Diagnostic characters: A medium-sized marine gizzard shad; body almost oval, compressed, very deep,
depth increasing with size of fish (40 to 60% of standard length in fishes over 10 cm); abdomen fully
scuted; pelvic scute with ascending arms. Mouth inferior; second supramaxilla a mere splint;
upper jaw slender at tip and not strongly turned downward; upper jaw with distinct median notch when
seen from in front. Maxilla reaching posteriorly to a vertical through midpoint of eye. Lower jaw short, its
edges strongly flared outward. No fleshy outgrowths on posterior margin of gill opening. Opercle
smooth, without bony striae. Gill rakers fine and numerous; lower gill rakers 50 to 96 (for fishes
with 4 to 14 cm standard length); longest gill rakers on lower part of arch less than corresponding
gill filaments (and much less in larger fishes). Dorsal-fin origin distinctly anterior to midpoint of body;
last dorsal-fin ray not filamentous. Anal fin much shorter than head; anal fin lying well posterior to
vertical through base of posteriormost dorsal-fin ray; with 15 to 20 (usually 16 to 19) branched fin rays.
Pelvic-fin insertion at about vertical through middle of dorsal fin; pelvic fins with i unbranched and 7
branched soft rays. Scales moderately large, 38 to 45 (usually 40 to 43) in lateral series. Predorsal
scales forming a single median series, postdorsal scales with posterior margin elongated.
Posterior margins of scales denticulated; teeth slightly larger than gaps between them.