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Which fish families belong to the order Clupeiformes?
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clupeiform
A young common herring (Clupea harengus).
The order Clupeiformes consists of several distinct families of bony fishes. While historical classifications once included a much broader range of species, modern taxonomy—following the 1966 revision by Greenwood et al.—generally recognizes the following families within the order:12
- Clupeidae: Includes herrings, sardines, pilchards, menhadens, and sprats.1
- Engraulidae: The family of anchovies.1
- Chirocentridae: Known as the wolf herrings.1
- Denticipitidae: A family containing the denticle herrings.1
- Pristigasteridae: Includes ilishas, longfin herrings, and pellonas.12
- Sundasalangidae: Known as the Sundaland noodlefishes.1
It is important to note that groups formerly associated with this order, such as tarpons, bonefishes, salmons, trouts, and pikes, are now classified in different orders due to fundamental evolutionary differences.12