Clupeidae

Clupeidae

[klü′pē·ə‚dē]

(vertebrate zoology)

The herrings, a family of fishes in the suborder Clupoidea composing the most primitive group of higher bony fishes.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Clupeidae

 

(herring), a family of bony fishes of the order Clupeiformes. The body length is usually 35–45 cm, although a few species do reach a length of 75 cm.

There are about 50 genera, distributed from temperate latitudes to the tropics. The majority live in the sea; there are a few migratory and freshwater forms. Reproduction occurs not far from shore; the roe are pelagic or, in some genera (for example, Clupea), benthic. The fishes feed on plankton or, sometimes, on small fishes. They live in schools, and many migrate long distances. Of the greatest economic value are sardines, Clupeonella, sprats, marine species of the genus Clupea, and migratory and marine species of the genus Alosa. Clupea are found in the boreal region of the Atlantic Ocean; in the North, Norwegian, Barents, and White seas; along the shores of Siberia; and in the Pacific Ocean as far south as southern Primor’e and California. The Alosa are present in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caspian Sea, and the basin of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Herring are of very great importance in commercial fishing. The world catch reaches 5 million tons a year. The fishes are used in salted, smoked, and canned form.

REFERENCES

Svetovidov, A. N. Sel’devye. Moscow-Leningrad, 1952. (Fauna SSR: Ryby, vol. 2, issue 1.)
Promyslovye ryby SSSR: Opisaniia ryb (text to atlas). Moscow, 1949.
Zhizn’ zhivotnik, vol. 4, part 1. Moscow, 1971.
Nikol’skii, G. V. Chastnaia ikhtiologiia, 3rd ed. Moscow, 1971.

IU. IU. MARTI

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.