Fish Identification Photos: Striped Herring, Lile stolifera: The Striped Herring has a moderately deep body that has a bluish back, silver on its sides, and white below, with a broad silver midlateral stripe.

The body depth of the Striped Herring varies significantly from 26 to 37 percent of its length. The lower body profile is strongly convex.

Both lobes of the Striped Herring caudal fin are tipped in black as is the dorsal fin (as pictured below). The Striped Herring has 14 to 18 dorsal rays with the origin of the dorsal fin being over the pelvic fins.

The Striped Herring is most likely confused with the Flatiron Herring, Harengula thrissinas (lacking black tipped caudal fins).

The Striped Herring reaches a maximum length of 6 inches and is found in the first 30 feet of the water column along sandy and muddy shores and in brackish estuaries.

In Mexican waters the Striped Herring is found along the Pacific side of the Baja California peninsula south of Guerrero Negro, in the lower half of the Sea of Cortez, and along the coast of the mainland Mexican coast south to Mazatlan.

The Striped Herring is a member of the Clupeida family which consists of Herrings, Menhadens, Pilchards, Piquitingas, Sardines, Shads, and Threadfin-herrings, which are collectively known in Mexico as sardinas.

Striped Herring, Lile stolifera: Collected off the surface by hand within the confines of the Puerto Los Cabos Marina, San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, in May 2008. Size 9 cm. Description and photo courtesy of John Snow.