(incl. Dussumieridae)
Description
Small or moderate-sized silvery fishes with no spiny finrays and a single short dorsal fin; no adipose fin behind it. Body subcylindrical to strongly compressed. Belly with a keel of sharp scutes in all but two genera. Caudal fin deeply forked. Scales present, cycloid, often easily shed. Lateral line absent.
Distribution
Large family with some 64 genera, distribution worldwide. Most species coastal, pelagic, often forming large shoals of great fishery importance; some species enter brackish or freshwater and the shads are anadromous (but a few species, subspecies or forms entirely freshwater).
Recent revisions: Svetovidov, 1952 (1963-English translation).
Taxa included on this CD-rom:
Escualosa thoracata (Valenciennes)
Hilsa kelee (Cuvier)
Ilisha kampeni (Weber and de Beaufort)
Nematalosa nasus (Bloch)
Genus Sardinella