Setipinna breviceps (Cantor, 1849)
Shorthead hairfin anchovy
photo by FAO

Family:  Engraulidae (Anchovies), subfamily: Coiliinae
Max. size:  24 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  pelagic-neritic; brackish; marine
Distribution:  Western Central Pacific: river mouths of Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sarawak, presumably also Java. Reported from India, Bangladesh and Myanmar (Ref. 45255).
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 59-64. Body compressed, head very short, belly with 17 to 23 plus 9 to 11 = 27 to 32 scutes from isthmus to anus. Mouth strongly oblique, lower jaw projecting beyond the tip of the snout. Its very low gill raker count and the characteristic shape of its head and jaws distinguishes it from all other species of Setipinna.
Biology:  A marine or estuarine species, but perhaps also ascending into freshwater. More data needed. Apparently a highly esteemed foodfish at the Rokan River mouth, Sumatra and presumably so in similar localities elsewhere in Indonesia, Malaysia and Sarawak.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 17 July 2017 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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