The False Herring, scientifically known as Harengula clupeola, is a small, silvery fish belonging to the herring family. It is a common and important species in the coastal waters of the western Atlantic Ocean.
Description & Characteristics
Harengula clupeola is a slender fish with a compressed body, reaching a maximum length of 22.5 cm. Its body is covered in silvery scales, and its back is a bluish-green color. It has a small mouth with a slightly protruding lower jaw, and its fins are translucent. Harengula clupeola is easily distinguished by its single, prominent dorsal fin located towards the middle of its back.
Habitat and Occurrence
The False Herring is found in a variety of coastal habitats, including estuaries, bays, and lagoons. It is most commonly found in shallow waters along the coast, with a depth range of 0.0 to 50.0 meters. Harengula clupeola can be found in both inshore and offshore waters, and is often associated with areas where there is an abundance of plankton.
Taxonomy
Harengula clupeola belongs to the Class: Teleostei, Order: Clupeiformes, and Family: Dorosomatidae. This family includes other important food fishes like gizzard shad and threadfin shad. The order Clupeiformes is a diverse group, characterized by their slender bodies, silvery scales, and specialized feeding mechanisms. Harengula clupeola falls within the larger class Teleostei, which represents the vast majority of bony fish species.
Feeding
Harengula clupeola is a planktivore, feeding primarily on a variety of small organisms found in the water column. Their diet includes bosmiden, brine shrimps, clams, copepods, cyclops, daphnia salina, fish larvae, invertebrates, mysis, snails, worms, and zooplankton. Their small mouths and numerous gill rakers allow them to filter feed efficiently, capturing a large volume of plankton with each gulp of water.
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