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Anchovies (Coilia nasus) — Engraulidae

Anchovies

Coilia nasus
Family: Engraulidae
LC · Least Concern

The Anchovies (Coilia nasus) is a fish that lives in both fresh and salt water of the family Engraulidae that grows up to 41 cm.

Length
41 cm
Water
Euryhaline
Depth
0.0–50.0 m
Diet
Carnivore
Behaviour
Schooling
Activity
Diurnal
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like)
Substrate
Open water
Danger
Harmless
Edibility
Commonly eaten

Description

The Japanese grenadier anchovy is an anchovy from coastal, estuarine and fresh water of East Asia, off China, Korea and Japan. The species grows to about 41 cm and has a long, silvery body with a thin, ribbon-like tail merging with the long anal fin. It schools and migrates from the sea into rivers to spawn; it filters small zooplankton from the water. It is a valued, important food fish. The IUCN assesses the species as Least Concern (LC).

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Anchovies?

The Anchovies has an elongate, eel-like body, is mainly silver-grey and shows a plain pattern.

Where does the Anchovies live?

The Anchovies lives in both fresh and salt water and is mostly found around open water.

How big does the Anchovies get?

The Anchovies grows to a maximum of about 41 cm.

Is the Anchovies dangerous to humans?

No, the Anchovies is harmless to humans.

Is the Anchovies edible?

Yes, the Anchovies is commonly eaten.

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All data

Identification

Dutch name
Japanse grenadieransjovis verified
English name
Anchovies verified
Scientific name
Coilia nasus
Family
Engraulidae
Other names
Estuarine tapertail anchovy; Japanese grenadier anchovy verified

Appearance

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

Habitat & distribution

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

Behaviour & biology

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

For anglers

Edibility
Commonly eaten sourced
Fishing method
Netvisserij sourced
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 Coilia

More from the family Engraulidae

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