Identification
The back is dark greenish above silver sides, with a diffuse yellow or pale orange mark near the gill cover. The dorsal-fin tip lacks a dark mark. Technical identification also uses the shape of tooth plates in the mouth.
Coastal Schools
The range includes the Gulf of Mexico, southeastern Florida, the Bahamas and Caribbean south toward northern Brazil. Small individuals often school near sandy beaches. Salinity tolerance allows estuarine records as well as observations in fully marine water.
Size Records
The common reference length is ten centimeters measured to the base of the tail. A substantially larger compiled value comes from a specimen-shape dataset and needs corroboration before it is treated as a species maximum. The separately published mass does not establish the weight of a fish at that larger length.
Check the Dorsal Tip
An unmarked dorsal tip is useful when comparing this fish with other small herrings bearing dark fin markings.
All Lakes With False Pilchard
Browse all lakes and reservoirs with confirmed False Pilchard records in our database, listed alphabetically.
No published lakes are currently linked to this species in our confirmed records.