Amazonsprattus scintilla
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Clupeiformes (Herrings, Anchovies and Sardines)
Engraulidae (Anchovies)
Amazonsprattus
Amazonsprattus scintilla
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Body shape: elongated. Mouth small, pre-maxillae absent or minute and toothless; maxilla very short, just reaching to front border of eye, with two supra-maxillae; articulation of lower jaw under hind border of pupil or just behind. Dorsal fin origin well behind midpoint of body; anal fin origin under first quarter of dorsal fin base. In life translucent or even transparent. Striking features: none.
Distribution
South America: endemic to the Amazon system (Rio Jufari between Castanheiro Grande and Santa Fé, also Rio Negro at Santa Isabel).
Habitat Associations
Freshwater. pelagic. Found in: streams.
Biology
A riverine species collected some distance up a low-gradient swampy tributary of the Rio Negro (the Rio Jufari), Brazil and in the main river, in both cases the water generally darkly tinted, acid (pH 4-5) and low in dissolved ions. Feeds on dipteran larvae and pupae; also cladocerans. Males mature at 1.43-1.62 cm SL; females at 1.59-1.82 cm. Ovarian eggs are creamy or pale orange. A female of 1.73 cm had 20 eggs in the single ovary in January.
Max length: 2.0 cm SL.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. A female of 1.73 cm has 20 eggs in the single ovary in January.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2017-03-05. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest.
References
Whitehead, P.J.P., G.J. Nelson and T. Wongratana (1988) FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 7. Clupeoid fishes of the world (Suborder Clupeoidei). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the herrings, sardines, pilchards, sprats, shads, anchovies and wolf-herrings. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(7/2):305-579. Rome: FAO.
Comments On Amazonsprattus scintilla