Broad-striped Anchovy: Facts & Habitat

About Broad-striped Anchovy

Anchoa hepsetus, commonly known as the broad-striped anchovy, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Engraulidae. It grows to be about 15 cm (6 in) long. The broad-striped anchovy is found in the west Atlantic along the North American coast from Nova Scotia and the Maine coast scarcely, and abundantly from the Chesapeake bay to the West Indies and Uruguay. It is found most commonly in shoals along coastal waters, as deep as 73 m (40 fathoms) although mostly found in water shallower than this. The broad-striped anchovy spawns in spring. Their eggs are pelagic and hatch within 48 hours at regular spring temperatures. At young ages, it eats copepods, but as the fish ages, its diet begins to consist of other small crustaceans, molluscs, and worm larvae. It is an important food staple for large commercial fishes, such as the American seatrout. It is commonly eaten by birds. It is elongate with large eyes and protuberant snout, large mouth and underslung jaw. Its anal fin is quite short, and its front fin lies beneath the end of the dorsal fin. It is grey-green with black dots, but its notable feature is its silvery stripe from head to tail.

NativeSalt Brackish16 states

Additional field notes

Broad-striped anchovy use sheltered coastal water for schooling and reproduction.

Sources: Anchoa hepsetus species summary

Salinity and spawning

FishBase describes dense schools close to shore and an ability to tolerate conditions ranging from nearly fresh water to water saltier than normal seawater. This tolerance helps explain why a coastal fish can occur well inside estuarine settings. The summary gives a broad recorded depth range of 1–70 metres, although shallow schools are particularly conspicuous.

Spawning is reported from harbors, estuaries, and sounds. At Beaufort, North Carolina, the documented breeding season runs from April through July; that local observation should not be read as a fixed calendar for the entire Atlantic range. The eggs are transparent and elliptical, with no oil globule.

Sources: Anchoa hepsetus species summary

Features beyond the stripe

The upper jaw extends well back toward the gill opening, an important detail that is easier to assess in a close side view than in a swimming school. FishBase places the beginning of the anal fin approximately beneath the middle of the dorsal-fin base. The pointed snout, long jaw, and fin positions provide additional characters to compare when several small silvery anchovies occur together.

FishBase also describes a greenish back with yellowish color on the head, and dark pigment outlining the dorsal scales above the silver flank stripe.

Sources: Anchoa hepsetus species summary

Guide sources

Research reviewed 2026-10-19.

Anchoa hepsetus species summary — FishBase

Article text: Wikipedia contributors, Anchoa hepsetus (source revision). Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Range

Where it lives

66.8%of mapped records

Share of 14,366 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 16 states.

Share of records by state

Habitat

Water and movement

Water: WoRMS records this species in brackish water and the sea.
Migration: Migratory
Pattern: Diadromous — moves between fresh water and the sea
SemiAnadromous — spawns in fresh water, grows in an estuary

Classification

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Superclass: Actinopterygii
Class: Teleostei
Order: Clupeiformes
Family: Engraulidae
Genus: Anchoa
Species: Anchoa hepsetus
ITIS TSN: 161838
WoRMS AphiaID: 158698
GBIF key: 2413913
Outside the US: ITIS also files it in Mexico.

Common questions about Broad-striped Anchovy

What is the scientific name of Broad-striped Anchovy?

The scientific name is Anchoa hepsetus, in the family Engraulidae. Classification follows ITIS.

Does Broad-striped Anchovy live in fresh water or salt water?

WoRMS records this species in brackish water and the sea.

Where has Broad-striped Anchovy been recorded in the United States?

GBIF has observations in 16 states, with the most records in Alabama, Texas, Florida. The map shows observation records, which do not establish the complete natural range.

Closest relatives