Clupeidae is a family of ray-finned fishes, comprising, for instance, the herrings, shads, sardines, hilsa, and menhadens. The clupeoids include many of the most important food fishes in the world, and are also commonly caught for production of fish oil and fish meal. Many members of the family have a body protected with shiny cycloid scales, a single dorsal fin, and a fusiform body for quick, evasive swimming and pursuit of prey composed of small planktonic animals. Due to their small size and position in the lower trophic level of many marine food webs, the levels of methylmercury they bioaccumulate are very low, reducing the risk of mercury poisoning when consumed.
The Laccadive Sea or Lakshadweep Sea is a body of water bordering India, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka. It is located to the southwest of Karnataka, to the west of Kerala and to the south of Tamil Nadu. This warm sea has a stable water temperature through the year and is rich in marine life, the Gulf of Mannar alone hosting about 3,600 species. Mangaluru, Kannur, Kozhikode, Ponnani, Kochi, Alappuzha, Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, Tuticorin, Colombo, and Malé are the major cities on the shore of the Laccadive Sea. Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of peninsular India, also borders this sea.
The double-lined mackerel, is a species of Spanish mackerel in the family Scombridae. This species is sometimes also called the scad mackerel.
Sardinella is a genus of fish in the family Clupeidae found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. They are abundant in warmer waters of the tropical and subtropical oceans. Adults are generally coastal, schooling, marine fish but juveniles are often found in lagoons and estuaries. These species are distinguished by their ranges and by specific body features, but they are often confused with one another. Fish of the genus have seven to 14 striped markings along the scales of the top of the head. The paddle-shaped supramaxilla bones are characteristic; they separate Sardinella from other genera and their shapes help distinguish species. They have paired predorsal scales and enlarged fin rays.
Chaetodon falcula, the blackwedged butterflyfish or falcula butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indian Ocean.
Centropyge eibli, the blacktail angelfish, red stripe angelfish, orangelined angelfish, or Eibl dwarf angel is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found near reefs in the Indo-Pacific.
Apolemichthys xanthurus, the Indian yellowtail angelfish, is a species of marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. Other common names include cream angelfish, smoke angelfish, and yellowtail black angelfish. It is found in the Indian Ocean.
The Indian oil sardine is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Sardinella. It is one of the two most important commercial fishes in India. The Indian oil sardine is one of the more regionally limited species of Sardinella and can be found in the northern regions of the Indian Ocean. These fish feed on phytoplankton (diatoms) and zooplankton (copepods).
The Indian anchovy, also known as Hardenberg's anchovy, is a species of oceanodromous ray-finned fish in the family Engraulidae. It is known as handalla (හැදැල්ලා) in Sri Lanka, where it is widely sold at most markets and supermarkets. It is widely used as a live or dead bait in tuna fishery.
The mottled fusilier is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a fusilier belonging to the family Caesionidae. It has a broad Indo-Pacific distribution. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Dipterygonotus.
Parapercis hexophtalma, the speckled sandperch, is a species of marine bony fish in the family Pinguipedidae, found in the western Indo-Pacific Ocean. It was first described by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier in 1829. There are several synonyms, some of which represent misspellings of the original name, and others which were given to female fish, at the time thought to be a separate species.
Siganus insomnis, the bronze-lined spinefoot, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a rabbitfish belonging to the family Siganidae. It is found in the northern central Indian Ocean. It had formerly been confused with S. lineatus, but was recognized as a separate species in 2014.
Lutjanus biguttatus, the two-spot banded snapper or two-spot snapper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is native to the western Pacific and eastern Indian Oceans.
Thryssa mystax, the moustached thryssa or Gangetic anchovy, is a species of oceanodromous ray-finned fish in the family Engraulidae. It is found in the tropical western Indo-Pacific region from India, Sri Lanka to Myanmar and south to Java, and Indonesia.
Amblygaster clupeoides, the bleeker smoothbelly sardinella, blue pilchard, sharp-nosed pilchard, or sharpnose sardine, is a reef-associated marine species of sardinellas in the herring family Clupeidae. It is one of the three species of genus Amblygaster. It is found in the marine waters along Indo-West Pacific regions. The fish has 13 to 21 dorsal soft rays and 12 to 23 anal soft rays. It grows up to a maximum length of 21 cm. The flank is gold in fresh fish but becomes black while preservation. Belly is more rounded and scutes are not prominent. The fish feeds on minute organisms like copepods, Mysis and zooplankton. Widely used as bait in the tuna fishery all along the world, both as a live or dead forms.
Amblygaster leiogaster, the smoothbelly sardinella, also known as blue sardine, blue sprat, bluebait, is a reef-associated marine species of sardinella in the herring family Clupeidae. It is one of the three species of genus Amblygaster. It is found in the marine waters along Indo-West Pacific regions towards south western Australia. The fish has 13 to 21 dorsal soft rays and 12 to 23 anal soft rays. It grows up to a maximum length of 23 cm. The flank is gold in fresh fish but becomes black while preservation. Belly is more rounded and scutes are not prominent. It is rather closely resemble Amblygaster clupeoides, but the latter has very few lower gill rakers than Smoothbelly sardinella. The fish feeds on minute organisms like zooplankton.
Amblygaster sirm, the spotted sardinella, also known as the northern pilchard, spotted pilchard, spotted sardine, and trenched sardine, is a reef-associated marine species of sardinellas in the herring family Clupeidae. It is one of the three species of genus Amblygaster. It is found in the marine waters along Indo-West Pacific regions from Mozambique to the Philippines, and towards north Taiwan and Japan to the far east of Australia and Fiji. It is a widely captured commercial fish in Sri Lanka, where the fish is known as "Hurulla" in Sinhala language.
The Bloch's gizzard shad, also known as gizzard shad, hairback, long-finned gizzard shad, long-ray bony bream and thread-finned gizzard shad, are a widespread and common, small to medium-sized anadromous fish found in all marine, freshwater and brackish waters throughout Indo-West Pacific, towards eastward of Andaman Sea, South China Sea and the Philippines to Korean peninsula. Single specimen recorded from waters of South Africa. It was described by Marcus Elieser Bloch in 1795.
Commerson's anchovy, also known as Devis's anchovy, long-jawed anchovy, Teri anchovy, is a species of anadromous ray-finned fish in the family Engraulidae. It is known as haalmassa in Sri Lanka, where it is widely used as a nutrient-rich fish meat. It is widely used as a live or dead bait in tuna fishery.
Thryssa gautamiensis, the gautama thryssa, is a species of amphidromous ray-finned fish in the family Engraulidae.
