Philippine Fish Species - List of Common Fish in the
Philippines
A list of Philippine fish names in English and Filipino
(Tagalog), with some scientific names and fish
pictures to help identify particular Filipino fish species
found in local fish markets:
 Agoot - grunt
 Alakaak - croaker
 Alumahan - long-jawed mackerel / Indian
mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta)
 Alumahang bato - chub mackerel
(e.g. Scomber japonicus)
 Apahap - barramundi, seaperch
 Asohos - sillago / whiting (e.g. Sillago sihama)
 Ayungin - silver perch / silver theraponid
(Leiopotherapon plumbeus)
 Babansi / bagaong - terapon (e.g. Terapon
jarbua)
 Bakoko - grunt (e.g. Pomadasys argenteus),
seabream, sweet lips
 Banak / asubi / talilong - mullet
 Bangus - milkfish (Chanos chanos)
 Bidbid - Hawaiian ladyfish (Elops hawaiensis)
 Biloan - lattice monocle bream (Scolopsis
taeniopterus) [?]
Bisugo
 Bisugo - threadfin bream (e.g. Nemipterus
japonicus), jobfish, goatfish
 Bitilya - emperor (e.g. Lethrinus lentjan)
 Biya - goby (generally, some exceptions)
 Buan-buan - Indo-Pacific tarpon (Megalops
cyprinoides)
 Burara - bigeye snapper (Lutjanus lutjanus) [?]
 Chabeta / hiwas - moonfish (Mene maculata)
 Dalag - mudfish / striped snakehead (Channa
striata)
 Dalag-dagat - cobia (Rachycentron canadum)
 Dalagang bukid - fusilier
 Danggit - rabbitfish
 Dapa - flounder, sole (flatfish)
 Dilat - red bigeye (Priacanthus macracanthus)
 Dilis - anchovy
o Twakang - Commerson's anchovy
(Stolephorus commersonnii), Indian anchovy
(Stolephorus indicus)
 Dorado - dolphinfish / mahi-mahi
(Coryphaena hippurus), queenfish
 Dulong - lacustrine goby (Gobiopterus
lacustris)
Espada
 Espada - beltfish / largehead hairtail
(Trichiurus lepturus)
 Galunggong - mackerel scad (Decapterus
macarellus), Indian scad / Russell's mackerel scad
(Decapterus russelli), scad (various - usually scads
with longer narrower bodies)
 Gulyasan - skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus
pelamis)
 Hasa-hasa / kabalyas / kabayas - short
mackerel (Rastrelliger brachysoma)
 Hito - catfish (black, e.g. Clarias batrachus)
 Igat / palos - eel
 Isu - mangrove red snapper (Lutjanus
argentimaculatus)
 Kabasi - gizzard shad (e.g. Nematalosa
nasus, Anodontostoma chacunda)
 Kalaso - lizardfish
 Kanduli - catfish (silver, e.g. Arius manillensis)
 Kitang - spotted scat (Scatophagus argus)
 Labahita - surgeonfish, unicornfish
 Lao-lao / lawlaw - deepbody sardinella
(Sardinella brachysoma)
 Lapu-lapu - grouper (e.g. Epinephelus
coioides)
 Lohoran - crimson snapper (Lutjanus
erythropterus) [?]
 Loro - parrotfish

Malakapas
 Ludong - lobed river mullet (Cestraeus
plicatilis)
 Malaga - vermiculated spinefoot (Siganus
vermiculatus)
 Malakapas - mojarra, silver-biddy
 Malasugi - blue marlin, swordfish
 Mamali - fourfinger threadfin (Eleutheronema
tetradactylum)
 Liwalo / Martiniko - climbing perch (Anabas
testudineus)
 Matangbaka - oxeye scad (Selar boops),
bigeye scad (Selar crumenophthalmus)
 Maya-maya / bambangin / pargo - snapper
(e.g. Lutjanus malabaricus)
 Pampano - pomfret and pompano
(e.g. Parastromateus niger)
 Sagisi / tikwi - deepwater red snapper (Etelis
carbunculus), deepwater longtail red snapper (Etelis
coruscans)
 Samaral - goldlined spinefoot (Siganus
guttatus)
Salay ginto - Yellowstripe scad
 Salay-salay - yellowstripe scad (Selaroides
leptolepis), herring scad (Alepes vari), scad (various -
usually rounder wider scads with yellow marking)
o Salay-salay aso / salingga - shrimp
scad (Alepes djedaba)
o Salay batang / kalapato - yellowtail
scad (Atule mate)
 Sapsap - ponyfish / slipmouth
 Silinyasi / tunsoy - fringescale sardinella
(Sardinella fimbriata)
 Sinarapan - Mistichthys luzonensis
 Taksay - toothpony (Gazza minuta)
 Talakitok / maliputo - trevally / jack / cavalla
(e.g. Caranx ignobilis)
 Talimusak - maned goby (Oxyurichthys
microlepis)
 Tambakol - yellowfin tuna (Thunnus
albacares), bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus)
 Tamban - sardine
 Tanigue / tangigue - Narrow-barred Spanish
mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson), Indo-Pacific
king mackerel (Scomberomorus guttatus), wahoo
(Acanthocybium solandri)
Torsilyo
 Tawilis - freshwater sardinella (Sardinella
tawilis)
 Tilapia / pla pla - tilapia (e.g. Oreochromis
niloticus)
 Torsilyo - barracuda
 Tulingan - kawakawa / mackerel tuna
(Euthynnus affinis), bullet tuna (Auxis rochei), frigate
tuna (Auxis thazard)
Other Fish:
 Ataba - archerfish
 Balo - needlefish
 Bolador - flying fish (e.g. Cypselurus
opisthopus)
 Kansusuit - garfish
 Maming - wrasse
 Paru-parong dagat - butterflyfish
Mollusks, Crustaceans, and other Shellfish:
 Alimasag - crab Portunidae spp. (e.g. blue
swimmer crab, Portunus pelagicus), coral crab
(Charybdis feriatus)
 Alimango - mud crab
o Putian / bulik - Indo-Pacific swamp
crab / mangrove king crab (Scylla serrata)
o Pulahan - orange mud crab (Scylla
olivacea)
 Alupihang-dagat - mantis shrimp
 Banagan - spiny lobster (e.g. Panulirus
ornatus)
 Canoos / hibya - cuttlefish
 Curacha - spanner crab / red frog crab (Ranina
ranina)
 Diwal - Pacific angelwing clam (Pholas
orientalis)
 Halaan - clam (e.g. Manila clam / Japanese
carpet shell, Ruditapes philippinarum)
o Tulya - Asian clam (Corbicula
fluminea previously also known as Corbicula
manilensis)
 Hipon - shrimp (e.g. whiteleg shrimp, Penaeus
vannamei)
o Swahe / suahe - endeavor prawn (e.g.
red endeavor prawn / greasy back
shrimp,Metapenaeus ensis)
 Kuhol - snail (Pila luzonica)
 Pitik-pitik - slipper lobster (e.g. Thenus
orientalis)
 Pugita - octopus
 Pusit - squid

Pusit lumot
o Pusit Bisaya - smaller pink-speckled
squid (Indian squid -Loligo duvauceli [?])
o Pusit lumot - larger dark-speckled
squid (bigfin reef squid -Sepioteuthis lessoniana [?])
 Sugpo - prawn (e.g. Penaeus monodon)
 Susô - snail
 Tahong - mussel (e.g. Perna viridis)
 Talaba - oyster (e.g. Crassostrea iredalei)
 Talangka - shore crab (Varuna litterata)
 Tuyom - sea urchin
 Ulang - giant freshwater prawn
(Macrobrachium rosenbergii), crayfish, lobster

Other Sea Creatures and Aquatic Species:

 Arosep / lato - sea grape seaweed (Caulerpa
lentillifera, Caulerpa racemosa)
 Balatan - sea cucumber
 Balyena - whale
 Bulate - sea worm
 Butanding - whale shark (Rhincodon typus)
 Dikya - jellyfish
 Guso - seaweed (e.g. Eucheuma spp.)
 Pagi - ray
 Pating - shark