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Spratelloides delicatulus

Blue Sprat

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Blue Sprat, Blue-backed Sprat, Blue Round-herring; German Blaue Sprotte

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Tuamotus; n. to s.Japan; s. to Norfolk

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Marine, near-shore, lagoon.

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Excellent live-baitfish for tuna.

KEY FEATURES: To 6cm SL.

Enlarged Image of 'Spratelloides delicatulus'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
++++	P				+++

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Spratelloides delicatulus (Bennett, 1832)
SYNONYMS: Clupea delicatula [O]; Spratelloides delicatula; Stolephorus delicatulus

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Clupeiformes; Clupeoidei; CLUPEIDAE, Dussumieriinae

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Excellent live-baitfish for tuna.. Comments: Caught with nets at night around lamp in Penrhyn and Suwarrow lagoons in adequate numbers for trial tuna fishing.

GENERAL NOTE: In large schools in lagoons, such as Suwarrow and Penrhyn. Caught around light with nets as live-baitfish for tuna fishing.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Cooks: Whitehead 1985, FAO Fish. Synop. 7(125)Pt.1. Tongareva: many specimens, night netting with lamp (Kearny, Gillet and Hallier 1979 p6). Manihiki: 1 specimen #A959 (B&M74). Suwarrow: specimens, night netting with lamp (Kearny, Gillet and Hallier 1979 p6).

References:
Special Reference: Whitehead 1985, FAO Fish. Synop. 7(125)Pt.1.

text p.62 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 11g Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.47 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
plate 10-04 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
Species No. 50 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

Data Update History (information):
zTXmx, zB02, zM02, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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