Family: SPRATELLOIDIDAE, Dwarf Herring, Small Round Herrings
rounded
front bone top jaw - a long triangle
rays under throat 6-7
only scute is W-shaped, between pelvics
FAMILY SPRATELLOIDIDAE
SMALL ROUND HERRINGS
Small, elongate herrings with rounded bodies; mouth short, premaxilla (at front of top jaw) elongate, triangular; anal fin relatively short based; 6-7 rays on the membrane under the gill cover; pelvic fins 8, on the abdomen below the dorsal fin, insert slightly closer to tail fin base than to tip of snout; a forked tail fin; a W shaped hard bony scale at the base of the pelvic fins, no other scutes (hard bony scales) along lower midline of body.
A West Atlantic and west Pacific family, with 2 genera and 8 species; one genus with 4 species endemic to the Greater Caribbean.
PREPARED BY D ROSS ROBERTSON, AFTER MUNROE & NIZINSKI (2002)
