Ilisha africana, called the West African ilisha, is a species of longfin herring native to the coasts, lagoons and estuaries of western Africa from Senegal to Angola. It prefers shallow waters, and is unlikely to be found below 25 m. Some individuals can reach 30 cm, with the average closer to 18 cm.

West African ilisha
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Clupeiformes
Family: Pristigasteridae
Genus: Ilisha
Species:
I. africana
Binomial name
Ilisha africana
Bloch, 1795
Synonyms

Clupanodon africanus Bloch, 1795
Clupea africana Bloch, 1795
Ilisha africana Bloch, 1795
Ilisha dolloi Boulenger, 1902
Ilisha melanota Derscheid, 1924
Pellona africana Bloch, 1795
Pellona gabonica Duméril, 1861
Pellona iserti Valenciennes, 1847
Pristigaster dolloi Boulenger, 1902

The species is commercially fished, with 32,815 t landed in 2008.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ "Ilisha africana". Fisheries Global Information System. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 31 December 2010.

External links edit