Common Name
Narrowstriped Anchovy
Year Described
Hildebrand, 1943
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 12
Anal Fin: 18-23
Pectoral Fin: 12
Gill Rakers: 15-19 upper, 19-22 lower
Vertebrae: 40
Lateral Line Scales:
Body elongate and laterally compressed. Body depth 19-22% TL. Snout conical and 3/4 eye diameter in length. Mouth very large and inferior. Maxilla tip extends well over preoperculum (to edge). Teeth small. Suborbital bone slightly larger than eye diameter. Pseudobranch shorter than eye diameter (does not reach onto operculum). Dorsal fin origin a little past midpoint of body with a concave rear margin. Pectoral fin long, low and falls well short of pelvic fin (less than eye diameter). Pelvic fin midway between anal and pectoral fin base. Pelvic fin with seven rays. Anal fin origin under middle of dorsal fin. Caudal fin forked. Anus closer to anal fin than pelvic fin base. Scales cycloid and deciduous. Lateral line absent.
Color
Body translucent with a dusky back. Bronze melanophores on the fin bases. Side with a narrow (about half eye diameter) silvery stripe that does not narrow significantly. Fins clear.
Size
Maximum size to 125mm TL.
Habitat
An inshore species found in clear marine waters. Schooling.
Range
Southeastern Gulf of Mexico to Venezuela and the Caribbean islands.
References
Hildebrand, S.F. 1964. Engraulidae and Clupeidae (pp. 152-454). In: Fishes of the Western North Atlantic. Mem. Sears Fnd. Mar. Res. 1 (Vol. 3): 1-630.