Odontognathus mucronatus Lacepède, 1800
Guiana longfin herring
Odontognathus mucronatus
photo by JAMARC

Family:  Pristigasteridae (Pristigasterids)
Max. size:  22 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 114.6 g
Environment:  pelagic-neritic; freshwater; brackish; marine; depth range - 40 m
Distribution:  Western Atlantic: Trinidad and the Guianas; from Sergipe south to about Rio de Janeiro. Also found in freshwater. Also southern Brazil (Ref. 26938).
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 70-85. Belly with a keel of scutes, but interrupted below pectoral fin base; scutes 7 or 8, then a gap, followed by 10 to 13, the outer edges of scutes smooth and not serrated. Upper jaw broad at midpoint, tapering posteriorly, the tip reaching or surpassing gill opening; no hypo-maxilla. Pectoral fins large; dorsal fin very small, set far back on body; anal fin long (Ref. 188). Sides of head silvery (Ref. 37032).
Biology:  Occurs inshore, off river mouths, in estuaries, and some distance up rivers in freshwater (e.g., up Coppename River near Wilhelmina Mts, Suriname). Found over sand and mud bottom (Ref. 5217). Possibly spawns in rivers. Utilized as a food fish at some localities (Ref. 5217).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 28 February 2017 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.