Anchovies as food Anchovies as food Anchovies are a family (Engraulidae) of small, common salt-water forage fish. There are 144 species in 17 genera, found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Anchovies are usually classified as an oily fish. They are small, green fish with blue reflections due to a silver longitudinal stripe that runs from the base of the caudal fin. They range from to in adult length, and the body shape is variable with more slender fish in northern populations. A traditional method of processing and preserving anchovies is to gut and salt them in brine, allow them to mature,
Hisonotus acuen two colors being divided by a brown stripe that runs from the snout to the caudal peduncle. The fins are transparent with brown dots on the rays. The tail fin is transparent except for a dark spot at the base. Males have a genital papilla, a feature missing in females. Features can vary widely among populations, with the most variation occurring in the body's depth at the dorsal fin and in the snout and abdomen length. "H. acuen" is found in small streams that are part of the Xingu River basin in Matto Grosso, Brazil. Individuals are usually found in