Home · Engraulidae · Starks's anchovy
Starks's anchovy (Anchoa starksi) — Engraulidae

Starks's anchovy

Anchoa starksi
Family: Engraulidae
LC · Least Concern

The Starks's anchovy (Anchoa starksi) is a brackish-water fish of the family Engraulidae that grows up to 8 cm.

Length
7.7 cm
Water
Brackish
Depth
0.0–50.0 m
Diet
Carnivore
Behaviour
Schooling
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like)
Substrate
Open water
Danger
Harmless
Edibility
Rarely eaten

Description

Starks's anchovy is a small herring-like fish of the family Engraulidae occurring in coastal waters of the eastern Pacific. The species has a slender, silvery body with a shining lateral stripe and a downturned mouth with an overhanging snout. It grows to about 8 cm and lives in schools in shallow, neritic waters; in estuaries it tolerates lowered salinities. The diet consists of zooplankton filtered from the water. Because of its small size the species has little direct fishery value and is only rarely eaten.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Starks's anchovy?

The Starks's anchovy has an elongate, eel-like body, is mainly silver-grey and shows a horizontal stripes pattern.

Where does the Starks's anchovy live?

The Starks's anchovy lives in brackish water and is mostly found around open water.

How big does the Starks's anchovy get?

The Starks's anchovy grows to a maximum of about 8 cm.

Is the Starks's anchovy dangerous to humans?

No, the Starks's anchovy is harmless to humans.

Is the Starks's anchovy edible?

The Starks's anchovy is rarely eaten.

Download Fin's Fish Guide

Identify fish in seconds, log your catches and dives. Join the TestFlight beta.

Get the beta →

All data

Identification

Dutch name
Starks' ansjovis sourced
English name
Starks's anchovy verified
Scientific name
Anchoa starksi
Family
Engraulidae

Appearance

Size class
Small verified
Max length (cm)
7.7 verified
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like) sourced
Dominant colour
Silver / grey inferred
Pattern
Horizontal stripes inferred
Tail shape
Forked inferred
Mouth position
Inferior (downward) inferred
Lips
Thin inferred
Barbels
No sourced
Dorsal fins
One continuous inferred
Dorsal spines
No sourced

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Brackish sourced
Substrate
Open water sourced
Min depth (m)
0.0 verified
Max depth (m)
50.0 verified
Origin
Native sourced

Behaviour & biology

Diet
Carnivore sourced
Social behaviour
Schooling inferred
Territorial
No inferred
Reproduction
Separate sexes sourced
Sexual dimorphism
No inferred

For anglers

Edibility
Rarely eaten sourced
Fishing method
Klein van stuk en nauwelijks een hengelsportdoel; wordt vooral incidenteel of als aasvis gevangen. inferred
Regulations source
FishBase ↗ inferred

Safety

Danger to humans
Harmless sourced

Status & sources

Sources
FishBase via GBIF (DwC-A), CC-BY-NC 4.0

Same genus Anchoa

More from the family Engraulidae

Download Fin's Fish Guide

Identify fish in seconds, log your catches and dives. Join the TestFlight beta.

Get the beta →