THE HERRINGS AND HERRING-LIKE FISHES OF CALIFORNIA 



By Edwin Chapin Starks, Stanford University. 



This account includes the lady-fish, the herrings, the sardine, the 

 shad and the anchovies. These fishes, though considered in three sepa- 

 rate families are, nevertheless, rather closely related to each other. 

 They are Avell separated as a group from other fishes, but mostly by 

 internal characters that are of too technical a nature to be here included. 

 They are rather closely related to the trout and trout-like fishes but 

 lack the adipose dorsal fin. 



Other groups of fishes contain more species than this group, but no 

 other is represented by such a great number of individuals. They 

 swim in immense schools in temperate and tropic regions. The world 

 over they hold first place in commercial importance, though on our 

 California coast this has only recently been true, for within a year or 

 two the sardine has supplanted the salmon and tuna (albacore) in 

 value. 



The herrings and herring-like fishes are bright silvery, the head with- 

 out scales, but the body covered with thin scales that are easily rubbed 

 off. There is a single, short dorsal fin near the middle of the back. 

 The ventral fins are back on the belly and not close under the pectoral 

 fins as in the bass-like fishes. The fins are without spines and consist 

 of soft rays only. 



Considerable doubt seems to exist as to the relationship between the 

 herring and sardine. The sardine is a herring but all herrings are not 

 sardines. It belongs to the herring family {Clupeida') and hence may 

 be correctly considered a herring. 



GLOSSARY. 



Anal fill. The single fin on the lower side toward the tail. 



Caudal fin. The tail fin. 



Dorsal fin. The single fin near the middle of the back. 



Length of head. The distance from the tip of the snout to the hind 

 edge of the gill cover. 



Maxillary. The bone bordering the mouth above and extending 

 backwards. 



Opercle. The last bone of the side of the head covering the gills. 



Pectoral fins. The paired fins just behind the head. 



Ventral fins. The paired fins back on the abdomen. 



In identifying any fish in this group it will be necessary to first 

 find the family in the following key : 



Families of California Herrings and Herring-like Fishes. 



The body nearly as wide as it is deep. The snout pointed, cone- 

 shaped, and projecting beyond a small mouth. The maxillary not 

 reaching backwards behind the eye. The Lady-Fishes {Family Al- 

 hulicke) : Page 60. 



The body deeper than wide. The snout not cone-shaped and not 

 projecting beyond the mouth in front. The maxillary not extending 

 backwards behind the eye. The Herrings (Family Clupeidce). 

 Page 60. 



