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KEY TO WESTERN PA FISH FAMILIES CLUPIDAE AND ESOCIDAE

1) spiny scales along midline of belly; lateral line absent; head not elongated like duck’s bill (Family Clupidae). . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

1) spiny scales absent along midline of belly; lateral line usually noticeable; head elongated like duck’s bill (Family Esocidae). . 7

2) mouth terminal (lower jaw longer than upper jaw, or both jaws equal in length); snout is sharp; last dorsal ray not elongated (Genus Alosa). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  1. mouth somewhat subterminal; snout is blunt; last dorsal ray elongated, sometimes broken off in adults (Genus Dorosoma). . . 6

    2.  

    3) gillrakers (lower limb of first gill arch) less than 30. . . . . . . . . . . . 4

  2. gillrakers (lower limb of first gill arch) more than 30. . . . . . . . . . .5

 

4) posterior end of upper jaw extends beyond center of eye; row of 1-9 spots arranged along upper sides starting from gill cleft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Skipjack Herring

4) posterior end of upper jaw not extending beyond center of eye; rows of spots lacking. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hickory Shad

 

5) gill-rakers around 40; has teeth; upper jaw outline concave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alewife

5) gillrakers 60-70; toothless; upper jaw convex. . . . . . .American Shad

 

6) scales along lateral line 58-65; postopercular spot larger than or equal to eye diameter; anal rays usually more than 29. . . . . . .Eastern Gizzard

6) scales along lateral line 40-43; postopercular spot smaller than eye diameter—sometimes lacking altogether in adults; anal rays 20-25. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . Threadfin Shad

 

7) opercles almost entirely scaled; prominent teardrop; less than 8 submandibular pores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

7) opercles not scaled on lower half; teardrop very faint or lacking altogether; more than 10 submandibular pores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

 

8) body darkly barred and mottled; branchiostegals numbering 11-13; scales along lateral line fewer than 110. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Grass Pickeral

8) adults (over 8.0) have dark chain-like markings; immature (under 8.0 in) have barred markings; branchiostegals numbering 14-16; scales along lateral line 112-135. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chain Pickeral

 

9) upper half of cheeks scaled; on adults, white to yellow spots forming oblique rows on darker colored body; on immature, spots merge into bars; 5 or fewer submandibular pores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Northern Pike

 

 

9) cheeks not scaled; dark spots on light body; 6 or more submandibular pores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Muskellunge

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Fichter, George S. and Migdalski, Edward C. The Fresh and Salt Water Fishes of the World. New York: Alfred A. Knoff, 1976.

Trautman, Milton B. The Fishes of Ohio. Ohio State Press, 1981.

Laboratory Manual For Field Biology. Annotated Fish Index.Washington and Jefferson College.

Colorado Division of Wildlife. Colorado Fishing Season Information and Wildlife Property Directory, 1993-1995.

Little, John. Pike Facts. The Glasgow & West of Scotland Regional Association of the Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain & Ireland.

Key to Massachusetts Pike and Pickerals/ Key to Massachusetts Herrings and Shads. An Annotated Working List of the Inland Fishes of Massachusetts. 1996. K.E. Hartel (hartel@mcz.harvard.edu), D.B. Halliwell (arcsys@mint.net) and A.E. Launer (aelauner@leland.stanford.edu).

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