Ammodytidae

American sand lance

Ammodytes americanus

Fifty seven to sixty rays line its long dorsal fin

• Temperate
• Northern Hemisphere
• Regional distribution
• Atlantic Ocean
• Elongated
• Medium
• Temperate fish

Ammodytes americanus, also known as American sand lance, American sand eel, and sand launce, is a small fish in the family Ammodytidae. First described by James Ellsworth De Kay in 1842, it is widespread in the western North Atlantic. The fish typically travel in large schools, spending most of their time relatively near the water surface.