Alosidae

 ( Clupeiformes ) 

The Alosidae, or the shads, Biodiversity, Status, and Conservation of the World’s Shads American Fisheries Society Symposium Volume (2003)

are a family of clupeiform fishes. The family currently comprises four genera worldwide, and about 32 species.

The shads are Pelagic fish (open water) schooling fish, of which many are anadromous or even landlocked. Several species are of commercial importance, e.g. in the genus Alosa (river herrings), Brevoortia (menhadens), and Sardina. The Alosidae were previously included in the herring family Clupeidae.

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Genera Alosidae contains the following 4 genera:

• Alosa H. F. Linck, 1790 (Shads)
• Brevoortia Theodore Gill, 1861 (Menhadens)
• Sardina Grigore Antipa, 1904 (European pilchard)
• Sardinops C. L. Hubbs, 1929 (Blue pilchard)

The following fossil Alosidae are also known:

• † Eoalosa Marramà & Carnevale, 2017 (early Eocene of Italy)
• † Moldavichthys Baykina & Schwarzhans, 2017 (mid-late Miocene of Moldova)
• ?† Pugliaclupea Taverne, 2004 (Late Cretaceous of Italy)
• † Sanalosa Bienkowska-Wasiluk, Granica & Kovalchuk, 2024 (Oligocene of Poland)

The oldest member of the group is Pugliaclupea from the Campanian of Italy, but its placement in the Alosidae appears to be on weak grounds. Otherwise, all other members of the family are only known from the Eocene onwards. There appears to have been a significant center of endemism for the alosids and other clupeoids in the Paratethys. The freshwater † Chasmoclupea from the Oligocene of Egypt may also be related to the Alosidae.

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See also

• The Shad Foundation
• Shad Planking, a Virginia political gathering featuring the consumption of American shad

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