The Argentine anchoita (''Engraulis anchoita'') or Argentine anchovy is an

anchovy An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the Family (biology), family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water. More than 140 speci ...

of the genus ''

Engraulis ''Engraulis'' is a genus of anchovies. It currently contains nine species. They are found in Pacific, Atlantic and Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin ...

'', found in and around waters of

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

and southern

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Description

It grows to SL or TL. Spawning takes place throughout the year but is most intense and close to shore in October/November, and more offshore and less intensely in May/June.

Ecology

''Engraulis anchoita'' is a key species in the pelagic ecosystem of the Argentine waters. They are zooplanktivores, and prey especially upon

copepod Copepods (; meaning 'oar-feet') are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat (ecology), habitat. Some species are planktonic (living in the water column), some are benthos, benthic (living on the sedimen ...

s, but also their own eggs. ''Engraulis anchoita'' themselves are prey to other species, and constitute a main diet component of important commercial species such as hake, squid and mackerel.

Fishery

Annual catches of ''Engraulis anchoita'' in 2000–2009 varied between 12 and 44 thousand tonnes, mainly taken by Argentina.

References

Argentine anchoita Fauna of Temperate South America Fish of Argentina Fish of the Western Atlantic Argentine anchoita Anchovies {{Clupeiformes-stub