Afia

The maximum body length is 6 cm. Life expectancy is 1 year. The body is elongated, rather low, markedly compressed laterally. The head and back to the dorsal fin of the keel, the sides of the body and the caudal peduncle are covered with cycloid scales, which easily fall off the body when touched. The mouth is large, final, the teeth on the jaws are small, conical, arranged in one row. The abdominal disc is elongated, full. There are only genipors on the head. There is a swimming bladder . During life, almost the whole body is transparent, bright, the time is somewhat reddish. In mature individuals, small black dots on the lips, on the head above the eyes, on the chin and in front of the ventral fins are below, and at the base of the dorsal fins are black-green spots, along the middle of the body are yellow, greenish-reddish, along the anal fin are reddish-brownish, along rays of the caudal fin red dots.

Distribution of species: East Atlantic from the western Baltic Sea and Norway ( Trondheim ) to Morocco ; Mediterranean , Black , Azov seas.

It is found in the northwestern part of the Black Sea ( Snake Island , Danube coast, Cape Burnas, Odessa and Tendrovsky bays, Zernov Filofor field , etc.), along the coast of Crimea (Karkinitsky Bay, Sevastopol , Yalta , Karadag) and in the south western part of the Sea of ​​Azov ( Cape Kazantip ).

It is found in marine and brackish waters. Pelagic marine flocking fish, which is more common in coastal bays and bays. It is kept in the water column from the surface to a depth of 70-80 m, in places above sandy or silty soils, especially above and among thickets of zoster and cystozira. It reaches puberty by the end of the first year of life. Spawning occurs in the coastal zone, eggs are laid on vegetation. After breeding, producers die after some time. It feeds on zooplankton organisms and prefers crustaceans .