Royal sprat

Microthrissa royauxi

Dorosomatid Fish beneath African Waters

Tropical
Near the Equator
Regional distribution
Freshwater fish
Africa
Fusiform
Compressed cross-section
Small
Tropical fish

Microthrissa royauxi, the royal sprat, is a species of pelagic, freshwater fish from the herring family Clupeidae which is found in the Congo River basin in west Africa. It was described in 1902 by the Belgian-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger. It is of limited importance as a food fish in subsistence fisheries and its conservation status is Least Concern.

Class: Teleosts
Order: Herrings
Family: Dorosomatidae
Genus: Microthrissa
Maximum length: 9.9 cm
Water: Freshwater
Body shape: fusiform
Distribution: Africa: middle Congo River basin (Ref. 188 , 28136 ) and its tributaries north of the equator (Ref. 3509 , 47399 , 122734 ), apparently not in Kasai River and its tributaries (Ref. 188 ). Its presence in Lualaba River is questionable and possibly based on a labelling error (Ref. 47399 ).
Conservation status: LCLeast Concern

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