FAMILY CLUPIDiE — ALOSA. 263 



THE SPOTTED SHADINE, 



Alosa sadina. 

 PLATE XL. FIG. 129. 

 TTu Ntw-Tork Shadhu, Clupea taima. MiTCHiLL, Trans. Lit. and Phil. Soc. Vol. 1, p. 457. 



Characteristics. A dark humeral spot. Abdomen faintly serrated in its whole length. No 

 caudal pouches. Length six to twelve inches. 



Description. Resembles the Common Shad in its form, compressed ; branchial rays and 

 emarginate upper lip. Length of the head to the total length as one to three, and equal to 

 the depth of the body. Scales on the back, small and crowded ; larger on the sides, and 

 becoming smaller on the tail, which they cover to some distance up the rays. Lateral line 

 indistinct. Tongue smooth ; the filaments of the branchial arches nearly fill the mouth. 

 Belly faintly serrated ; (in the figure, too much exaggerated.) 



Dorsal fin concave on its margin ; highest in front, terminating nearly over the origin of the 

 anal. Pectorals with a diaphanous scale, nearly as long as the fin. A similar scale above 

 and behind the ventrals, which are very short, feeble and ramose. 



Color. Greenish and blue above, with metallic reflections. Sides and belly silvery, the 

 latter with a faint tinge of pink. Opercles yellow and gold. A dark green rounded spot, 

 almost approaching to black, on the shoulder, just behind the upper part of the branchial 

 aperture. 



Length, 6-0- 12-0. Depth, 3-0 - 4-0. 

 Fin rays, D. 18 ; P. 18 ; V. 7 ; A. 21 ; C. 16 



3 



I have referred this, with some misgivings, to the sadina of Dr. Mitchill, which he de- 

 scribes vaguely enough as " neat, taper and slender." In a list of fishes which I published a 

 few years since, I changed sadina (on account of its being liable to be confounded with sor- 

 dino) to notata ; but farther reflection has satisfied me that I have no right to make the 

 change. In the Fauna Boreoli Americana, the author places Mitchill's sadina under En- 

 groulis ; but I know not upon what authority. The ventrals are certainly not in advance of 

 the dorsal, nor does the mouth extend beyond the orbits. Indeed, I know of no American 

 Engraulis. Our species does not appear to be common. It was taken in the harbor of New- 

 York in November, and was brought to me for a curious variety of the menhaden, from which 

 it differs by its large head, relative size and position of the dorsal and anal, absence of pouches, 

 and general physiognomy. 



