Opisthonema oglinum

Opisthonema oglinum
Atlantic Thread Herring – Opisthonema oglinum
FamilyScientific NameAuthorYearCommon Name
CluepeidaeOpisthonema oglinum(Lesueur)1818Atlantic Thread Herring

Opisthonema oglinum

Unique Characters: Last dorsal-fin ray elongate. Large dark spot behind opercle. Upper jaw without median notch. Posterior border of gill opening with 2 fleshy lobes. No small, toothed hypomaxilla between posterior tip of premaxilla and expanded blade of maxilla. 7 branched pelvic-fin rays.

Threadfin Shad vs Atlantic Thread Herring
Threadfin Shad vs Atlantic Thread Herring – Rob Aguilar, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Similar Species:

Atlantic Herring Clupea harengus

Scaled Sardine Harengula jaguana

Spanish Sardine Sardinella aurita

Harengula jaguana
Scaled Sardine – Harengula jaguana
Photo Credit: G.H. Burgess
Sardinella aurita
Spanish Sardine – Sardinella aurita

Atlantic Herring Clupea harengus. Body elongate. 39-46 weakly developed ventral scutes. Upper jaw without median notch. Posterior border of gill opening evenly rounded.

Scaled Sardine Harengula jaguana. Body deep. Back with dark streaks, never orangish. Usually single dark spot on upper opercle edge and sometimes one at shoulder. Upper jaw without median notch. Posterior border of gill opening with 2 fleshy lobes. Small, toothed hypomaxilla present between posterior tip of premaxilla and expanded blade of maxilla.

Spanish Sardine Sardinella aurita. Body very slender. Last two anal fin rays enlarged. Upper jaw without median notch. Posterior border of gill opening with 2 fleshy lobes. No small, toothed hypomaxilla between posterior tip of premaxilla and expanded blade of maxilla. Last dorsal-fin ray normal. 8 branched pelvic-fin rays.

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