The Cyprinidae family is the most diverse and largest vertebrate animals family of the world, with over 3,000 species that are further divided into 370 genera. The species belonging to Cyprinidae are carps, true minnows, barbs, and barbels. This article is about a special food fish species belonging to the Cyprinidae family and it will tell you everything you need to know about it including its range, distribution, conservation status, body size and length, habitat environment, food items that make up its primary diet, and breeding habits!The silver cyprinid (Rastrineobola argentea) commonly known as the Lake Victoria sardine, and in the native language as mukene, dagaa, and omena is a species of pelagic, freshwater ray-finned fish from East Africa. It is the only member of the genus Rastrineobola, and was first introduced and described in 1904 by Jacques Pellegrin, a French zoologist. Fishes of this species are native to Africa, and are found in plenty in Lake Victoria, the Nile perch (Oreochromis niloticus) are found in Lake Naivasha, Kenya. The silver cyprinid is an important food or commercial fish for Lake Victoria fishermen. They are generally caught during moonless, dark, and gloomy nights by attracting the fish with lights. These fish have a high demand in markets throughout the world as they have several incredible health benefits. Results of studies and experiments conducted on several fish samples revealed that consuming this fish will provide good benefits for your body as they are rich in calcium content, vitamin D, vitamin B1, omega-3, and iron content. These fish are usually found at a depth of 164-216 ft (50-66 m) near coastal, inshore, and surface waters. They can grow to a length of 3.5 in (9 cm) . They are often preyed upon by African sharptooth catfish (Clarias gariepinus), and have a simple diet that includes plankton. Read on to find more information on these fishes!Learn about some other fish from our angelfish facts and piranha fish facts pages.
Fun Silver Cyprinid Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Plankton
What do they eat? Omnivore
Average litter size? 1,000
How much do they weigh? 0.8-1.3 oz (22.6-36.8 g)
How long are they? Up to 3.5 in (9 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Sliver-gray and black
Skin Type Wet, slimy scales
What were their main threats? Humans And Predators, Heavy Fishing
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Freshwater Lakes, Open And Inshore Waters
Locations Tanzania, Uganda, South-east African Regions
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Rastrineobola
Class Actinopterygii
Family Cyprinidae
Silver Cyprinid Interesting FactsWhat type of animal is a silver cyprinid?The silver cyprinid (Rastrineobola argentea) is a freshwater fish belonging to the Animalia kingdom.What class of animal does a silver cyprinid belong to?The silver cyprinid (Rastrineobola argentea) belongs to the Actinopterygii class.How many silver cyprinids are there in the world?Accurate data about their population size is unknown but they are found in plenty across their range.Where does a silver cyprinid live?The silver cyprinid range and distribution occupies water bodies across eastern Africa, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. They are generally found in the drainage basins of Lake Victoria, Lake Kyoga, Lake Nabugabo, and the Victoria Nile.What is a silver cyprinid’s habitat?The silver cyprinid are found in freshwater lakes, inshore, offshore, and coastal waters across its distribution and range . They are usually found at a depth of 66 ft (20 m) and are occasionally spotted at a depth of 216 ft (66 m) during the breeding season. Adult silver cyprinid fish prefer staying close to the sea bed during the day, to avoid any unwanted company and resurface at night or dawn. Young juveniles migrate to shallow waters after they complete their larval stage. In Lake Kyoga, this fish species prefers the open water and avoid regions inhabited by water-lilies at all costs, for unknown reasons. However, some suggest its because they get caught in the turbulence of the Victoria Nile. Fishermen often fish in habitats that are clean and most suitable to this species to catch only the top quality fishes.Who does silver cyprinid live with?The silver cyprinid is a schooling fish that lives and forages in large-sized groups.How long does a silver cyprinid live?A silver cyprinid lives up to two or four years.How do they reproduce?These fishes breed via sexual reproduction and follow the spawning method, in which the eggs are fertilized outside their bodies by spontaneously releasing eggs and sperm into the open water. They reach sexual maturity when they are 14-24 months of age. A female silver cyprinid during pregnancy can produce about 1,000 eggs. Spawning usually occurs near inshore, cool, and temperate waters. They do not have a specific period to breed or a breeding season. They breed throughout the year and the highest breeding success among them is observed during August and later in December or early January.What is their conservation status?The IUNC Red List of Threatened Species has classified the sliver cyprinid as a species of Least Concern.Silver Cyprinid Fun FactsWhat does the silver cyprinid look like?It is a small shiny silver fish with a highly compressed body, covered in large gray-scales with a pearlescent glow, and a opaque yellow tail. The lateral line occurs below the midpoint of the body, and extends to the lower part of the caudal peduncle, and the head is covered by soft suborbital bones. They look fairly familiar to smelts.We’ve been unable to source an image of a silver cyprinid and have used an image of big-scale sand smelt instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of a silver cyprinid, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at [email protected] How cute are they?They look quite cute thanks to their small-size and shiny bodies.How do they communicate?They communicate by producing calls and sounds that are not audible to humans.How big is a silver cyprinid?An adult silver cyprinid can grow up to 3.5 in (9 cm) in length. The length of omena fish depends on the condition of their natural habitats and diet. A sardine is nearly five times bigger than a silver cyprinid.How fast can a silver cyprinid swim?The swimming speed of this species is unknown. However, they can move fast in schools because of their slender and small bodies.How much does a silver cyprinid weigh?A silver cyprinid weighs around 0.8-1.3 oz (22.6-36.8 g).What are the male and female names of the species?There are no sex-specific names given to this species. They are simply known as males and females.What would you call a baby silver cyprinid?There is no specific name for a baby silver cyprinid, but in general, younger fish are referred to as fry.What do they eat?The food items that make up their primary diet consist mainly of zooplankton. This is found in abundance in their natural environment such as Lake Victoria, unless there have been some environmental changes shaping the zooplankton growth rate. After nightfall, the adults move up to the water column or to the surface waters.They are predated on by shorebirds and predatory fish such as catfish.Are they dangerous?No, they are not considered dangerous to humans or marine animals.Would they make a good pet?To humans, these little fish do not make good pets and they have not been domesticated in any way in the past. As they live in large schools and migrate over long distances, they do not make sense to be kept as pets. However, humans do catch them for food.Did you know…Their bones and muscles remain strong when their testosterone levels remain reasonably high.The silver cyprinid host several parasites, causing changes in their behavior. Parasites usually detach themselves in the morning to move towards the shoreline to search food.Silver cyprinid fish contain high omega-3 fatty acids that play an important role to maintain heart health to brain function and have several other health benefits. Just 3.5 oz (100 g) of fresh silver cyprinid has around 0.02 oz (0.5 g) of phosphorus content!Here is a recipe to prepare this fish. Firstly, pan fry a good quality dried fish until it turns golden brown. Remove scales and sand from the body by rubbing. Wash thoroughly with boiling water to quicken the process, clean, and drain the fish well. Prepare in a pan with oil, salt, pepper, tomatoes, onions, and red chilli!A major wholesale market for these dried fishes is located in Mwanza, Tanzania, and Kisumu Kenya, from here the product is transported all over eastern and southern Africa to be used as food or chicken feed. It competes with dried kapenta which is usually preferred, but more expensive.What is the difference between silver cyprinid vs anchovies?Anchovies are darker silvery-green with blue reflections and larger scales. They have a large mouth, a single dorsal fin on their back, and a forked tail fin, are slightly bigger than silver cyprinids, and have a stronger fish flavor.Is silver cyprinid good for health?Yes! In fact, silver cyprinid nutritional value is quite high as it is a fatty fish with high-protein content. This silvery fish has multiple health benefits. These fish are locally caught by men during moonless nights and sold in the morning or early afternoon, who then proceed to sun dry them for several days. More and better catches are made during the monsoon season, whereas the quality of the catch is lower during summers. However, even the lowest quality is not thrown away because it is used as chicken feed by the locals! The dried fish is packed in sacks and sellers take it to the market. The silver cyprinid contain phosphorus, which is useful for maintaining bone health and its function alongside calcium as it also helps boost or increase calcium content in your bod.y. They also contain vitamin D, which serves as an anti-inflammatory drug that gives relief to arthritis patients, a fairly high iron content, which of course is useful as some of the health benefits of iron include adding blood, preventing headaches, and the occurrence of anemia. They also have a relatively small content of vitamin A, compared to some vegetables and fruits, however vitamin A present in the silver cyprinid still provides a days worth of vitamin A for your body. Vitamin A acts as an antioxidant which benefits your body by maintaining your eye health by preventing the occurrence of any abnormalities, infections, or disorders affecting the eye, overall immunity, and endurance of your body!Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these rainbow trout facts and clownfish facts.You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our free printable sliver cyprinid coloring pages.Main image by SYPulauSecond image by Roberto Pillon*We’ve been unable to source an image of a silver cyprinid and have used an image of anchovies instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of a silver cyprinid, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at [email protected]
What type of animal is a silver cyprinid?
The silver cyprinid (Rastrineobola argentea) is a freshwater fish belonging to the Animalia kingdom.
Fun Silver Cyprinid Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Plankton
What do they eat? Omnivore
Average litter size? 1,000
How much do they weigh? 0.8-1.3 oz (22.6-36.8 g)
How long are they? Up to 3.5 in (9 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Sliver-gray and black
Skin Type Wet, slimy scales
What were their main threats? Humans And Predators, Heavy Fishing
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Freshwater Lakes, Open And Inshore Waters
Locations Tanzania, Uganda, South-east African Regions
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Rastrineobola
Class Actinopterygii
Family Cyprinidae
Fun Silver Cyprinid Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Plankton
What do they eat? Omnivore
Average litter size? 1,000
How much do they weigh? 0.8-1.3 oz (22.6-36.8 g)
How long are they? Up to 3.5 in (9 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Sliver-gray and black
Skin Type Wet, slimy scales
What were their main threats? Humans And Predators, Heavy Fishing
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Freshwater Lakes, Open And Inshore Waters
Locations Tanzania, Uganda, South-east African Regions
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Rastrineobola
Class Actinopterygii
Family Cyprinidae
Fun Silver Cyprinid Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Plankton
What do they eat? Omnivore
Average litter size? 1,000
How much do they weigh? 0.8-1.3 oz (22.6-36.8 g)
How long are they? Up to 3.5 in (9 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Sliver-gray and black
Skin Type Wet, slimy scales
What were their main threats? Humans And Predators, Heavy Fishing
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Freshwater Lakes, Open And Inshore Waters
Locations Tanzania, Uganda, South-east African Regions
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Rastrineobola
Class Actinopterygii
Family Cyprinidae
Fun Silver Cyprinid Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Plankton
What do they eat? Omnivore
Average litter size? 1,000
How much do they weigh? 0.8-1.3 oz (22.6-36.8 g)
How long are they? Up to 3.5 in (9 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Sliver-gray and black
Skin Type Wet, slimy scales
What were their main threats? Humans And Predators, Heavy Fishing
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Freshwater Lakes, Open And Inshore Waters
Locations Tanzania, Uganda, South-east African Regions
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Rastrineobola
Class Actinopterygii
Family Cyprinidae
What do they prey on? Plankton
What do they eat? Omnivore
Average litter size? 1,000
How much do they weigh? 0.8-1.3 oz (22.6-36.8 g)
How long are they? Up to 3.5 in (9 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Sliver-gray and black
Skin Type Wet, slimy scales
What were their main threats? Humans And Predators, Heavy Fishing
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Freshwater Lakes, Open And Inshore Waters
Locations Tanzania, Uganda, South-east African Regions
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Rastrineobola
Class Actinopterygii
Family Cyprinidae
What do they prey on? Plankton
What do they eat? Omnivore
Average litter size? 1,000
How much do they weigh? 0.8-1.3 oz (22.6-36.8 g)
How long are they? Up to 3.5 in (9 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Sliver-gray and black
Skin Type Wet, slimy scales
What were their main threats? Humans And Predators, Heavy Fishing
What is their conservation status? Least Concern
What do they prey on?
Plankton
What do they eat?
Omnivore
Average litter size?
1,000
How much do they weigh?
0.8-1.3 oz (22.6-36.8 g)
How long are they?
Up to 3.5 in (9 cm)
How tall are they?
N/A
What do they look like?
Sliver-gray and black
Skin Type
Wet, slimy scales
What were their main threats?
Humans And Predators, Heavy Fishing
What is their conservation status?
Least Concern
Where you’ll find them? Freshwater Lakes, Open And Inshore Waters
Locations Tanzania, Uganda, South-east African Regions
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Rastrineobola
Class Actinopterygii
Family Cyprinidae
Where you’ll find them?
Freshwater Lakes, Open And Inshore Waters
Locations
Tanzania, Uganda, South-east African Regions
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Rastrineobola
Kingdom
Animalia
Genus
Rastrineobola
Class Actinopterygii
Family Cyprinidae
