Family : Engraulidae (Anchovies)
Order : Clupeiformes  (herrings)
Class : Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Fishbase Name : Buccaneer anchovy
Fish Name : Encrasicholina punctifer
Max size : 13.0 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 189)
Environment : reef-associated; oceanodromous
Climate : tropical; 42°N - 35°S
Global Importance : fisheries: minor commercial; bait: usually
Resilience: High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=1.1-2.0)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.
Diagnosis : Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12-15; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 14-17. Belly rounded with 3 to 6 sharp needle-like pre-pelvic scutes. Maxilla tip blunt, scarcely projecting beyond second supra-maxilla, not reaching to front border of pre-operculum. Isthmus short, preceded by small fleshy plate on urohyal between branchial membranes. Anal fin short, its origin behind base of last dorsal fin ray.
Biology : Epipelagic (Ref. 58302). 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 (Ref. 1602). Processed into nuoc-mam, a kind of fish pickle, in Indo-China (Ref. 4929)
Threatened : Dangerous:  
Dangerous : harmless
Coordinator :
Main Ref : Whitehead, P.J.P., G.J. Nelson and T. Wongratana. 1988. (Ref. 189)

India country information
Common Names : Commerson's anchovy
Status : native
Salinity : marine
Uses : no uses