Blacksaddle herring (Herklotsichthys dispilonotus)

Scientific name: Herklotsichthys dispilonotus Bleeker, 1852

The Blacksaddle herring (Herklotsichthys dispilonotus) is a brackish-water fish of the family Clupeidae. Native range: Western Central Pacific, Gulf of Thailand, Philippines, and Indonesia.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13-21; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 12 - 23. Immediately distinguished from all other species of Herklotsichthys by the presence of two dark saddle-like blotches on the back, at the hind part of the dorsal fin base and a short distance behind this. Overlaps range of H. quadrimaculatus, which lacks the black saddles and has elongate wing-like scales underneath the normal paired pre-dorsal scales.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Herklotsichthys dispilonotus
Family: Clupeidae (Herrings, shads and sardines)
Order: Clupeiformes (Herrings)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 8.5
Common length: 7.0
Depth range: 0–50 m (0–164 ft)
Environment: Marine; brackish; pelagic-neritic; depth range 0 - 50 m
Climate: Tropical
Distribution: Western Central Pacific: Gulf of Thailand, Philippines, and Indonesia.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: subsistence fisheries
Resilience: High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026