872 FISHES—-CLUPEIDA. 
ANALYSIS OF GENERA OF CLUPEIDA, 
*“ No teeth on the vomer ; no dorsal filament; scales cycloid. 
t Cheeks deeper than long; teeth wanting or on the jawsonly. . . . ALOSA. 
tt Cheeks longer than deep; tongue and often jaws also with more or less devel- 
oped teeth, ; : 6 : : j ; 6 é POMOLOBUS. 47. 
GENUS ALOSA. Cuvier. 
Alosa, CuviiR, Regre Auimal, 2d Ed., 1829. 
Type, Clupea alosa, L.; Alosa vulgaris, Cuv. 
Etymology, Latin alausa or aiosa, a name applied by early writers to the Shad, from 
This genus differs from Pomolebus chiefly in the form of the cheeks, which are higher 
the English Allis or German, alse, allied to the Latin, halec 
than long, the horizonta, process of the ope cle being very short; the body is deeper 
than in the other genera, and there are no teeth except sometimes a few cadacous ones 
in the jaws. The propriety of retaining Alasa 2s a genus distinct from Pemolobus is not 
very evident; but until the whole group can be reviewed, it is best to follow custom. 
ALOSA SAPIDISSIMA (Wilson) Storer. 
Commom Shad. 
Clupea alosa, Mircui11, Trans. Lit. and Phil. Soce., 1, 1814, 449 (not of Linn us). 
Clupea sapidissima, WILSON, Rees’ Hicyclopedia, Amer. Ed., 181. 
Clupea sapidissima, RAFINESQUE, Am. Moithly Mag,, ii, 1818, 205. 
Alosa sapidissima, STORER, Synopsis Fish. N. A., 458, and of nearly all late writers. 
Alosa prestabilizs, DEKay, New York Fauna, Fishes, 1842, 265.—Srorer, Hist. Fish. 
Mass., and of writers. 
Description —Body stout, elliptical, compressed ; mouth moderate, usually entirely 
toothless; lower jaw rather longest, its tip fitting into an emargination of the upper; 
dorsal fin median, beginnirg rather in front of the ventrals; ventral serrations strong : 
color bluish or clivaceous, sides silvery ; usually a dusky blotch on sides behind head, 
sometimes followed by one or more smaller ones; in older specimens these become obso- 
lete; head 44 in length; depth 63; D 15; A. 19; lat. 1 60; scutes 21, 15. Length 1 
to 2 feet. 
Habitat, New England to Galf of Mexico, ascending streams to spawn. 
Diagnosis.—The true shad may be known by its serrated belly and 
rather large mouth, which is usually totally destitute of teeth. 
Hobits —As this familiar and excellent fish is not indigenous to the 
waters of Ohio, its habits may be biiefly treated here. It is found along 
the whole Atlantic Coast of the United States, and ascends all suitable 
streams in the spring for the purpose of spawning. Its migrations in the 
sea extend from the South northward in the spring, returning in the fall. 
In Ohio Shad have been introduced into the Ohio River, but as they mi- 
grate southward in the summer, the chance of their returning next sea 
