Sarda orientalis

Osteichthyes Scombridae Sarda orientalis
Striped bonito BIP
39.9 cm TL
Characteristic features:
Colour:

Steel-blue above with 5–11 narrow dark stripes on upper sides, silvery below, first dorsal fin dark.

Size:

Up to 102 cm TL and up to at least 10.7 kg in weight.1

Distribution:

Found in subtropical waters of the Indo-Pacific.

Habitat:

Inshore pelagic. Found within a temperature range of 13.5–23°C and found at depths from the surface to 30 m.

Biology:

Feeds on smaller fish, particularly clupeoids and also small crustaceans and squids. Schools with similarly sized tuna. Length at 50% maturity was estimated between at between 42–54 cm FL.2 Relative fecundity varies from 293,793 to 696,512 for fishes between 39 and 52 cm FL. Maximum age is to at least 4 years.3

Indonesian fisheries:

Caught mainly by pole-and-line, also by purse seines and drift nets.

Similar species:

Euthynnus affinis
Mackerel tuna

Euthynnus affinis

Euthynnus affinis differs in having a series of oblique dark stripes (vs. 5–11 narrow dark horizontal stripes on upper sides); a dorsal scaleless area behind a corselet of well developed scales (vs. body entirely covered in minute scales) and 29–34 gill rakers on first gill arch (vs. 8–13).

to Euthynnus affinis

Katsuwonus pelamis
Skipjack tuna

Katsuwonus pelamis

Katsuwonus pelamis differs in having 4–6 distinct dark longitudinal stripes on lower sides (vs. 5–11 narrow dark stripes on upper sides); a tongue without ridges or teeth (vs. 2 longitudinal ridges); body scaleless behind a scaled corselet (vs. body covered in minute scales behind a corselet of well-developed scales) and 53–63 gill rakers on first gill arch (vs. 8–13).

to Katsuwonus pelamis

Auxis spp.
Frigate & bullet tunas

Auxis rochei
Auxis rochei

Auxis spp. differ in having a wider interdorsal space (vs. narrow); a tongue with longitudinal ridges (vs. without ridges or teeth); a scaleless dorsal area behind a scaled corselet (vs. body covered in minute scales behind scaled corselet area); vertical/oblique dark bars in dorsal scaleless area (vs. 5–11 narrow dark stripes on upper sides) and between 36–48 gill rakers on first gill arch (vs. 8–13).

to Auxis spp.
Internal links:


Sarda orientalis quiz

External links:

FishBase
The IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM

References:
  1. Collette BB, Nauen CE. FAO species catalogue. Volume 2. Scombrids of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of tunas, mackerels, bonitos and related species known to date. 1983.
  2. Silas EG. Aspects of the taxonomy and biology of the oriental bonito Sarda orientalis (Temminck and Schlegel). 1964;
  3. Sivadas M, Abdussamad EM, Jasmine S, Rohit P, Koya KP, Ghosh S, et al. Assessment of the fishery and stock of striped bonito, Sarda orientalis (Temminck and Schlegel, 1844) along Kerala coast with a general description of its fishery from Indian coast. Indian Journal of Fisheries. 2012;59(2):57–61.