Pacific Anchoveta: Facts & Habitat

About Pacific Anchoveta

Cetengraulis mysticetus is a species of anchovy of the family Engraulidae. Its common names include Pacific anchoveta.

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

Native range

Marine; Southern California to Peru; rare north of southern Baja (Eschmeyer et al. 1983; Whitehead et al. 1988; Fischer et al. 1995a).

Introduction history

Several thousand fish were intentionally stocked as forage.

Range

Where it lives

100%of mapped records

Share of 10 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 1 states.

Share of records by state

California100%

Habitat

Water and movement

Water: WoRMS records this species in brackish water and the sea.
USGS NAS habitat: Marine
US status: Native transplant — native to part of the United States, moved to other waters inside it.

Classification

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Superclass: Actinopterygii
Class: Teleostei
Order: Clupeiformes
Family: Engraulidae
Genus: Cetengraulis
Species: Cetengraulis mysticetus
ITIS TSN: 161862
WoRMS AphiaID: 280092
GBIF key: 2414048
Outside the US: ITIS also files it in Mexico.

Common questions about Pacific Anchoveta

What is the scientific name of Pacific Anchoveta?

The scientific name is Cetengraulis mysticetus, in the family Engraulidae. Classification follows ITIS.

Does Pacific Anchoveta live in fresh water or salt water?

WoRMS records this species in brackish water and the sea.

Where has Pacific Anchoveta been recorded in the United States?

GBIF has observations in 1 states, with the most records in California. The map shows observation records, which do not establish the complete natural range.

Same family