The Bloch's gizzard shad (Nematalosa nasus), also known as gizzard shad, hairback, long-finned gizzard shad, long-ray bony bream and thread-finned gizzard shad, is a widespread and common, small to medium-sized anadromous fish found in all marine, freshwater and brackish waters throughout the Indo-West Pacific, from the Andaman Sea, South China Sea and the Philippines to the Korean peninsula. A single specimen was recorded from waters of South Africa.Nematalosa nasus at www.fishbase.org. It was described by Marcus Elieser Bloch in 1795.
The sardines are known to swim at a maximum depth of 30 metres. The largest known standard length for the species is 22 cm. The fish can be distinguished from its sister species by the presence of a dark spot behind gill opening. Belly consists with 17 to 20and 9 to 13 scutes. It has 15 to 19 dorsal soft rays and 17 to 26 anal dorsal soft rays. It is a filter feeder and feeds on planktons. Widely used as a food fish, it can be made into fish balls and can be eaten both in fresh and dried forms.
See also Commercial fish of Sri Lanka
References
External links Escualosa thoracata at ITIS Escualosa thoracata at WoRMS