CLUPEIFORMES - herrings

  • Family: Clupeidae
  • Family: Engraulidae

    Clupeidae
    Pellona castelnaeana
    This is a fast-swimming pelagic fish which favours large water bodies but will enter small varzea lakes at high water. It is found in both black and white waters although it probably avoids oxygen-poor white water lakes and channels. It is a piscivore. The maximum length is about 50 cm. It hunts by day and in Amazonian lakes it is common to see small fish leaping out of the water as the Pellona attack from below.

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    Lateral view of an adult Pellona castelnaeana caught in a blackwater lake on the edge of the Rio Japura near Tefe
    Lateral view of an adult Pellona castelnaeana caught in a blackwater lake on the edge of the Rio Japura near Tefe

    Close-up of the head of Pellona castelnaeana. The specimen was caught in a blackwater lake on the edge of the Rio Japura near Tefe
    Close-up of the head of Pellona castelnaeana. The specimen was caught in a blackwater lake on the edge of the Rio Japura near Tefe


    Engraulidae
    Together with the Clupeidae they are members of the Clupeiformes, which are a predominantly marine group. 12 species of Anchovy are presently known from the Amazon. They are easily recognized by their silvery appearance and the distinctive structure of the jaws in which the lower jaw is positioned underneath the head.

    This is a family of small pelagic fish which feed predominantly on small insects and crustaceans. For example, Amazonsprattus scintilla, which is found in the Rio Negro and tributaries, matures at a length of 1.4 to 1.8 cm standard length and feeds on Diptera and cladocerans.

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    Lateral view of a typical Amazonian engraulid. This specimen was captured in Lake Tefe, which is a large black water lake
    Lateral view of a typical Amazonian engraulid. This specimen was captured in Lake Tefe, which is a large black water lake

    Close-up of the head of an Amazonian engraulid showing the characteristic arrangement of the jaw
    Close-up of the head of an Amazonian engraulid showing the characteristic arrangement of the jaw