Spotback herring
Herklotsichthys punctatus
- Usual depth1–29 m
- Water temperature20–30 °C
- Best monthsMay, August, and September
- How commonRare
About this species
Herklotsichthys punctatus, the spotback herring or spotted herring, is a species of herring from the family Dorosomatidae. It is endemic to the Red Sea and likely entered the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal and is now common on the Levantine Basin.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Herklotsichthys punctatus”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 0 records
- February: 0 records
- March: 1 records
- April: 0 records
- May: 3 records
- June: 1 records
- July: 0 records
- August: 4 records
- September: 3 records
- October: 0 records
- November: 0 records
- December: 1 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 1–29 m · Deepest record: 28.5 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 20–30 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Spotback herring, spotback herring, Spotted herring
Names in 3 more languages
- Spanish
- Arenque manchado
- French
- Hareng tacheté
- Simplified Chinese
- 斑點似青鱗魚, 斑點青鱗, 青鱗仔, 鰮仔
Other scientific names: Clupea punctata, Harengula arabica, Harengula punctatus, Herclotsichthys punctatus, Herklosichthys punctatus, Herklostichthys punctatus, Herkloteichthys punctatus, Herklotsichthys punctata, Spratella erythraea
Similar species
- Bluestripe herring
Herklotsichthys quadrimaculatus
- blacksaddle herring
Herklotsichthys dispilonotus
Spotted sardinellaAmblygaster sirm
Chacunda gizzard shadAnodontostoma chacunda
- Deep Herring
Escualosa thoracata
- Bleeker smoothbelly sardinella
Amblygaster clupeoides
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 68 open-data records from 1928 to 2011.
Log what you see on your next dive
The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.