432 Bulletin 47 ', United States National Museum. 



short and low; pectorals 1 in head; ventrals If. Scales smooth, firm, 

 closely adherent, entire-edged, without striae ; a very narrow sheath of 

 scales along dorsal and anal; caudal scaled half its length. Ventral 

 scutes strongly developed, with strong spines. Translucent greenish, 

 sides silvery, each scale with its marginal half punctate ; a dark line 

 along middle of back; snout and tip of lower jaw dusky ; side with a 

 very bright, well-defined silvery band, as in Stolephorus, margined by 

 bluish above ; the band widest mesially, as wide as a scale, a little wider 

 than pupil ; at base of caudal the band expands abruptly ; tips of dorsal 

 and caudal lobes jet-black. Length 6 inches. Gulf of California to Pan- 

 ama ; abundant about Mazatlan ; a beautiful and well-marked species, and 

 a very delicate food-fish, allied to the genus Pellonula, and to the East 

 Indian species Clupea lile, which belongs to the same subgenus (Lile). 

 (stolifer, bearing a stole, or white zone.) 



Clupea stolifera, JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mug., 1881, 339, Mazatlan. (Type, No. 

 28125. Coll. Gilbert.) 



211. OPISTHONEMA, Gill. 

 (THREAD HERRING.) 



Opisthonema, GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1861, 37, (thrissa = oglinum). 



Characters essentially those of Sardinella, except that the last ray of 

 the dorsal is produced in a long filament as in Dorosoma, Megalops, and Tar- 

 pon. Species few, American. (oTriade, behind; vrj/ua, a thread.) 



a. Head 4 to 4 in length ; depth about 3 ; anal rays about 23 ; sides of back |with dark spots. 



OGLINUM, 703. 



aa. Head larger, 3| to 3| in length ; depth 3 to 3 ; anal rays about 20 ; back without dark 

 spots. LIBEKTATB, 704. 



703. OPISTHONEMA OGLINUM (Le Sueur). 

 (THREAD HERRING ; MACHUELO ; CAILLEU-TASSART ; SPRAT.) 



Head 4$- ; depth 3|. D. 19 ; A. 24 ; lateral line 50 ; scutes 17 + 14. Body 

 oblong, compressed, formed as in Harengula, the belly strongly serrate. 

 Tongue with minute teeth ; jaws toothless, lower jaw slightly project- 

 ing ; maxillary reaching nearly to middle of orbit. Gill rakers very long 

 and slender. Dorsal fin inserted in front of ventrals, much nearer snout 

 than base of caudal ; dorsal filament about as long as head ; anal very 

 low ; paired fins small. Scales smooth, rather firm, but easily detached, 

 much as in Sardinella sardina. Bluish above, silvery below ; an indis- 

 tinct bluish shoulder spot ; each scale on the back with a dark spot, 

 these forming longitudinal streaks. Length 12 inches. West Indian 

 fauna ; regularly northward to Florida and Carolina, occasionally stray- 

 ing much farther (Longport, New Jersey, Bean; and Fortress Monroe, 

 Kendall). Abundant in the tropics. (Name unexplained, unless from 

 the word ogle, in allusion to the large eyes.) 



Clupea thrissa, BROUSSONET, Ichthyologie, fasc. r, 1782, Carolina; Jamaica; not of Osbeck, 1757, 



which is a Chinese species of Dorosoma; GUNTHER, Cat., vn, 432, 1868, and of many authors. 

 Megalops oglina, LE SCETJR, Journ. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., i, 1817, 359, Newport, Rhode Island. 

 Megalops notata, LE SUEUR, Journ. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., I, 1817, 359, Guadeloupe. 



