Buccaneer anchovy (Encrasicholina punctifer)

Scientific name: Encrasicholina punctifer Fowler, 1938

Buccaneer anchovy (Encrasicholina punctifer)

The Buccaneer anchovy (Encrasicholina punctifer) is a marine fish of the family Engraulidae.

Biology

Epipelagic. A schooling species found inshore and in oceanic waters, hundreds of miles from land. Sometimes entering large atoll lagoons or deep, clear bays. Ranks among the most important food (bait) for tuna and other large pelagic fishes. Processed into nuoc-mam, a kind of fish pickle, in Indo-China.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Encrasicholina punctifer
Family
Engraulidae (Anchovies)
Order
Clupeiformes (Herrings)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
13.0
Environment
Marine; reef-associated; oceanodromous
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and Persian Gulf south to perhaps Durban in South Africa, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and probably Burma. Also from southern Japan to China, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia south to Brisbane, Australia, Japan eastward to Hawaii, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Samoa and Tahiti.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; bait: usually
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=1.1-2.0)

Sources

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

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