Species: Anchoviella elongata, Elongate Anchovy

Anchoviella elongata (Meek & Hildebrand, 1923)

Elongate Anchovy

Body slender, elongate (depth <20% of SL); snout prominent, conical, projecting, moderate (~2/3 eye diameter), projects distinctly beyond lower jaw; rear of the mouth extends well behind the eye; lower jaw suspended below head; upper jaw relatively long, reaching to or slightly beyond front edge of preoperculum, its rear tip bluntly rounded; gill branch under gill cover small (<eye); 21-24 lower gill rakers; anal fin with medium base, 18-22 branched rays, its origin behind the center of the body, ~under midpoint of dorsal fin; axillary scale under pectoral fin about ½ length of fin.

Bluish on back, silvery below; a narrow (<eye) silver stripe rearward of the level of the pelvic fins; dorsal fin with a yellow tint; black pigment along bases of dorsal and anal fins; tail fin yellow, with a broad black margin and narrow black upper and lower border.

Size: to 11 cm.

Occurs along sandy shores, also in estuaries and lagoons and other brackish habitats; also into freshwater.

Depth: 0-10 m?

Belize to Panama, also in Brazil.