The Bloch's gizzard shad (Nematalosa nasus), also known as gizzard shad, hairback, long-finned gizzard shad, long-ray bony bream and thread-finned gizzard shad, are a widespread and common, small to medium-sized anadromous fish found in all marine, freshwater and brackish waters throughout Indo-West Pacific, towards eastward of Andaman Sea, South China Sea and the Philippines to Korean peninsula. Single specimen recorded from waters of South Africa.[2] It was described by Marcus Elieser Bloch in 1795.

Nematalosa nasus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Clupeiformes
Family: Dorosomatidae
Genus: Nematalosa
Species:
N. nasus
Binomial name
Nematalosa nasus
(Bloch, 1795)
Synonyms
  • Clupea nasus Bloch, 1795
  • Chatoessus nasus (Bloch, 1795)
  • Dorosoma nasus (Bloch, 1795)
  • Nematalosus nasus (Bloch, 1795)
  • Nematalosa nasus (Bloch, 1795)
  • Clupanodon nasica Lacepède, 1803
  • Chatoessus altus Gray, 1834
  • Chatoessus chrysopterus Richardson, 1846[1]

The sardines are known to swim at a maximum depth of 30 metres. The largest known standard length for the species is 22 cm.[2] The fish can separate from its sister species by the presence of a dark spot behind gill opening. Belly consists with 17 to 20and 9 to 13 scutes. It has 15 to 19 dorsal soft rays and 17 to 26 anal dorsal soft rays. It is a filter feeder and feeds on planktons. Widely used as a food fish, it can make in to fish balls and can eat both as fresh and dried forms.[2]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Synonyms of Nematalosa nasus (Bloch, 1795)". fishbase.org.
  2. ^ a b c Nematalosa nasus at www.fishbase.org.

External links edit