Philippine Anchovy

This species is distinguished by the following set of characters: unbranched dorsal and anal fin rays 3; branched pectoral-fn rays 11-14 (modally 12); pseudobranchial flaments 16-22 (16); first gill arch with upper limb gill rakers 12-14 (13), lower limb 16-18 (17), total 28-32 (30); second gill arch with upper limb gill rakers 10-11 (10), lower limb 12-17 (16), total 22-27 (27); third gill arch with upper limb gill rakers 8-9 (9), lower limb 10-11 (10), total 18-20 (18); fourth gill arch with upper limb gill rakers 6-8 (7), lower limb 8-9 (8), total 14-16 (19); gill rakers 3-5 (4) on hind face of third gill arch; spine-like scutes on abdomen 3-6 (4); transverse scales 8-9 (9); exposed urohyal bony, without fleshy knobs; head is large, its length 28.3-29.8% (mean 28.9%) of SL; maxilla rather is long, its length 19.0-20.7% (19.9%) of SL, its posterior tip just reaching to anterior margin of preopercle; lower jaw is rather long, its length 19.1-20.5% (19.7%) of SL; orbit is long, its diameter 8.3-8.8% (8.6%) of SL; snout is long, its length 4.9-5.2% (5.1%) of SL; body is elongate, its depth 13.3-15.3% (14.5%) of SL; pelvic fin is short, its length 8.7-9.4% (9.0%) of SL (Ref. 124514).

Spawn in school (Ref. 205).

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Analspines: 0; Analsoft rays: 15

Presumably schooling, although the three type (and only known) specimens were caught after 20 months of sampling. Evidently rare.

fisheries: of no interest

分布於西太平洋海域，包括菲律賓及臺灣。臺灣發現於澎湖海域。

小型食用魚，一般多曬成魚乾出售，主要漁法為焚寄網或巾著網等，週年可見，無明顯盛漁期。

體細長，略呈亞圓筍形，腹鰭前方具5個針狀稜棘。頭中大。吻端尖。眼大，眼徑大於吻長。口大，微斜；上頜前端突出於下頜，上頜骨末端尖突而延長，向後延伸達下鰓蓋骨。鰓耙細長而密，下枝鰓耙在17-18間。體被圓鱗，鱗小而薄，易脫落，無側線。背鰭起始於體中部，具軟條13-14；臀鰭起始於背鰭基部末端之下方，具軟條18；尾鰭叉型。體色銀白略透明，體側具一條銀白色之縱帶。背鰭及尾鰭淡青色，其餘各鰭半透明。

大洋性表層洄游魚種，群游性。一般群游於近岸至離岸數百浬處，有時也會進入大型、較深且水質清澈的內灣或潟湖區。鰓耙發達，以過濾浮游生物為食。同時也是鮪、鯖等大型魚種之餌料生物。

Encrasicholina oligobranchus, the Philippine anchovy, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Engraulidae. It is found in the Western Central Pacific Ocean.