Family : Clupeidae (Herrings, shads, sardines, menhadens)
Order : Clupeiformes  (herrings)
Class : Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Fishbase Name : Bleeker smoothbelly sardinella
Fish Name : Amblygaster clupeoides
Max size : 21.0 cm SL (male/unsexed; Ref. 54980)
Environment : reef-associated ; depth range 0 - 50 m
Climate : tropical; 17°N - 19°S
Global Importance : fisheries: commercial; bait: usually
Resilience: High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Assuming Fec > 10,000)Distribution : Indo-West Pacific: southern coasts of India, perhaps Bay of Bengal, and Indonesia eastward to Fiji. Reported from New Caledonia (Ref. 9070) and Tonga (Ref. 53797).
Diagnosis : Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13-21; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 12-23. Body moderately deep, belly rather rounded, scutes not prominent. Distinguished from A. sirm by the absence of spots along the flank (gold in life, black on preservation) and fewer lower gill rakers. Closely resembles A. leiogaster, which has more lower gill rakers. Round-bodied Sardinella species have i 8 pelvic fin rays and more than 100 lower gill rakers.
Biology : Forms schools in coastal waters. Feeds on copepods, Mysis and other elements in the zooplankton. Used as bait in the tuna fishery
Threatened : Dangerous:  
Dangerous : harmless
Coordinator :
Main Ref : Whitehead, P.J.P.. 1985. (Ref. 188)

India country information
Common Names : വായിചാള, കീരിമീന്, கீரீமீன் சாளை, கீரிமீன் சாளை, കീരിമീന് , വൈചാള , Gumbala, Keerimeen, Keerimeen-chalai, Sharpnose sardine, Vayichala
Status : native
Salinity : marine
Uses : no uses