Clupeonella


Clupeonella

 

a genus of fish of the family Clupeidae. The body measures as much as 15 cm in length and weighs 8–10 g. Species inhabiting the Caspian Sea are commonly called sprats. Clupeonella has four species. One, C. delicatula, has two subspecies: the Caspian tiul’ka (C. delicatula caspia) and the Black Sea tiul’ka (C. delicatula delicatula). The other three species are found only in the Caspian Sea.

Members of the genus feed on plankton and live in schools. They become sexually mature at the age of two to three years. The eggs are pelagic. The fish have great commercial significance, especially the anchovy-like tiul’ka (C. engrauliformis).

REFERENCES

Nikol’skii, G. V. Chastnaia ikhtiologiia, 3rd ed. Moscow, 1971.
Zhizn’ zhivotnykh, vol. 4, part 1. Moscow, 1971.