Teleostei (teleosts) >
Clupeiformes (Herrings) >
Dorosomatidae (Gizzard shads and sardinellas)
Etymology: Sierrathrissa: Latin, serra = saw + Greek, thrissa, -es = shad (Ref. 45335); leonensis: The generic and specific names make allusion to the known geographic range of this genus and species (Ref. 121309).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; pelagic; depth range 0 - 8 m (Ref. 188). Tropical; 18°N - 0°N
Africa: rivers of West Africa (Ref. 188), from Senegal to Cameroon (Ref. 3509), including Senegal, Gambia, Bia and Niger rivers (Ref. 81269), and Wouri and Sanaga rivers in Cameroon (Ref. 51193, 81631); also in the man-made lakes Kainji in Nigeria and Volta in Ghana (Ref. 188, 81269).
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?, range 2 - ? cm
Max length : 3.5 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 130826); common length : 2.3 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 188)
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12 - 15; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 16 - 20; Vertebrae: 36 - 41. Diagnosis: Small, slender fishes, easily mistaken for the juveniles of Pellonula (Ref. 188). Belly rounded, with 0-10 minute pre-pelvic scutes, without arms, supporting a low membranous keel, post-pelvic scutes similar, the keel more apparent, and a W-shaped scute located at the pelvic fin bases; lower gillrakers 13-16; pelvic insertion well before dorsal fin, with 1 unbranched and 5-6 branched rays; anal fin beginning under dorsal fin base (Ref. 188, 2849, 81269, 81631, 120915, 121309). It commmonly occurs with Pellonula, which has pelvic fins with 1 unbranched and 7 branched rays, normal scutes and the pelvic fin insertion more or less below the dorsal fin origin (Ref. 188).
A riverine species, but also in man-made lakes (Ref. 188). Schooling in open waters and at about 2 to 8 m in Lake Kainji, rising to about 30 cm from the surface at night in Lake Volta (Ref. 188, 3034). It feeds on plankton, especially cladocerans and rotifers (Ref. 188, 120915). It breeds at about 1.8-2.0 cm standard length (Ref. 188).
Whitehead, P.J.P., 1985. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 7. Clupeoid fishes of the world (suborder Clupeoidei). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the herrings, sardines, pilchards, sprats, shads, anchovies and wolf-herrings. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(7/1):1-303. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 188)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial
Tools
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 1.0000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00490 (0.00246 - 0.00977), b=2.94 (2.77 - 3.11), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.1 ±0.30 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (tm<1).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
