Atlantic anchoveta (Cetengraulis edentulus)

Scientific name: Cetengraulis edentulus Cuvier, 1829

The Atlantic anchoveta (Cetengraulis edentulus) is a brackish-water fish of the family Engraulidae. Native range: Western Atlantic, in the Antilles, from Cuba southward; Costa Rica south and east to Colombia and Venezuela, Trinidad south to Itapema, Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Biology

Occurs inshore and forms quite large schools. Enters brackish waters of lagoons and estuaries and can tolerate salinities of 10.32-31 ppt (Santa Cruz Canal, Pernambuco, Brazil). A filter-feeder presumably on both phytoplankton and zooplankton. Spawns off the Araya Peninsula, Venezuela from October to January, with a distinct peak in mid-November. Eggs are oval, spawned at 0230-0500 hours along shoreline out to about 1.5 km and hatching at about 20-24 hours later.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Cetengraulis edentulus
Family: Engraulidae (Anchovies)
Order: Clupeiformes (Herrings)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 16.6
Common length: 15.0
Depth range: 10 m (33 ft)
Environment: Marine; brackish; pelagic-neritic; depth range 10 - ? m
Climate: Tropical
Distribution: Western Atlantic: in the Antilles, from Cuba southward; Costa Rica south and east to Colombia and Venezuela, Trinidad south to Itapema, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: minor commercial; bait: usually
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.13-0.22)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026