Herrings, shads, sardines, sprats, menhadens are the common names used for the members of the Clupeidae family. They are small to moderate sized fishes ranging from 2 cm to 75 cm. They are recognized by their terminal mouth, scutes along the abdomen, and pelvic fin located vertically below their dorsal fin.
Clupeids are found in all seas from about 70°N to about 60°S. They are typically marine fishes but can also be found in brackish and freshwater. Most of them inhabit shallow coastal waters and estuaries. They frequently occur in large schools. Most species feed on small planktonic animals.
There are 54 genera and about 200 species of Clupeidae worldwide. Malaysia has 12 genera and about 29 species. In this website, the family is broken down by their shapes, sizes and common names. Below shows the family members often called sardinella or sardine.
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Scientific Name: Sardinella albella (Valenciennes, 1847) English Name: White Sardinella Mandarin Name | 鱼类中文名: 沙丁鱼 (Shā dīng yú), 淡万鱼 (Dàn wàn yú), 温鱼 (Wēn yú), 白腹小砂丁 (Bái fù xiǎoshā dīng) Local Malay Name: Ikan Tamban Sisik, Tamban Betul, Tamban Lopek, Tamban Sisik Putih Bahasa Indonesia: Ikan Tembang Bines, Bulan, Tamban Thai Name | ชื่อสามัญภาษาไทย: ปลาหลังเขียว (Plā h̄lạng k̄heīyw) Local Hokkien: Tam Ban Main Identification Features: Body colour blue-green above and silvery white below. Dark spot at dorsal fin origin. Dorsal fin yellowish. Size: Maximum standard length 14 cm, commonly to 10 cm. Habitat and Ecology: Coastal and estuarine waters, to 50 m depth. A pelagic and schooling species. Feeds on zooplankton and phytoplankton.  Scientific Name: Sardinella brachysoma Bleeker, 1852 English Name: Deepbody Sardinella Mandarin Name | 鱼类中文名: 沙丁鱼 (Shā dīng yú), 淡万鱼 (Dàn wàn yú), 温鱼 (Wēn yú), 高体小沙丁鱼 (Gāo tǐ xiǎo shādīngyú) Local Malay Name: Ikan Tamban Sisik, Tamban Bujur, Tamban Lopek, Tamban Sisik Pipih Bahasa Indonesia: Ikan Tembang Perempuan, Mata Lebar Thai Name | ชื่อสามัญภาษาไทย: ปลาหลังเขียวกลม (Plā h̄lạng k̄heīyw klm) Local Hokkien: Tam Ban Main Identification Features: Deep body. Dark spot at dorsal fin origin. Black tips at caudal and dorsal fins. Size: Maximum standard length 13 cm, commonly around 12 cm. Habitat and Ecology: Coastal waters, to 50 m depth. A pelagic and schooling species.  Scientific Name: Sardinella fimbriata (Valenciennes, 1847) English Name: Fringescale Sardinella Mandarin Name | 鱼类中文名: 沙丁鱼 (Shā dīng yú), 淡万鱼 (Dàn wàn yú), 青鳞 (Qīng lín), 温鱼 (Wēn yú), 繸鳞小沙丁鱼 (Suì lín xiǎo shādīngyú) Local Malay Name: Ikan Tamban Sisik, Tamban Bujur, Tamban Lopek, Tamban Sisik Tajam Bahasa Indonesia: Ikan Tembang, Bulan, Tamban, Tanjan Thai Name | ชื่อสามัญภาษาไทย: ปลาแชลั้ง (Plā chæ lậng), ปลาหลังเขียว (Plā h̄lạng k̄heīyw) Local Hokkien: Tam Ban, Cheh Lan Main Identification Features: Dark spot at dorsal fin origin. Black tips at caudal and dorsal fins. Size: Maximum standard length 13 cm, commonly around 11 cm. Habitat and Ecology: Coastal and estuarine waters, to 50 m depth. A pelagic and schooling species. Feeds primarily on phytoplankton and copepods.  Scientific Name: Sardinella gibbosa (Bleeker, 1849) English Name: Goldstripe Sardinella Mandarin Name | 鱼类中文名: 沙丁鱼 (Shā dīng yú), 淡万鱼 (Dàn wàn yú), 温鱼 (Wēn yú), 隆背小沙丁鱼 (Lóng bèi xiǎo shādīngyú) Local Malay Name: Ikan Tamban Sisik, Tamban Bontok, Tamban Lopek, Tamban Sisik Jalur Mas Bahasa Indonesia: Ikan Tembang, Tanjan, Tamban Thai Name | ชื่อสามัญภาษาไทย: ปลาหลังเขียวจุด (Plā h̄lạng k̄heīyw cud) Local Hokkien: Tam Ban Main Identification Features: A golden mid-lateral line. Dorsal and caudal fin margins dusky with a dark spot at dorsal fin origin. Size: Maximum standard length 17 cm, commonly around 15 cm. Habitat and Ecology: Coastal waters, 10 to 70 m depth. A pelagic and schooling species. Diet mainly consists of crustaceans in the early stages and changes to a diet of crustaceans and phytoplankton with increase in length. 
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