Guinean bichir (Polypterus ansorgii)

Scientific name: Polypterus ansorgii Boulenger, 1910

Guinean bichir (Polypterus ansorgii)

The Guinean bichir (Polypterus ansorgii) is a freshwater fish of the family Polypteridae.

Biology

Dorsal spines: 12 - 15; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 12 - 14. Subcylindrical body. Upper and lower jaw of equal length. Advanced dorsal fin with 12-15 dorsal finlets. Pectoral fin reaching first dorsal spine. Ganoid scales: 55-62 lateral line scales, 42-46 scales around body, 11-13 predorsal scales. Lateral line scales of adults are notched on the posterior border. The color is greenish-black with large black blotches on the flanks.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Polypterus ansorgii
Family
Polypteridae (Bichirs)
Order
Polypteriformes (Bichirs)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
28.0
Environment
Freshwater; demersal
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Africa: described from the Corbal River in Guinea Bissau and recently reported in the Niger basin near Kouroussa in Guinea and in lake Kainji and the Ogun River in Nigeria.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Aquarium: public aquariums
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

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Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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