Tenualosa macrura (Bleeker, 1852)
Longtail shad
photo by FAO

Family:  Dorosomatidae (Gizzard shads and sardinellas)
Max. size:  52 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  pelagic-neritic; freshwater; brackish; marine; depth range 0 - 50 m, anadromous
Distribution:  Western Central Pacific: Malaysia, Indonesia (Java Sea and Sarawak, also affluent rivers) and Thailand (southern tip).
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Anal spines: 0-0. Body moderately deep, belly with 30 to 31 scutes. A median notch on upper jaw distinguishes it from other similar clupeids, except Hilsa kelee. Gill rakers fine but not numerous. Caudal fin long, the lobes long and pointed. No series of dark spots along flank. Resembles T. toli, which has longer head but shorter tail; T. reevesii has many more lower gill rakers and a larger head.
Biology:  Schooling in coastal waters and ascending rivers to breed. Feeds on zooplankton (Ref. 58784). Presumably its biology is similar to that of T. ilisha, but the fewer gillrakers suggest that it takes larger food organisms. A protandrous hermaphrodite (Ref. 55367).
IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened (NT); Date assessed: 28 February 2017 (B2ab(iii)) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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