FISHES OF NEW YORK 199 



113 Pomolobus pseudoharengus (Wilson) 

 Branch Herring; Alewife 



lupea pseudoliarenfjns Wilson, Rees's Encycl. IX, about 1811. 



hipm vernalis Mitchill, Eep. Fish. N. Y. 22, 1814; Trans. Lit. & Phil. 



Soc. N. Y. I, 454, 1815; Jordax & Gilbert. Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 



267, 1883; Bean, Fish ife Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 588, 1884; Fishes Penna. 



58, pi. 25, fig. 45, 1893; Goode, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, pis. 207, 208, 



1884. 

 losa tyrannus De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 258, pi. 13, fig. 38, 1842. 

 'oinolohus vernalis Goode & Bean, Bull. Essex Inst. 24, 1879. 

 'omolobiis pscudoharengns Gill, Rep. U. S. F. C. I, 811, 1873; Jordan & 



EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mns. 420, 1896, pi. LXXI, fig. 180, 1900: 



Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 91, 1898; Bean, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. 



State Mus. 96, 1900. 



Body deep and heavy forward, much compressed. Its greatest 

 lepth, at dorsal origin equals one third of total length to base of 

 audal. The least depth of caudal peduncle equals but one half of 

 ength of head. The head is short, being almost as deep as long, 

 Lbout one fifth of the standard length. The eye is large, deeper 

 han long, its length slightly greater than its distance from tip 

 )f snout about three and one half in head. Maxillary broad, 

 extending to the vertical through pupil; upper jaw emarginate, 

 ower jaw slightly projecting. Length of dorsal base almost equal 



that of head; its highest ray about two thirds as long as the 

 )ase, or equal to anal base. The anal is low, its longest ray 

 jeing equal to length of eye. Caudal deeply forked, partially 

 scaled near base. Length of pectoral less than that of dorsal 

 jase. D. 16; A. 17 to 19. Scales 15-50 to 54. . 



In the male the dorsal is higher, its longest ray about equal 

 :o length of dorsal base, or two thirds the length of head. 

 Color on black blue silvery and paler on sides and underneath ; 



1 black spot behind head; diisky lines on body, which are only 

 i^isible on large examples. 



Described from no. 27197 V. S. National Museum from Poto- 

 uac river. Length 11 inches. 



The branch herring, river herring or alewife has a variety of 

 additional names. It is the ellwife or ellwhop of Connecticut 

 nver, the spring herring of New York, the big-eyed and wall- 



