Description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9 - 10; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 17 - 19; Vertebrae: 36 - 38. Diagnosis: Caudal fin membrane clear to pale orange towards midline; anal fin extending over three quarters of length of caudal peduncle; caudal peduncle short; operculum entirely, not partially, shiny; body midline silver, not black; iris dark to light grey, not white; head with tubercles along lower jaw and lower head in breeding males; snout rounded, with dense dark spotting on tip; pelvic fin melanophores absent (Ref. 116496).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Cypriniformes

Family: Danionidae

Genus: Engraulicypris

Species: Engraulicypris gariepinus Barnard, 1943

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

This shoaling fish favours open, shallow water, normally occurring in slack pools and particularly below riffles; populations found in the lower Orange and Fish Rivers are limited by the Augrabies and Fish River Falls; they are restricted to turbid waters, which provide protection from visual predators (Ref. 116496). They are thought to feed mainly on small autochthonous invertebrates, e.g. planktonic crustaceans or insects, and are caught in large numbers where they occur (Ref. 116496).

Habitat

benthopelagic

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Threat to Humans

Harmless