Atlantic thread herring
Species of fish / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Atlantic thread herring (Opisthonema oglinum) is a herring-like fish in the family Clupeidae.
Quick Facts Conservation status, Scientific classification ...
Atlantic thread herring | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Clupeiformes |
Family: | Dorosomatidae |
Genus: | Opisthonema |
Species: | O. oglinum |
Binomial name | |
Opisthonema oglinum (Lesueur, 1818) | |
Close
It has a dark blue-gray back, silvery sides, a white belly, and a small head. It grows up to 38 cm in length. It can be found in shallow waters and harbors along the coasts of the western Atlantic Ocean, from Cape Cod south to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico. It feeds mainly on plankton, but also takes small fish and crustaceans.
It is confused with the scaled sardine, Harengula jaguana, by anglers.