Family : Clupeidae (Herrings, shads, sardines, menhadens)
Order : Clupeiformes  (herrings)
Class : Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Fishbase Name : Kelee shad
Fish Name : Hilsa kelee
Max size : 35.0 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 11228)
Environment : pelagic-neritic; anadromous ; depth range - 10 m
Climate : tropical; 25°N - 18°S
Global Importance : fisheries: highly commercial; bait: occasionally
Resilience: High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=1.1)Distribution : Indo-West Pacific: probably all coasts of Indian Ocean, from Gulf of Oman and Gulf of Aden south to Transkei, South Africa and Madagascar, across the Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Thailand, Java Sea and north to Hong Kong and east to Papua New Guinea and possibly further.
Diagnosis : Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 16-19; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 21-23. Top of head with numerous fronto-parietal striae; upper jaw with median notch. gill rakers about 100 to 175, those on inner arches distinctly curled; outer row of gill filaments on first arch not more than half length of gill rakers. A series of small triangular scales above axil of pectoral fin; hind part of body scales perforated. A black spot behind gill opening; usually 10 along flank.
Biology : Found in coastal waters (Ref. 30573), enters estuaries and able to tolerate quite low salinities (7 ppt). Feeds chiefly on phytoplankton (mainly diatoms, also dinoflagellates), but also copepods, molluscan and crustacean larvae, prawns, amphipods and polychaetes. Spawns (at least in Godavari estuary) around February (Ref. 188). Marketed fresh, dried, dried-salted and boiled. Made into fish balls. Found in the basin-wide mainstream of the lower Mekong (Ref. 36667)
Threatened : Dangerous:  
Dangerous : harmless
Coordinator :
Main Ref : Whitehead, P.J.P.. 1985. (Ref. 188)

India country information
Common Names : Kelee shad, சூடை, கோழி மீன், വട്ട കണ്ണി , कानात, மாங்காய் சூடை, மாங்காய் சூடை , கொலீமீன் , కొలిమీన్ , ಜಿರಾಯ್ , சுடை , కీలె , Keele, Koli-meen, Kolimeen, Maangai soodai, Soodai
Status : native
Salinity : freshwater, brackish, marine
Uses : no uses