Common Name
American Gizzard Shad
Year Described
Lesueur, 1818
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 10-13
Anal Fin: 25-36
Pectoral Fin:
Pelvic Fin: 8 (7 branched)
Vertebrae: 48-51
Lateral Line Scales: 52-70
Ventral Scutes: 27-34
Gill Rakers: 400+ (first arch in adults)
Body deep and compressed. Mouth subterminal and very small. Snout protruding and rounded. Jaw does not reach eye. Front of upper jaw notched (unique to Dorosoma, Alosa, and Brevoortia. Lower jaw fits into notch in upper. Dorsal fin single with a filamentous final ray. Pelvic fin origin in front of dorsal fin origin. Anal fin begins under last dorsal ray and is long based and low. Tail forked. Body fully scaled (scales small). Ventral keel strong and convex.
Color
Body bright silvery with a dark bluish back. Often with a brassy or golden sheen and faint dark stripes following upper scale rows. A black blotch on the lateral line immediately behind the gill cover. Fins dusky. Eye yellowish.
Size
Maximum size to 52cm TL. Usually between 30-42cm SL.
Habitat
Occurs in freshwater, brackish water, and occasionally coastal marine habitats. Younger fish are found in areas of lower salinity and adults more tolerant of seawater. Spawns in fresh water.
Range
St. Lawrence River (freshwater) and New York to Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico to eastern Mexico.
References
McEachran, J.D. & J.D. Fechhelm. 1998. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. Volume 1: Myxiniformes to Gasterosteiformes. University of Texas Press, Austin. i-viii + 1-1112.
Munroe, T.A. & M.S. Nizinski. 2002. Clupeidaeidae (pp 804-830). In: Carpenter. 2002. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 2: Bony fishes part 1 (Acipenseridae-Grammatidae). FAO Species Identification Guides for Fisheries Purposes. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5.
Other Notes
Can be easily distinguished by range but also has lower scale counts and higher vertebra counts than D. anale.