Twait shad
Alosa fallax (Lacepède, 1803)
The twait shad (Alosa fallax) is a bony fish in the family Alosidae, order Clupeiformes. It is also called Shad, Twaite and Twaite shad, and its scientific name authority is (Lacepède, 1803).
Quick facts about the twait shad
In its global assessment, the IUCN Red List places it in the Least Concern (LC) category, which is not an IUCN threatened category.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- freshwatersrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the twait shad
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the twait shad live?
Not recorded
What is the twait shad?
The twait shad or twaite shad (Alosa fallax) is a species of fish in the family Alosidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea and is an anadromous fish which lives in the sea but migrates into fresh water to spawn. In appearance it resembles an Atlantic herring but has a row of six to ten distinctive spots on its silvery flanks. They become mature when three or more years old and migrate to estuaries, later swimming up rivers to spawn. Populations of this fish have declined due to overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction. Conservation of this species is covered by Appendix III of the Bern Convention and Appendix II and V of the European Community Habitats Directive.
From the Wikipedia article “Twait shad” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Twait_shad&oldid=1370285139), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the twait shad endangered?
The twait shad is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the twait shad classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderClupeiformes
- familyAlosidae
- genusAlosa
- SpeciesAlosa fallax (Lacepède, 1803)
Synonyms Alosa fallax balticus, Alosa fallax fallax, Alosa fallax nilotica, Alosa fallax rhodanensis, Alosa fallox, Alosa ficta, Alosa finta, Alosa finta nilotica, Alosa finta rhodanensis, Alosa minor, Alosa squamopinnata, Clupea alosa elongata, Clupea fallax, Clupea finta, Clupea nilotica, Clupea rufa, Clupea sardinella
Other names and names in other languages (64)
- ShadEnglish
- TwaiteEnglish
- Twaite shadEnglish
- Twaite shadEnglish
- Twaite shadEnglish
- SabocaAragonese
- ФинтаBulgarian
- Средиземноморска финтаBulgarian
- fintаBulgarian
- fintaBulgarian
- placka skvrnitáCzech
- gwangenWelsh
- GwangodWelsh
- stamsildDanish
- stavsildDanish
- ElbenGerman
- BajeckensGerman
- FinteGerman
- MaifischGerman
- ΦρίσσαGreek
- ΣαρδελομάναGreek
- frissaGreek
- FríssaGreek
- alosaSpanish
- sabogaSpanish
- täpläsilliFinnish
- finteFrench
- alose feinteFrench
- Alose feinte atlantiqueFrench
- alose-finteFrench
- caluyauFrench
- gatteFrench
- laciaFrench
- pucelleFrench
- vérotFrench
- SabelaGalician
- אלוזה יאוריתHebrew
- CepaCroatian
- augnasíldIcelandic
- cheppiaItalian
- perpelėLithuanian
- PaledeLatvian
- LapreņģeLatvian
- stamsildNorwegian Bokmål
- fintDutch
- stamsildNorwegian Nynorsk
- stamsildNorwegian
- parposzPolish
- Aloza fintaPolish
- sabogaPortuguese
- SavelhaPortuguese
- scrumbieRomanian
- fintaRussian
- Средиземноморская финтаRussian
- Финта средиземноморскаяRussian
- атлантическая финтаRussian
- čepaSlovenian
- staksillSwedish
- tirsiTurkish
- dişli tirsiTurkish
- tirsi balığıTurkish
- Yalancı TirsiTurkish
- ФінтаUkrainian
- Фінта середземноморськаUkrainian
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the twait shad
Other species in the same genus Alosa.
Shad
Alosa alosa
Shad
Alosa sapidissima
Kerch shad
Alosa immaculata
Kyak
Alosa pseudoharengus
Caspian shad
Alosa caspia
Azov shad
Alosa maeotica
CompareTwait shad vs ShadTwait shad vs ShadTwait shad vs Kerch shadTwait shad vs Kyak
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the twait shad?
The twait shad is a bony fish. It belongs to the family Alosidae in the order Clupeiformes.
What is the scientific name of the twait shad?
The scientific name of the twait shad is Alosa fallax, placing it in the genus Alosa.
Is the twait shad endangered?
No. The IUCN Red List places the twait shad in the Least Concern (LC) category in its global assessment, which is not an IUCN threatened category.
What other names does the twait shad have?
The twait shad is also called Shad, Twaite and Twaite shad.
What class does the twait shad belong to?
The twait shad belongs to the class Teleostei, in the phylum Chordata.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Twait shad (Alosa fallax). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/twait-shad
“Twait shad (Alosa fallax).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/twait-shad.
@misc{twait_shad_2026,
title = {Twait shad (Alosa fallax)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/twait-shad},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}