Family: |
Engraulidae (Anchovies), subfamily: Engraulinae |
Max. size: |
11.3 cm TL (male/unsexed) |
Environment: |
pelagic; freshwater; brackish, potamodromous |
Distribution: |
South America: Orinoco system, as far up as Puerto Gaitan on Manacacias River in Colombia, certainly in delta; lower parts of rivers of Guyana, Surinam and French Guiana; lower part of Amazon, but lower limits not known; upper Amazon specimens are not this species. |
Diagnosis: |
Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 14-18. Body fairly slender, moderately compressed. Snout short, a little over 1/2 eye diameter; maxilla moderate, tip bluntly rounded, failing to reach pre-operculum by 1/3 to 1/2 pupil diameter; gill cover canals of walkeri-type. Anal fin short, its origin a little behind base of last dorsal fin ray. A silver stripe along flank, widening to about 1/2 eye diameter over anal fin base (Ref. 189). |
Biology: |
Occurs in estuaries and rivers, apparently tolerating only very low salinities. Breeds in December: a female of 5.8 cm SL having 2,000 eggs was caught from the Orinoco River mouth (Ref. 12225).. |
IUCN Red List Status: |
Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 06 March 2017 Ref. (130435)
|
Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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