The freshwater anchovy or New Guinea thryssa (''Thryssa scratchleyi'') is a species of

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

in the family

Engraulidae An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the 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 species are placed in 1 ...

. It is native to Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

Habitat

''Thryssa scratchleyi'' is known to be found in coastal estuaries, rivers and freshwater lagoons, usually well upstream into freshwater and has been found about inland in the

Fly system A fly system, or theatrical rigging system, is a system of ropes, pulleys, counterweights and related devices within a theater (structure), theater that enables a stage crew to fly (hoist) quickly, quietly and safely components such as curtains, ...

in Papua New Guinea.

Human interaction

''Thryssa scratchleyi'' is recorded to serve no threats to humans, and it is a harmless species. Due to its large size, it is harvested both as a

game fish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish species pursued by recreational fishing, recreational fishers (typically angling, anglers), and can be freshwater fish, freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be fish as food, eaten aft ...

and as a target of

artisanal An artisan (from , ) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art, sculpture, clothing, food ite ...

fishing.

Size

''Thryssa scratchleyi'' is recorded to be the largest anchovy known, reaching a length of .

References

* freshwater anchovy Freshwater fish of the Northern Territory Freshwater fish of Queensland Freshwater fish of New Guinea Taxa named by Edward Pierson Ramsay Taxa named by James Douglas Ogilby freshwater anchovy Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Clupeiformes-stub