atherion''''' is a small [genus](/source/genus) of [silversides](/source/old_world_silverside), known as the '''pricklenose silversides'''. It is the only genus in the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) Atherionidae.<ref name = Nelson5>{{cite book |title=Fishes of the World |edition=5th |author1=J. S. Nelson |author2=T. C. Grande |author3=M. V. H. Wilson |year=2016 |pages=360 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-1-118-34233-6 |url=https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ |access-date=2019-07-13 |archive-date=2019-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408194051/https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Other authorities classify this as a [monogeneric](/source/monogeneric) [subfamily](/source/subfamily), Atherioninae, of the [Atherinidae](/source/Atherinidae), while others include it within the subfamily [Atherinomorinae](/source/Atherinomorinae).<ref name = VDLEF>{{cite journal | author1 = Richard van der Laan | author2 = William N. Eschmeyer | author3 = Ronald Fricke | name-list-style = amp |year=2014 | title = Family-group names of Recent fishes | url = https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.3882.1.1/10480 | journal = Zootaxa | volume = 3882 | issue =2 | pages = 001–230}}</ref> They have an [Indo-Pacific](/source/Indo-Pacific) distribution.<ref name = Nelson5/>

==Characteristics==
The species within ''Atherion'' are characterised by having rough, sharkskin-like denticles around the mouth and in other places on the head. The origin of the first [dorsal fin](/source/dorsal_fin) is to the rear of the [pelvic fin](/source/pelvic_fin) tip. The first dorsal fin has 3–6 spines while the second dorsal fin has a single spine and 8–13 soft rays. The [anal fin](/source/anal_fin) also has a single spine and has 13–17 soft rays. Along the midlateral line they have a count of between 40 and 44 scales and they are small fish which grow to a maximum length of {{convert|5.5|cm|in}}.<ref name = Nelson5/>

==Species==
The currently recognized species in this genus are:<ref>{{FishBase genus | genus = Atherion| month = June | year = 2012}}</ref>
* ''[Atherion africanum](/source/Atherion_africanum)'' <small>[J. L. B. Smith](/source/James_Smith_(ichthyologist)), 1965</small> (pricklenose silverside)
* ''[Atherion elymus](/source/Atherion_elymus)'' <small>[D. S. Jordan](/source/David_Starr_Jordan) & [Starks](/source/Edwin_Chapin_Starks), 1901</small> (bearded silverside)
* ''[Atherion maccullochi](/source/Atherion_maccullochi)'' <small>[D. S. Jordan](/source/David_Starr_Jordan) & [C. L. Hubbs](/source/Carl_Leavitt_Hubbs), 1919</small> (McCulloch's hardyhead)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q138168}}

Category:Atherion
Category:Atheriniformes
Category:Taxa named by David Starr Jordan
Category:Taxa named by Edwin Chapin Starks

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Atherion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atherion) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atherion?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.