Cladistii (bichirs) >
Polypteriformes (Bichirs) >
Polypteridae (Bichirs)
Etymology: Polypterus: Greek, poly = a lot of + Greek, pteron = wing, fin (Ref. 45335).
Eponymy: Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher aka István László Endlicher (1804–1849) was an Austrian botanist and numismatist who was appointed Professor of the University of Vienna and was Director of the university’s botanical gardens (1840). [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Heckel.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal; potamodromous (Ref. 51243). Tropical
Africa: Nile River, Chad basin, Niger River, Volta River, Bandama River, Comoé River and Ouémé River (Ref. 2835, 81263).
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 32.0 range ? - ? cm
Max length : 65.5 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 123661); max. published weight: 3.4 kg (Ref. 123661)
Dorsal spines (total): 11 - 14; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 9 - 18; Vertebrae: 53 - 57. Diagnosis: lower jaw longer than upper jaw; pectoral fin reaching first dorsal ray (Ref. 2835, 42908, 81263). 11-14 dorsal finlets (Ref. 28714, 122071), the first situated above the pectoral fins; head flat or slightly concave between the eyes but not convex (Ref. 28714). Third dorsal scale row the first to reach ventral midline; predorsal length short, 21.7-27.4 % SL; few (4-5, rarely 6), broad (more than 3 scale rows wide), dark transverse bars extending from dorsum to middle of flank by confluence of dorsal and lateral blotches sometimes including ventrolateral markings (Ref. 122071).
Facultative air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Inhabits swamps and rivers. Essentially piscivorous (Ref. 9695, 28714). Diet includes snails and crustaceans (Ref. 30488).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Gosse, J.P. and J. Daget, 2003. Polypteridae. p. 101-112. In D. Paugy, C. Lévêque and G.G Teugels (eds.) The fresh and brackish water fishes of West Africa Volume 1. Coll. faune et flore tropicales 40. Institut de recherche de développement, Paris, France, Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris, France and Musée royal de l'Afrique Central, Tervuren, Belgium, 457p. (Ref. 81263)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5002 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00437 (0.00271 - 0.00704), b=3.07 (2.93 - 3.21), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.8 ±0.63 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (52 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 126 [54, 243] mg/100g; Iron = 1.55 [0.93, 2.46] mg/100g; Protein = 18 [17, 19] %; Omega3 = 0.275 [0.116, 0.669] g/100g; Selenium = 69.6 [31.2, 151.4] μg/100g; VitaminA = 33.5 [12.8, 91.3] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.26 [0.86, 1.81] mg/100g (wet weight);
