Upper jaw rounded and not notched on frontal view. Gill cover without bony radiating stripes. Scales with fine radiating or horizontal stripes on exposed posterior part; back steel blue when fresh. Average size is 8-12cm,

A schooling species in coastal waters.Tends to occur in the bottom or midwater except during summer when surface shoals may appear; extends to deeper water in summer and retreats to close inshore for spawning during winter.

Sprat are highly selective in their diet and are strict zooplanktivores that do not change their diet with fish size.

Sprats spawn during the colder winter months particularly in the Canterbury Bight. Not commercially fished in New Zealand but considered a delicacy in some parts of the world. Significant food source for seabirds and larger fish.

A Treasury of New Zealand Fishes: Graham
Whitehead, P.J.P., 1985. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 7. Clupeoid fishes of the world (suborder Clupeioidei). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the herrings, sardines, pilchards, sprats, shads, anchovies and wolf-herrings. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(7/1):1-303. Rome: FAO.