Anchoa

Anchoa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Clupeiformes
Family:	Engraulidae
Genus:	Anchoa D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1927
Type species
Engraulis compressus Girard, 1858

Anchoa is a genus of anchovies. It currently consists of 35 species.

Species

There are currently 35 recognized species in this genus:

• Anchoa analis (R. R. Miller, 1945) (Longfin Pacific anchovy)
• Anchoa argentivittata (Regan, 1904) (Regan's anchovy)
• Anchoa belizensis (Thomerson & D. W. Greenfield, 1975) (Belize anchovy)
• Anchoa cayorum (Fowler, 1906) (Key anchovy)
• Anchoa chamensis Hildebrand, 1943 (Chame Point anchovy)
• Anchoa choerostoma (Goode, 1874) (Bermuda anchovy)
• Anchoa colonensis Hildebrand, 1943 (Narrow-striped anchovy)
• Anchoa compressa (Girard, 1858) (Deep-body anchovy)
• Anchoa cubana (Poey, 1868) (Cuban anchovy)
• Anchoa curta (D. S. Jordan & C. H. Gilbert, 1882) (Short anchovy)
• Anchoa delicatissima (Girard, 1854) (Slough anchovy)
• Anchoa eigenmannia (Meek & Hildebrand, 1923) (Eigenmann's anchovy)
• Anchoa exigua (D. S. Jordan & C. H. Gilbert, 1882)
• Anchoa filifera (Fowler, 1915) (Longfinger anchovy)
• Anchoa helleri (C. L. Hubbs, 1921) (Heller's anchovy)
• Anchoa hepsetus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Broad-striped anchovy)
• Anchoa ischana (D. S. Jordan & C. H. Gilbert, 1882) (Slender anchovy)
• Anchoa januaria (Steindachner, 1879) (Rio anchovy)
• Anchoa lamprotaenia Hildebrand, 1943 (Big-eye anchovy)
• Anchoa lucida (D. S. Jordan & Gilbert, 1882) (Bright anchovy)
• Anchoa lyolepis (Evermann & M. C. Marsh, 1900) (Shortfinger anchovy)
• Anchoa marinii Hildebrand, 1943 (Marini's anchovy)
• Anchoa mitchilli (Valenciennes, 1848) (Bay anchovy)
• Anchoa mundeola (C. H. Gilbert & Pierson, 1898) (False Panama anchovy)
• Anchoa mundeoloides (Breder, 1928) (Northern Gulf anchovy)
• Anchoa nasus (Kner & Steindachner, 1867) (Longnose anchovy)
• Anchoa panamensis (Steindachner, 1877) (Panama anchovy)
• Anchoa parva (Meek & Hildebrand, 1923) (Little anchovy)
• Anchoa pectoralis Hildebrand, 1943 (Bigfin anchovy)
• Anchoa scofieldi (D. S. Jordan & Culver, 1895) (Scofield's anchovy)
• Anchoa spinifer (Valenciennes, 1848) (Spicule anchovy)
• Anchoa starksi (C. H. Gilbert & Pierson, 1898) (Starks' anchovy)
• Anchoa tricolor (Spix & Agassiz, 1829) (Piquitinga anchovy)
• Anchoa trinitatis (Fowler, 1915) (Trinidad anchovy)
• Anchoa walkeri W. J. Baldwin & Chang, 1970 (Walker's anchovy)

Description

Anchoa are small, silvery fish that range anywhere from 5.8 cm - 24 cm. The smallest of these species is the Anchoa belizensis and the largest is Anchoa spinifer. These fish are distributed throughout the Americas, mostly in the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean.

Survival in Latin America

The survival of these populations is dependendent on biological and environmental fluctuations, these being more severe in Latin American regions than in any other regions. The most important commercial fisheries are found in the Southeast Pacific Ocean, where the upwelling Humboldt current sustains large populations of pelagic (surface dwelling) species. However, every two to seven years, the cold Humboldt current is disrupted by the extreme weather patterns of El Nino and sometimes, La Nina.

El Nino

El Nino arises from a relaxation of the trade winds, which slows the upwelling of the Humboldt current allowing warmer water from the Western Pacific to move eastwards. This change in currents raises sea surface temperatures, reducing food supplies and so increasing natural mortality. Similar effects are observed in the East Central Pacific fisheries of Mexico, where the fish are also vulnerable to the effects of El Nino.

Endangered species

Due to rampant overfishing, these fish have been added to the list of endangered species. The effects of rampant overfishing in Latin America are often amplified by the disruptive patterns of El Niño.