NL·0432Herbarium of the Nature Library
- Name
- Engraulis encrasicolus
- Family
- Engraulidae
- Native to
- Eastern Atlantic from Norway to South Africa; Mediterranean, Black and Azov seas
- Habitat
- Coastal waters, Continental shelf
European anchovy
Engraulis encrasicolus
Also calledBoquerón (Spanish, fresh) · Acciuga / Alice (Italian) · Hamsi (Turkish) · Anchois (French) · Gávros (Greek)
A finger-length schooling fish whose salted fillets flavour pizza, pasta and Caesar salad. It transfers plankton energy to tuna, dolphins and seabirds across the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
The European anchovy is a forage fish somewhat related to the herring. It is a type of anchovy; anchovies are placed in the family Engraulidae. It lives off the coasts of Europe and Africa, including in the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the Sea of Azov. It is fished by humans throughout much of its range. Wikipedia
What it can do
- iFilter-feeds by swimming with its huge mouth agape
- iiMatures in its first year and spawns repeatedly through summer
- iiiBlack Sea stocks migrate seasonally to overwinter off Turkey and Georgia
In the field
Field marks
- aSlender, rounded body with a blue-green back and silver stripe
- bProjecting, pointed snout overhanging an enormous mouth
- cJaw extends far behind the eye
- dSingle short dorsal fin mid-body
- Not to be confused with
- Sprat and young sardine have a short terminal mouth and no overhanging snout.
- Where to see it
- Cantabrian coast of Spain (Santoña), Cetara on the Amalfi coast, Turkish Black Sea ports in winter
- When
- Bay of Biscay fishery in spring; Black Sea hamsi season Nov–Feb
Life & habits
- Diet
- Zooplankton: copepods, fish eggs and larvae
- Habitat
- Coastal and shelf waters, often near river plumes
- Size
- Usually 12–15 cm; up to 20 cm
- Lifespan
- Up to about 3–5 years
Forms dense schools that move inshore in summer and to deeper water in winter.
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Native range
Eastern Atlantic from Norway to South Africa; Mediterranean, Black and Azov seas
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
Woodcuts and engravings matched from the Source Library’s scanned books by name. Plates marked “relative” show a close kin rather than this exact species. Click a plate to read the page it came from, with translation.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Engraulis encrasicolus in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
Marginalia
The Romans fermented small fish into garum; Cetara's colatura di alici is often described as its living descendant, and hamsi is a cultural emblem of Turkey's Black Sea coast.
Curiosity
Salted anchovy fillets get their deep red-brown colour and savoury taste from months of enzymatic curing in salt.
Kinship
Photographs: iNaturalist contributors under the licences shown. Records: GBIF.org. Historical plates: Source Library (CC BY-SA 4.0; originals public domain). Summary text: Nature Library editors and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Medicinal and edibility notes are historical and educational, not advice. iNaturalist taxon 51910.