Alosa alabamae
Alabama Shad
NS
G2
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Clupeiformes (Herrings, Anchovies and Sardines)
Clupeidae (Herrings)
Alosa
Alosa alabamae (Alabama Shad)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Body compressed and rather deep-bodied; large terminal mouth; deeply forked caudal fin; body depth 26-36% SL; head length 24-27% SL; symphysis of upper jaw distinctly notched; lower jaw included in upper jaw when mouth closed; upper margin of lower jaw oblique and not strongly arched; snout about equal to eye diameter; suborbital bone deeper than long; maxilla extends to midlength of eye; vomer and tongue lack teeth; teeth lacking in jaws of adults; 41-48 gill rakers on lower limb of first gill arch; dorsal fin with 16-20 rays, last ray not prolonged; pelvic fin with 9 rays; anal fin with 19 rays; 55-60 scales in transverse series; paired scales along midline of back not enlarged or fringed; 35-38 scutes on belly; axillary scale of pelvic fin about 75% of pelvic fin length; 55 vertebrae
Metallic greenish to bluish dorsally, grading to bright silvery laterally and ventrally
Distribution
Western North Atlantic, eastern Gulf of Mexico, from Grand Isle, Louisiana, to Choctawhatchee River, Florida; ascends rivers to spawn, captured from Hot Springs, Arkansas, to Freeport, Iowa, and Montgomery, Virginia
Habitat Associations
Rivers and Gulf of Mexico
Biology
Nothing known of feeding habits as it does not eat during spawning run
Maximum known size 510 mm TL
Ascends rivers to spawn
Forms schools. Ascends rivers and streams to spawn in spring or early summer, the young presumably descending in autumn. Marketed mostly fresh.
IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened (NT), assessed 2020-04-15. Resilience: Medium (tmax=4).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by combination of characters
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial.
References
Hildebrand 1963d
Hoese and Moore 1977
Lee et al. 1980
Whitehead 1985
C. R. Robins et al. 1986
Boschung 1992
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.
Bigelow, H.B., M.G. Bradbury, J.R. Dymond, J.R. Greeley, S.F. Hildebrand, G.W. Mead, R.R. Miller, L.R. Rivas, W.L. Schroeder, R.D. Suttkus and V.D. Vladykov (1963) Fishes of the western North Atlantic. Part three. New Haven, Sears Found. Mar. Res., Yale Univ.
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