''Microthrissa'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of sprats in the herring family,

Clupeidae Clupeidae is a family of ray-finned fishes, comprising, for instance, the herrings, shads, sardines, hilsa, and menhadens. The clupeoids include many of the most important food fishes in the world, and are also commonly caught for production ...

, which is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. There are five recognized

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

in the genus.

Species

* '' Microthrissa congica'' (

Regan The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri' ...

, 1917) (Bigscale pellonuline) * '' Microthrissa minuta'' Poll, 1974 (Dungu sprat) * '' Microthrissa moeruensis'' ( Poll, 1948) (Lake Mweru sprat) * '' Microthrissa royauxi'' Boulenger, 1902 (Royal sprat) * '' Microthrissa whiteheadi'' Gourène & Teugels, 1988

References

* Clupeidae Fish of Africa Freshwater fish genera Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger {{Clupeiformes-stub