Anchovies, herrings and allies
Anchovies, herrings and their allies are an order of fish that contains nearly 400 species. These fish are highly streamlined for fast swimming and often form huge shoals which makes many species commercially important for the fishing industry.
Family
Engraulidae
Peruvian anchoveta (species)
Herrings, sardines and allies (Clupeidae)Herrings, sardines and their allies form the family of fish called clupeids, which contains 216 species. Most clupeids feed on plankton, and the majority of species are marine, though a few migrate between the sea and freshwater.
About
Clupeiformes is the order of ray-finned fish that includes the herring family, Clupeidae, and the anchovy family, Engraulidae. The group includes many of the most important food fish.
Clupeiformes are physostomes, which means that the gas bladder has a pneumatic duct connecting it to the gut. They typically lack a lateral line, but still have the eyes, fins and scales that are common to the fish family, although not all fish have these attributes. They are generally silvery fish with streamlined, spindle-shaped, bodies, and live in large shoals. Most species eat plankton, which they filter from the water with their gill rakers.
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Scientific Classification
Order: Clupeiformes
Other Actinopterygii
- Catfish (Siluriformes)
- Characiformes (family: Characids)
- Needlefish, flying fish and allies (Beloniformes)
- Osteoglossiformes (species: Pirarucu)
- Perch-like fishes (Perciformes)
- Syngnathiformes (family: Seahorses and pipefish)
Elsewhere on the web
- Clupeiformes (animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu)
- Worldwide clupeiforme distribution (data.gbif.org)
- Clupeiforme fact file (fishbase.org)
- Clupeiformes in the Encyclopedia of Life (eol.org)
- Clupeiforme field guide (zipcodezoo.com)
- Clupeiformes (wikipedia.org)
Site links
BBC links
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