Diagnosis: Body fairly deep, compressed, scutes present along belly; upper jaw with distinct notch, into which tip of lower jaw fits; lower gillrakers long, fine and numerous, about 3 times as long as gill filaments, upper gillrakers bent sharply upward, V-shaped; pelvic fin rays with 1 unbranched and 7 branched rays; caudal fin tips long and pointed (Ref. 188). A faint dark spot behind gill cover, sometimes followed by others; dorsal fin tip black; caudal fin deep chrome yellow; golden tints on body (Ref. 188, 81269). Ethmalosa fimbriata resembles Sardinella aurita, Sardinella rouxi and especially Sardinella maderensis, but these are more slender, have a rounded upper jaw which is not notched and the upper gillrakers are not bent upward like an elbow (Ref. 188).

Description: Body fairly deep, compressed, scutes present along belly (Ref. 188, 2849, 81269, 81631). Mouth terminal; upper jaw with distinct median notch, into which tip of lower jaw fits (Ref. 187, 188). Adipose eyelid very well developed (Ref. 2849, 5356, 81269, 81631). Lower gillrakers long, fine and numerous, about 3 times as long as gill filaments; upper gillrakers bent sharply upward, V-shaped; total gill rakers about 108 (Ref. 188, 104885). Dorsal fin short, at about midpoint of body, with 16-19 rays, consisting of 3-5 unbranched and 12-17 branched rays; anal fin well behind dorsal fin base, with 19-25 rays, consisting of 2-4 unbranched and 17-23 branched rays; pectoral fin with 1 unbranched and 14 branched rays; pelvic fin with 1 unbranched and 7 branched rays; caudal fin tips long and pointed (Ref. 187, 188, 2849, 5356, 81269, 81631, 104885). Scales lacinate on posterior margin, numbering 37-45 in a longitudinal series; transversal scales 16-19; pre-dorsal scales 20-22 (Ref. 2849, 5356, 81269, 81631). With 16-20 pre-pelvic and 10-13 post-pelvic midventral scutes (Ref. 2849, 5356, 81269, 81631). Number of vertebrae 40-44 (Ref. 5356).

Colouration: Back blue/green, sides silvery, with a faint oval spot a short distance behind gill opening; golden areas on upper part of head; anterior dorsal finrays dark, rest of fin yellow, except at base; anal fin yellow at base; caudal fin deep chrome yellow, but upper edge and hind margin grey (Ref. 187). Alcohol-preserved specimens are silvery, with the back brownish to greenish; a rounded black spot behind the upper part of operculum, sometimes followed by one or more, less visible, spots aligned in a longitudinal series (Ref. 188, 2849, 2849, 81269, 81631).