THE FISHES OF NEW JERSEY. 105 



Family DOROSOMATID^. 



The Gizzard Shad. 



Body short, deep, strongly compressed. Head short, rather 

 small. Snout blunt, overlapping- small inferior oblique mouth. 

 Eye with adipose eyelid. Teeth minute. Maxillary narrow, 

 short, with single supplementary bone not extending to opposite 

 middle of eye and forming but small portion of lateral margin of 

 upper jaw. Premaxillaries not protractile. Mandible short and 

 deep, rami enlarged at base. Gill-membranes not united, free 

 from isthmus. Gill-rakers slender, exceedingly numerous, not 

 very long, and similar on all arches. Pseudobranchias large. 

 Branchiostegals about 6. Body covered with thin deciduous c}^- 

 cloid scales. Belly compressed to an edge which is armed with 

 bony serratures. No lateral line. Vertebrae 49. Stomach short, 

 muscular, like gizzard of a fowl. Dorsal fin about midway in 

 body, usually behind ventrals. Anal very long, low. Caudal 

 forked. Pectorals and ventrals moderate, each with an acces- 

 sory scale. No adipose fin. 



Mud-eating fishes of the coasts and rivers of warm regions, of 

 little value as food. One genus and species in our waters. 



Genus Dorosoma Rafinesque. 



The Gizzard Shad. 



Dorosoma cepedianum (Le Sueur). 



Plate 7. 



Gizzard Shad. Hickory Shad. Mud Shad. 



Head 3% ; depth 2^ ; D. iv, 9, i ; A. 11, 29, i ; P. i, 15 ; V. i, 

 7; scales 55 in lateral series from gill-opening to base of caudal, 

 several more on latter; about 31 series of scales before dorsal; 

 20 series of scales transversely between origin of dorsal and 

 middle. of belly; 8 series of scales vertically on caudal peduncle 



