Osmeridae

Osmeridae 

a family of bony fishes of the order Clupeiformes. The dorsal fin is short and located in the middle of the body; there is an adipose fin and a swim bladder. There are six genera (approximately ten species)—Osmerus (true smelt), Hypomesus (pond smelt), Mallotus (capelin, one species), Spirinchus, Taleichthys, and Allosmerus.

The fishes are widely distributed in the northern hemisphere; they inhabit the seas and freshwaters of the basins of the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, as well as the northern parts of the Pacific Ocean. In the USSR they are found in the basins of the Baltic Sea and the Arctic Ocean; representatives of Osmerus, Hypomesus, and Mallotus are also found in the bodies of water of the upper and lower Volga systems. Osmeridae are small fishes that live in schools in deep water and along the benthos. They feed on crustaceans and small fish. Most Osmeridae swim up-stream to rivers for spawning; however, there are strictly marine (Mallotus, Allosmerus) and freshwater (lacustrine smelt) species. The eggs are deposited on bottoms, clinging to rocks or plants. Members of the family Osmeridae are commercially valuable.

REFERENCE

Zhizn’zhivotnykh, vol. 4, part 1. Moscow, 1971.

T. N. BELIANINA