Skipjack shad

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Skipjack shad
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Clupeiformes Family: Clupeidae Genus: Alosa Subgenus: (Pomolobus) Species: A. (P.) chrysochloris
Binomial name
Alosa (Pomolobus) chrysochloris (Rafinesque, 1820)

A migratory species, the skipjacks shad (Alosa chrysochloris) is one of the "typical" North American shads of the subgenus Pomolobus (Faria et al. 2006).

During mating season, assemble below dams in spring (probably in an attempt to return upstream from the gulf or the lower Mississippi to spawn). They spawn from late April to mid June, during which time they can be captured by dip or throw nets. Skipjacks eat plankton, minnows and larvae of mayflies and caddisflies. They feed in large schools, leaping out of the water while pursuing prey. This name-giving habit starts at dusk and continues until long after dark, when the skipping of many specimens is nearly impossible to follow with the naked eye.

[edit] References

• Faria, R.; Weiss, S. & Alexandrino, P. (2006): A molecular phylogenetic perspective on the evolutionary history of Alosa spp. (Clupeidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40(1): 298–304. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.02.008 (HTML abstract)