The wolf herrings are a

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

(Chirocentridae) of two marine species of

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...

related to the herrings. Both species have elongated bodies and jaws with long sharp teeth that facilitate their ravenous appetites, mostly for other fish. 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 The dorab wolf-herring (''Chirocentrus dorab'') is a fish species from the genus ''Chirocentrus'' of the family Chirocentridae. It is a coastal fish, silvery below and bright blue above. It is found in both marine and brackish or estuarine water ...

'' ( Forsskål, 1775) - Dorab wolf-herring, found in warm coastal waters from the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

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 A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...

. This species is also known to eat crabs in addition to its usual diet of smaller fish.)

References

* Fish of the Indian Ocean Extant Eocene first appearances Taxa named by Georges Cuvier {{Clupeiformes-stub