Black Sea sprat

Black Sea sprat
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Division: Teleostei
Order: Clupeiformes
Family: Ehiravidae
Genus: Clupeonella
Species:
C. cultriventris
Binomial name
Clupeonella cultriventris
(Nordmann, 1840)[2]
Synonyms
  • Clupea cultriventris Nordmann, 1840
  • Clupea cultriventris tscharchalensis (non Borodin, 1896)
  • Clupea delicatula Nordmann, 1840
  • Clupeonella cultiventris (Nordmann, 1840)
  • Clupeonella delicatula (Nordmann, 1840)
  • Clupeonella delicatula azovi Vladimirov, 1950
  • Clupeonella delicatula caspia (non Svetovidov, 1941)
  • Clupeonella delicatula cultriventris (Nordmann, 1840)
Global capture production of Black and Caspian Sea sprat (Clupeonella cultriventris) in thousand tonnes from 1950 to 2022, as reported by the FAO[3]

The Black Sea sprat or Pontic sprat,[1] Clupeonella cultriventris, is a small fish of the herring family, Clupeidae. It is found in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov and rivers of its basins: Danube, Dnister, Dnipro (Ukraine), Southern Bug, Don, Kuban. It has white-grey flesh and silver-grey scales. A typical size is 10 cm (3.9 in), maximum 15 cm (5.9 in).[4] The life span is up to 5 years.[4] The peak of its spawning is in April and it can be found in enormous shoals in sea-shores, filled all-round coastal shallows, moving quickly back into the sea at a depth of 6–30 metres (20–98 ft). Used for food; it has around 12% fat in flesh.

It is one of the most abundant fishes in the Sea of Azov. It is important prey for other fishes, particularly the pikeperch.[5]

The Clupeonella cultiventris has become a naturalized and often dominant species in the pelagic zones of the Volga and Kama River reservoirs. It exhibits long-term (6–8 year) population cycles, particularly in the Upper Volga. The northernmost point of its self-sustaining population in the Volga-Kama region is the Sheksna Reservoir, with single mature individuals occasionally recorded even further north in Lake Beloye.[6]

The Caspian tyulka Clupeonella caspia has been long considered a subspecies of C. cultriventris, C. cultriventris caspia, and a common name "Black and Caspian Sea sprat" was then applied to the whole.[7][4]

In Odesa cuisine, the sprats are battered and fried to produce sprat cutlets.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Freyhof, J. & Kottelat, M. (2008). "Clupeonella cultriventris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008 e.T4987A11107179. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T4987A11107179.en. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  2. ↑ Nordmann, A. von. 1840. Observations sur la fauna pontique. In: A. de Démidoff. Voyage dans la Russie méridionale et la Crimée. Vol. III: 353–635. Paris.
  3. ↑ "Fisheries and Aquaculture - Global Production". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Clupeonella cultriventris". FishBase. August 2014 version.
  5. ↑ Рыбы вод Украины Тюлька черноморско-азовская (Clupeonella cultriventris (Nordmann, 1840)) fish.kiev.ua
  6. ↑ Karabanov, D. P.; Gerasimov, Yu. V.; Pavlov, D. D.; Kodukhova, Yu. V.; Kotov, A. A. (2026). "Alien Fish Species in Volga and Kama Rivers: Species Composition, Identification Peculiarities and Dispersal Patterns". Inland Water Biology. 19 (2): 424–451. doi:10.1134/S199508292660047X.
  7. ↑ C. cultriventris (Nordmann,1840) - черноморско-каспийская тюлька Archived 12 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine Позвоночные животные России. sevin.ru
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