silversides

INLAND SILVERSIDE Menidia beryllina (Cope, 1866): DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE: Native. In Massachusetts, the inland silverside is most commonly found in the coastal streams, bays and estuaries on the south side of Cape Cod. North of Pleasant Bay on the outer arm of Cape Cod, inland silverside are much less abundant, but may be expected in most of the bays and estuaries south of Nahant. Bigelow and Schroeder (1953) found only one record from north of the Cape, but we found inland silverside were common to abundant in areas tributary to Massachusetts Bay, including the Charles River in Cambridge and Boston during the mid- to late l970's. However, recent surveys in the Charles River (1981-1991) have not found this species. The abundance north of the Cape Cod may be cyclic, expanding or contracting depending on environmental factors.

ATLANTIC SILVERSIDE Menidia menidia (Linnaeus, 1766): DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE: Native. In Massachusetts, this species is common to abundant along the entire coast and often well up into tidal fresh water. The abundance of Atlantic silverside is linked to the availability and health of salt marshes.