Polypterus

12 species

Polypterus is a genus of freshwater fish in the bichir family (Polypteridae) of order Polypteriformes. The type species is the Nile bichir (P. bichir). Fish in this genus live in various areas in Africa. Polypterus is the only known vertebrate to have lungs, but no trachea.

The etymology of the genus name derives from a combination of the Greek prefix πολυ-, poly- (many) and the root word πτερον, pteron (wing or fin) – "many fins".

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The etymology of the genus name derives from a combination of the Greek prefix πολυ-, poly- (many) and the root word πτερον, pteron (wing or fin) – "many fins".

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Polypterus senegalus

Polypterus senegalus, the Senegal bichir, gray bichir or Cuvier's bichir, and sometimes called the "dinosaur eel" (a misnomer, as the creature is neither an eel nor a dinosaur), "dinosaur bichir", or "dragon fish" is in the pet trade due to its...

Polypterus ornatipinnis

Polypterus ornatipinnis, the ornate bichir, is a bony fish found in Lake Tanganyika and the Congo River basin in Central and East Africa.

Barred bichir

Polypterus delhezi

The barred bichir, armoured bichir, bandback bichir, or banded bichir (Polypterus delhezi) is an elongated fish found in the Congo River, specifically in the upper and middle portions. This species is one of the more commonly available in commercial...

Polypterus bichir

Polypterus bichir, the Nile bichir, is a fish which lives in the Nile and some of its tributaries in Africa. It is a dark grayish color on the top, with a dark vertical marking and bands on the flank. This marking is more prominent on juveniles, and...

Polypterus endlicheri

Polypterus endlicheri, the saddled bichir, is one of the largest species of the Polypterus genus of freshwater fish.Named in honor of botanist Stephan Endlicher (1804–1849), who apparently discovered the species in the fish collection at the...

Polypterus palmas

Polypterus palmas, also called the shortfin or marbled bichir, is a fish in the family Polypteridae found in freshwater environments throughout West Africa.

Polypterus congicus

Polypterus congicus, the Congo bichir, is a species of bichir with a maximum recorded size of 970 millimetres (38 in). The colour also varies from yellowish brown to grey, darker in the top, paler in the ventral area. It has a pattern of around 8...

Polypterus weeksii

Polypterus weeksii, the mottled bichir, is a fish in the family Polypteridae found in the central basin of the Congo River. It grows to about 54 cm in head-to-tail length.Named in honor of John Henry Weeks (1861-1924), Baptist missionary,...

Polypterus teugelsi

Polypterus teugelsi (Teugelsi bichir) is a species of carnivorous, nocturnal bichir (a group of primitive ray-finned fishes) that lives in the Cross River drainage basin in the country of Cameroon. P. teugelsi was described in 2004 by Ralf Britz.

Polypterus mokelembembe

Polypterus mokelembembe is a species of the fish genus Polypterus, found in the central basin of the Congo River. It was once considered a morph of the closely related Polypterus retropinnis, but was given species status in 2006 with a description...

Polypterus polli

Polypterus polli, Poll's bichir, is a species of bichir from the Malebo Pool and the lower and central basins of the Congo River. It was named in honor of Belgian ichthyologist Max Poll.

Guinean bichir

Polypterus ansorgii

The Guinean bichir (Polypterus ansorgii) is a ray-finned fish from rivers and other freshwater habitats in Western Africa, ranging from Guinea-Bissau to Nigeria. It reaches a maximum length of 72 cm (28 in), is greenish-brown to black in color, and...