Nile bichir (Polypterus bichir bichir)

Scientific name: Polypterus bichir bichir Lacep?de, 1803

Nile bichir (Polypterus bichir bichir)
Photo: https://quest4fish.wordpress.com/2011/06/11/kamihata-polypterus-bichir-bichir/

The Nile bichir (Polypterus bichir bichir) is a freshwater fish of the family Polypteridae. Native range: Africa, Nile River, Lake Turkana and Omo River; Lake Chad, Chari River and Logone River.

Biology

Dorsal spines: 14 - 18; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 13 - 16; Vertebrae: 61 - 62. Subcylindrical body; its depth 6.8-10.3 times in its length; head length 4.1-5.5 times in body length. Head width 1.7-2.3 times in head length, eye-diameter 8.5-13.0 times in head length. Lower jaw slightly longer than upper jaw. Number of dorsal finlets: 14-18; dorsal finlets overlapping when folded down. Number of branched dorsal and caudal rays: 19-21. Pectoral fin reaching first dorsal spine. Ganoid scales: 63-70 lateral line scales; 46-54 scales around body; 11-16 predorsal scales. Lateral line scales are notched on the posterior border. The color is olive, but white on the ventral side, with three darker longitudinal bands on the lateral side, which are more visible in young than adults; pectoral and pelvic

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Polypterus bichir bichir
Family
Polypteridae (Bichirs)
Order
Polypteriformes (Bichirs)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
72.0
Environment
Freshwater; demersal; potamodromous
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Africa: Nile River, Lake Turkana and Omo River; Lake Chad, Chari River and Logone River.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Aquarium: public aquariums
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (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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