
Above: Opsaridium microcephalum, known as "Sanjika" in Malawi, is a predatory minnow (feeding on the Usipa, Engraulicypris sardella) that attains 30 cm (12 inches) in total length. This mature male has lost some of its dorsal fin; notice the nuptial tubercles projecting from the lower jaw. Photo copyright © by M. K. Oliver.Compared with its close relative in Lake Malawi, the "Mpasa," the Sanjika has larger scales and also retains the juvenile dark vertical bars in adults (the bars are only faintly visible in the stressed individual in the photo), whereas adult Mpasa are plain silvery.
The Sanjika was long known under the genus Barilius, but that genus is now used only for Asian species.
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| Last Update: 18 April 2009
Web Author: M. K. Oliver, Ph.D. Copyright © 1997-2010 by M. K. Oliver - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED |