Name: Goldstripe Sardinella
Local name: Ooma
Scientific name: Sardinella gibbosa
Classification: Class: ray-finned fishes; Order: herrings; Family: herrings and sardines (Clupeidae)
Synonym: Sardinella jussieui
Size: It commonly reaches 15 cm in total length, the maximum length being 21 cm.
Habitat:
The Goldstripe Sardinella forms schools in coastal waters and is abundant in many areas. It feeds on phytoplankton and zooplankton, mainly larvae of crustaceans and mollusks.
Distribution:
This species is widely distributed in the tropical and warm temperate Indo-West Pacific, from East Africa to Indonesia, north to Taiwan and Korea, and south to Australia.
Conservation status:
The Goldstripe Sardinella has not yet been assessed globally by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In a recent regional assessment for the Arabian Gulf it was classified as Least Concern (LC). It is caught by seines and gillnet, and usually market fresh.
Description:
The body is moderately elongate and the mouth terminal. The belly has a sharp keel and 32 to 34 scutes. Vertical striae on the scales do not meet at the center. It is blue dorsally and silvery below, sometimes with a golden mid-lateral line. Dorsal and caudal fin margins are dusky and there is a black spot at dorsal fin origin.
