Harengula humeralis
Redear Sardine
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Clupeiformes (Herrings, Anchovies and Sardines)
Clupeidae (Herrings)
Harengula
Harengula humeralis (Redear Sardine)
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 moderately deep bodied; moderate-sized terminal mouth; deeply forked caudal fin; body depth 26% to 31% and head length 21% to 33% of SL; symphysis of upper jaw not notched; maxilla extends to anterior margin of pupil; pointed teeth on inner edge of palatine; hypomaxilla bearing teeth present in upper jaw; suborbital bone longer than deep; gill rakers on upper limb do not overlap those of lower limb of first arch; gill rakers on lower limb of first arch number 26 to 32; vertical anterior edge of shoulder girdle has bilobed dermal fold; dorsal fin originates nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal fin, has concave dorsal margin, and 17 to 20 rays; pelvic fin inserts nearer to insertion of pectoral fin than to origin of anal fin, and has 7 to 9 rays; scales deciduous, in 25 to 29 transverse rows; scales along midline anterior to dorsal fin number 9 to 11; belly has 25 to 29 scutes with ascending arms; vertebrae number 40 to 44
Brownish gray with silvery overtones dorsally and silvery laterally and ventrally; scales on side have longitudinal broken streaks; reddish orange spot posterior to operculum; tips of anterior dorsal fin rays darkly pigmented
Distribution
Western North Atlantic from Bermuda, both coasts of Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and the Guianas; reported once from the western Gulf of Mexico off Isla Lobos between Tampico and Tuxpan, Mexico
Habitat Associations
Coastal waters
Biology
Maximum known size is 200 mm TL
Occur in coastal waters, usually along the shoreline (Ref. 9710) and over clear coral reefs (Ref. 5217). May form large schools in beaches, mainly over Thalassia beds (Ref. 5217). Often in polluted areas (Ref. 9710).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-08-23. Resilience: High (K=0.41-1.03; tm=1.5; Fec=41,000).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters described
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial.
References
Rivas 1963
Bohlke and Chaplin 1968
Castro-Aguirre and Marquez-Espinoza 1981
Whitehead 1985
C. R. Robins et al. 1986
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.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Sierra, L.M., R. Claro and O.A. Popova (1994) Alimentacion y relaciones tróficas. p. 263-284. In Rodolfo Claro (ed.) Ecología de los Peces Marinos de Cuba. Instituto de Oceanología Academia de Ciencias de Cuba and Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Claro, R. (1994) Características generales de la ictiofauna. p. 55-70. In R. Claro (ed.) Ecología de los peces marinos de Cuba. Instituto de Oceanología Academia de Ciencias de Cuba and Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo.
Smith, C.L. (1997) National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
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