The finescaled four-eyed fish (Anableps microlepis) is a species of four-eyed fish found in coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean from Trinidad and Tobago down to southeastern Brazil.[1] They mostly inhabit brackish environments such as estuaries, mangrove swamps, and tidal mudflats. It grows to approximately 30 cm (12 in) in length.[2]
This fish mostly feeds on organic matter and small invertebrates. In Manzanilla, this fish was found to feed on sand crabs (Emerita portoricensis) and small bivalves (Donax denticulatus).[3] While looking for food, they travel up and down the coastline in large groups ranging from a dozen to more than a hundred fish.
Like other members of Anableps, this species has eyes that are split into two lobes, allowing it to see above and below water at the same time.[4] They can be distinguished from the sympatric Anableps anableps by having smaller and more numerous scales (76-83 compared to the less than 64 of A. anableps). They also have a left or right-leaning gonopodium like other Anablepidae members and give live birth.[5]