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Dorab Wolf Herring ( Chirocentrus dorab ) in Kenya

Dorab wolf-herring

Slender coastal fish of the Indo-Pacific

Photo: Ewout Knoester, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The dorab wolf-herring is a slender, silvery fish found in warm coastal waters from East Africa to Japan. It supports commercial fisheries and sport fishing across the Indo-Pacific region.

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  • Found from Red Sea to Solomon Islands
  • Grows up to 120 centimetres long
  • Sold fresh, dried, salted or frozen
  • Lives in marine and brackish waters

What it is

This species belongs to the genus Chirocentrus within the family Chirocentridae. It has a slender and elongated body shape. The colouration is bright blue on the upper side and silvery below. Adults commonly measure between three and one hundred and twenty centimetres in length. Their weight ranges from one hundred and seventy grams to over one kilogram. The scientific name derives from Greek words for hand and sting.

Where it lives

The fish inhabits the Indo-Pacific region. Its distribution likely covers warmer coastal waters extensively. The range extends from the Red Sea and East Africa eastward to the Solomon Islands. Northern limits reach southern Japan, while southern boundaries include northern Australia. Recent reports indicate its presence in Tonga. It lives in marine environments as well as brackish or estuarine waters.

How it lives

It primarily feeds on smaller fish. The diet may also include crustaceans. As a coastal species, it navigates both open sea and estuarine zones. Specific details on schooling behaviour or natural predators are not provided in the available records. It is active in the warmer waters of its extensive geographic range.

Dorab wolf-herring
A drawing made by EveryFish from what this page says. It is a diagram, not a picture of the real fish.

Fish and people

This fish is a commercial species in local fisheries. It is sold in various forms, including fresh, dried, salted, or frozen. Anglers also target it as a game fish. In Arabic, it is known as lisan, meaning tongue, or darrab. Sinhala speakers call it katuwalla. The name dorab likely stems from an Arabic term for goldfish.

Chirocentrus dorab
Chirocentrus dorab. Photo: Hariprasad Shetty10, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Chirocentrus dorab , from fishmarket, Nouméa, New Caledonia.
Chirocentrus dorab , from fishmarket, Nouméa, New Caledonia.. Photo: Jean-Lou Justine, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The species names / identity need verification - original names from plate are included here. The original plates showed the fishes facing right and have been flipped here. Chirocentrus dorab
The species names / identity need verification - original names from plate are included here. The original plates showed. Photo: C. Achilles, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Chirocentrus dorab , from fishmarket, Nouméa, New Caledonia.
Chirocentrus dorab , from fishmarket, Nouméa, New Caledonia.. Photo: Jean-Lou Justine, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Questions people ask about Dorab wolf-herring

Where does the dorab wolf-herring live?

It is found in the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Solomon Islands. It inhabits warmer coastal waters, including marine and brackish estuarine environments.

What does the dorab wolf-herring eat?

This species primarily feeds on smaller fish. Its diet may also include crustaceans, which it hunts in its coastal and estuarine habitats.

Is the dorab wolf-herring used for food?

Yes, it is a commercial species. It is sold fresh, dried, salted, or frozen. It is also popular as a game fish for sport fishing enthusiasts.

Good reading and sources

Where this page comes from

The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Dorab wolf-herring", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryFish rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

It may contain mistakes, and figures change over time. Nothing here is investment or buying advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-11-15.

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Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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