Ilisha elongata (Anonymous)

Body slender, its depth 27 to 31% of standard length, belly with usually 24 to 25 + 10 to 15 total 34 to 42 scutes. Eye large, lower jaw projecting; lower gillrakers 19 to 25. Dorsal fin origin at about midpoint of body or a little behind; anal fin with 43 to 53 finrays, its origin a little behind dorsal fin base. Swimbladder with a single long tube passing back down right side of side of body above anal fin base. Resembles I. megaloptera, I. filigera, I. macrogaster and I. pristigastroides in this swimbladder character, but these are either deeper-bodied (depth 31 to 36%) or have only 28 to 35 scutes (I. megaloptera). Other Ilisha species have either twin tubes from the hind end of the swimbladder (and usually only 25 to 30 scutes) or no posterior tubes (and more or fewer scutes). Pellona species are deeper-bodied and have a distinct toothed hypo-maxilla.

Indian Ocean (Pondicherry, based solely on the type of Pellona leschenaulti; no other confirmed Indian records), Java Sea (Singapore), East China Sea (Canton north to the Koreas and southern Japan, as far as Osaka on the Pacific coast and Fukuoka in Sea of Japan, also Peter the Great Bay in Soviet waters).

To 40.5 cm standard length.

Marine, pelagicand inshore,entering estuaries and presumably able to tolerate lowered salinities. A warm-water species that does not reach the northern part of its range in cool years.

The only Indo-Pacific species of Ilisha for which individual statistics are reported. In 1983 the catch was 15 338 t from China and the Koreas. The total catch reported for this species to FAO for 1999 was 110 624 t. The countries with the largest catches were China (110 359 t) and Korea, Republic of (265 t).