Wolf herring
Appearance
Wolf herrings | |
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Dorab wolf-herring | |
Scientific classification | |
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Family: | Chirocentridae Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1846
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Genus: | Chirocentrus Cuvier, 1816
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Species | |
See text |
The wolf herrings are a family (Chirocentridae) of two marine species of ray-finned fish related to the herrings.
Both species have elongated bodies and jaws with long sharp teeth that facilitate their ravenous appetites, mostly for other fish.[2] Both species reach a length of 1 m. They have silvery sides and bluish backs.
They are commercially fished, and marketed fresh or frozen.
Species
- Chirocentrus dorab (Forsskål, 1775) - Dorab wolf-herring, found in warm coastal waters from the Red Sea to Japan and Australia
- Chirocentrus nudus Swainson, 1839 - whitefin wolf-herring, found in a similar range (This species is difficult to distinguish from C. dorab; the former has a black mark on its dorsal fin. This species is also known to eat crabs in addition to its usual diet of smaller fish.)
References
- ^ Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: p.560. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
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(help) - ^ Nelson, Gareth (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 94. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
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- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Chirocentridae". FishBase. June 2011 version.