Blueback Sprat, Spratelloides delicatulus (Bennett 1832)


Other Names: Blue-backed Sprat, Delicate Round Herring, Northern Blue Sprat
Summary:
A silvery blue sprat becoming silvery-white below with no silver midlateral stripe along the side, and four dark streaks along the basal caudal-fin rays.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2019, Spratelloides delicatulus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 29 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/2068

Blueback Sprat, Spratelloides delicatulus (Bennett 1832)

More Info


Distribution

Geographe Bay, Western Australia, to Moreton Bay, Queensland; also Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, Indo-west-central Pacific, from the western Indian Ocean through the Indo-Pacific to Hawaii.
Forms large pelagic schools in clear coastal waters, lagoons, and along reef margins. 

Features

Dorsal fin 11-13; Anal fin 10-11; pre-dorsal scales 8-13. Maxilla toothless; pre-maxillae triangular, 2 supra-maxillae, second supra-maxilla paddle-shaped and symmetrical; vertical striae on scales meeting at centre, posterior margin of scales smooth; W-shaped pelvic scute, few branchiostegal rays (6 or 7).

Feeding

Feeds on plankton near the surface, consuming mostly crustaceans.

Biology

A short-lived (4-8 months) species that 2-4 months of age. 

Species Citation

Clupea delicatula Bennett 1832, Proceedings of the Committee of Science and Correspondence of the Zoological Society of London 1: 168. Type locality: Mauritius.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2019

Resources

Australian Faunal Directory

Blueback Sprat, Spratelloides delicatulus (Bennett 1832)

References


Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.

Bennett, E.T. 1832. Observations on a collection of fishes from Mauritius, presented by Mr Telfair, with characters of new genera and species, remaining portion. Proceedings of the Committee of Science and Correspondence of the Zoological Society of London 1: 165-169

Blaber, S.J.M., Milton, D.A., Rawlinson, N.J.F., Tiroba, G. & Nichols, P.V. 1990. Diets of lagoon fishes of the Solomon Islands: Predators of tuna baitfish and trophic effects of baitfishing on the subsistence fishery. Fisheries Research 8(3): 263-286.

Blaber, S.J.M., Young, J.W. & Dunning, M.C. 1985. Community structure and zoogeographic affinities of the coastal fishes of the Dampier region of north-western Australia. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 36:247-266.

Dalzell, P., Sharma, S. & Prakash, J. 1987. Preliminary estimates of the growth and mortality of three tuna baitfish species, Herklotsichthys quadrimaculatus and Spratelloides delicatulus and Rhabdamia gracilis from Fijian waters. Tuna Billfish Assessment Program Technical Report 20:1-15.

Grant, E.M. 1975. Guide to Fishes. Brisbane : Queensland Government, Co-ordinator General’s Department 640 pp. 

Johnson, J.W. 1999. Annotated checklist of the fishes of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 43(2): 709-762 

Milton, D.A., Blaber, S.J.M. & Rawlinson, N.J.F. 1990. Diet and prey selection of six species of tuna baitfish in three coral reef lagoons in the Solomon Islands. Journal of Fish Biology 37(2): 205-224.

Milton, D.A., Blaber, S.J.M. & Rawlinson, N.J.F. 1991. Age and growth of three species of tuna baitfish (genus Spratelloides) in the tropical Indo-Pacific. Journal of Fish Biology 39: 849-866. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1991.tb04414.x 

Milton, D.A., Blaber, S.J.M. & Rawlinson, N.J.F. 1994. Reproductive biology and egg production of three species of Clupeidae from Kiribati, tropical central Pacific. Fishery Bulletin 92(1): 102-121.

Milton, D.A., Blaber, S.J.M. & Rawlinson, N.J.F. 1995. Fecundity and egg production of four species of short-lived clupeoid from Solomon Islands, tropical South Pacific. ICES Journal of Marine Science 52: 111-125.  


Munroe, T.A., Wongratana, T. & Nizinski, M.S. 1999. Family Clupeidae. pp. 1775-1821 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1397-2068. 

Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press 707 pp.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs. 

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs. 

Santos, M., Buccat, F.G.A., Villanueva, J.A., Parido, L., Lanzuela, N., Gapuz, A.V., Deligero, R., Alcantara, M., Belga, P.B., Doyola, M.C., Gatlabayan, L.V., Lopez, G., Tambihasan, A.M. & Villarao, M.C. 2017. Spratelloides delicatulus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T98838439A98886938. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T98838439A98886938.en. Downloaded on 13 February 2019.

Whitehead, P.J.P. 1985. FAO species catalog. Clupeoid fishes of the world (suborder Clupeoidei). Part 1 — Chirocentridae, Clupeidae and Pristigasteridae. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125 Vol. 7 Pt 1. pp. 1-303

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37085029

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Depth:0-50 m

Fishing:Bait-fish

Habitat:Reef associated, pelagic

Max Size:7 cm SL

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map