Alosa sphaerocephala (Berg, 1913)

Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash, Ghanavi, Hamid Reza & Doadrio, Ignacio, 2020, Fig. 4 in Fig. 4 in Fig. 3 in Fig. 21. Sesarmops mora n in Paralbunea dayriti, Zoological Studies 59 (21), pp. 1-303 : 25-27

Alosa sphaerocephala (Berg, 1913) – Native

Clupeonella sphaerocephala Berg [L. S.] 1913: 20; Type locality: Off Tyuleniy Island, north of Agrakhan Bay, Russia, Caspian Sea. Lectotype: ZIN 15928 (190 mm). Paralectotypes: (30+) ZIN 15928 (3, with lectotype), 32157 (11), 32159 (13).

Common name: Pr: shagmahi-ye Agrakhan, En: Round headed Shad, Agrakhan shad.

Diagnosis: Body shape “shad-like”, upper and lower head profiles strongly rounded. Gill rakers rather long and thin, equal to or usually longer than gill filaments. Teeth found in both jaws and well-developed. The upper and lower head profiles are obviously rounded. The upper edge of the lower jaw is crescent-shaped.

Meristic characters: D: III–IV (IV) 13–15, A: III– IV (III) 17–19, P: 9, GR: 26–46, TV: 47–51.

Distribution: Caspian Sea basin ( Fig. 38). More common in the northern and central regions, Confined to semi-saline waters. Non-anadromous, not entering freshwaters. Found in the eastern part at the north end of Caspian Sea in spawning season.

Taxonomy: Whitehead et al. (1988) placed in Alosa .

Conservation: IUCN: Least Concern ( Di Dario

2017b).