Dorosoma smithi
Pacific Gizzard Shad
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Clupeiformes (Herrings, Anchovies and Sardines)
Clupeidae (Herrings)
Dorosoma
Dorosoma smithi (Pacific Gizzard Shad)
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Body shape: fusiform / normal. Body moderately deep; belly with 15 to 18 + 9 to 12 scutes. Mouth small. Last dorsal fin ray long, but less the distance from snout tip to pelvic fin base; anal fin relatively short. Scales somewhat small, somewhat irregular. A dark spot behind gill opening. Distinguished from Opisthonema species by its anal fin which is longer than head and well behind dorsal fin base. Striking features: striking fins.
Distribution
North America: Pacific drainage of northwestern Mexico (Río Piaxtla, Río del Fuerte, Río Sinaloa system, Río de Mocorito, Río Muerto, Río Yaqui system, i.e. between Sinaloa and Sonora).
Habitat Associations
Freshwater. pelagic. Found in: streams, lakes.
Biology
Occurs in rivers and perhaps in lakes. A filter-feeder, its feeding and breeding habits presumably similar to other Dorosoma species. More data needed.
Max length: 14.0 cm SL.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2018-07-06. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries.
References
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.
Comments On Dorosoma smithi