Kelee shad

Hilsa kelee

Trapping plankton via rakers

Tropical
Regional distribution
Indian Ocean
Pacific Ocean
Africa
Oceania
Southeast Asia
West Asia
Fusiform
Compressed cross-section
Medium
Tropical fish

Hilsa kelee, called the kelee shad, fivespot herring, hilsa, ilish and the razorbelly, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Dorosomatidae, which includes the gizzard shads and sardinellas. This fish is found along the coasts and estuaries of the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific, generally in tropical waters in the Bay of Bengal. It feeds on diatoms and dinoflagellates, and any other small plankton that it can trap in its gill rakers.

Class: Teleosts
Order: Herrings
Family: Dorosomatidae
Genus: Hilsa
Maximum length: 35 cm
Body shape: fusiform
Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: probably all coasts of Indian Ocean, from Gulf of Oman and Gulf of Aden south to Durban and Madagascar, across the Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Thailand, Java Sea and north to Hong Kong and east to Papua New Guinea and possibly further (Ref. 188 ).
Conservation status: LCLeast Concern

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