Teleostei (teleosts) >
Clupeiformes (Herrings) >
Alosidae (Shads and Sardines)
Etymology: Alosa: Latin, alausa = a fish cited by Ausonius and Latin, halec = pickle, dealing with the Greek word hals = salt; it is also the old Saxon name for shad = "alli" ; 1591 (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Berg.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Brackish; pelagic. Temperate; 48°N - 36°N, 46°E - 56°E (Ref. 188)
Former USSR and Asia: Caspian Sea.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 25.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 188); common length : 17.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 188)
Dorsal spines (total): 3; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13 - 14; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 17 - 19. Body shape `shad-like'; upper and lower head profiles strongly rounded. Gill rakers rather long and thin, equal to or usually longer than gill filaments. Teeth well developed in both jaws. Resembles A. saposchnikowii which has a more pointed head, the upper and lower jaw profiles straight; A. caspia has more gill rakers and A. brashnikovi is more slender and `herring-like'.
Confined to semi-saline waters; non-anadromous, not entering fresh water. Spawns in the eastern part at the north end of Caspian Sea, from mid-May to end of June, mostly when temperatures are 18-20°C, salinities 8-10 ppt and at depths of around 3 m. The young move southward late in autumn, later than any other clupeids.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Whitehead, P.J.P., 1985. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 7. Clupeoid fishes of the world (suborder Clupeoidei). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the herrings, sardines, pilchards, sprats, shads, anchovies and wolf-herrings. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(7/1):1-303. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 188)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries
Tools
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00708 (0.00330 - 0.01518), b=3.09 (2.92 - 3.26), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.7 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (21 of 100).
