Higher Classification: > Kingdom Animalia > Subkingdom Eumetazoa > Phylum Chordata > Subphylum Vertebrata > Infraphylum Gnathostomata > Parvphylum Osteichthyes > Gigaclass Actinopterygii > Subclass Neopterygii > Class Teleostei > Order Clupeiformes > Family Alosidae > Genus Alosa

Alosa alosa (Linnaeus, 1758)

Rank: Species
Taxon Status: accepted

Relationships towards this taxon

Genus group names

*Alosa*	Linck, 1790	accepted genus name

Species group names

*Clupea alosa*	Linnaeus, 1758	synonym

Vernaculars (+) (-)

Breton: alouzenn sources: Cabioch, L. (2008). Personal communication

Danish: majsild sources: Davidson, A. (2001). North Atlantic fish cookbook [Noord-Atlantisch viskookboek]. Scepter: Bussum, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-72653-14-9. 556 pp.

Dutch: elft sources: Nijssen, H.; de Groot, S.J. (1987). De vissen van Nederland: systematische indeling, historisch overzicht, het ontstaan van de viskweek, uitheemse vissoorten, determineersleutels, beschrijvingen, afbeeldingen, literatuur, van alle in Nederlandse wateren voor komende zee- en zoetwatervissoorten [Fishes of the Netherlands: systematic classification, historical overview, origins of fish culture, non-indigenous species, determination keys, descriptions, drawings, literature references on all marine and freshwater fish species living in Dutch waters]. KNNV Uitgeverij: Utrecht, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-5011-006-1. 224 pp.

English: allis shad; mayfish; shad sources: Nijssen, H.; de Groot, S.J. (1987). De vissen van Nederland: systematische indeling, historisch overzicht, het ontstaan van de viskweek, uitheemse vissoorten, determineersleutels, beschrijvingen, afbeeldingen, literatuur, van alle in Nederlandse wateren voor komende zee- en zoetwatervissoorten [Fishes of the Netherlands: systematic classification, historical overview, origins of fish culture, non-indigenous species, determination keys, descriptions, drawings, literature references on all marine and freshwater fish species living in Dutch waters]. KNNV Uitgeverij: Utrecht, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-5011-006-1. 224 pp.;PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points;Davidson, A. (2001). North Atlantic fish cookbook [Noord-Atlantisch viskookboek]. Scepter: Bussum, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-72653-14-9. 556 pp.

French: alosa vraie; alose; alose vraie; alose vraie (=Grande alose); Coulaca; Coulacqua; grande alose; poisson de mai; sabre sources: Nijssen, H.; de Groot, S.J. (1987). De vissen van Nederland: systematische indeling, historisch overzicht, het ontstaan van de viskweek, uitheemse vissoorten, determineersleutels, beschrijvingen, afbeeldingen, literatuur, van alle in Nederlandse wateren voor komende zee- en zoetwatervissoorten [Fishes of the Netherlands: systematic classification, historical overview, origins of fish culture, non-indigenous species, determination keys, descriptions, drawings, literature references on all marine and freshwater fish species living in Dutch waters]. KNNV Uitgeverij: Utrecht, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-5011-006-1. 224 pp.;Quéro J.C., 1984 - Les poissons de mer des pêches françaises - J. Grancher ed, 394 p;PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points;VLIZ. (2016). Wetenschappelijke en handelsbenamingen voor visserij- en aquacultuurproducten op de Belgische markt. VLIZ Beleidsinformerende Nota's, BIN 2016_001. Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee: Oostende. 28 + Annex. pp.

German: Alose; Alse; Eilft; Maifisch; Mecheuisch sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points;Nijssen, H.; de Groot, S.J. (1987). De vissen van Nederland: systematische indeling, historisch overzicht, het ontstaan van de viskweek, uitheemse vissoorten, determineersleutels, beschrijvingen, afbeeldingen, literatuur, van alle in Nederlandse wateren voor komende zee- en zoetwatervissoorten [Fishes of the Netherlands: systematic classification, historical overview, origins of fish culture, non-indigenous species, determination keys, descriptions, drawings, literature references on all marine and freshwater fish species living in Dutch waters]. KNNV Uitgeverij: Utrecht, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-5011-006-1. 224 pp.

Greek: Κέπα sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Hebrew: אלוזה sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Italian: agone; alosa; alosa comune sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Lithuanian: alsė sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Norwegian: maisild sources: Davidson, A. (2001). North Atlantic fish cookbook [Noord-Atlantisch viskookboek]. Scepter: Bussum, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-72653-14-9. 556 pp.

Norwegian Bokmål: maisild sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Norwegian Nynorsk: maisild sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Polish: aloza; aloza finta sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Portuguese: sável sources: Davidson, A. (2001). North Atlantic fish cookbook [Noord-Atlantisch viskookboek]. Scepter: Bussum, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-72653-14-9. 556 pp.

Romanian: scrumbie de mare sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Slovenian: Atlantska čepa sources: Davorin Tome

Spanish, Castillian: sabalo; sábalo; sábalo común; samborca; sóbalo sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points;Davidson, A. (2001). North Atlantic fish cookbook [Noord-Atlantisch viskookboek]. Scepter: Bussum, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-72653-14-9. 556 pp.;de Groot, B.; Dijkema, R.; Redant, F. (1988). Fish, shells and shellfish: an illustrated guide with descriptions, supply times and recipes of more than 400 sea and freshwater species [Vis, schelp- en schaaldieren: een geïllustreerde gids met de beschrijvingen, aanvoertijden en bereidingswijzen van ruim 400 soorten uit zee en zoet water]. Spectrum: Utrecht, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-274-20203. 180 pp.

Swedish: majfisk; majsill sources: Davidson, A. (2001). North Atlantic fish cookbook [Noord-Atlantisch viskookboek]. Scepter: Bussum, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-72653-14-9. 556 pp.

Turkish: tirsi; tirsi balığı sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Ukrainian: Сіроспинка sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Welsh: gwangen; herlyn

Literature

basis of record	van der Land, J.; Costello, M.J.; Zavodnik, D.; Santos, R.S.; Porteiro, F.M.; Bailly, N.; Eschmeyer, W.N.; Froese, R. (2001). Pisces, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 357-374
additional source	Muller, Y. (2004). Faune et flore du littoral du Nord, du Pas-de-Calais et de la Belgique: inventaire. [Coastal fauna and flora of the Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Belgium: inventory]. Commission Régionale de Biologie Région Nord Pas-de-Calais: France. 307 pp.
additional source	Froese, R. & D. Pauly (Editors). (2025). FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. version (06/2024).
additional source	Cattrijsse, A. & M. Vincx. (2001). Biodiversity of the benthos and the avifauna of the Belgian coastal waters: summary of data collected between 1970 and 1998. Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs: Brussel, Belgium. 48 pp.
ecology source	Looby, A.; Erbe, C.; Bravo, S.; Cox, K.; Davies, H. L.; Di Iorio, L.; Jézéquel, Y.; Juanes, F.; Martin, C. W.; Mooney, T. A.; Radford, C.; Reynolds, L. K.; Rice, A. N.; Riera, A.; Rountree, R.; Spriel, B.; Stanley, J.; Vela, S.; Parsons, M. J. G. (2023). Global inventory of species categorized by known underwater sonifery. Scientific Data. 10(1).

Genbank

External Links

FishBase
Marine Life Information Network - UK
FishBase images (Alosa alosa, UK, by Meyer, T.)

Citation

Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. (2025). FishBase. Alosa alosa (Linnaeus, 1758). Via: Costello, M.J.; Bouchet, P.; Boxshall, G.; Arvantidis, C.; Appeltans, W. (2011) European Register of Marine Species, Accessed through PESI at http://www.eu-nomen.eu/portal/taxon.php?GUID=urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:126413

Dr. Jorg Freyhof. Alosa alosa (Linnaeus, 1758). Accessed through: Fauna Europaea at https://portal.cybertaxonomy.org/fauna-europaea/cdm_dataportal/taxon/a63ebb94-f7bf-41dc-87aa-1397183ac7c6