Engraulicypris sardella (Günther, 1868)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
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.
The Lake Malawi sardine is an important fishery species in Lake Malawi, both as a food fish and as bait. It is a pelagic, shoaling species that feeds on zooplankton. It grows to a maximum size of 13 cm (5.1 in) TL, though commonly they are smaller.
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. In Malawi, usipa is typically consumed with the bones in it due to their softness.
Wikipedia contributors, Lake Malawi sardine; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:35:27.888259+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Engraulicypris sardella (Günther, 1868)
- Name authority
- (Günther, 1868)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cypriniformes
- Family
- Cyprinidae
- Genus
- Engraulicypris
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCypriniformes
- familyCyprinidae Rafinesque, 1815
- subfamilyDanioninae Bleeker, 1863
- genusEngraulicypris Günther, 1894
- speciesEngraulicypris sardella (Günther, 1868)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Engraulicypris. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Engraulicypris ngalala Riddin, Villet & Bills, 2016 | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Engraulicypris spinifer Bailey & Matthes, 1971 | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Engraulicypris bredoi Poll, 1945 | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Engraulicypris brevianalis (Boulenger, 1908) | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Engraulicypris gariepinus Barnard, 1943 | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Engraulicypris howesi Riddin, Bills & Villet, 2016 | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Engraulicypris moeruensis Boulenger, 1915 | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Barilius sardella Günther, 1868 Günther, 1868 | synonym |
| Engraulicypris pinguis Günther, 1894 Günther, 1894 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1026366 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:39TK2. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.