Teleostei (teleosts) >
Clupeiformes (Herrings) >
Dorosomatidae (Gizzard shads and sardinellas)
Etymology: Nannothrissa: Latin, nannus = small + Greek, thrissa, -es = shad (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Regan.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; pelagic. Tropical; 6°N - 3°S
Africa: Congo River basin in Democratic Republic of the Congo (Ref. 188, 28136), including Lake Tumba (Ref. 41580, 93833), Ruki River (Ref. 93833) and Ubangui River (Ref. 45441). Reported also from near Kinganga in Lower Congo River (Ref. 42510), but its presence is not confirmed (Ref. 94750).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 4.2 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 188)
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12 - 15; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 20 - 23; Vertebrae: 39 - 40. Diagnosis: Body slender, depth about 20% of standard length; scutes beginning at isthmus, or just behind, very strongly keeled, 12-15 pre-pelvic and 6-8 post-pelvic scutes; lower jaw projecting, toothless; no teeth on premaxillae or maxillae; posterior supra-maxilla as deep as maxilla blade and with long slender anterior shaft; lower gill rakers 24-31; pelvic fin with 1 unbranched and 6-7 branched rays, its insertion just before dorsal fin origin; anal fin rays 20-23; scales in lateral series 35-40 (Ref. 188, 2263). It differs from Nannothrissa stewarti in having more gillrakers, 24-31 vs. 20-23, more anal fin rays, 20-23 vs. 17-19, and more scales in lateral series, 35-40 vs. 34-35 (Ref. 188, 2263, 94752).
Found in rivers and lakes, apparently in both running and still water, often in huge schools (Ref. 188). Feeds on plankton, including unicellular algae, diatoms and especially copepods, but also hydracarians and aquatic insects (Ref. 188, 41580). It breeds in Lake Tumba, ripe fishes being caught in late August and ripe and some spent fishes occurring in about mid-September (Ref. 188, 41580).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
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: subsistence fisheries
Tools
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.7500 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00871 (0.00415 - 0.01826), b=3.06 (2.89 - 3.23), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 2.7 ±0.21 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
