Scientific Name
Sillago sihama

Common Name
Silver sillago

Biology
Common along beaches, sandbars, mangrove creeks and estuaries. Recorded from freshwater. Form schools. Adults bury themselves in the sand when disturbed (Ref. 6205, 44894). Feed mainly on polychaete worms, small prawns (Penaeus), shrimps and amphipods (Ref. 6226, 6227, 44894). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Larvae and juveniles are pelagic feeding on planktonic (Ref. 43081). Rarely captured by prawn trawling vessels. Marketed fresh and frozen (Ref. 9987).

Classification

Classified By

Forssk?l, 1775

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Perch-like fish (Perciformes)

Family

Smelt-whitings (Sillaginidae)

Distribution

Region

Indo-West Pacific

Distribution

Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and Knysna, South Africa to Japan and south to Australia. Reported from New Caledonia (Ref. 9070). Mediterranean sea: Turkey. In Japan, this name has often been misapplied to Sillago japonica. Often misidentified as Sillago lutea or Sillago vincenti.

Range

41°N - 36°S, 20°E - 166°E

Environment

Climate

Tropical

Water Temperature From

26 °C

Water Temperature To

29 °C

Depth From - meters

0 m

Depth To - meters

60 m

Zone

reef-associated

Environment

Marine; brackish; reef-associated; amphidromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 60 m (Ref. 6205), usually 0 - 20 m (Ref. 6205)

Trophic Level

3.37 s.e. 0.47 Based on diet studies.

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

True

Occurs in Brackish water

True

Occurs in Fresh Water

False

Occurs on Reefs

True

Is kept in Aquariums

False

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

31.0 cm

Common Length

20.0 cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.5000 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial

Vulnerability

Low vulnerability (22 of 100)

Resilience

High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.75-1.22; tm=1; tmax=4; Fec=16,682)

Threat To Humans

Harmless

IUCN Red List Status

Not Evaluated