Agrakhan shad (Alosa sphaerocephala)

Scientific name: Alosa sphaerocephala Berg, 1913

Agrakhan shad (Alosa sphaerocephala)

The Agrakhan shad (Alosa sphaerocephala) is a brackish-water fish of the family Clupeidae. Native range: Former USSR and Asia, Caspian Sea.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 3; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13-14; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 17 - 19. Body shape `shad-like'; upper and lower head profiles strongly rounded. Gill rakers rather long and thin, equal to or usually longer than gill filaments. Teeth well developed in both jaws. Resembles A. saposchnikowii which has a more pointed head, the upper and lower jaw profiles straight; A. caspia has more gill rakers and A. brashnikovi is more slender and `herring-like'.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Alosa sphaerocephala
Family
Clupeidae (Herrings, shads and sardines)
Order
Clupeiformes (Herrings)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
25.0
Common length
17.0
Environment
Brackish; pelagic
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
Former USSR and Asia: Caspian Sea.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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