The dorab wolf-herring (Chirocentrus dorab) is a fish species from the genus Chirocentrus of the family Chirocentridae. It is a coastal fish, silvery below and bright blue above. It is found in both marine and brackish or estuarine waters, where it primarily feeds on smaller fish and possibly crustaceans. The genus name Chirocentrus is from the Greek cheir meaning hand and kentron meaning sting. Dorab is from the Arabic language word darrab (ضرّاب), probably a corrupted form of durubb (دُرُبّ), a name for goldfish in Arabic. It has another Arabic name, lisan (لسان),An Arabic Zoological Dictionary by Amin Malouf MD. 1985 edition page 86 (Dar Al Rayid Al Arabi) which means tongue. In Sinhala, it is known as කටුවල්ලා (katuwalla).
Description
The dorab wolf-herring have slender, elongated bodies. They are commonly about in length and weigh between .
Range The dorab wolf-herring is found in the Indo-Pacific, probably throughout the warmer coastal waters, from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Solomon Islands, north to southern Japan, south to northern Australia. It was recently reported in Tonga.
Fisheries The dorab wolf-herring is a commercial species which is sold fresh, dried, salted or frozen. It is also a game fish.Chirocentrus dorab (Forsskål, 1775) FAO, Species Fact Sheet. Retrieved April 2012.
References
External links Fishes of Australia : Chirocentrus dorab