Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 421 



Diego; one specimen known. (Eigenmann.) Evidently very close to 



Etrnmcus and Dnssumieria. (uOovrj, veil; w^>, eye.) 



Perkinsia othonops, ROSA SMITH EIQENMANN, Amer. Nat., 1891, 153, San Diego, California. 



206. CLUPEA (Artedi) Linnaeus. 

 (HERRINGS.) 



Cliipea (ARTEDI) LINNJEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. x, 1758, 317, (harengus). 



l{<i',iia, CrviF.R & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., xx, 340, 1847, (alba, "the Whitebait," the 

 young of harengus). 



True Herrings with the body elongate, numerous vertebrae, the ventral 

 serratures weak, and an ovate patch of small but persistent teeth on the 

 vomer. The few species belong to the northern seas, where the number 

 of individuals is inordinately great, exceeding perhaps those of any other 

 genus of fishes. Not anadromous, spawning in the sea. (Clupea, herring.) 



a. Belly serrate both before and behind ventrals ; anal rays 17. HARENGUS, 685. 



oa. Belly serrate behind ventrals only ; anal rays about 14. PALLASII, 686. 



85. CLUPEA HARENGUS, Linnaeus. 

 (COMMON HERRING.) 



Head 4i; depth 4|; eye 4. D. 18; A. 17; lateral line 57; ventral 

 scutes 28 + 13 ; Vertebrae 56. Body elongate, compressed. Scales loose. 

 Cheeks longer than high, the junction of the mandible and preopercle 

 under middle of eye. Maxillary extending to middle of eye ; upper jaw 

 not emarginate ; lower jaw much projecting. Vomer with an ovate patch 

 of small permanent teeth ; palatine teeth minute, if present ; tongue with 

 small teeth ; jaws with or without minute teeth. Gill rakers very long, 

 fine, and slender, about 40 on the lower part of the arch. Eye longer than 

 snout. Dorsal inserted rather behind middle of body, in front of ven- 

 trals. Pectorals and ventrals short; anal low. Abdomen serrated in 

 front of ventrals as well as behind, the serratures weak. Bluish; silvery 

 below, with bright reflections. Peritoneum dusky. Length 16 inches. 

 North Atlantic Ocean ; abundant on the coasts both of Europe and Amer- 

 ica, chiefly north of Cape Hatteras where it is known as Labrador her- 

 ring; the young are canned as sardines at Eastport, Me., and elsewhere.* 

 Spawns in the sea. (Eu.) (harengus, low Latin for Herring, the word 

 allied to the German Heer, army, a fish that swims in armies.) 



Clupea harengus, LINN^US, Syst. Nat., Ed. x, 1758, 317, Seas of Europe ; GIJNTHER, Cat., 



vu, 415, 1868 ; JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 265, 1883. 

 Clupea esca, WALBAUM, Artedi, Pise., in, 36, 1792, English Whitebait. 

 Clupea membras, PALLAS, Zoogr. Ross.-Asiat., in, 211, 1811, Baltic Sea. 

 Clupea halec, MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. and Phil. Soc., i, 1815, 451, New York. 

 C'liiju'ii riltaia, MITCHILL, I. c., 456, New York. 

 Clupea caerulea, MITCHILL, I. c., 457, 1815, New York. 

 Clupea elongaia, LE SUEUR, Journ. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., i, 1817, 234, Massachusetts. 



* The herring is abundant only to the north of Cape Cod. Mr. W. C. Kendall reports that 

 it is occasionally taken about Fortress Monroe. It is rare on the coast of Maryland, being, 

 according to Uhler and Lugger, more common after a severe winter. 



