Download 5. description of the study animals

5. DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY ANIMALS
Taxonomic positions of lesser sardines, Sardinella fimbriata, Sardinella gibbosa,
Sardinella albella and Indian oil Sardine, Sardinella longiceps are detailed below.
5.1. Sardinella fimbriata (Valenciennes, 1847)
5.1.1. Systematic Position
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Clupeiformes
Family:
Clupeidae
Genus:
Species:
Sardinella
S. fimbriata (Valenciennes, 1847)
Fig. 2. Sardinella fimbriata
5.1.2. Synonyms: Sardinella fimbriata - Valenciennes, 1847; Fowler, 1941; Chan, 1965;
Whitehead, 1967; Whitehead, 1973; Wongratana, 1980
Description of the Study Animals
5.1.3. FAO Names:
Fringescale sardinella
5.1.4. Common Name: Lesser sardines
5.1.5. Vernacular Names: Chalamathi (Malayalam); Charree addee (Hindi); Erebai, Pedi
(Kannada); Hoira, Khaira (Bengali); Noone kavallu (Telegu); Pedwa, Washi (Marathi);
Soodai (Tamil). These names are probably equally applied to similar species in many areas.
5.1.6. Diagnostic Features:
Body somewhat compressed but variable, from slender to moderately deep, its depth
25 to 34% of standard length; total number of scutes 29 to 33 (usually 30 to 32). Lower
gillrakers 54 to 82 (at 5 to 12 cm standard length, increasing with size of fish). Vertebral
striae on scales not meeting at centre, hind part of scale with a few perforations and (in
Indian Ocean specimens) somewhat produced posteriorly. A dark spot at dorsal fin origin.
Other similar species have more scutes, or more gillrakers or overlapping scale striae or no
spot at dorsal fin base or caudal tips black (or a combination of some of these features)
(FAO, 2013).
5.1.7. Geographical Distribution: Indo-West Pacific (not in western Indian Ocean, but
from southern India and Bay of Bengal to the Philippines, also eastern tip of Papua New
Guinea).
5.1.8. Habitat and Biology: Coastal, pelagic, schooling. The biology is summarised by
Nair (1960, 1973).
5.1.9. Size: To 13 cm standard length, usually around11 cm.
Description of the Study Animals
5.2. Sardinella gibbosa (Bleeker, 1849)
5.2.1. Systematic Position
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Clupeiformes
Family:
Genus:
Clupeidae
Sardinella
Species:
S. gibbosa (Bleeker, 1849)
Fig. 3. Sardinella gibbosa
5.2.2. Synonyms: Clupanodon jussieu : Lacepède, 1803;
Clupea gibbosa, sardinella
gibbosa: Bleeker, 1849; Spratella tembang : Bleeker, 1851;
Clupea immaculata :
Kishinouye, 1907; Sardinia immaculate : Chyung, 1961; Fimbriclupea dactylolepis :
Whitley, 1940; Sardinella dactylolepis : Munro, 1956; Sardinella taiwanensis : Raja &
Description of the Study Animals
Hiyama, 1969; Sardinella jussieu: Fowler, 1941; Whitehead, 1965; Whitehead et al., 1966
: Sardinella jussieui: Chan, 1965; Sardinella gibbosa : Losse, 1968; Whitehead 1973;
Wongratana, 1980
5.2.3. FAO Names:
Gold stripe Sardinella
5.2.4. Common Name: Lesser sardines
5.2.5. Vernacular Names :: Chalamathi (Malayalam); Choodai, Nonalai (Tamil); Erebai
(Kannada); Kavallu (Telugu); Hwang lum (Hong Kong); Tembang (Indonesia);: Ju shi
sha-tin (Taiwan);: Pla lang keo (Thailand). These names are probably equally applied to
similar species in many areas
5.2.6. Diagnostic Features:
Body moderately slender, its depth usually 24 to 30% standard lengths; total number
of scutes 32 to 34. Lower gillrakers 45 to 59 (at 6 to 17 cm standard length, not increasing
with size of fish after 6 cm standard length). Vertical striae on scales not meeting at centre,
numerous small perforations on hind part of scale. A golden midlateral line down flank;
dorsal and caudal fin margins dusky; a dark spot at dorsal fin origin.
5.2.7. Geographical Distribution: Indo-West Pacific (the “Gulf”, but apparently not Red
Sea; East African coasts, Madagascar eastward to Indonesia, north to Taiwan and Korea
south to northern Australia, possibly also western coasts of Australia). One of the most
abundant Sardinella species in the Indo-West Pacific region.
Description of the Study Animals
5.2.8. Habitat and Biology: Coastal, pelagic, schooling. Possible or even probable
confusion with other species (especially S. fimbriata in Indian waters) makes published
biological data potentially unreliable. The biology is summarized by Nair (1973: 39 to 48).
5.2.9. Size: To 17 cm standard length, usually to 15 cm.
5.3. Sardinella albella (Valenciennes, 1847)
5.3.1. Systematic Position
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Clupeiformes
Family:
Genus:
Clupeidae
Sardinella
Species: S. albella (Valenciennes, 1847)
Fig. 4. Sardinella albella
Description of the Study Animals
5.3.2. Synonyms: Clupalosa bulan : Bleeker, 1849; Kowala lauta : Cantor, 1850; Clupea
perforate: Cantor, 1850; Spratella kowala Bleeker, 1851; Clupea (Harengula) sundaica :
Bleeker, 1872; Harengula dollfusi : Chabanaud, 1933; Sardinella perforate: Fowler, 1941;
Chan, 1965; Sardinella bulan: Whitehead, 1963;
Whitehead et al., 1966;
Sardinella
albella: Losse, 1968; Whitehead, 1973; Wongratana, 1980.
5.3.3. FAO Names:
White Sardinella
5.3.4. Common Name: Lesser sardines
5.3.5. Vernacular Names: Chalamathi (Malayalam); Choodai, Nonalai (Tamil); Erebai
(Kannada); Kavallu (Telugu); Hwang lum (Hong Kong); Tembang (Indonesia). ). These
names are probably equally applied to similar species in many areas
5.3.6. Diagnostic features:
Body somewhat compressed but variable, from slender to moderately deep; total
number of scutes 2 to 33 (usually 30 to 32). Lower gillrakers 41 to 68 (at 4 to 15 cm
standard length, increasing a little with size of fish). Vertical striae on scales not meeting at
center, hind part of scale with a few perforations and somewhat produced posteriorly. A
dark spot at dorsal fin origin. Closely resembles S. fimbriata and S. dayi which have more
gillrakers (54 to 82, usually more than 55 in S. fimbriata; 88 to 126 in S. dayi) and can be
confused with S. gibbosa and S. sindensis which have more scutes (31 to 34, usually 32 or
33). Other similar species have more scutes or more gillrakers or overlapping scale striae or
no spot at dorsal fin origin or caudal tips black (or a combination of some of these features).
Description of the Study Animals
5.3.7. Geographical Distribution: Indo-West Pacific (Red Sea, the “Gulf”, Arabian sea,
East African coasts, Madagascar eastward to Indonesia, north to Taiwan Island, south to
Papua New Guinea).
5.3.8. Habitat and Biology: Coastal, pelagic, schooling. Misidentifications make published
biological data potentially unreliable. The biology is summarized by Nair (1960, 1973).
5.3.9. Size: To 14 cm standard length, usually to 10 cm.
5.4. Sardinella longiceps Valenciennes, 1847
5.4.1. Systematic Position
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Clupeiformes
Family:
Clupeidae
Genus:
Sardinella
Species:
S. longiceps Valenciennes, 1847
Fig. 5. Sardinella longiceps
Description of the Study Animals
5.4.2. Synonyms: Sardinella longiceps : Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1847; Regan, 1917;
Hornell and Nayudu, 1924; Fowler, 1924, Nair, 1953; Misra, 1962; White head, 1965;
Sardinella neohowii : Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1865; Valenciennes, 1847; Alausa
scombrina : Valenciennes, 1847;:
Whitehead, 1965; Chan 1965; Losse, 1968 Clupea
longiceps: Gunther, 1968; Day, 1878; Day, 1889; Pillay, 1929; Clupea scombrina: Gunther
and Boulenger, 1887, Clupea (harengula) longiceps : Weber and de Beaufort, 1913.
5.4.3. FAO Names:
Indian oil sardine.
5.4.4. Common Name: Oil sardine, Indian oil sardine
5.4.5. Vernacular Names: Mathi, Nalla mathi, Challay, Paychallay (Kerala); Bothai, Tarli
mathi, Baige (Karnataka); Tarli, Haid (Maharastra and Gujarat); Noona Kavallu (Andhra
Pradesh); Mathi, Nonali, Mathi-Kavalai, Paichalai (Tamilnadu). Likewise, in Srilanka it is
named as Pesalai (Tamil) Pesalaya in Singhalese language
5.4.6. Diagnostic Features:
Body elongate, sub cylindrical, its depth less than 30% of the standard length, belly
rounded. The pelvic fin ray count is 8 distinguishes S. longiceps from all other clupueds in
the northern Indian Ocean. Caudal fin is well forked, lobes pointed; two large alar scales can
be seen at the base A faint golden spot behind gill opening, followed by a faint golden
midlateral line; a distinct black spot at hind border of-gill cover (absence of pigment). The
colour is bluish green back with golden reflections; abdomen silvery with pinkish tinge.
5.4.7. Geographical Distribution: S. longiceps is an extremely valuable commercial fish
and forms most important clupeid fishery of the whole of Western Indo- Pacific: North and
Description of the Study Animals
Western parts of Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, limitedly distributed in Red
Sea, in Persian Gulf. Indian Ocean (northern and western parts , Gulf of Aden, Gulf of
Oman, but not apparently not Red Sea or the :Gulf” eastward to southern part of India, on
eastern coast to Andhra; possibly to Andamans.
Along the Indian coast, it occurs on the entire west coast from Gujarat to Kerala and
on east from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa coasts. Though oil sardine is available
up to 50 m depth, the maximum abundance is within 30 m, where it forms a major inshore
fishery exploited by both traditional and mechanised gears.
5.4.8. Habitat and Biology: Coastal, pelagic, schooling, strongly migratory. Feeds mainly
on phytoplankton (especially diatoms), both as juveniles and adults, but also on zooplankton
(especially copepods by the juveniles). Breeds once a year, the spawners arriving off
western coasts of India in June-July when temperatures and salinity are low during the
southwest monsoon months; an extended spawning season, but most intense in AugustSeptember. The abundance of diatom Fragilaria oceanica is the favorite food for S.
longiceps and its abundance indicates the proliferation of oil sardine in coastal waters. The
optimum temperature and salinity ranges for distribution and abundance of oil sardine is 2728 oC and 22.8-33.5 PSU respectively
5.4.9. Size: The size of oil sardine fished varies between 50-207 mm. Smallest size groups
of 50-100 mm are landed in bag nets, shore seines and trawl nets while size above 125 mm
fished in gill nets and boat seines. Maximum of 23 cm standard length, usually to 20 cm.