Sardinops neopilchardus

Pilchard

Same Genus

Sardinops sagax

Distribution

Temperate Australasia

Description

It has a green-blue upper surface and is silver below, with a series of dark spots high on the sides. Schools shoal and spawn near the water surface in spring and summer in SA and in summer and autumn in NSW, and move into deeper water in the other seasons. Another related fish that occurs commonly is the blue sprat Spratelloides robustus, a species with dark blue on the upper half and a horse-shoe mark at the base of the tail.

Information

Max Size: 21 cm

Sea Temperature Range: 14-23.7°C

Depth: 0-100m

Habitat Generalization Index: N/A

Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.

Conservation and Rarity

IUCN Status: Not Evaluated

Occurrence: Rare (0.7% of sites)

Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed

Abundance: Large aggregations (129 per transect)

Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.

Edit by: GJ Edgar. 2008. Australian Marine Life. New Holland, Sydney