Common Name
Rio Anchovy
Year Described
Steindachner, 1879
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 14-15
Anal Fin: 21-24
Pectoral Fin: 12-13
Gill Rakers: 20-23 upper, 23-26 lower
Vertebrae: 41-42
Lateral Line Scales:
Body elongate and laterally compressed. Snout conical and about half eye diameter in length. Mouth very large and inferior. Maxilla tip extends over preoperculum (to rear edge). Teeth small. Suborbital bone slightly longer 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 base (>eye diameter). Pelvic fin a little closer to pectoral fin than anal fin. Pelvic fin with seven rays. Anal fin origin under middle of dorsal fin. Caudal fin forked. Anus closer to pelvic fin base than anal fin origin. Scales cycloid and deciduous. Lateral line absent.
Color
Body translucent with a narrow (about half eye diameter) silvery stripe that does not narrow significantly. Fins clear.
Size
Maximum size to 80mm TL.
Habitat
Inshore marine and estuarine waters. Schooling.
Range
Venezuela to southern Brazil.
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.