Eggs elliptical, lacking oil globule. Larvae of families Engraulidae and Clupeidae characterized by slender, elongate bodies, long straight guts. Pigmentation as serially arranged melanophores along gut and on ventral mid-line between anus and caudal fin, and as melanistic shield over the gas bladder. In clupeid larvae (Sardinella brasiliensis, Sardinops ocellatus, Etrumeus whiteheadi) gut closer to caudal region than in Engraulidae (Engraulis anchoita, Engraulis capensis). In Engraulidae posterior margin of dorsal fin over anterior insertion of anal fin. Identification to engraulid and clupeid species level depends on subtle differences in pigmentation (McGowan and Berry, 1984), number of pre-anal myomeres, and relative position of dorsal and anal fins.
For a comparative description of larvae of Clupeiformes species co-occurring in the SE Atlantic see Olivar and Fortuño (1991). Farooqi et al. (1995) prepared a preliminary guide to the identification of the early life history stages of anchovies of the western Central Atlantic, including descriptions of some species found also in the Southwestern Atlantic.
Table Clupeiformes
22 geographic zones