Anchovy

Engraulis australis

The anchovies ( Engraulidae ) (from the Italian sardella, to Latin sarda, herring ') are a family of herring -like. The small fish live as plankton -eating fish swarm in the oceans moderate and tropical latitudes. Most species occur mainly near the coasts, some in fresh water, most of them in South America.

Features

Anchovies are 2-41 cm long depending on the type. Most remain below 20 cm. Your body is mostly spindle shaped with oval cross section, often translucent, or on the flanks silvery with brown or blue- green back. As plankton feeders they have a well-developed gills Reuse apparatus. Some of the larger species are piscivor; the dentition may be strong, but also completely absent. The tail is usually forked. A lateral line is not present.

System

There are two subfamilies, 17 genera and about 140 species:

• Subfamily Coiliinae
• Subfamily Engraulinae

Use

Economically important are the European anchovy ( Engraulis encrasicolus ) and the South American anchovy ( Engraulis ringens ), both from the subfamily Engraulinae.

While the European anchovy is an important food fish and often salted is offered as anchovies, anchovy or anchoveta the South American is mainly processed into fish meal and fish oil. With pellets of fish meal, for example, the salmon, the salmon farms ( " factories " ) to be fed.