Lake Malawi sardine

"Lake sardine" redirects here. For the species from Lake Victoria, see silver cyprinid.

Lake Malawi sardine
Lake Malawi sardines spread out to dry on the shore of Lake Malawi
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cypriniformes
Family:	Danionidae
Genus:	Engraulicypris
Species:	E. sardella
Binomial name
Engraulicypris sardella (Günther, 1868)
Synonyms[2]
Barilius sardella Günther, 1868 Engraulicypris pinguis Günther, 1894

The Lake Malawi sardine, lake sardine, or usipa (Engraulicypris sardella), is an African species of freshwater fish in the family Danionidae. It is endemic to Lake Malawi and its outlet, the (upper) Shire River; it is found in Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania.[1][3][4]

The Lake Malawi sardine is an important fishery species in Lake Malawi, both as a food fish and as bait.[1][5] It is a pelagic, shoaling species that feeds on zooplankton.[1] It grows to a maximum size of 13 cm (5.1 in) TL, though commonly they are smaller.[6]

Usipa plays a significant role in the economic livelihood for many households at Lake Malawi that rely upon fishing for income. Because of its small size, it is commonly dried. Usipa is mostly eaten in Malawi and Mozambique along with nsima ugali. Dried usipa is sold at most markets in Malawi.[7] In Malawi, usipa is typically consumed with the bones in it due to their softness.[8]

References

1. Kazembe, J.; Gobo, E. & Kanyerere, G.Z. "Engraulicypris sardella". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T60418A155040860. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
2. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Engraulicypris sardella". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
3. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Engraulicypris sardella". FishBase. December 2019 version.
4. Riddin, Megan A.; Bills, I. Roger & Villet, Martin H. (2016). "Phylogeographic, morphometric and taxonomic re-evaluation of the river sardine, Mesobola brevianalis (Boulenger, 1908) (Teleostei, Cyprinidae, Chedrini)". ZooKeys (641): 121–150. Bibcode:2016ZooK..641..121R. doi:10.3897/zookeys.641.10434. PMC 5240351. PMID 28138294.
5. Thompson, A. B.; A. Bulirani (1993). "Growth of usipa (Engraulicypris sardella) in Lake Malawi/Niassa". Papers presented at the Symposium on Biology, Stock Assessment and Exploitation of Small Pelagic Fish Species in the African Great Lakes Region. Bujumbura, Burundi, from 25 to 28 November 1992. FAO. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
6. Froese, Rainer (December 2013). "Engraulicypris sardella". FishBase. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
7. Briggs, Phillip (2013). Malawi. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 45. ISBN 978-1841624747.
8. Russell, Aaron J. M. (contributor) (2008). Country Case Study: Development and Status of Freshwater Aquaculture in Malawi. WorldFish. p. 2026. ISBN 978-9832346647. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)