European pilchard | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Clupeiformes |
Family: | Clupeidae |
Genus: |
Sardina Antipa, 1904 |
Species: | S. pilchardus |
Binomial name | |
Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792) |
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Synonyms | |
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The European pilchard (Sardina pilchardus) is a species of ray-finned fish in the monotypic genus Sardina. This common species is found in the northeast Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea at depths of 10–100 m (33–328 ft). It reaches up to 27.5 cm (10.8 in) in length and mostly feeds on planktonic crustaceans. This schooling species is a batch spawner where each female lays 50,000-60,000 eggs.