Species: Rhinosardinia amazonica, Amazon Spinejaw Sprat, Amazon Spinejaw Herring, Shortband Round Herring

Rhinosardinia amazonica (Steindachner, 1879)

Amazon Spinejaw Sprat, Amazon Spinejaw Herring

Elongate, compressed; mouth oblique, lower jaw projecting; top jaw short, ends at level of front edge of pupil; front of top jaws with no central notch; rear edge of front of top jaw bone at level of center of eye with a sharp back-directed spine; rear edge of gill opening evenly rounded, without fleshy lobes; anal fin relatively short based, 15-18 rays; pelvic fins on the abdomen below the dorsal fin; a forked tail fin; lower body profile with series of keeled sharp scutes (hard spiny scales) from under throat to anus; each scale with a pair of distinct parallel skin lines; lateral scales 39-41.

Pale yellowish white; belly silver; tail fin lobes yellow, with thin black edges; a silver stripe along mid-side in some fish.

Reaches 10.3 cm.

Freshwater, but into brackish river mouths.

Depth: 3-50 m.

Venezuela to northern Brazil.