Delicate round herring
Spratelloides delicatulus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Delicate round herring
- Scientific
- Spratelloides delicatulus
- Dhivehi
- ހޮނޑެލިHondeli
- Group
- Baitfish
- Maximum size
- Up to about 18 cm (standard length) (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives max. 7 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 0 to 50 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2017
Description
A tiny, round-bodied sprat with a dark blue back and silvery sides and belly; unlike its close relative the silver sprat, it has no bright silver band along the flank. It forms large schools in clear lagoons and along reef margins, feeding on plankton near the surface. Its small size, abundance and liveliness make it one of the best live baits for pole-and-line tuna fishing.
In the Maldives
Called hondeli in Dhivehi and widely used as live bait by Maldivian pole-and-line tuna fishermen. MRS (1997) notes it appears to be much commoner in the south of the country than in the centre and north.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Spratelloides-delicatulus.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ހޮނޑެލި
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Spratelloides_delicatulus.jpg
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Hondeli' (Latin form). Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ހޮނޑެލި' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition); it matches the Latin form.