Clupeidae

 ( Clupeiformes ) 

Commercially important species of the Clupeidae include the Atlantic herring ( Clupea harengus), and the Pacific herring ( C. pallasii).

The diet of many clupeids primarily consists of phytoplankton and plant matter during their larval stages. As the fish mature this diet begins to shift towards larger and more substantive organisms, including more zooplankton and . This change in diet is possible due to their increase in body and gill raker size, which allows them to capture and process larger organisms to support themselves. Small organisms like these do not need to be ground or torn apart for consumption so pronounced teeth would not serve a purpose in the feeding habits of Clupeidae, instead the use of Filter feeder allows for much more efficient nutrient collection.

The fusiform body shape of Clupeidae is also advantageous to their trophic ecology. The tapering body form is a highly hydrodynamic form that allows for quick increases in speed and a high maximum speed. Moving at high speeds allows the members of this family to regulate their feeding habits and avoid predators. Clupeidae can moderate the speed at which they swim to increase their uptake of nutrients. As with all filter feeders, Clupeidae cannot take in food if nutrient rich water does not pass over their gills. To moderate this, members of this family have been found to increase their swimming speed when they sense that there is a high concentration of food items in order to take advantage of this feeding period. Keeping a high swimming speed during periods of low food availability would not be efficient to maintain over long periods of time as the organisms would not net as much energy as they may need to in order to sustain themselves and increase their fitness. Increasing their swimming speed during feeding periods would allow them to take in more plankton while not suffering consequences from maintaining that speed.

• Clupea Carl Linnaeus, 1758
• Ethmidium W. F. Thompson, 1916
• Hyperlophus Ogilby, 1892
• Potamalosa Ogilby, 1897
• Ramnogaster Whitehead, 1965
• Sprattus Girgensohn 1846
• Strangomera Whitehead,genera from ECoF 1965

The family arguably also contains the "Sundasalangidae", a paedomorphic taxon first thought to be a distinct salmoniform family, but then discovered to be deeply nested in the Clupeidae.

Until recently, the concept of Clupeidae was broader, but it has been subdivided into several distinct families (e.g. Alosidae)

• ?† Audenaerdia Taverne, 1973 (alternatively Clupeidae or Alosidae)
• † Italoclupea Taverne, 2007
• † Knightia Jordan, 1907
• † Lecceclupea Taverne, 2011
• † Xyne Jordan, 1921 (likely closely related to Clupea)

• † Alisea
• † Austroclupea
• † Bolcaichthys
• † Chasmoclupea
• † Clupeidarum
• † Clupeops
• † Eoalosa
• †Eosardinella
• † Etringus
• † Ganoessus
• † Ganolytes
• † Gosiutichthys
• † Horaclupea
• †? Hypsospondylus
• † Karaganops
• † Marambionella
• † Maicopiella
• † Moldavichthys
• † Paleopiquitinga
• † Primisardinella
• † Pseudohilsa
• † Quisque
• † Rupelia
• † Sarmatella (=† Illusionella)
• † Trollichthys
• † Vectichthys
• † Waihaoclupea
• † Wisslerius
• † Xenophanis
• † Xyrinius