Australian anchovy
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 Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
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| Engraulis australis Hardy, 1987 |
The Australian anchovy, Engraulis australis, is an anchovy of the family Engraulidae, found off south east Australia, and around New Zealand, near the surface in bays, inlets, and estuaries.
The Australian anchovy is elongate and cigar-shaped and has the undershot lower jaw typical of all anchovies. They are pale silver-green above and silver-white below. They are the main baitfish found in the areas where they live, forming large schools in the summer. These schools are attacked by gannets, shearwaters, and terns from above, and from kahawai, yellowtail kingfish, and dolphins from below, the frenzied activity sometimes drawing the attention of sharks.
The Australian anchovy feeds on plankton.
[edit] References
- Engraulis australis (TSN 161834). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 18 April 2006.
- "Engraulis australis". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
- Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
