Species: Anchoa spinifer, Spicule anchovy
body deep
C yellow
tip of D & rear border C black
12-19 lower gill rakers
pectoral reaches pelvic
Anchoa spinifer (Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1848)
Spicule anchovy
Moderately deep, strongly compressed; snout relatively prominent, pointed, ¾ eye diameter; upper jaw elongate, reaching to edge of gill cover, its rear tip pointed; a small triangular projection on lower margin of gill cover (on suboperculum); membrane between gill covers not expanded at rear; third gill arch with a few short rakers on its rear face; 12-19 lower gill rakers; no large canine teeth; dorsal fin origin in mid-body; anal with long base, rays iii,31-37, origin ~ under center of dorsal fin; pectoral fin reaching beyond pelvic fin origin.
Bluish on back, silvery below; small specimens with silver midlateral stripe that disappears with age; tail fin yellow, with black edging.
Size: to 26 cm.
Habitat: coastal pelagic.
Depth: 0-55 m.
The only anchovy known from both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the Americas; southern Mexico to Ecuador.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Freshwater
- Marine
- Brackish
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Water column only
- Surface
- Near Surface
- Habitat
-
- Water column
- Freshwater
- Estuary
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Pelagic
- Feeding Group
-
- Planktivore
- Data
- Diet
-
- Pelagic fish larvae
- Pelagic fish eggs
- Phytoplankton
- Zooplankton
- No Data
- Egg Type
-
- Pelagic larva
- No data
- Pelagic
- Global Endemism
-
- All species
- TEP non-endemic
- Transisthmian (East Pacific + Atlantic of Central America)
- East Pacific + Atlantic (East +/or West)
- New world (East Pacific + West Atlantic)
- Regional Endemism
-
- All species
- Continent
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic
- Continent only
- Eastern Pacific non-endemic
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Not evaluated / Listed
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 26
- Depth Range Min
-
- 0
- Depth Range Max
-
- 55
