Madeiran sardinella (Sardinella maderensis)

Scientific name: Sardinella maderensis Lowe, 1838

The Madeiran sardinella (Sardinella maderensis) is a brackish-water fish of the family Clupeidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 24°C (75°F).

Madeiran sardinella care at a glance

Temperature: 24°C (75°F)

Biology

Forms schools in coastal waters, preferring waters of 24?C. Feeds on a variety of small planktonic invertebrates, fish larvae and phytoplankton. Breeds during the warm season (July-September). Juveniles and adults show clear north-south migrations in the Gabon-Congo-Angola sector of their range and also in the Sierra Leone-Mauritania sector, each area having nurseries. The movements are correlated with the seasonal upwelling. Marketed fresh, frozen or salted.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Sardinella maderensis
Family: Clupeidae (Herrings, shads and sardines)
Order: Clupeiformes (Herrings)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 37.3
Common length: 25.0
Depth range: 0–80 m (0–262 ft)
Environment: Marine; brackish; pelagic-neritic; oceanodromous; depth range 0 - 80 m
Climate: Subtropical
Distribution: Eastern Atlantic: Gibraltar to Angola; single specimen recorded from Walvis Bay, Namibia. Also known from the Mediterranean (southern and eastern parts, also penetrating Suez Canal).
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: highly commercial; bait: usually
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.34; tm=3; tmax=6)

Sources

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

Last updated 27 September 2026