Teleostei (teleosts) >
Clupeiformes (Herrings) >
Dorosomatidae (Gizzard shads and sardinellas)
Etymology: Potamothrissa: Greek, potamos = river + Greek, thrissa, -es = shad (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Boulenger.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; pelagic. Tropical; 7°N - 8°S
Africa: middle and upper Congo River basin (Ref. 3509, 28136, 93833), especially in northern and eastern tributaries (Ref. 188, 122734), and lower Congo River (Ref. 42510), in Central African Republic (Ref. 45441), Republic of Congo (Ref. 83895) and Democratic Republic of the Congo (Ref. 42480).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 6.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 188)
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13 - 15; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 16 - 20. Diagnosis: Body slender, its depth 18-27% of standard length; pre-pelvic scutes not strongly keeled, beginning under or behind base of last pectoral finray, 7-10 pre-pelvic and 9-12 post-pelvic scutes, belly rounded; snout bluntly rounded; lower jaw not projecting, exactly meeting tip of upper when mouth closed, deepest at mid-point of jaw, with small saw-like teeth on each side; pre-maxillae with small teeth pointing downward; maxilla very slender, its blade over 3 times as long as deep, upper edge ridged, lower edge without denticulations; posterior supra-maxilla very small, spatulate, its shaft about as long as its blade; lower gillrakers 14-16; silver stripe on flank, narrower anteriorly (Ref. 188, 28136). It differs from Potamothrissa whiteheadi in having a distinct shaft to the posterior supra-maxilla and lacking dermal denticles on the snout, and from P. acutirostris in its blunt snout and fewer gillrakers, 14-16 vs. 16-18 (Ref. 188, 28136). Other pellonulines lack saw-like teeth at the sides of the lower jaw (Ref. 188).
Found in rivers and streams (Ref. 41580), perhaps not in lakes (Ref. 188). It feeds on aquatic insects and also hydracarians (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 = 0.6250 [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): 3.2 ±0.40 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).
