FISHES OF NEW YORK 199 



113 Pomolobus pseudoharengus (Wilson) 



Branch Herring ; Alewife s 



Chipea pseudoharengus Wilson, Rees's Encycl. IX, about 1811. 



Clvpco. vernalis Mitchill, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 22, 1814; Trans. Lit. & Phil. 



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



267, 1883; Bean, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 588, 1884; Fishes Fenna. 



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



1884. 

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

 romolobus vernalis Goode ife Bean, Bull. Essex Inst. 24, 1879. 

 Pomolohvs pseudoharengvs Gill, Rep. U. S. F. C. I, 811, 1873; Jordan & 



Evermann, Bull. 47, TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 426, 1896, pi. LXXI, fig. 189, 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 

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

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

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

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

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

 of snout — about three and one half in head. Maxillary broad, 

 extending to the vertical through pupil; upper jaw emarginate, 

 lower jaw slightly projecting. Length of dorsal base almost equal 

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

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

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

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

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



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

 to length of dorsal base, or two thirds the length of head. 



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

 a black spot behind head; dusky lines on body, which are only 

 visible on large examples. 



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

 mac 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 

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



