New 🐟 Mercury Safety Guide & Omega-3 Rankings Updated for 2026. View Omega-3 Rankings →

💧 Freshwater Endangered 🌡️ Tropical

Freshwater sardinella

Sardinella tawilis Herre, 1927
Max Length
16.6 cm
Max Weight
-
Lifespan
-
Trophic Level
3
Depth
-
Climate
Tropical
Resilience
High
Vulnerability
22.00/100
Typical Length
-
Depth Zone
pelagic

📖 Overview

Inhabits lakes. This is the only species of Sardinella that is apparently found only, or even mainly, in freshwater. Presumably schooling. Also caught using ring nets . Mainly caught by gill net, beach seine, ring net and motorized push net. Eaten fresh or dried . Is threatened by overfishing .

Scientific Name
Sardinella tawilis
Authority
Herre, 1927
Habitat
Freshwater
Climate
Tropical
Body Shape
Fusiform / normal
IUCN Status
EN
Max Length
16.6 cm
Trophic Level
3
Resilience
High
Vulnerability
22.00/100
Migration
Non-migratory
Salinity
0–0.5 ppt

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 15 - 18; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 18 - 21; Vertebrae: 39 - 42. Total scutes 28 to 30. gill rakers slender, long and numerous .: fusiform / normal; Cross section: compressed.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Freshwater sardinella is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

aquatic invertebrates
small fish
algae
detritus

🥚 Reproduction

Size at Maturity
7.9cm TL

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Freshwater; pelagic; non-migratory. Tropical; 18°N - 14°N South China Sea, and was formed by a series of volcanic eruptions in the 18th century (Ref.

🌿 Ecology

Zone Preferences
💧 Freshwater 🐟 Pelagic
Migration
Non-migratory
Trophic Level
3
🐠 Schooling

📐 Morphometrics

Length–Weight Relationship: W = 0.00832 × L2.98 (TL)
Max TL
16.6cm
Dorsal Rays
17
Anal Rays
20
Vertebrae
41

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

Salinity Range
0–0.5ppt

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

IUCN Category
Endangered
Assessment Date
2017

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

Population Resilience
High
Minimum doubling time
Fishing Vulnerability
22.00/100
Low vulnerability
Trophic Level
3
Predator
Body Shape
Fusiform / normal
Climate Zone
Tropical
Described By
Herre, 1927

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

Language Common Names
🇬🇧English Bombon Sardine · freshwater sardine · freshwater sardinella
🌍CES sardinka filipínská
🇷🇺Russian Пресноводная филиппинская сардинелла
🌍TGL tawilis

Scientific Synonyms

Scientific Name Author Year Status
Harengula tawilis Herre 1927 Synonym

📚 Scientific References

13 publications cited

General
  1. Froese, R. and Pauly, D. (Editors) (2024). FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. FishBase Consortium. Link ↗
Conservation
  1. IUCN (2024). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2024-1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Link ↗
Taxonomy
  1. GBIF Secretariat (2024). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. DOI ↗
Nutrition
  1. USDA Agricultural Research Service (2024). FoodData Central. USDA National Nutrient Database. United States Department of Agriculture. Link ↗
Fishery
  1. NOAA Fisheries (2024). FishWatch: U.S. Seafood Facts. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Link ↗
  2. Monterey Bay Aquarium (2024). Seafood Watch Recommendations. Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation. Link ↗
Aquaculture
  1. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department (2024). The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Link ↗
Distribution
  1. Kaschner, K., Kesner-Reyes, K., Garilao, C., Segschneider, J., Rius-Barile, J., Rees, T., Froese, R. (2024). AquaMaps: Predicted range maps for aquatic species. AquaMaps. Link ↗
Ecology
  1. Nelson, J.S., Grande, T.C., Wilson, M.V.H. (2016). Fishes of the World. 5th edition. John Wiley & Sons.
Behavior
  1. Helfman, G.S., Collette, B.B., Facey, D.E., Bowen, B.W. (2009). The Diversity of Fishes: Biology, Evolution, and Ecology. 2nd edition. Wiley-Blackwell.
Morphology
  1. Froese, R. (2006). Cube law, condition factor and weight-length relationships: history, meta-analysis and recommendations. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 22(4), 241-253. DOI ↗
Toxicology
  1. Halstead, B.W., Auerbach, P.S., Campbell, D. (1988). A Colour Atlas of Dangerous Marine Animals. Wolfe Medical Publications. Wolfe Medical.
Reproduction
  1. Balon, E.K. (1975). Reproductive Guilds of Fishes: A Proposal and Definition. Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, 32(6), 821-864.

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 3 records indexed .

Occurrence density from GBIF View GBIF records ↗

👥 Community & Contribute

Aquareap Community Observations
0 Observations logged on Aquareap

No observations yet - be the first to log one!

View all observations for Freshwater sardinella ↗
Suggest an Edit

Spotted incorrect or outdated data? Submit a correction and our editorial team will review it. Approved edits go live within 48 hours.

Link to a scientific paper, FishBase, or other authoritative source
Report an Issue

Found a factual error, broken data, or inappropriate content? Let us know and we will investigate promptly.