The American Fisheries Society (2023) and Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes (2023) both verify Menidia conchorum as a distinct species.

Since the 1980s, Menidia conchorum populations have faced a significant decline, predominantly due to the rapid disappearance of their habitat in the salt-ponded waters of the lower Florida Keys and, more importantly, due to the effect of rising sea levels the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recently cataloged the species as threatened.

This unique and relatively rare habitat is home to a community of fishes, many of which are found exclusively in this location.

The rise in sea level continues to inundate many of the larger salt ponds that have become well-flushed lagoons.

In the past, many such salt ponds and lagoons have been filled for development purposes, significantly reducing available habitats.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, following the research findings from the Key silverside Biological Review Group and subsequent discussions with other FWC fish experts, the staff recommends that the Key silverside (Menidia conchorum) be listed as a Threatened species.

Dr. Chuck Getter, who has been studying the species since the 1970s for his doctoral dissertation (Ecology and survival of the Key silverside, Menidia conchorum, an atherinid fish endemic to the Florida Keys, Ph.D., University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences), is currently conducting further research on this species (Getter 2009, 2010).

As one of the few species adapted to the fluctuating salinity and temperatures of the Florida Keys’ ponds and lagoons, it contributes to these unique habitats' biodiversity and ecological resilience.

The preservation of this species is not just a matter of preventing extinction but also of maintaining the ecological integrity of the Florida Keys’ rare and fragile habitats.

American Fisheries Society (2023) Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico, 8th edition.

Monitoring sea level rise impacts in mangroves and lagoonal ecosystems of the lower Florida Keys.

Fishes of Transitional Marine Habitats of The Lower Florida Keys: Projected Impact of Accelerated Sea Level Rise.

(2000), M. M. Harbin, S. A. Berkeley, G. H. Burgess, A. M. Eklund, L. Findley, R. G. Gilmore, J. T. Godden, D. S. Ha, G. R. Huntsman, J. C. McGovern, S. J. Parker, S. G. Poss, E. Sala, T. W. Schmidt, G. R. Sedberry, H. Weeks and S. G. Wright 2000 (Nov.).

Marine, estuarine, and diadromous fish stocks at risk of extinction in North America (exclusive of Pacific salmonids).

Population genetics and geometric morphometrics of the key silverside, Menidia conchorum, a marine fish in a highly fragmented inland habitat.