Nematalosa nasus (Bloch, 1795)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Bloch's gizzard shad (Nematalosa nasus), also known as gizzard shad, hairback, long-finned gizzard shad, long-ray bony bream and thread-finned gizzard shad, is a widespread and common, small to medium-sized anadromous fish found in all marine, freshwater and brackish waters throughout the Indo-West Pacific, from the Andaman Sea, South China Sea and the Philippines to the Korean peninsula. A single specimen was recorded from waters of South Africa. It was described by Marcus Elieser Bloch in 1795.
The sardines are known to swim at a maximum depth of 30 metres. The largest known standard length for the species is 22 cm. The fish can be distinguished from its sister species by the presence of a dark spot behind gill opening. Belly consists with 17 to 20and 9 to 13 scutes. It has 15 to 19 dorsal soft rays and 17 to 26 anal dorsal soft rays. It is a filter feeder and feeds on planktons. Widely used as a food fish, it can be made into fish balls and can be eaten both in fresh and dried forms.
Wikipedia contributors, Nematalosa nasus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:17:54.236755+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Nematalosa nasus (Bloch, 1795)
- Name authority
- (Bloch, 1795)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Clupeiformes
- Family
- Dorosomatidae
- Genus
- Nematalosa
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderClupeiformes
- suborderClupeoidei Bleeker, 1859
- familyDorosomatidae Gill, 1861
- genusNematalosa Regan, 1917
- speciesNematalosa nasus (Bloch, 1795)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Nematalosa. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Nematalosa come (Richardson, 1846) | DorosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nematalosa erebi (Günther, 1868) | DorosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nematalosa galatheae Nelson & Rothman, 1973 | DorosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nematalosa japonica Regan, 1917 | DorosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nematalosa persara Nelson & McCarthy, 1995 | DorosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nematalosa resticularia Nelson & McCarthy, 1995 | DorosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nematalosa vlaminghi (Munro, 1956) | DorosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nematalosa papuensis (Munro, 1964) | DorosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Arabian gizzard shadNematalosa arabica Regan, 1917 | DorosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nematalosa flyensis Wongratana, 1983 | DorosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Nematolosa nasus (Bloch, 1795) (Bloch, 1795) | synonym |
| Dorosoma nasus (Bloch, 1795) (Bloch, 1795) | synonym |
| Chatoessus nasus (Bloch, 1795) (Bloch, 1795) | synonym |
| Clupea nasus Bloch, 1795 Bloch, 1795 | synonym |
| Nematalosus nasus (Bloch, 1795) (Bloch, 1795) | synonym |
| Chatoessus altus Gray, 1834 Gray, 1834 | synonym |
| Chatoessus chrysopterus Richardson, 1846 Richardson, 1846 | synonym |
| Clupanodon nasica Lacepède, 1803 Lacepède, 1803 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=217450 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:466LT. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.