Osmerus Linnaeus, 1758
Body elongate, snout longer than eye, lower jaw projecting a little, upper jaw reaching back to hind border of eye. One or more canine teeth on vomer. Gillrakers 25-39. Pyloric caeca 3-8. Lateral line canal not reaching to base of caudal; a mid-lateral ridge along flank in males at spawning time, but not composed of elongate scales.
Littoral to inshore neritic, anadromous or strictly lacustrine. Spawn in spring at about time when river and lake ice breaks up, laying adhesive eggs. Locally important to fisheries.
Species 3; in Clofnam area 2.
Recent reviswions: see family.
Note: a third species may be present, but pending further work it is considered here as the subspecies O. eperlanus schonfoldi.
Species of this genus in the program:
Osmerus eperlanus
Osmerus mordax